Photo by Robert Kaplafka
Librarian Laura Keyes, who also does presentations and portrayals of historical women as part of Historic Voices, can recall as early as third grade repeatedly settling down in front of the television with family to watch the holiday classic, “White Christmas,” which was her grandmother's favorite movie.
As Keyes and her two sisters got older and everyone was going their separate ways, there was even a fight over who would get the prized VHS copy of the movie. They ended up buying multiples so that each family member could watch the movie for times when they couldn’t all gather together, she said. It was that special.
“From a very young age, I was always watched as the family gathered at my grandmother’s house. And again, from a young age, my family started to watch it at our house … Looking back on my childhood, I didn’t remember much about the plot. And then, of course, as I grew up and I really paid attention to the movie, I was reminded there’s not much of a plot in the movie.
"It’s a wonderful movie, and it has beautiful songs, but just to be honest, there’s not much of a plot in it,” Keyes said during a phone interview from Illinois. “At this point, the movie has the added layer of family togetherness and nostalgia that my family has created around the movie, including my parents and my siblings, so there’s that layer of enjoyment to the movie as well.”
Keyes will be presenting one of her latest research projects, "Virtual Illustrated Lecture: A Look Behind White Christmas," to be presented at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross St., Batavia.
The program is about an hour long, and Keyes will talk about the 1954 movie, which was a hit even before it debuted and has remained a holiday classic even today.
Her illustrated lecture will show you how the film was created and who were the creative geniuses behind it, all with behind-the-scenes images and historical information. She goes beyond the famous faces of Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney to also discuss people such as supporting actress Mary Wickes and costume designer Edith Head, both of whom “definitely added to this.”
A common vein that flows through all of her work is the back story of a subject, and "White Christmas" is no exception. That has allowed her to reignite a love of history she wasn’t so familiar with during her high school years when “it wasn’t taught in a way I enjoyed.”
Diving into that back story — the underbelly of a person, place, situation — opens up the interesting details and emotions that Keyes not only enjoys learning about but also sharing with others, she said.
"I have been portraying women from history and lecturing on historic topics since 2008 and I have a variety of different historic topics that I've taken on, especially when it comes to illustrated lectures … and I've touched on a number of different topics, including, a couple years ago, I created a talk on the history and folklore of Santa Claus. And so I enjoy looking at a topic, including a topic of popular culture, and just kind of getting the back story on it. And I did that a couple of years ago when I took the 1938 'War of the Worlds' broadcast that Orson Welles directed, and I looked at the whole back story of that, and then I explained that in a historical lecture, an illustrated lecture," she said. "And so I decided to do the same thing with this favorite movie of mine, 'White Christmas.' I wanted to share not only this film with so many other people, which I know some people also enjoy as a favorite of the holiday season, but I also wanted to give some of the back story and talk about the actors and other artists who created the film.
"So that's what I talk about in my lecture; not just say their names and when they were born or some such, but really give the back story on them: how did they come to be cast in the movie?" she said. "I've actually just plain enjoyed learning more about these actors and artists.”
For anyone not familiar with the Welles' radio play, it was based on the 40-year-old novel of the same name about an alien invasion.
Keyes joined community theater years ago when she was cast in a lot of plays, including one featuring Mrs. Lincoln, she said. The glitch was “it was very historically inaccurate.”
“And in 2008, I had just graduated as a librarian with my master’s degree in library studies, so I did my research as a good little librarian. I put my research cap on and I said, ‘wow, this play is inaccurate,’ and, of course, one cannot change a script,” she said. “But I was allowed to write a short essay for the playbill, and I talked about Mary Lincoln and I talked about what she really went through. And so word got around the town that I was portraying Mary Lincoln very accurately, and so before the play closed, I had three phone calls from three different libraries saying ‘would you come to the library and give a talk like Mary Lincoln and wear your dress?’ And it’s just grown from there.”
Some of her portrayals also include Mary Todd Lincoln's daughter-in-law, Mary Harlan Lincoln, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Charlotte Bronte, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Keyes actually developed several programs about the first First Lady Mary Lincoln to accommodate her “complex and unique character” in various presentations throughout history. However, when asked for her favorite character, she couldn't pinpoint one. It was like asking to choose your favorite child, she said.
Richmond Library staff was also drawn to her Lincoln personna, and booked her for a virtual performance in September 2022.
For this upcoming program, Keyes, whose full-time job is library director for Dunlap Public Library in Illinois, began her research in January, when she traveled to a museum in Omaha that displayed many of the movie's costumes and artifacts. But two other requests for portrayals stalled her completion until later this fall, and she plans to debut her White Christmas lecture at her own library this Thursday before folks here can watch it.
The movie is a spectacle of big-name actors wearing ornate outfits, including the Santa-themed red velvet and white fur trim with rhinestone accents, glistening under stage lights, lots of Christmas decorations and brightly lit trees, ballerinas, gushy romance, and music throughout. Songs include "Let Me Sing," "And I’m Happy," "Blue Skies," "Sisters," "Snow," "Santa Claus," and of course, the big finale of "White Christmas," in which the audience joins in on the singing.
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know.
Where the tree tops glisten,
And children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.
How would Grandma Joy, who was born around Christmastime, feel to know that her love for this movie has now transcended into a lecture for the public?
"I think that she would be very happy that I would be sharing this movie and this sweet story,” Keyes said.
Was there anything surprising in your research for "White Christmas"?
“Yes, something that absolutely shocked me," she said. "There’s a connection with Orson Welles and the 'War of the Worlds' program. I will explain that (on Dec. 18)."
Assistant Director and Community and Adult Services Librarian Samantha Stryker said the library is looking forward to hosting Keyes for her virtual illustrated lecture.
"We've enjoyed virtual programs from Historic Voices in the past, ranging on topics from the history of Santa Claus to a portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln. Like many places, Richmond Memorial Library expanded into virtual programming during the pandemic, and now we're pleased to offer hybrid options -- patrons can watch from the comfort of their own homes or join us at the library to watch the live stream of the program on the big screen," Stryker said. "The ability to watch from home works great for those who may not like to drive at night or in wintery weather. Those who attend in person can enjoy cocoa, tea and cookies. Laura Keyes always presents well-researched and interesting deep dives into various topics and we're looking forward to hosting another intriguing presentation from her."
To watch at the library, register by calling 585-343-9550, Ext. 3. Go HERE for more information or to register.
Keyes said there will be time at the end for audience questions. Stryker will have copies of the film available for people to check out if they want to watch it.
