The Bing Crosby Information
File
Originally compiled by Jim Reilly for what was then the International
Crosby Circle.
Click on the links below.
Bing Crosby—On
Television (1948–1977)
The
International Club Crosby (ICC)
First – A Statistical Analysis of Bing
Crosby
As put together by Gary Giddins, in his marvellous book, Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams – the Early Years 1903-1940, published by Little, Brown in 2001.
·
Bing was the first full-time vocalist ever
signed to an orchestra.
·
He made more studio recordings than any other
singer in history.
·
He made the most popular record ever, “White
Christmas,” the only single to make American pop charts twenty times, every
year but one between 1942 and 1952. In
1998, after a long absence, his 1947 version hit the charts in Britain.
·
Between 1927 and 1962 he scored 368 charted records
under his own name, plus twenty-eight as a vocalist with various bandleaders,
for a total of 396. No one else has come
close; compare Paul Whiteman (220), Frank Sinatra (209), Elvis Presley (149),
Glenn Miller (129), Nat “King” Cole (118), Louis Armstrong (85), the Beatles
(68).
·
He scored the most number one hits ever, 38,
compared with 24 by the Beatles and 18 by Presley.
·
In 1960 he received a platinum record as First
Citizen of the Record Industry for having sold 200 million discs, a number that
doubled by 1980.
·
Between 1915 and 1980 he was the only
motion-picture star to rank as the number one box-office attraction five times
(1944-48). Between 1934 and 1954 he
scored in the top ten fifteen times.
·
“Going My Way” was the highest-grossing film in
the history of Paramount Pictures until 1947; “The Bells of St. Mary’s” was the
highest-grossing film in the history of RKO Pictures until 1947.
·
He was nominated for an Academy Award for best
actor three times and won for “Going My Way”.
·
He was a major radio star longer than any other
performer, from 1931 until 1954 on network, 1954 until 1962 in syndication.
·
He appeared on approximately 4,000 radio
broadcasts, nearly 3,400 of them his own programs, and single-handedly changed
radio from a live-performance to a canned or recorded medium by presenting, in
1946, the first transcribed network show on ABC – thereby making that also-ran
network a major force.
·
He financed and popularized the development of
tape, revolutionizing the recording industry.
·
He created the first and longest-running
celebrity pro-am golf championship, playing host for thirty-five years, raising
millions in charity, and was the central figure in the development of the Del
Mar racetrack in California.
·
He made the largest number of V-discs and army
broadcasts of any American entertainer and raised $14.5 million in war bonds (a
“Yank” magazine poll declared him the individual who had done more for GI
morale during World War II).
Harry
Lillis Crosby in Tacoma, Washington, May 3, 1903.
There has always been
some dispute over his actual birth date and even his mother at one time said it
was May 2, 1904. This is the date quoted in his official biography and shown on
his gravestone at Holy Cross Cemetery in Los Angeles. His correct date of birth
has been confirmed to be May 3, 1903, from his baptismal certificate. Bing was
the fourth of seven children born to Harry Lincoln (sometimes Lowe) Crosby and
his wife Catherine Helen (nee Harrigan) Crosby at 1112 North Jay Street,
Tacoma. Bing’s mother was of Irish descent and his father was descended from a
maritime family. In all, there were seven Crosby children: Laurence (born
1895), Everett (born 1896), Edward (born 1900), Bing (born 1903), Catherine
(born 1904), Mary Rose (born 1906), and George Robert (born 1913). The family
moved to Spokane in 1906 where Bing grew up and attended Gonzaga High School
and Gonzaga University until he left home to seek his fame and fortune in
California with friend Al Rinker in 1925.
He was known as “Bing”
from a young age, when he got the nickname from the comic “The Bingville
Bugle.” Other nicknames included The Old
Groaner, El Bingo, Le Bing and Der
Bingle.
Bing’s hobbies included golf, fishing, hunting, and horse racing.
Dixie Lee, 1930–1952 (born 1911, died 1952);
Kathryn Grant, 1957–1977 (born 1933).
Seven.
First marriage—Gary (born 1933, died 1995), twins (born 1934) Phillip
(died 2004) and Dennis (died 1991), Lindsay (born 1938, died 1989).
Second marriage—Harry Lillis Jr. (born 1958), Mary Frances (born 1959),
and Nathaniel (born 1961).
October 14, 1977, on La Moraleja Golf Course near Madrid, Spain. He had just completed a successful round of golf when he collapsed as the result of a massive heart attack. He had been playing with Spanish golfers Manuel Pinero, Valentine Barrios, and club president Cesar de Zulueta. Bing’s last words were reportedly, “That was a great game of golf fellas. Let’s go have a Coca-Cola.”
Bing Crosby—The Recording
Artist
Bing made recordings in every year of his career which spanned
fifty-one years, and he recorded some 2000 titles. He was the most successful
recording artist of the twentieth century, with well over 300 hits to his name
and twenty-two official Gold Records. Bing recorded with many stars including
the Andrews Sisters, Patti Andrews, Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Connee
Boswell, the Boswell Sisters, Rosemary Clooney, Dixie Lee Crosby, Gary Crosby,
Trudy Erwin, Judy Garland, Bob Hope, Al Jolson, Danny Kaye, Grace Kelly,
Frances Langford, Peggy Lee, Mary Martin, Johnny Mercer, the Mills Brothers,
Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Carol Richards, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, and
Jane Wyman among others.
First recording—“I’ve
Got the Girl,” a duet with Al Rinker and Don Clark and his Los Angeles Biltmore
Hotel Orchestra, recorded October 18, 1926.
Last recording—“Once
in a While” with Gordon Rose and his Orchestra recorded for the BBC, October
11, 1977, in London.
Bing’s Forty Top Hits
1931—1. Out of
Nowhere, 2. Just One More Chance, 3. At Your Command.
1932—4. Dinah (with the Mills Brothers), 5. Please.
1933—6. Brother Can You Spare A Dime, 7. You’re Getting to Be a Habit
with Me, 8. Shadow Waltz.
1934—9. Little Dutch Mill, 10. Love in Bloom, 11. June in January.
1935—12. Soon, 13. It’s Easy to Remember, 14. Red Sails in the Sunset.
1936—15. Pennies from Heaven.
1937—16. Sweet Leilani, 17. Too Marvelous for Words, 18. The Moon Got in My Eyes, 19.
Remember Me, 20. Bob White (with Connie Boswell).
1938—21. I’ve Got a Pocketful of Dreams, 22. Alexander’s Ragtime Band
(with Connie Boswell), 23. You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby.
1940—24. Sierra Sue, 25. Trade Winds, 26. Only Forever.
1942—27. White Christmas.
1943—28. Moonlight Becomes You, 29. Sunday Monday or Always.
1944—30. San Fernando Valley, 31. I Love You (Porter), 32. I’ll Be
Seeing You, 33. Swinging on a Star, 34. A Hot Time in the Town of Berlin (with
the Andrews Sisters), 35. Don’t Fence Me In (with the Andrews Sisters).
1945—36. It’s Been a Long Long Time, 37. I Can’t Begin to
Tell You.
1948—38. Now Is the Hour.
1949—39. Far Away Places.
1950—40. Play a Simple Melody (with Gary Crosby).
Note: Titles 1–38 were
number one hits and titles 39–40 reached the number two spot in the
charts. Bing’s recording “White
Christmas” was the most successful single recording in the world for more than
fifty-five years. His latest success with the song was in 1998, when “White Christmas”
charted for three consecutive weeks over the festive season in the U.K.
reaching the number twenty-nine spot.
Bing’s Gold Records
(titles 1 to 21–Decca, 22–Capitol)
1. Sweet Leilani.
2. New San Antonio Rose.
3. White Christmas.
4. Silent Night.
5. Sunday Monday or Always.
6. Pistol Packin’ Mama (with
the Andrews Sisters).
7. Jingle Bells (with the
Andrews Sisters).
8. I’ll Be Home for Christmas.
9. Swinging on a Star.
10. Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral.
11. Don’t Fence Me In (with the Andrews Sisters).
12. I Can’t Begin to Tell You.
13. McNamara’s Band.
14. South America Take It Away (with the Andrews Sisters).
15. Alexander’s Ragtime Band (with Al Jolson).
16. The Whiffenpoof Song.
17. Now Is the Hour (Maori Farewell Song).
18. Galway Bay.
19. Dear Hearts and Gentle People.
20. Play a Simple Melody (with Gary Crosby).
21. Sam’s Song (with Gary Crosby).
22. True Love (with Grace Kelly).
Bing’s voice was at
its peak in the thirties and early forties and throughout this period he had no
equal. During his career, he sang every imaginable kind of song including
romantic ballads, country and western, patriotic, religious, Irish and Hawaiian
favorites as well as light opera and jazz classics. No singer has ever matched
Bing when it comes to Christmas; his Yuletide offerings remain preeminent
throughout the world. Some 1500 of Bing’s recordings (both commercial and
radio) are currently available on compact disc and more are released all over
the world on a regular basis. Over 500 Crosby CDs have been issued since the
advent of the compact disc as confirmation that thirty three years after his
death Bing remains ever popular.
See www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Crosby/crosby.html
for further information.
Bing Crosby—On Radio
Bing first appeared on radio during 1928 as a soloist with Paul
Whiteman and with Al Rinker and Harry Barris as the Rhythm Boys. His first solo
nationwide broadcast took place in New York on the Columbia Broadcasting System
on September 2, 1931, when he sang “Just One More Chance” and “I’m Thru with
Love.” After that Bing continued to star on radio for more than thirty years;
his most successful period being the thirties through the fifties, which were
the halcyon days of radio. As with his recording career, Bing sang the most
popular songs of the day and often appeared with other leading entertainers on
his radio broadcasts. From the early thirties, Bing’s theme song was “Where the
Blue of the Night Meets the Gold of the Day.”
Bing was inducted into
the Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago, on October 11, 1998, and his wife Kathryn
Crosby accepted the posthumous award.
The Radio Programs
1929–1930, Old Gold Cigarettes
Presents Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, from New York.
1930–1931, The Cocoanut Grove
Presents Gus Arnheim from Los Angeles.
1931, Presenting Bing Crosby
from CBS, New York.
1931–1932, Bing Crosby—Cremo
Singer from CBS, New York.
1933, Chesterfield Cigarettes
Presents “Music That Satisfies” from CBS, New York.
1933–1935, Bing Crosby
Entertains, for Woodbury Facial Soap, from CBS, Los Angeles.
1935–1946, The Kraft Music Hall
from NBC, Los Angeles.
1946–1949, Philco Radio Time
from ABC, Los Angeles.
1949–1952, The Bing Crosby Show
for Chesterfield from CBS, Los Angeles.
1952–1954, The Bing Crosby Show
for General Electric from CBS, Los Angeles.
1954–1956, The Bing Crosby Show
from CBS, Los Angeles.
1957–1958, The Ford Road Show
from CBS, Los Angeles.
1960–1962, The Bing
Crosby–Rosemary Clooney Show from CBS, Los Angeles.
For more detailed information, click here.
Bing was one of the most successful stars ever to appear on the silver
screen. For a period covering fifteen years, Bing was among the top ten box
office stars and for five consecutive years (1944–1949) he achieved the number
one spot. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1944 for his portrayal of
Father Chuck O’Malley in the film Going
My Way. He was also nominated for two additional Best Actor Awards for his
performances in The Bells of St. Mary’s
(1945) and The Country Girl (1954).
In a great many of his
films, he played lighthearted comedy and musical roles as a singer or
songwriter. His usual casual approach belied the fact that Bing was a fine
dramatic actor as witnessed by his portrayals in Little Boy Lost (1953), The
Country Girl (1954), Man on Fire
(1957), and his last major film Stagecoach
(1966). No one who saw his powerful performance as an alcoholic in The Country Girl could ever doubt his
ability as a serious actor. It is somewhat ironic that Bing’s film career may
be best remembered for his seven zany Road
films in which he starred with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.
In all, Bing appeared
in 104 films made for the cinema including short comedies, feature-length
films, cameos, and guest appearances. He also starred in several films made
especially for television.
Short Films
Mack Sennett
Shorts (1931–32)—I Surrender Dear, One More Chance, Dream House, Billboard Girl,
Sing Bing Sing, and Blue of the Night.
Paramount shorts
(1933)—Please and Just an Echo.
MGM short (1935) Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove.
Cameo Appearances
Reaching for the Moon,
Confessions of a Coed, The Big Broadcast of 1936, My Favorite Blonde,
Star-Spangled Rhythm, The Princess and the Pirate, Duffy’s Tavern, Variety
Girl, My Favorite Brunette, Angels in the Outfield, The Greatest Show on Earth,
Son of Paleface, Scared Stiff, Alias Jesse James, Let’s Make Love, Pepe, Cancel
My Reservation, and That’s Entertainment.
Feature Films
(Dates
shown are the film release dates and the songs listed are those sung by Bing in
each film.)
King
of Jazz—1930 (color). A Universal Picture featuring the Paul
Whiteman Orchestra. Songs include: “Music Hath Charms,” “Mississippi Mud,” “So
the Blackbirds and the Bluebirds Got Together,” “A Bench in the Park,” and
“Happy Feet.”
The
Big Broadcast—1932 (black
& white). A Paramount Picture directed by Frank Tuttle starring Bing
Crosby, Stuart Erwin, George Burns and Gracie Allen. Songs include: “Where the
Blue of the Night,” “I Surrender Dear,” “Dinah,” “Here Lies Love,” and
“Please.”
College Humor—1933 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Wesley Ruggles starring Bing Crosby, Jack Oakie, and Mary
Carlisle. Songs include: “Learn to Croon,” “Moonstruck,” and “Down the Old Ox
Road.”
Too Much Harmony—1933 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by A. Edward Sutherland starring Bing Crosby, Judith Allen,
Jack Oakie. Songs include: “Boo Boo Boo,” “Thanks,” “The Day You Came Along,”
and “Buckin’ the Wind”.
Going Hollywood—1933 (black & white). An MGM Production
for Cosmopolitan Pictures directed by Raoul Walsh starring Bing Crosby, Marion
Davies, Fifi D’Orsay, Ned Sparks, and Stuart Erwin. Songs include: “Going
Hollywood,” “After Sundown,” “We’ll Make Hay While the Sun Shines,”
“Temptation,” “Beautiful Girl,” and “Our Big Love Scene.”
We’re Not Dressing—1934 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Norman Taurog starring Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, Leon
Errol, Ethel Merman, and Ray Milland. Songs include: “Goodnight Lovely Little
Lady,” “I Positively Refuse to Sing,” “She Reminds Me of You,” “May I?” “Love
Thy Neighbor,” and “Once in a Blue Moon.”
She Loves Me Not—1934 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Elliott Nugent starring Bing Crosby, Kitty Carlisle, and
Miriam Hopkins. Songs include: “I’m Hummin’ I’m Whistlin’ I’m Singin’,” “Love
in Bloom,” and “Straight from the Shoulder.”
Here Is My Heart—1935 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Frank Tuttle starring Bing Crosby, Kitty Carlisle, and
Roland Young. Songs include: “June in January,” “With Every Breath I Take,” and
“Love Is Just around the Corner.”
Mississippi—1935 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by A. Edward Sutherland starring Bing Crosby, W. C. Fields,
and Joan Bennett. Songs include: “Swanee River,” “Down by the River,” “Soon,” and
“It’s Easy to Remember.”
Two for Tonight—1935 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Frank Tuttle starring Bing Crosby, Joan Bennett, and Mary
Boland. Songs include: “Two for Tonight,” “I Wish I Were Aladdin,” “From the
Top of Your Head,” “Takes Two to Make a Bargain,” and “Without a Word of
Warning.”
Anything Goes—1936 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Lewis Milestone starring Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Charles
Ruggles, and Ida Lupino. Songs include: “You’re the Top,” “My Heart and I,”
“Sailor Beware,” and “Moonburn.”
Rhythm on the Range—1936 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Norman Taurog starring Bing Crosby, Frances Farmer, Bob
Burns, and Martha Raye. Songs include: “Empty Saddles,” “I Can’t Escape from You,”
“Roundup Lullaby,” and “I’m an Old Cowhand.”
Pennies from Heaven—1936 (black & white). A Major Pictures
Production for Columbia Pictures directed by Norman Z. McLeod starring Bing
Crosby, Madge Evans, Donald Meek, Edith Fellows, and Louis Armstrong. Songs
include: “Pennies from Heaven,” “One Two Button Your Shoe,” “Let’s Call a Heart
a Heart,” and “So Do I.”
Waikiki Wedding—1937 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Frank Tuttle starring Bing Crosby, Shirley Ross, Bob Burns,
Martha Raye, George Barbier, Leif Erikson, and Anthony Quinn. Songs include:
“Sweet Leilani,” “Blue Hawaii,” “In a Little Hula Heaven,” and “Sweet Is the
Word for You.”
Double or Nothing—1937 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Theodore Reed starring Bing Crosby, Mary Carlisle, Martha
Raye, Andy Devine, and William Frawley. Songs include: “Smarty,” “The Moon Got
in My Eyes,” “It’s the Natural Thing to Do,” and “All You Want to Do Is Dance.”
Doctor Rhythm—1938 (black & white). A Major Pictures Production
for Paramount Pictures directed by Frank Tuttle starring Bing Crosby, Mary
Carlisle, Beatrice Lillie, and Andy Devine. Songs include: “My Heart Is Taking
Lessons,” “On the Sentimental Side,” and “This Is My Night to Dream.”
Sing You Sinners—1938 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Wesley Ruggles starring Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, and
Donald O’Connor. Songs include: “I’ve Got a Pocketful Of Dreams,” “Don’t Let
That Moon Get Away,” “Laugh and Call It Love,” and “Small Fry.”
Paris Honeymoon—1939 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Frank Tuttle starring Bing Crosby, Franciska Gaal, Akim
Tamiroff, and Shirley Ross. Songs include: “I Have Eyes,” “You’re a Sweet
Little Headache,” “Funny Old Hills,” and “Joobalai.”
East Side of Heaven—1939 (black & white). An Independent
Production for Universal Pictures directed by David Butler starring Bing
Crosby, Joan Blondell, and Mischa Auer. Songs include: “Happy Birthday,” “Sing
a Song of Sunbeams,” “Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb,” “That Sly Old
Gentleman,” and “East Side of Heaven.”
The Star Maker—1939 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Roy Del Ruth starring Bing Crosby, Louise Campbell, Linda
Ware, and Ned Sparks. Songs include: “Jimmy Valentine,” “A Man and His Dream,”
“If I Was a Millionaire,” “Go Fly a Kite,” “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now,”
“In My Merry Oldsmobile,” “An Apple for the Teacher,” “Schooldays,” and “Still
the Bluebird Sings.”
Road to Singapore—1940 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Victor Schertzinger starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy
Lamour, Charles Coburn, Anthony Quinn, and Jerry Colonna. Songs include:
“Captain Custard,” “Too Romantic,” and “Sweet Potato Piper.”
If I Had My Way—1940 (black & white). A Universal Picture
directed by David Butler starring Bing Crosby, Gloria Jean, Charles Winninger,
and El Brendel. Songs include: “Meet the Sun Halfway,” “I Haven’t Time to Be a
Millionaire,” “If I Had My Way,” “April Played the Fiddle,” and “Pessimistic
Character.”
Rhythm on the River—1940 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Victor Schertzinger starring Bing Crosby, Mary Martin,
Basil Rathbone, and Oscar Levant. Songs include: “Rhythm on the River,” “Only
Forever,” “What Would Shakespeare Have Said,” “That’s for Me,” and “When the
Moon Comes over Madison Square.”
Road to Zanzibar—1941 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Victor Schertzinger starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy
Lamour, Una Merkel, and Eric Blore. Songs include: “You Lucky People You,”
“It’s Always You,” and “On the Road to Zanzibar (African Etude).”
Birth of the Blues—1941 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Victor Schertzinger starring Bing Crosby, Mary Martin,
Brian Donlevy, Carolyn Lee, and Jack Teagarden. Songs include: “Birth of the
Blues,” “Memphis Blues,” “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,” “Wait till the Sun
Shines Nellie,” “My Melancholy Baby,” “The Waiter and the Porter and the
Upstairs Maid,” and “St. Louis Blues.”
Holiday Inn—1942 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Mark Sandrich starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie
Reynolds, Virginia Dale, and Walter Abel. Songs include: “I’ll Capture Your
Heart,” “Be Careful It’s My Heart,” “Lazy,” “White Christmas,” “Happy Holiday,”
“Let’s Start the New Year Right,” “Easter Parade,” “Abraham,” “Song of
Freedom,” and “I’ve Got Plenty to Be Thankful For.”
Road to Morocco—1942 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by David Butler starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy
Lamour, Anthony Quinn, and Dona Drake. Songs include: “Road to Morocco,” “Ain’t
Got a Dime to My Name,” and “Moonlight Becomes You.”
Star Spangled Rhythm—1942 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by George Marshall starring Bing Crosby, Betty Hutton, Victor
Moore, Eddie Bracken, and Walter Abel. Bing sings “Old Glory.”
Dixie—1943 (color). A Paramount Picture directed by A. Edward
Sutherland starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Marjorie Reynolds and Billy de
Wolfe. Songs include: “Sunday Monday or Always”, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” “If
You Please,” “Old Dan Tucker,” “She’s from Missouri,” “A Horse That Knows the
Way Back Home,” and “Dixie.”
Going My Way—1944 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Leo McCarey starring Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank
McHugh, Stanley Clements, Jean Heather, and Rise Stevens. Songs include:
“Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral,” “The Day After Forever,” “Going My Way,” “Ave Maria,”
“Silent Night,” and “Swinging on a Star.”
Here Come the Waves—1944 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Mark Sandrich starring Bing Crosby, Betty Hutton, Sonny
Tufts, Ann Doran, and Gwen Crawford. Songs include: “That Old Black Magic,”
“Let’s Take the Long Way Home,” “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive,” and “I Promise
You.”
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The Bells of St. Mary’s—1945 (black & white). A Rainbow
Production for RKO Pictures directed by Leo McCarey starring Bing Crosby,
Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, Dickie Tyler, and Joan Caroll. Songs include: “Aren’t
You Glad You’re You,” “Adeste Fideles,” “In the Land of Beginning Again,” “O
Sanctissima,” and “The Bells of St. Mary’s.”
Road to Utopia—1946 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Hal Walker starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour,
Douglas Dumbrille, and Jack La Rue. Songs include: “Goodtime Charlie,” “Welcome
to My Dream,” “It’s Anybody’s Spring,” and “Put It There Pal.”
Blue Skies—1946 (color). A Paramount Picture directed
by Stuart Heisler starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Joan Caulfield, Billy de
Wolfe, and Olga San Juan. Songs include: “I’ve Got My Captain Working for Me
Now,” “All by Myself,” “I’ll See You in Cuba,” “A Couple of Song and Dance
Men,” “Blue Skies,” “Everybody Step,” “You Keep Coming Back Like a Song,” “Getting
Nowhere,” and “Medley: Any Bonds Today/This Is the Army, Mr. Jones/White
Christmas.”
Welcome Stranger—1947 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Elliott Nugent starring Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Joan
Caulfield, and Wanda Hendrix. Songs include: “Smile Right Back at the Sun,”
“Country Style,” “My Heart Is a Hobo,” and “As Long as I’m Dreaming.”
The Emperor Waltz—1948 (color). A Paramount Picture directed
by Billy Wilder starring Bing Crosby, Joan Fontaine, Roland Culver, and Richard
Haydn. Songs include: “I Kiss Your Hand Madame,” “The Kiss in Your Eyes,” “The
Friendly Mountains,” and “The Emperor Waltz.”
Road to Rio—1948 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Norman Z. McLeod starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy
Lamour, Gale Sondergaard, and the Andrews Sisters. Songs include: “Apalachicola
FLA,” “But Beautiful,” and “You Don’t Have to Know the Language.”
A Connecticut Yankee in King
Arthur’s Court—1949 (color).
A Paramount Picture directed by Tay Garnett starring Bing Crosby, Rhonda
Fleming, William Bendix, and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Songs include: “If You Stub
Your Toe on the Moon,” “Once and for Always,” and “Busy Doing Nothing.”
Top o’ the Morning—1949 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by David Miller starring Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Ann
Blyth, and Hume Cronyn. Songs include: “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “Kitty of
Coleraine,” “The Donovans,” “You’re in Love with Someone,” “Top o’ the
Morning,” and “O ‘Tis Sweet to Think.”
Riding High—1950 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Frank Capra starring Bing Crosby, Coleen Gray, Raymond
Walburn, William Demarest, Frances Gifford, and Charles Bickford. Songs
include: “Sure Thing,” “Someplace on Anywhere Road,” “Sunshine Cake,” “The
Horse Told Me,” and “Camptown Races.”
Mr. Music—1950 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Richard Haydn starring Bing Crosby, Nancy Olsen, Charles
Coburn, and Ruth Hussey. Songs include: “And You’ll Be Home,” “High on the
List,” “Wouldn’t It Be Funny,” “Accidents Will Happen,” “Wasn’t I There,” and
“Life Is So Peculiar.”
Here Comes the Groom—1951 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by Frank Capra starring Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, Franchot
Tone, and Alexis Smith. Songs include: “Your Own Little House,” “In the Cool
Cool Cool of the Evening,” “Misto Cristofo Columbo,” “O Promise Me,” and “Bonne
Nuit.”
Just for You—1952 (color). A Paramount Picture directed
by Elliott Nugent starring Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, Bob Arthur, Natalie Wood,
Cora Witherspoon, and Ethel Barrymore. Songs include: “I’ll Si-Si Ya in Bahia,”
“Zing a Little Zong,” “The Live Oak Tree,” “On the Ten-Ten from Ten-Ten
Tennessee,” and “Just for You.”
Road to Bali—1953 (color). A Paramount Picture directed
by Hal Walker starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, and Murvyn Vye.
Songs include: “Chicago Style,” “Whiffenpoof Song,” “Hoot Mon,” “To See You Is
to Love You,” and “The Merry-Go-Run-Around.”
Little Boy Lost—1953 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by George Seaton starring Bing Crosby, Nicole Maurey, Claude
Dauphin, and Christian Fourcade. Songs include: “The Darktown Strutters Ball,”
“A Propos De Rien,” “Cela M’Est Egal (If It’s All the Same to You),” and “The Magic
Window.”
White Christmas—1954 (color). A Paramount Picture directed
by Michael Curtiz starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera
Ellen, Dean Jagger, and Mary Wickes. Songs include: “Snow,” “Mandy,” “I’d
Rather See a Minstrel Show,” “Count Your Blessings,” “What Can You Do with a
General,” “Gee I Wish I Was Back in the Army,” “The Old Man,” and “White
Christmas.”
The Country Girl—1954 (black & white). A Paramount
Picture directed by George Seaton starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and William
Holden. Songs include: “It’s Mine It’s Yours,” “The Search Is Through,” “The
Land around Us,” and “Dissertation on the State of Bliss.”
Anything Goes—1956 (color). A Paramount Picture directed
by Robert Lewis starring Bing Crosby, Donald O’Connor, Zizi Jeanmaire, Mitzi
Gaynor, and Phil Harris. Songs include: “Ya Gotta Give the People Hoke,”
“You’re the Top,” “All through the Night,” “A Second-Hand Turban and a Crystal
Ball,” and “Blow Gabriel Blow.”
High Society—1956 (color). An MGM Picture directed by
Charles Walters starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Louis
Armstrong, and Celeste Holm. Songs include: “Little One,” “True Love,” “I Love
You Samantha,” “Now You Has Jazz,” and “Well Did You Evah.”
Man on Fire—1957 (black & white). An MGM Picture
directed by Ronald MacDougall starring Bing Crosby, Inger Stevens, Mary
Fickett, and E. G. Marshall. Song: “Man on Fire.”
Say One for Me—1959 (color). A Bing Crosby Production for
Twentieth-Century-Fox directed by Frank Tashlin starring Bing 
Crosby, Debbie Reynolds, Robert Wagner, and
Ray Walston. Songs include: “Say One for Me,” “I Couldn’t Care Less,” and “The
Secret of Christmas.”
High Time—1960 (color). A Bing Crosby Production for
Twentieth-Century-Fox directed by Blake Edwards starring Bing Crosby, Fabian,
Tuesday Weld, and Nicole Maurey. Songs include: “The Second Time Around,” “You
Tell Me Your Dream,” and “It Came upon a Midnight Clear.”
The Road to Hong Kong—1962 (black & white). A Melnor Films Production
for United Artists directed by Norman Panama starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope,
Joan Collins, Dorothy Lamour, and Robert Morley. Songs include: “Road to Hong
Kong,” “Teamwork,” and “Let’s Not Be Sensible.”
Robin and the Seven Hoods—1964 (color). A Frank Sinatra Production for
Warner Brothers directed by Gordon Douglas starring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Falk, and Barbara Rush. Songs include:
“Style,” “Mr. Booze,” and “Don’t Be a Do-Badder.”
Stagecoach—1966 (color). A Twentieth-Century-Fox
Production directed by Gordon Douglas starring Bing Crosby, Ann Margret,
Michael Connors, Alex Cord, Red Buttons, Van Heflin, Slim Pickens, and
Stephanie Powers.
Bing’s last major film appearance was as one of the narrators in the
MGM compilation film That’s Entertainment
(part one) which was made in 1974. Many of Bing’s films are now available on
commercially recorded DVDs.
For more detailed information, search at the Internet Movie Database.
Bing Crosby—On Television (1948–1977)
The first of Bing’s television appearances was on December 19, 1948,
when he sang “Silent Night” with the Mitchell Boys’ Choir. This first telecast can
still be seen today on the video The
Magic Of Bing Crosby Part 1. Bing did not undertake much TV work over the
next few years although notable exceptions were his participation in a
fourteen-hour telethon in 1952 and two half-hour shows he recorded for General
Electric in 1954. In 1956 he appeared in the first film especially made for
television—High Tor—which also
featured a young Julie Andrews and Nancy Olsen.
However his real
breakthrough into TV came in 1957 when he hosted the award winning program The Edsel Show with guests Frank
Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Rosemary Clooney. The huge success of that show
led to a major contract for Bing with ABC-TV and he then began a pattern of
making two “specials” each year which were invariably very well received. In
1964, Bing starred in a weekly situation comedy program, which only ran for one
season. More suited to Bing’s talents was his frequent role as host of the Hollywood Palace variety shows. His
thirty-two appearances made him the most employed presenter of the series,
which ran from 1964 to 1970. He also starred in the TV movie Doctor Cook’s Garden in 1971 and won
much critical acclaim for his performance. Bing also could often be seen in
television advertisements, with his Minute Maid and Shell performances being
the best known.
Bing will probably be most remembered for his Christmas TV specials
which started in the 1960s and became the highlight of the festive season each
year, being watched by very large audiences. His last television appearance was
in “Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas” which was taped in England and shown
in the U.S.A. on November 30, 1977 and in the U.K. on December 24, 1977. This
final show was also made available on commercial video.
For more detailed information, click here.
Bing originally developed his skills on the vaudeville and theater
stage and enjoyed a record run of over twenty weeks at the Paramount theaters
in New York and Brooklyn in 1931–32. Appearances at numerous theaters across
the U.S.A. followed before Bing went into films. His heavy commitment in films
and radio virtually ended his concert work until World War II when he became a
prolific entertainer at military camps and at bond rallies. Thereafter he made very
few live performances until 1976 when, to everyone’s surprise, he returned to
the concert stage with a vengeance.
Bing starred in
concerts in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami Beach, New
Orleans, Pasadena, San Jose, Preston (England), Dublin (Ireland), Edinburgh
(Scotland), Manchester (England), and Oslo (Norway) as well as headlining two
sell-out seasons at the London Palladium in 1976 and 1977. His marvelous
performances endeared him to all that saw them. Bing’s last public engagement
was at Brighton, England, on October 10, 1977.
The International Club Crosby (ICC)
Web sites:
www.club-crosby.org
AND www.bingmagazine.co.uk
Founded as the British
Bing Club in March 1950 and converted to the International Crosby Circle in
January 1966. The International Crosby Circle merged with the American Club
Crosby in 2003. The main aims of the ICC
are to preserve and promote Bing Crosby’s incomparable musical legacy
throughout the world and to provide information for members on all matters
related to Bing’s career. The ICC magazine BING
is published three times a year; spring (copy date February 25), summer (copy
date June 25), and winter (copy date October 25). Members can advertise for
their wants or Crosby-related services that they can offer in the magazine. The
annual general meeting of the ICC is held in Leeds, England, on the first
Sunday in October, unless otherwise advised. The ICC also sponsors research and
supports the publication of books about Bing’s life and career as well as
arranging the issue of a Crosby calendar each year.
For further details of the International Club Crosby, contact:
Michael Crampton, 19 Carrholm Crescent, Chapel Allerton,
Leeds LS7 2NL, United Kingdom. e-mail: michael@club-crosby.org
F. B. Wiggins, 5608 North 34th Street, Arlington, Virginia
22207, USA. Telephone: 703–241–5608 e-mail: wigbing@hotmail.com
David
Currington, 34A Geoffrey
Street, Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia 2074. Telephone: (02) 9440 2434 e-mail: dcurro@comcen.com.au