(LEFT) Rosemary Clooney holding baby Maria. (RIGHT) Rosemary Clooney with young Maria at the pool. (Photos provided)
Film screening will feature rare artifacts from classic ‘White Christmas’
The Great American Songbook Foundation, in partnership with Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts, will welcome Maria Ferrer Murdock, daughter of Songbook Hall of Fame inductee Rosemary Clooney, to the Payne & Mencias Palladium for a festive film screening event at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4.
The evening will celebrate Clooney’s enduring impact on American popular music and her connection to beloved holiday classics that continue to bring generations together each season. Attendees can begin the night by exploring a special display of rare and authentic artifacts from one of the films Clooney starred in – the beloved 1954 movie musical White Christmas – drawn from the collections of the Songbook Library & Archives and the Rosemary Clooney House in Augusta, Ky. The display offers a rare opportunity to explore the artistry and craftsmanship behind one of Hollywood’s most enduring holiday classics, showcasing materials that have delighted audiences for generations.
Following the screening of one of Clooney’s beloved films, Murdock will join the audience for a live talkback and Q&A, sharing stories and insights about her mother’s remarkable life and career.
Historical artifacts on display at the Dec. 4 film screening will include this custom piano owned by Irving Berlin, composer of the title track and other songs in the 1954 movie musical White Christmas, as well as a snow globe he gifted to star Rosemary Clooney when production wrapped on the film. (Photo provided by the Great American Songbook Foundation)
A celebrated vocalist and actress, Clooney is remembered as one of America’s most beloved entertainers and a defining voice of the Great American Songbook. Her career took off with the 1951 hit “Come On-a My House,” followed by enduring favorites like “Tenderly,” “Half as Much,” and “Hey There.” On screen, she charmed audiences in several films, most notably opposite Bing Crosby in White Christmas, a role that forever linked her to the holiday season. Over five decades, Clooney became a symbol of warmth and sincerity in American popular song, earning the Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award shortly before her passing in 2002.
Murdock, Clooney’s daughter with Academy Award-winning actor José Ferrer, is part of a multigenerational family whose artistry helped shape American film and music. She has shared stories and insights about her mother’s life and legacy with audiences across the country, keeping alive the warmth and spirit that defined Clooney’s work. Murdock has served on the boards of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Great American Songbook Foundation and has supported initiatives of the Betty Clooney Foundation for Persons with Brain Injury, established by her family in memory of Rosemary’s sister. Through her public engagement and philanthropy, Murdock continues to honor her family’s lasting influence on the arts.
Artifacts on display during the event will include:
- A rare transposing piano owned by Irving Berlin
- A White Christmas promotional poster signed by Rosemary Clooney
- Several original costumes from the film
- Holiday ornaments, including two signed by Rosemary Clooney
- Two green chairs from the iconic Columbia Inn
- A hat, pipe, and suitcase that belonged to Bing Crosby
- Rare snow globes with direct ties to White Christmas
- A set of three Hallmark dolls
- Personal items from choreographer Robert Alton
- A variety of sheet music and arrangements used during the film’s production
- Yearbooks from several cast members.
Tickets for this event are $10 per person and $5 for military members and can be purchased at TheSongbook.org/WhiteChristmas. The screening event is generously sponsored by Grand Industrial and Libby and Randy Brown.
Following the event, the artifact display will remain open to the public in the Traditions Senior Communities Songbook Gallery at the Payne & Mencias Palladium through Dec. 20, offering visitors another opportunity to experience these rare pieces up close.
