Bob Wallace

Captain **Bob Wallace** was a soldier of the 151st Armored Division where he served on the Christmas Eve of 1944.

Before the war Bob was a Broadway entertainer. On this Christmas Eve, he and Private First Class Phil Davis, perform for the men of the 151st Division. But, word has come down that their beloved commanding officer, Major General Thomas F. Waverly, is being relieved of his command. He arrives for the end of the show and delivers an emotional farewell and the men give him a rousing send-off.

At the end of the performance, everyone is forced to take cover from an aerial bombing run. One bomb knocks over a partially-destroyed building, but Bob is too busy shouting orders to notice. Phil throws him out of the way and his arm is injured by debris. Bob later visits Phil at a field hospital and thanks the private for saving his life. When Bob offers a favor to repay the debt, Phil shows him a duet he wrote and asks to perform with Bob back in New York City. Feeling obligated by Phil's heroism, Bob agrees.

After the war, Bob and Phil make it big in nightclubs, radio, and then on Broadway, eventually becoming successful producers. They mount their newest hit musical titled *Playing Around*. The same day they receive a letter from "Freckle-Faced Haynes, the dog-faced boy," their mess sergeant from the war, asking them to look at an act that his two sisters are doing.

When they go to the club to watch the act, Phil notices that Bob is smitten with Betty. Phil has eyes for her sister, Judy. Betty and Judy join Bob and Phil at their table, and Phil dances with Judy, so that Bob and Betty can get to know each other. Phil and Judy hit it off. Bob and Betty do not, getting into a minor argument about how Bob thinks that everyone has an angle in show business.

Judy and Betty are headed for the Columbia Inn in Pine Tree, Vermont, where they are booked to perform over the holidays. Due to a disagreement with their landlord (he claimed that they had burned an expensive rug at his hotel and had even summoned the sheriff to arrest them), the girls have to leave immediately, so Phil gives the sisters his and Bob's sleeping-room accommodations aboard the train and delays the sheriff by imitating the girls' signature number. Bob and Phil board later and Bob is extremely upset that they have to stay up all night in the club car on their way to New York City. They are joined by Betty and Judy, who thank them profusely for the tickets and convince them to come with them to Pine Tree.

When the train arrives in Pine Tree, there's not a snowflake in sight, and chances of it falling appear dim. Bob and Phil discover that the inn is run by their former commanding officer, General Waverly. Waverly has invested all of his savings into the lodge, which is in danger of failing because there's no snow and thus no guests. To bring business to the inn, Bob and Phil bring the entire cast and crew of their musical *Playing Around*, and add in Betty and Judy to the rehearsals. Bob and Betty's relationship blooms and they spend a good deal of time together. Meanwhile, Bob discovers the General's request to rejoin the army has been rejected. He decides to prove to the General that he isn't forgotten.

While rehearsals continue Bob calls Ed Harrison, an old army buddy, now a successful variety show host, to arrange a televised invitation to all the men formerly under the command of the General to come to the inn on Christmas Eve as a surprise. In response, Harrison suggests they go all out and put the show on national television to generate free advertising for Wallace and Davis, but Bob insists that it will have nothing to do with their business. Unbeknownst to Bob, nosy housekeeper Emma Allen has been eavesdropping, but she has only heard the part about free advertising, not Bob's rejection of the idea.

Mistakenly believing that her beloved boss will be portrayed as a pitiable figure in a nationwide broadcast, Emma reveals what she has heard to a shocked Betty. The misunderstanding causes Betty to grow suddenly cold towards a baffled Bob. While this is happening, Judy becomes convinced that Betty will never take on a serious relationship until Judy is engaged or married. She pressures a reluctant Phil to announce a phony engagement, but the plan backfires when Betty abruptly departs for New York City to take a job offer since Judy is taken care of.

After rehearsals are complete, Phil and Judy reveal to Bob that the engagement was phony. Bob, still unaware of the real reason behind Betty's coldness, goes to New York for The Ed Harrison Show, but decides to stop and try to convince Betty to come back. Bob sees Betty's new act and reveals the truth about the engagement, and Betty starts to warm up to him, but he is called away by Ed Harrison before learning what is really bothering her. Back at the Inn, Phil fakes an injury to distract the General so he won't see the broadcast of Bob's announcement.

On the broadcast, Bob invites veterans of the 151st Division to come to Pine Tree, Vermont, on Christmas Eve. Betty catches Bob's televised pitch and realizes she was mistaken. She returns to Pine Tree in time for the Christmas Eve show, but only tells Judy. The whole division comes into Pine Tree secretly. When the General enters the lodge, he is greeted by his former division, who sing a rousing chorus of "The Old Man." Just as the following number ends, he learns that snow is finally falling.

In the finale, Bob and Betty declare their love for one another, as do Phil and Judy. The background of the set is removed to show the snow falling, and Bob, Betty, Phil and Judy perform "White Christmas" while everyone raises a glass, and toasts, "May your days be merry and bright; and may all your Christmases be white."

## Awards

* Silver Star
* Bronze Star Medal
* Purple Heat
* European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
* World War II Victory Medal
* Army of Occupation Medal

## Gallery

Phil Davis and Bob Wallace.Bob Wallace and Phil Davis.Bob Wallace and Phil Davis.Phil Davis and Bob Wallace.Phil Davis and Bob Wallace.Bob Wallace and Phil Davis.Bob Wallace and Phil Davis.