White Christmas: parents' guide

Only in the opening: an Army camp near the front comes under shelling, and one soldier pulls another clear of a collapsing wall. Soldiers carry rifles but never fire them, and nothing violent follows.

No profanity at all. The strongest it gets is some affectionate teasing between the friends and an old-fashioned insult or two, such as a 'freckle-faced, dog-faced' jab at someone offscreen.

Romance drives the plot, with a handful of kisses, embraces and close dancing. Men remark on how attractive the sisters are, the dancers wear snug costumes, and the two male leads clown through a song in drag. No nudity.

Adults order cocktails at a nightclub and several scenes are set in bars, though nobody is shown drunk. Bing Crosby's character smokes a pipe, and smoking appears in a couple of scenes.

The brief battlefield opening has explosions and a near miss with a falling wall, which may startle small children. The rest is light, with only mild worry over the general's failing business.