THE
BING CROSBY SHOW FOR CHESTERFIELD
Following his three year stint
with Philco which had concluded in the previous June, Bing Crosby’s first
programme with his new sponsors was broadcast on the 21st September 1949. The
decade which was drawing to a close had consolidated Bing’s position as the
world’s most popular singer and in comparison to periods of a similar duration,
was his most productive in terms of feature films, records, radio time and personal
appearances.
Only in retrospect can the massive transformation that
overtook the entertainment business, in the Fifties, be appreciated. The ailing
cinema still believed it could find its salvation in gimmicks and dabbled with
wide screens, stereophonic sound and 3D.
In 1954, the advent of rock and roll was to provide the most astonishing
and far-reaching changes that had ever taken place in the field of popular
music. Radio was running out of sponsors
and the “smart” money was backing television.
The public infatuation with the medium became absolute and advertisers
were swift to recognise the obvious advantage to be gained from visual
presentation of their products. Liggett & Myers,
manufacturers of Chesterfield cigarettes, were no exception, keeping a foot
firmly placed in both camps. In addition
to Bing Crosby, they had also acquired the services of Perry Como and Arthur
Godfrey and were later to add, if only briefly, Bob Hope and Martin &
Lewis.
Bing continued to resist entry into the television stakes
and it would be difficult to disagree with the theory that this was the major
reason for his temporary decline, in the Sixties. In fact, his TV debut did not occur until the
close of the Chesterfield series, in 1952, when he appeared in a telethon to
raise funds for the U.S. Olympics team. He is quoted as saying, “Anybody who
allows himself to appear on television, once a week, is out of his mind. Exposure like that,
devours you”. However, the medium’s
gluttony did little harm to his running mates!
Arthur Godfrey was on radio six times a week and became one of the first
gurus. An even more apposite parallel
could be drawn with the career of Perry Como. Como, a balladeer, unashamedly
inspired by the Crosby style, presented a thrice weekly TV programme which
eventually developed into “The Perry Como Show” and he was rarely out of the
record charts, right up until 1975, including more than a dozen million-selling
discs.
Although Bing Crosby Enterprises were prepared to make
large investments in television, it is understandable that Crosby, personally,
was not looking for new challenges. He
had been hectically involved in show business for almost a quarter of a
century. He enjoyed his leisure pursuits
and he had found a regime which, assisted by the now, universal, acceptance of
transcribed radio programmes, particularly suited his work pattern. Many of his quotes from the time would seem
to bear this out, “Television is murder but radio just takes a few hours a week
- All I have to do is stand up and sing” or, “I’ve watched those poor fellers
on the live shows, sweat pouring out of them - Not for me!” and, “There is lots
of golf, fishing and travelling to be done while I have the desire and am still
able to do these things”
But if this was intended to be a conscious attempt at
“slowing down”, it had little effect on Bing’s output in the Fifties. He added several hundred more titles to the
catalogues, many of them destined to be top sellers. Of these, the duet with Grace Kelly of “True
Love” was, undoubtedly, the most successful, reaching fourth position in the
charts, on both sides of the Atlantic.
He also starred in a dozen movies which apart from the box-office
certainties of “Road To Bali”, “White Christmas” and
“High Society”, displayed a trend to more serious roles in “Man On Fire” and
“The Country Girl”. The latter providing
a dramatic performance which won him his third Oscar nomination. More
importantly, in the context of this Directory, Bing continued singing on
radio. “I don’t think radio is dead - or
ever will be”, he professed and enthusiasts should be grateful for his loyalty
to the medium. The Chesterfield series
produced more than three hundred titles, many of which have already appeared
and no doubt, will continue to appear in various forms.
It is a personal view that many of Bing Crosby’s finest performances were contained in his duets with other performers. His own instinctive professionalism stimulating his talents to thrive on the competition provided by his partner(s). There are those who still express regrets that he never cut more sides with Judy Garland or Peggy Lee, Al Jolson or Louis Armstrong. Never recorded with Nat King Cole or Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como or Patti Page. All these are to be found in this series, as well as new titles to be added to his prolific association with the Andrews Sisters plus a full house of jazz gems with the Firehouse Five Plus Two.
Lionel Pairpoint
Additional information from Bob Phillips (who worked for Bing Crosby Enterprises on the radio show).
With the move from ABC to CBS Bing made major
changes in his radio operations. The
show moved to the CBS west coast centre for radio and later television in Hollywood. It was known as Columbia Square and was
located at 6121 Sunset Boulevard. It had
a central plaza with the office tower on the west side and the studios on the
east side. Also
on the east side in front of the studios was a commercial wing that housed a
restaurant and other business.
In mid-1949 when Bing Crosby transferred his radio show from ABC to CBS, he established under Bing Crosby Enterprises a production office for the program on the second floor of the commercial wing. There was a private entrance in the middle of the wing that provided access to the second floor offices.
The offices for the show staff were over the restaurant and the
recording and editing facility was on the right in the front corner. Behind the editing facility a large cross-referenced
tape library was established that contained all of the Bing Crosby programs and
recordings done for the radio shows including many on transcriptions.
The editing facility was built by Jack Mullin and had three new
Ampex 300 tape recorders along the front wall that permitted the elaborate
editing process used to assemble the radio show with audience reactions. The editing required three machines to be
able to make the dubs for inserting the audience reactions and other special
effects. This location is where most of
the editing processes were developed to create the Crosby radio show. These processes also were adopted by the
recording industry.
The fourth case at the far end of the room on the counter was the Ampex reference frequency system that used an 18 kHz tone on the tape to control the tape speed on playback. It probably was designed by Jack Mullin but built by Ampex. He also designed the filter system (box on the wall at the end by the window) to match acoustics of the different recording studios. This facility not only recorded local sessions and shows, but received tapes from other locations that had to be incorporated into the radio programs.
The radio show also moved to a theater at 1615 Vine Street that was
just north of Hollywood Boulevard. It
was about a quarter of a mile from where the Crosby recording facilities were
located in Columbia Square. The theater
was built in 1927. CBS took it over in
1936 and called it the CBS Radio Playhouse with its name on the building along
with KNX, the local CBS radio station.
It was used for the Al Jolson show until 1939 when it was remodeled and
named the Vine Street Theater. Its
history over the next ten years is uncertain, but starting in the fall of 1949
it was used for many of the Bing Crosby radio shows that originated
(transcribed) in Hollywood until 1953 when it was remodeled and named The
Ricardo Montalban Theatre. The Crosby
radio show ended in the spring of 1954.
The building is still
in operation as of 2016 as a legitimate theater. During the time of the Crosby show it had a
large stage and an audience section with a balcony. The stage set for the Crosby radio show had the orchestra in the back and on the right. The control booth where the producer sat with
the audio mixer was on the left with the window.
Bing and his guests would be at the microphone on the left and behind
them was a large Bing Crosby Show banner.
The recorders that were used to tape the show were located in the facilities
in Columbia Square.
Bob Phillips
1949 - 1950 Season with the John Scott
Trotter Orchestra. Produced by Bill Morrow and Murdo MacKenzie
During the season
the audience share was 18.0 which put Bing in ninth
place overall for evening programmes. The top position was held by the Jack
Benny show with a rating of 25.3. The ratings were now being collected by the
AC Nielsen company which used the audiometer, a
mechanical black box inserted into a radio set to record stations being
listened.
No. 1 21st
September 1949
Transcribed
in Hollywood (18th September 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter.
With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires, Peggy Lee and Abe Burrows.
*Where The Blue Of The Night
(a) Opening Theme
*Top O’
The Morning
(b) with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield
Jingle
with
Rhythmaires
*Katrina
(c) with
Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby, Abe Burrows & Peggy Lee
‘Salute To The
*Give Me A
Man Who’s A Man
(e) with Abe
Burrows
*Mister
Moon
(f)
Louisa (From Lake
Louise) (g) Peggy
Lee
*We Love
The Canadian
*Maybe It’s
Because
(i) with Peggy Lee
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Bing
sings only the phrase, “Someone waits for me” and this much-abbreviated version
of his theme song was used throughout the series.
Commercial Recordings 23.11.31,
20.7.40, 17.7.45 & 21.4.54.
(As this title appears in every programme, no further reference will be
made to these commercial issue dates)
(b)
Varese Sarabande CD 3020668762 “Bing Crosby – When Irish
Eyes Are Smiling”
Commercial Recording 21.6.49
(c)
Commercial Recordings 24.12.47 & 23.6.49
(d) The sketch
takes the form of a comic operetta, written by Abe Burrows (See also Programme
No. 2) and furnishes the framework for the musical items (e), (f), (g) &
(h). Accordion
accompaniment is provided by Milton DeLugg and the parts of ‘Captain Crosby - A Forest
Ranger’, ‘Pierre’ and ‘Louisa’ are played by Bing, Abe Burrows and Peggy Lee,
respectively.
(e) See Note
(d) above
(f) See Note
(d) above
Magic AWE7 - “Dark Moon”
(g) See Note
(d) above
(h) See Note
(d) above
(i) Sun
2110 (CD) – “Just The Way You Are
– Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
“CBS’s pay-off year in the wake of Bill Paley’s Capital Gains manoeuvres rolled into high
gear last Wednesday (21st) when Bing Crosby, now waving the Chesterfield banner,
officially unveiled the transferred ‘Bing’s Day’ on the Columbia
kilocycles.
The Bingo’s smooth rolling package is now sandwiched between Groucho Marx
and Burns & Allen’s. A triumvirate that stacks up as Hooper-happy
as anything on the Paley program agenda with the possible exception of the
Jack Benny - Amos ‘n’ Andy - Edgar Bergen - Red Skelton, Sunday night
parlay.
Granted, that to many and possibly to Crosby himself, judging from his
capacity to kid himself on the subject - the Groaner isn’t groaning in those
same superlative keys as of yore. Yet, Wednesday night 9.30 on CBS is currently
as jam-packed with entertainment as those Thursday night whirls on NBC’s Kraft Music Hall when Crosby was
presiding over its destinies or, Wednesday at 9 on ABC, last semester, when
Philco was picking up the expensive tab, for the Crosby touch is unmistakably
there.
If there
was a niggardly contribution in the vocal department, as was apparent on last
week’s preem, El Bingo has the
flair to compensate for it in the banter division. He can still flip
off those casual lines as no one else in the business, be it with the perennial
Ken Carpenter to bring some delightful nuances to the otherwise old hat Paley
CBS saga or with guest star, Abe Burrows (latter, incidentally, demonstrating
here as on his own weekly CBS show, that you can parlay originality and the
‘common touch’ for boff comedy
results).
Peggy Lee, along with Burrows, was an added starter for the getaway
program and the three way clowning through a Burrow’s Canadian wood’s type
song was grand listening, with Crosby’s warbling of “Mr. Moon” and Miss Lee’s
“Lake Louise” vocal contributions as the topper. The Crosby/Lee team up for “Maybe” (sic) was
a sure fire finale.
John Scott Trotter’s music continues as a valuable asset.”
(“Variety” 28th September 1949)
No. 2
Transcribed
in Hollywood (24th September 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires, Peggy Lee and Abe
Burrows.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*A Cockeyed
Optimist
(h) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*The Last
Mile Home
(a) with
Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
(b) Bing
Crosby, Abe Burrows & Peggy Lee
‘Hamlet, Prince
Of
*Hello,
Denmark
(d) with Abe
Burrows & Rhythmaires
Ophelia Blues (e) Peggy
Lee
*Everything
Is O.K. In Denmark
(f) with Abe
Burrows, Peggy Lee & Rhythmaires
*You’re In
Love With Someone
(g) with Peggy
Lee & Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a)
Commercial Recording 11.5.49
(b) Somewhat
incongruously, Bing can be heard singing, “Chesterfield, over and over again”,
after introducing Abe
Burrows.
(c) Another
comic operetta, written by Abe Burrows (See Programme No. 1) which furnishes the
framework for the musical items (d), (e) & (f). Accordion
accompaniment is again provided by Milton DeLugg and the parts of ‘Hamlet’, ‘Horatio’ and ‘Ophelia’ are
played by Bing, Abe Burrows and Peggy Lee.
(d) See Note (c)
above
(e) See Note
(c) above
(f) See Note
(c) above - The arrangement includes a snatch of “Riders In The Sky” by The Rhythmaires.
(g) Sun 2110
(CD) – “Just The Way You Are –
Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(h) Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
The combined efforts
of Bing Crosby, Abe Burrows and recording star Peggy Lee have produced rare
entertainment that should haunt the Bard of Avon. This week’s Bing Crosby
program features Burrows’ “Ham Omelette” with Crosby and Lee in the romantic
lead. Any similarity between the operetta and “Hamlet” is purely intentional.
(The
Tampa Times, 28th September, 1949)
No. 3
Transcribed
in Hollywood (1st October 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and Judy Garland.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*The Donovans
(a) with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Katrina
(b) with
Rhythmaires
‘Radio - Circa
1927’ Sketch
(c) Bing
Crosby, Judy Garland & Ken Carpenter
*Punchie And Judy
(d) with Judy
Garland
I Don’t Care
(e) Judy
Garland
*Ma, He’s
Making Eyes At Me
(f) with Judy
Garland
*Maybe It’s
Because
(g) with Judy
Garland
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Bing
reaches a little too high for the last note in the penultimate line and
interrupts the closing bars with, “Oh, faith! You’ll try anything when you’re at Donovans - I thought I was Dennis Day,
there, for a minute!”
JSP702 (CD) - “Bing Crosby & Judy Garland - All The Clouds’ll Roll Away”
CD- JSP 934C – “Bing Crosby – The Vintage Years
1946-1950”
Varese Sarabande CD 3020668762 “Bing Crosby – When Irish
Eyes Are Smiling”
Commercial Recording 21.6.49
(b) JSP702
(CD) - “Bing Crosby & Judy Garland - All The Clouds’ll Roll Away”
CD- JSP 934C – “Bing Crosby – The Vintage Years
1946-1950”
Commercial Recordings 24.12.47 & 23.6.49
(c) This skit
on the early days of radio provides the framework for the musical items (d), (e)
& (f) and apart from joining Judy Garland in item (d), Bing assumes the
varying roles of a farmer, ‘The Masked Poet’ and a pageboy.
(d) See Note (c)
above.
Bing and Judy Garland sing a snatch of this concocted jingle in their
roles as ‘The Wake-Up Kids’
Legend WM1973 - “Frances Ethel Gumm - Harry Lillis Crosby”
(e) See Note
(c) above.
(f) See Note
(c) above.
Radiola MR1040 - “Judy
Garland On Radio”
Star-Tone ST208 -
“The Judy Garland Musical Scrapbook”
JSP702 (CD) - “Bing Crosby & Judy Garland - All The Clouds’ll Roll Away”
CD- JSP 934C – “Bing Crosby – The Vintage Years 1946-1950”
JSP977C CD "Judy Garland - Classic Duets"
(g) Star-Tone
ST213 _ “Judy And Her Partners In
Rhythm And Rhyme”
Festival 214 - “Hollywood Story”
JSP702 (CD) - “Bing Crosby & Judy Garland - All The Clouds’ll Roll Away”
Musidisc Accord 129011
(CD) - “Hollywood Stars”
On The Air OTA101978 (CD) - “Great Moments With Bing Crosby And Friends From The
Radio Shows”
CD- JSP 934C – “Bing Crosby – The Vintage Years 1946-1950”
JSP977C CD "Judy Garland - Classic Duets"
In a nostalgic
mood, Bing Crosby will regale guest star Judy Garland with tales of his early
days in radio. Musically the Bing Crosby Program will be studded with hit
numbers from the “groaner’s” latest Hollywood efforts, “Top O’ The Morning” “Ichabod
and Mr. Toad” and with Judy singing tunes she introduced in the movie “In the
Good Old Summertime.”
(The
Tampa Times, 5th October, 1949)
No. 4
Transcribed
in Hollywood (18th September 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and Peggy Lee.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*How It
Lies, How It Lies, How It Lies
(a) with
Peggy Lee
*Amor
(b)
*Mam’selle
with Rhythmaires
A Wonderful
Guy
Peggy Lee
*A Cockeyed
Optimist
(c) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle with
Peggy Lee & Rhythmaires
*Riders
In The Sky
(d) with Perry
Botkin (Guitar)
*Make
Believe (You Are Glad When You’re Sorry) (e) with Red
Nichols (Cornet) & Buddy Cole (Piano)
*Some
Enchanted Evening
(f)
*I’ve Got A
Crush On You
(g) with
Peggy Lee
*The Last
Mile Home
(h) with
Rhythmaires
*Again
(i) with
Peggy Lee
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a)
Commercial Recording 18.3.49
(b) On The Air OTA101978 (CD) - “Great Moments
With Bing Crosby And Friends From The Radio
Shows”
Commercial
Recording 17.2.44
(c) Magic
AWE7 - “Dark Moon” (as “Cockeyed Optomist”)
Nostalgia LPF22015 - “Bing Crosby - 20 Golden Greats - Volume 2”
(d) On The Air OTA101978 (CD) - “Great Moments
With Bing Crosby And Friends From The Radio
Shows”
Commercial Recording 22.3.49
(e) Broadway
BR-111 - “Crosbyana”
Commercial Recording 6.6.49
(f)
Commercial Recording 10.3.49
On The Air OTA101978 (CD) - “Great Moments With Bing Crosby And Friends From The Radio
Shows”
(g) On The Air OTA101978 (CD) - “Great Moments
With Bing Crosby And Friends From The Radio
Shows”
Sun 2110
(CD) – “Just The Way You Are –
Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
(h)
Commercial Recording 11.5.49
(i) Sun
2110 (CD) – “Just The Way You Are
– Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
Commercial
Recording 23.6.60
No. 5 19th
October 1949
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*It’s More
Fun Than A Picnic
(a) with
Peggy Lee & Rhythmaires
I’ve Got A Right To Sing The Blues
Peggy Lee
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Frank Fay
*That Lucky
Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) with Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
(b) Bing
Crosby & Frank Fay
Some Enchanted
Evening
(c) Frank
Fay
Where The Blue Of The Night
(d) Frank Fay
*Dear Old
Girl
(e) with Frank Fay
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a)
Commercial Recording 23.6.49
(b) The
comedy dialogue centres on a discussion regarding the lyrics of ‘modern’ songs
and a few lines of both items (c) & (d) are sung by Frank Fay, to
illustrate.
(c) See Note
(b) above.
(d) See Note (b)
above.
(e) Commercial Recording 12.8.36
The
fragile humor
of Frank Fay (if we dared to venture a pun we'd call it fey humor) will
be given
one of its all too infrequent airings when the comedian visits Bing
Crosby on his
weekly show a t 9:30 tonight, CBS-WGBS. Fay, of course, is the former
vaudeville
star and now-and-then radio player who has had such amazing success as
the rabbit's
tippling pal in “Harvey”- though amazing isn't really the word when you
consider the adroitness of Fay's delivery. In his visit tonight, he'll
concentrate
on talking apart the lyrics of Bing's theme song, “When the Blue of the
Night,”
and other popular airs. Assisting musically will be Peggy Lee,
vocalist, and Les Paul, guitarist, accompanied by John Scott Trotter's
orchestra.
(The
Miami Herald, 19th October, 1949)
No. 6 26th
October 1949
Transcribed
in Hollywood (18th October 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and Lum ‘N’ Abner (Chester Lauch and Norris Goff).
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*The
Headless Horseman
(a) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*(Where Are
You?) Now That I Need You
(b)
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Lum ‘N’
Abner
*Maybe It’s
Because
(c)
*The
Meadows Of Heaven
(d) with
Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a)
Commercial Recordings 30.12.47 & 23.6.49
(b) Magic
AWE7 - “Dark Moon”
Nostalgia LPF22015 - “Bing Crosby - 20 Golden Greats - Volume 2”
(c) Magic
AWE7 - “Dark Moon”
Nostalgia LPF22015 - “Bing Crosby - 20 Golden Greats - Volume 2”
Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
(d) Commercial Recording 11.5.49
Those two
enterprising business men of Pine Ridge, Ark., “Lum and Abner,” pay a visit to glamorous
Hollywood to round up entertainment for a hog raffle and Halloween party in
their home town, and turn up on the “Bing Crosby Program.”
(The
Times-Tribune, 26th October, 1949)
No. 7 2nd
November 1949
Transcribed
in Hollywood (31st October 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and Bob Hope.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Dear
Hearts And Gentle People
(a) with
Rhythmaires
*That Lucky
Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) with Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Bob Hope
‘Twenty Mule Team’
Sketch
(b) Bing
Crosby, Bob Hope & Ken
Carpenter
*Mule
Train (c) with
Perry Botkin’s String Band
*(Where Are
You?) Now That I Need You
(d) with Buddy Cole
(Piano)
Comedy
Dialogue Bing
Crosby & Bob Hope
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Although
not generally acknowledged as having emanated ‘from a radio programme’, there is
little doubt that this is the version that was issued commercially. Aural comparison
confirms that the two versions are identical. (See also Note (c) below and
refer to Index 4)
Varese Sarabande CD 3020669052 “Bing Crosby – Crosby
Classics”
Commercial Recording 26.10.49
(b)
Introduced by Ken Carpenter and featuring Bing as ‘Smokey’ Crosby and Bob
Hope as ‘Soapy’ Hope.
(c) There is
no doubt whatsoever that this rendition of the song is the version that was
issued commercially and it is identical to the versions broadcast in Programmes
Nos.9 & 36. (See also Note (a) above and refer to Index 4)
Commercial Recording 26.10.49
(d) Shout! CD DK
31517 “Swingin’ With Bing”
Der Bingle finally
catches up with “ski-nose” after a series of false starts. Following several postponements,
Bob Hope will be Bing Crosby’s guest on the Groaner’s CBS show tonight over WJR
at 9:30. The famous “feud” has moved at a fast and insulting pace ever since
the pair appeared together on a New York stage in 1932. Tonight, as always,
they will exchange caustic cracks and querulous quips, interspersed with songs
by Bing and the music of John Scott Trotter’s orchestra.
(Battle
Creek Enquirer, 2nd November, 1949)
About two years later, Chesterfields had
replaced Philco as sponsor of Crosby’s show. One night Bing had a cold. While
doing a commercial with announcer Ken Carpenter, Bing said, “If you like smoking
(cough)” and blew it right there. The audience laughed. As soon as the show was
over, the ad-agency men were in my control room. In the end, we had to re-record
the commercial.
Then there was the time that Crosby was
ad-libbing with Bob Hope. Hope loved to take the script that Morrow had written
and throw it out into the audience, saying, “Let’s go on from here without a
script.” Crosby didn’t like that very much, but they would make a good show of
it. On this particular occasion, Hope said, “It’s a lucky thing for you that
....” Before the show was over the people from Chesterfields were in demanding,
“What can you do about it?” I didn’t know what they were talking about. “That
reference to Lucky Strike” they explained. We had to replay the tape, find the
offending word, and assure the sponsors that it could be removed.
(John T. Mullin, writing in High
Fidelity, April, 1976)
No. 8 9th
November 1949
Transcribed
in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Let’s Take
An Old Fashioned Walk
(a) with
Rhythmaires
*I Can
Dream Can’t I? (b) with Rhythmaires
My Happiness
Ella Fitzgerald
*A
Dreamer’s Holiday (c)
with Ella Fitzgerald & Rhythmaires
Someday
The Mills Brothers
Medley:
*Lazy
River
(d) with
The Mills Brothers
*Paper
Doll
(e)
with The Mills Brothers
*The
Meadows Of Heaven
(f)
with Rhythmaires
*Basin
Street Blues
(g) with Ella
Fitzgerald
*Way Back
Home (h) with Ella
Fitzgerald, The Mills
Bros & Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Magic
AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And
Friends”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
(b) Parrot
PARCD002 (CD) - “Ella Fitzgerald And Bing Crosby - My Happiness”
(c) Parrot
PARCD002 (CD) - “Ella Fitzgerald And Bing Crosby - My Happiness”
Legends LECD119 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - Volume 2”
Wisepack LECDD612 (CD) -
“The Essential Collection”
Shout! CD DK 31516 “Swingin’ With Bing”
(d) HRB Music
BCP1001 - “Bing Crosby And
Friends”
Japanese MCA9301 - “Bing Crosby Radio Show”
United Artists UAK30115 - “The Golden Age Of American Radio Starring Bing Crosby”
Golden Age GA5023 - “One Hour From The Bing Crosby Radio Shows”
Precision
Records & Tapes NCP707 - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years - Volume 2” (as “Up A Lazy River” - date shewn as 25.10.49).
GNP Crescendo GNPD9052 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years”
The Radio Years RY18 (CD) - “Bing Crosby On Radio In The Thirties” (Date shewn as
“(1937)”)!
Hallmark 303372 (CD) - “Bing Crosby & Friends - The Radio Years”
Shout! CD DK 31517 “Swingin’ With Bing”
(e) HRB Music
BCP1001 - “Bing Crosby And
Friends”
Japanese MCA9301 - “Bing Crosby Radio Show”
United Artists UAK30115 - “The Golden Age Of American Radio Starring Bing Crosby”
Golden Age GA5023 - “One Hour From The Bing Crosby Radio Shows”
Precision Records & Tapes NCP707 - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years -
Volume 2
GNP Crescendo GNPD9052 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years”
The Radio Years RY18 (CD) - “Bing Crosby On Radio In The Thirties” (Date shewn as
“(1937)”)!
Hallmark 303372 (CD) - “Bing Crosby & Friends - The Radio Years”
Shout! CD DK 31517 “Swingin’ With Bing”
Commercial Recording 17.4.56
(f)
Commercial Recording 11.5.49
(g) Limited
Edition Club JGB1006 - “Kinda
Dixie”
Legends LECD118 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - Volume 1”
Wisepack LECDD612 (CD) -
“The Essential Collection”
Parrot PARCD002 (CD) - “Ella Fitzgerald And Bing Crosby - My Happiness” (Date shewn as
29.11.50)
Hallmark 303372 (CD) - “Bing Crosby & Friends - The Radio Years”
Shout! CD DK 31516 “Swingin’ With Bing”
Commercial Recording 25.9.37
(h) Parrot
PARCD002 (CD) - “Ella Fitzgerald And Bing Crosby - My Happiness” (Date shewn as
29.11.50)
Shout! CD DK 31517 “Swingin’ With Bing”
Commercial
Recording 17.6.49
Transcribed
in Hollywood (10th November 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires, Bob Crosby and Cathy Crosby
(a).
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Dear
Hearts And Gentle People
(b) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Mule
Train
(c) with
Perry Botkin’s String Band
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby, Bob Crosby & Cathy Crosby
*A
Dreamer’s Holiday
with Bob Crosby, Cathy Crosby &
Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby, Bob Crosby & Ken Carpenter
*You’re In
Love With Someone
(d)
*Whispering
Hope
(e) with Bob
Crosby & Loulie Jean
Norman
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Not to be
confused with other ladies of the same (or similar) name in Bing’s life, this is
Bob
(b) See
Programme No. 7 Note (a)
Commercial Recording 26.10.49
(c) See
Programme No. 7 Note (c)
Commercial Recording 26.10.49
(d) Commercial
Recording 10.5.49
(e) Bing and
Bob Crosby introduce this, as a song they claim to have sung as a family group
when they were ‘kids’. Loulie Jean Norman of the Rhythmaires sings the
soprano part, originally sung by their sister, Catherine.
Jasmine CD JASCD 651 “The Crosby Brothers”
It will be family
night on the Bing Crosby show tonight on CBS at 9:30 when brother Bob and his
ten-year-old daughter Cathy appear as guests. During the songfest, Bing. Bob
and Cathy team up for a special version of “A Dreamer’s Holiday.”
(Battle
Creek Enquirer, 16th November, 1949)
No. 10 23rd
November 1949
Transcribed
in Hollywood (17th November 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires, Peggy Lee and Frank
Fay.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Rudolph
The Red Nosed Reindeer
(a) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*I Can
Dream Can’t I?
with Rhythmaires
*A Thousand
Violins
(b) with
Peggy Lee
Comedy
Dialogue
(c) Bing
Crosby & Frank Fay
*Everything
I Have Is Yours
(d)
*Way Back
Home
(e) with
Peggy Lee & Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Bing’s
first airing of the now, perennial, Christmas favourite, includes a solo by
Gloria Wood, of The Rhythmaires, as the voice of ‘Rudolph’.
Commercial Recording 22.6.50
(b) Biac Records BRAD10530/531 - “Al
Jolson/Peggy Lee At Their Rarest
Of All Rare Performances” (as “1000 Violins” - Date shewn as 8.02.50).
Sun 2110
(CD) – “Just The Way You Are –
Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
(c) The
introduction for Frank Fay includes Bing singing a fragment of “Annie Doesn’t
Live Here Anymore”
(d) Magic AWE7 -
“Dark Moon”
Nostalgia LPF22015 - “Bing Crosby - 20 Golden Greats - Volume 2”
Parrot PARCD002 (CD) - “Ella Fitzgerald And Bing Crosby - My Happiness”
(e) Biac Records BRAD10530/531 - “Al
Jolson/Peggy Lee At Their Rarest
Of All Rare Performances” (as “When I’m Back Home” - Date shewn as 8.02.50).
Sun 2110
(CD) – “Just The Way You Are –
Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
Commercial Recording 17.6.49
Frank Fay, of “Harvey”
stage fame, pays a return visit to CBS’ “Bing Crosby Show” to indulge his favorite
pastime, dissecting song lyrics over WCBS at 10:30 o’clock. Fay will take up
where he left off in his Oct. 19 visit with Der Bingle, in his comical assault
on the logic of the lyrics of popular songs. Another returning guest is vocalist
Peggy Lee who joins Crosby in the music department.
(The
Ottawa Citizen, 23rd November, 1949)
No. 11
Transcribed
in Hollywood (24th November 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and Al Jolson.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*I’ve Got A
Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts
(b)
with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
(c) with
Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue Bing
Crosby & Al Jolson
Toot, Toot, Tootsie
(h) Al
Jolson
*Back In Your Own Backyard
(d) with Al
Jolson
*Baby
Face
(e) with Al
Jolson
*That Lucky
Old Sun
(Just Rolls
Around Heaven All Day)
(f)
with Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
(g) Bing
Crosby, Al Jolson & Gracie Allen
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) The
complete programme was issued on Totem 1013 - “Bing ‘N’ Al - Volume 3” (Sleeve shews actual
transcription date as 24.11.49)
(b) Koala AW14129 - “Swing With Bing”
Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
(c) During
the commercial spot just prior to the
(d) All Star
Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
Broadcast Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(e) All Star
Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
Broadcast Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Prism PLATCD 708 (CD) – “Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(f) HRB Music
BCP1001 - “Bing Crosby And
Friends” (as “Lucky Ol’ Sun”)
Japanese MCA9301 - “Bing Crosby Radio Show”
Precision Records & Tapes NCP710 - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years -
Volume 3”
GNP Crescendo GNPD9052 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years”
(g) A
‘surprise’ visit by Gracie Allen with a comedic ‘plug’ for her partner, “The
World’s Greatest
Singer...George ‘Sugarthroat’ Burns!”
(h) Sepia
1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio Duets”
“It cost CBS’ Bill Paley a lot of out-of-the-network-pocket
coin to tie up Al Jolson to a three year Columbia exclusive as guest star, No.
1, in circulating the AM and TV air waves but the pay-off was already evident in
Jolie’s first time out, last
Wednesday (30th), guesting on
Bing Crosby’s Chesterfield stanza (He’s already committed to a minimum of five
with the Groaner)
The team-up was a throwback to ad-lib radio comedy, at its best,
paralleling those of Bob Hope-Crosby ‘dream sequences’ when scripts are tossed
out of the studio window as they slug it out on the banter front. Despite the
prevailing tendency of the comics to go ‘tradey’, Jolie and the Bingle parlayed the intra-trade stuff
into nearly a half hour of delightful listening, punctuated by some solo and duo
vocalising that was strictly off the $6.60 attraction shelf. Jolies, “Own Backyard” and Bing’s, “Lucky Old Sun”,
with a choral background, were particular gems.
The
frequent by-play on Paley and Columbia, video’s inroads on radio, (including the
Jolie revelation that he’ll be
guesting on some CBS-TV stanzas)
with even some borderline suggestions as to Jolson’s relations with Columbia
Pictures (“The Jolson Story”/”Jolson Sings Again”) was Tiffany slanted comedy,
with Gracie Allen (for the inevitable boosting of George Burns’ vocal prowess)
coming in for the wind up to effect a neat integration with the Burns &
Allen stanza which follows the Crosby show. And B & A in a resumption of the
‘tradey format’, even went so far as to simulate a
Burns-Harry Ackerman (CBS programming veepee) comedy sequence, with laugh dividends making
CBS the beneficiary of a solid sixty minutes of Grade A entertainment”.
(“Variety”
7th December 1949)
No. 12 7th
December 1949
Transcribed
in Hollywood (3rd December 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires, Peggy Lee and Hopalong
Cassidy (William Boyd).
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
(a) Opening
Theme
*Here Comes
Santa Claus
(
*A
Dreamer’s Holiday with
Rhythmaires
*Manãna
(c) with
Peggy Lee & Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue Bing
Crosby & Hopalong Cassidy
‘Ripsnortin’, Arizona’ Sketch
(d) Bing
Crosby, Hopalong Cassidy, Peggy
Lee, Ken
Carpenter & John Scott Trotter
*Tumbling
Tumbleweeds
(e)
*Stay
Well (f) with
Peggy Lee & Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) There is
some pre-show ‘business; with Bing practising scales, accompanied by chuckles
from the audience and remarking, “Say, that Groucho Marx was really flying
tonight, wasn’t he, Ken?” Ken Carpenter replies, “Hey! Bing, we’re on
the air!” which evokes from Bing, “Well, that’s Wednesday for you, I guess”.
(b)
Collectors’ Choice CD CCM2161 “”The
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(c) Peggy Lee
has written special Christmas lyrics for this version of her own song.
Sun 2110
(CD) – “Just The Way You Are –
Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
(d) Unusually, Bing
plays the villain, ‘Wildcat’ Crosby in this sketch.
(e)
Commercial Recordings 9.2.40 & 16.6.54
(f) Sun 2110
(CD) – “Just The Way You Are –
Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
Commercial Recording 16.11.49
They’ll be riding
the range on CBS’ “Bing Crosby Show” when William “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd is
guest at 9:30 over WCBS. Vocalist Peggy Lee will be on hand to help out in the
music department. Fearless, faultless hero of the West and idol of millions of
movie fans, “Hopalong Cassidy” will meet up with “Sagalong Crosby” in a Western
sketch.
(The
Ottawa Citizen, 7th December, 1949)
No. 13
Transcribed
in Hollywood (1st December 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires, Carole Richards and James
Stewart.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Rudolph
The Red Nosed Reindeer
(b) with
Rhythmaires (featuring Gloria Wood)
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*A Thousand
Violins
(c)
I Can Dream Can’t
I? Carole
Richards
Comedy
Dialogue (d) Bing Crosby
& James Stewart
‘Jimmy’s Proposal’
Sketch (e) Bing Crosby,
James Stewart & Ken Carpenter
*Baby,
It’s Cold Outside
(f) with
James Stewart
*The
Christmas Song (g) Bing Crosby
with Buddy Cole (Piano)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) An edited
version of the programme was issued on Fox American Retrospectives MF210 - “Bing
Crosby - The Greatest Christmas Shows”
(b) Deja Vu DVLP2027 - “The Bing Crosby
Collection - 20 Golden Greats”
Varese Sarabande CD 3020668482 “Bing Crosby – A Crosby Christmas”
Daily Mail CD - Bing Crosby at Christmas
Commercial Recording 22.6.50
(c) Magic
AWE7 - “Dark Moon”
Nostalgia LPF22015 - “Bing Crosby - 20 Golden Greats - Volume 2”
Deja Vu DVLP2027 - “The
Bing Crosby Collection - 20 Golden Greats”
(d) The comedy
theme derives from James Stewart’s recent marriage and leads to item (e) -a
humorous re-enactment of his proposal, in which Bing assumes the part of Gloria,
his wife. The
sketch closes with the duet at item (f).
(e) See Note
(d) above.
(f) See Note
(d) above
(g) Deja Vu DVLP2027 - “The Bing Crosby
Collection - 20 Golden Greats”
Commercial Recording 19.3.47
Movie star James
Stewart and vocalist Carol Richards will be guests on CBS’ “Bing Crosby Show”9:30
over WCBS. Much of the Stewart-Crosby gay repartee centers on Stewart’s recent marriage.
Crosby claims playfully that this event “made a lot of other women very unhappy.
The day he became a groom, James Stewart fan clubs throughout the nation wore
their bobby sox at half mast.”
(The
Ottawa Citizen, 14th December, 1949)
No. 14 21st
December 1949
Transcribed
in Hollywood (8th December 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and Ethel
Barrymore.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Adeste Fideles
(a) with
Rhythmaires
*Here Comes
Santa Claus
(
*Jingle
Bells
(c) with
Rhythmaires
*The
Christmas Song
(d)
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Ethel Barrymore
Medley:
*Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly
(e)
with Rhythmaires
*Away In A
Manger
(f)
with Rhythmaires
*The First
Nowell
(g) with
Rhythmaires
*White
Christmas
(h) with
Rhythmaires
*Silent
Night
(i)
Closing Theme with Rhythmaires
Notes:
(a) Sung
first, in Latin and then in English accompanied by the studio audience.
Commercial Recordings 1934, 12.11.35 & 8.6.42
(b)
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(c)
Commercial Recording 27.9.43
(d) Commercial
Recording 19.3.47
(e)
Commercial Recordings 31.5.49 & 24.12.55
(f)
Commercial Recordings 31.5.49 & 24.12.55
(g)
Commercial Recordings 31.5.49 & 24.12.55
(h)
Commercial Recordings 29.5.42, 19.2.47, 10.4.54 &24.12.55
(i) Commercial Recordings 21.2.35, 13.11.35, 8.6.42, 19.3.47, 3.5.54 & 24.12.55
Ethel Barrymore
stars in an original Christmas sketch and Bing Crosby sings a selection of
Yuletide songs, on CBS’ “Bing Crosby Show” at 9:30 over WCBS.
(The
Ottawa Citizen, 21st December, 1949)
No. 15
Transcribed in Hollywood (20th December 1949). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and Al Jolson.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
(b) Opening
Theme
*I’ve Got
A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts
with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Sorry (c) with
Rhythmaires & Buddy Cole (Piano)
Swanee Al
Jolson
Comedy
Dialogue Bing
Crosby & Al Jolson
*When The Red, Red Robin Comes
Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along (d)
with Al Jolson
*I Only
Have Eyes For You (e)
with Al Jolson
*Waiting
For The Robert E. Lee
(f)
with Al Jolson & Red Nichols (Cornet)
*I Can
Dream Can’t I? (g) with Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) The
complete programme was issued on Totem LP1007 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
(b) Pre-show,
Bing makes another reference (see Programme No. 12) to the show which
immediately precedes his own, when he is heard to say, “Say, that Groucho was
really rapid, tonight, wasn’t he, Ken?” Ken Carpenter replies, “Yeah, imagine that
couple winning a thousand dollars”. Bing then suggests, “We’re on the wrong
programme!”
(c) Although
introduced as a new song by Bing, the composer, Richard Whiting, died in
1938.
Commercial Recording 16.11.49
(d) Broadcast
Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
Commercial Recording 30.4.62
(e) Broadcast
Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(f) Broadcast
Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Broadway Intermission BR-142 - “Bing Crosby And Red Nichols - Together Again”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(g) Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio Duets”
Baritone of the
old school meets top exponent of the new when Al Jolson pays a visit to Bing Crosby
on the latter’s show at 9:30 p.m.
(The
Miami Herald, 28th December, 1949)
No. 16
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Dear
Hearts And Gentle People
(b) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Bye, Bye,
Baby
(c)
with Rhythmaires
Is It True What
They Say About Dixie?
(i) Al
Jolson
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Al Jolson
*
*My Blue
Heaven
(e) with Al
Jolson
*Alabamy Bound
(f)
with Al Jolson
*The One I
Love Belongs To Somebody Else (g) with Al
Jolson
*All By Myself (h) with Al
Jolson
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) The
complete programme was issued on Totem LP1007 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
(b)
Commercial Recording 26.10.49
(c) Parrot
PARCD004 (CD) - “Al Jolson And
Bing Crosby - Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(d)
Broadcast Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
Commercial
Recording 16.1.75
(e) Broadcast
Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Prism PLATCD 708 (CD) – “Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Sepia 1053
(CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio Duets”
Commercial
Recording 17.4.56
(f) Broadcast
Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
Commercial
Recordings 14.3.57 & 16.1.75
(g) Broadcast
Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY903 - "Bing Crosby - Love Is"
Commercial Recording
14.11.46
(h) Broadcast Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’
Al”
Sepia 1053
(CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio Duets”
Commercial Recording 18.7.46
(i) Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio Duets”
There will be
plenty of kidding back and forth when Al Jolson pays a return visit to the “Bing
Crosby Show” tonight at 9:30 over WCAU. Says Crosby about Jolson: “Our guest is
a young man who was with us last week and made good. His singing, bird whistles
and magnetic personality seemed to catch on…”
(Courier-Post, 4th January, 1950)
Al Jolson was
guest and during a sequence he and Bing were batting around badinage
about Look mag
recently making Crosby its cover subject. Crosby huffed a line and referred to
the mag as “Life,” then quickly recovered and mentioned Look several times in atonement.
(Variety, 5th January, 1950)
No. 17
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
Comedy
Dialogue
(a) Bing
Crosby & Ken Carpenter
*Little
Jack Frost Get Lost
(b) with
Peggy Lee & Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*The Big
Movie Show In The Sky
(c) with
Rhythmaires
When You Speak With
Your Eyes
Peggy Lee with Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
(d) Bing Crosby,
Groucho Marx & Peggy Lee
*The Look
In Your Eyes
(e)
*Play A
Simple Melody
(f) with
Groucho Marx
*You’re
Wonderful
(g)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) During
his introductory remarks, Ken Carpenter reveals that Bing has been voted,
‘Radio’s Best Master Of Ceremonies in the Motion Picture Dailies Annual
Poll. (A
further revelation, during the same dialogue, is that Bob Hope has replaced Bing
as the Nation’s No. 1 Box Office attraction!).
(b) It is generally
acknowledged that the commercial version of this duet originates from a radio
broadcast. The
song had been used twice, during the Philco Radio Time series but this is the
only version that features Peggy Lee. The only difference between this rendition
and the Decca master is, that the
latter closes with the Rhythmaires singing the single word, “Lost”. The broadcast
version, however, does not end at this point but includes a coda by the
orchestra, over which, applause can be heard. Does this offer any proof that the commercial
issue was originally performed before a studio audience?
Sun 2110
(CD) – “Just The Way You Are –
Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
Commercial Recording 17.11.52 (Mastering date)
(c) Musidisc 30CV1356 - “Bing Crosby - His
Greatest Hits”
Biac Records BRAD10520/521
- “Bing Crosby At His Rarest Of
All Rare Performances” (Date shewn as
17.5.50)
Commercial Recording 23.12.49
(d) The comedy
theme is mainly concerned with the efforts of Groucho Marx to persuade Bing to
sing item (e) which was written by Groucho’s wife, Kay in collaboration with Harry
Ruby.
(e) See Note
(d) above.
(f) Magic
AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And
Friends”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Commercial Recording 23.6.50
(f) Artistic
ART001 - “Bing's Party” (as “Wonderful”)
Sounds Of
Yester Year CD DSOY 605 “Bing Crosby – I Got Rhythm” (as ‘Wonderful’)
is introduced
by Bing, as being from the film, “Bitter Victory”. This Lizbeth Scott ‘weepie’
was, in fact,
released as, “Paid In Full”. This misnomer is not corrected until the song’s
third airing on Programme No. 22.
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
Ad libs will fly thick and fast when Groucho Marx
visits his next-door neighbor, Bing Crosby, on the latter’s CBS show tonight over
WJR at 9:30. Groucho will plug a song written by his wife, Kay, in
collaboration with tunesmith Harry Ruby. Peggy Lee will also be a guest.
(Battle
Creek Enquirer, 11th January, 1950)
“Bing Crosby is taping six shows in San Francisco, so that
he can rest up between pictures, at his
(“Variety” 11th January 1950)
One more
duet recorded by this duo bears mentioning: “Little Jack Frost, Get Lost” was recorded
by Crosby and Lee from a live radio show performance. This holiday novelty song
featured the Rhythmaires singing background for the pair of lead singers. A clever
swing tune, it contained some holiday appeal in the wintry theme as well as in
the instrumental interlude bearing the spritely sounds of high woodwinds (piccolos
and flutes) and plucked stringed instruments sounding fresh from the spirit of “Sleigh
Ride.” This recording preserved a slice of music history not to be missed, and
a song quite worthy of reviving.
(Tish Oney, Peggy
Lee – A Century of Song, page 46)
No. 18 18th
January 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Quicksilver
(b) with
Rhythmaires & Perry Botkin (Guitar)
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Sorry
(c) with
Rhythmaires & Buddy Cole (Piano)
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby, Gary Crosby & Barbara Whiting
Dear Hearts And Gentle People
Gary Crosby with Rhythmaires
*(We’ve
Got) A Sure Thing
(d) with
Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(b)
Commercial Recording 25.11.49
(c) See Note
(a) above.
Commercial Recording 16.11.49
(d) Commercial Recording 10.5.49
GARY CROSBY WILL MAKE RADIO DEBUT
Gary Crosby, 16-year-old son of crooner Bing, makes his radio debut
tonight.
“And it’s not because I’m looking ahead
to old age,” protested Pop, nearing completion of two decades of popularity.
“I’ll keep going for awhile,” the old groaner said, “But I hope Gary’s
successful. I could even quit and be his agent.”
Young Crosby, a student at a San Jose
prep school, makes his bow at 6:30pm PST, with his pop and Barbara Whiting.
He’ll sing “Dear Hearts and Gentle People,” and “be in and out” the whole
half-hour program Crosby said.
“He hasn’t heard of the big salaries
yet,” said the elder Crosby.
The show is a tape recording, transcribed
Monday night on the stage of the Marine Memorial Club in San Francisco. Pop
Crosby guessed as how his young one turned in a “pretty darned good”
performance.
“The cast thought he did a good job,
too,” he added. The show’s producer, Bill Morrow, here from Hollywood, thought
more than that.
“He’s really got it,” Morrow said. “He’s
got the same composure and easy-going qualities as Bing.” Bing said Gary really
“didn’t want to go on at first—he thought he’d get razzed by his pals at
school.” Crosby the elder said that Gary, oldest of his four boys, was just
like the rest of the youngsters in “fooling around with music since they were
babies.”
Bath-time is “pretty noisy” he agreed,
and there was plenty of harmony in the Crosby household most of the time. None
of the youngsters has had any formal musical or singing instruction. As to any
comparison with his dad, “Well, he favors me a little, has my coloring,” the
elder admitted. But three other Crosby characteristics —on horses,
bright-colored shirts and golf—drew a blank.
“He’s conservative about shirts—follows
his mother,” Bing said. “Horses? He rides ‘em a little, strictly for
transportation. Golf, he fools around a little, nothing like his old man yet.”
(Oakland Tribune, 18th January,
1950)
No. 19 25th
January 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Joe Venuti & Ken
Carpenter
*Sunshine
Cake
(a) with
Peggy Lee & Rhythmaires
*Chattanoogie Shoeshine Boy (b) with Joe
Venuti (Violin)
I’m Coming
Virginia
Peggy Lee
Royal Garden
Blues
Louis Armstrong (Trumpet); Jack Teagarden
(Trombone); Joe Venuti (Violin); Perry
Botkin
(Guitar); Buddy Cole (Piano) &
Nick Fatool
(Drums)
Baby, Won’t You
Please Come Home
Jack Teagarden (Trombone & Vocal),
other personnel as
above
*Blueberry
Hill (c) with Louis
Armstrong & Rhythmaires
*Lazybones
(d) with Louis
Armstrong
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Sun 2110
(CD) – “Just The Way You Are –
Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee”
Commercial
Recording 10.5.49
(b) Broadway
BR111 - “Crosbyana” (as “Chattanoga Shoe Shine Boy”)
Shout! CD DK 31517 “Swingin’ With Bing”
Commercial Recording 3.1.50
(c) Broadway
BR111 - “Crosbyana”
Sounds Rare SR5009 - “Havin’ Fun” (as “On Blueberry Hill”)
Family SFR-DP655 - “Louis Armstrong & Bing Crosby Live”
Magic AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Windmill WMD190 - “Louis Armstrong & Bing Crosby On Stage”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing
Crosby And Friends”
Legends LECD118 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - Volume 1”
Wisepack LECDD612 (CD) -
“The Essential Collection”
Shout! CD DK 31516 “Swingin’ With Bing”
(d) This version
was re-broadcast on Programme No. 51 (Refer to Index 4)
Broadway BR111 - “Crosbyana”
Sounds Rare SR5009 - “Havin’ Fun” (as “On Blueberry Hill”)
Family SFR-DP655 - “Louis Armstrong & Bing Crosby Live”
Magic AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Windmill WMD190 - “Louis Armstrong & Bing Crosby On Stage”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing
Crosby And Friends”
Legends LECD118 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - Volume 1”
Wisepack LECDD612 (CD) -
“The Essential Collection”
Spectrum U4016 (CD) - “Bing & Louis”
Shout! CD DK 31517 “Swingin’ With Bing”
Bing Crosby Enterprises CD - "Bing Crosby Sings The Johnny Mercer Songbook"
Sounds of Yesteryear CD DSOY2151 - "Bing Crosby - Immersed in Mr. Mercer's Verse"
Three jazz “greats,” Louis
Armstrong, trumpet; Jack Teagarden, trombone, and Joe Venuti, violin, will put
on a jive-fest with their pal Bing Crosby on the latter’s CBS show tonight…
(Battle Creek Enquirer, 25th
January, 1950)
No. 20 1st
February 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*The Big
Movie Show In The Sky
(a) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*You’re
Wonderful
(b)
Comedy
Dialogue
(c) Bing
Crosby & Bob Hope
*Have I
Told You Lately That I Love You?
(d) with Bob Hope & Rhythmaires
*Why Remind
Me? with Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a)
Commercial Recording 23.12.49
(b)
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(c) During
this item and in the dialogue in subsequent programmes, there are serious
references to a proposed film, starring Bing and Hopalong Cassidy - a project
which obviously, never materialised.
(d) This item is a
parodied version, enabling Bing and Bob Hope to exchange the customary
‘insults’.
Magic AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing
Crosby And Friends”
Legends LECD119 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - Volume 2”
Wisepack LECDD612 (CD) -
“The Essential Collection”
Jasmine JASCD 357/8 (CD) – “Bob Hope & Friends – Put It There
Pal”
Commercial Recording 25.11.49
Ten minutes before showtime, all was confusion backstage at the Marine's
Memorial Theater yesterday,
They were getting ready to transcribe Bing Crosby’s February 1 radio
program with Bob Hope and Peggy Lee as guest stars. But nobody had a script. At
least, nobody had a. complete, revised script.
Crosby and Hope, perhaps the greatest vaudeville team in history, didn’t
care. They let Producer Bill Morrow and two harried script girls do the
worrying.
Crosby kept singing. Singing and gargling with an amber colored fluid that
could have been medicinal and probably was. Once he started singing for Page 26
of the script.
Hope was singing too. He was singing to Crosby, “Have I Told You Lately
That I Love You?” The script called for it.
Between snatches, Hope was greeting friends and some strangers. Each one
was treated like a close relative. He took an occasional blow to holler “Hi’ya
Honey?” as some beautiful doll glided by the dressing room he shared with
Crosby. Any beautiful doll.
Hope and Crosby apparently share almost everything, including the Los
Angeles Rams and some Texas oil wells. Crosby wore gray slacks and a sport
shirt—a green plaid job with a touch of lavender.
Three minutes before showtime, Crosby was still singing and gargling.
Hope was still greeting friends and people. Peggy Lee was finishing off a
hamburger. One of the Rhythmaires in the show was using a safety pin on a loose
skirt.
Presently with something less than three minutes to go, a girl with an
armful of scripts—complete, revised scripts—arrived from Columbia broadcasting.
The house was packed and had been for an hour.
An usher refused to believe her story at first, tried to keep her out.
She screamed her way backstage and unloaded.
Crosby grabbed a script and dashed on stage. Hope, his arm in a sling
from a recent auto accident, grabbed one too and picked out likely spots for ad
libbing. The script girls dished out scripts and then just sat and sighed.
Crosby proceeded to make with the audience. And by the time they turned
the mikes on, every woman in the place looked ready to climb over the
footlights.
Then Hope came on and wrapped the whole thing up. After that, every one
had a wonderful time. But especially Crosby and Hope, undoubtedly the greatest
vaudeville team in history.
(The San Francisco Examiner, 20th January,
1950)
“Ch’field
Miffed On
“Chesterfield was reported as plenty miffed over refusal of
Bing Crosby to join with the Ciggy Company’s two other star air salesmen, Arthur
Godfrey and Perry Como, in junketing to
(“Variety”
1st February 1950)
(A
perfect example of one of those famous headlines from “Variety” – superbly
incomprehensible, without the sub-text!)
No.
21
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
(a) Opening
Theme
*Sunshine
Cake
(b) with
Peggy Lee & Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
Peggy Lee
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Fred Allen
*Lonesome
In The Saddle
(c)
with Fred Allen & Rhythmaires
*Why Remind
Me? (d) with Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
(e) Bing
Crosby, Fred Allen, Portland Hoffa & Al
Jolson
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) There is
some pre-show laughter from the audience and over the opening bars, Bing can be
heard saying, “I’m not ready....I don’t feel it”
(b) Biac Records BRAD10530/531 - “Al
Jolson/Peggy Lee At Their Rarest
Of All Rare Performances” (Sleeve shews ‘
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(c) This item
is purported to have been written by Fred Allen and the arrangement includes
Bing singing a snatch of ‘The Cry Of
The Wild Goose’
Magic AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
(d) Musidisc 30CV1356 - “Bing Crosby - His
Greatest Hits”
Biac Records BRAD10520/521
- “Bing Crosby At His Rarest Of
All Rare Performances”
(e)
‘Surprise’ appearances by Al Jolson and Fred Allen’s wife and radio
partner, Portland Hoffa.
Fred Allen will make
a stab at solving his current income tax debts by coming out of “retirement” as
guest star on CBS’s Bing Crosby Show at 9:30 p.m. At least that is Crosby’s
interpretation of Allen’s brief return to the air, and Der Bingle has alerted
Department of Revenue sleuths to be ready for the impending revelations.
(Richmond Times-Dispatch,
8th February, 1950)
No. 22
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*The New
Ashmolean Marching Society And Students’
Conservatory Band (b) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Happy
Times
(c)
California (Here I
Come)
(i) Al
Jolson
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Al Jolson
*Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula
(d) with Al
Jolson
*Whispering
(e) with Al
Jolson
*Bye, Bye,
Baby
(f) with Al
Jolson
*Waiting
For The Robert E. Lee
(g) with Al
Jolson
*You’re
Wonderful
(h)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) The
complete programme was issued on Totem 1013 - “Bing ‘N’ Al - Volume 3” (Sleeve
shews actual transcription date
as 2.2.50)
(b) Parrot
PARCD004 (CD) - “Al Jolson And
Bing Crosby - Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Commercial Recording 28.1.60
(c) Biac Records BRAD10520/521 - “Bing
Crosby At His Rarest Of All Rare
Performances” (as ‘Wish On The Moon’ - date shewn as 17.5.50)
Sepia 1053 (CD)
– “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio Duets”
(d) Magic AWE3 -
“Bing Crosby And Friends” (as
‘Yakka Hula Hicky Dula’)
Broadcast Tributes BTRIB003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing Crosby & Friends”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(e) Magic
AWE10 - “Bing Crosby And Friends -
Volume 2”
Broadcast Tributes BTRIB003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Prism PLATCD 708 (CD) – “Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
Commercial Recording 20.2.57
(f) Magic
AWE10 - “Bing Crosby And Friends -
Volume 2”
Broadcast Tributes BTRIB003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Parrot PARCD004 (CD) - “Al Jolson And Bing Crosby - Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Prism PLATCD 708 (CD) – “Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(g) Broadcast
Tributes BTRIB003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(h) Parrot
PARCD004 (CD) - “Al Jolson And
Bing Crosby - Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(i)
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
Add Free
Commercials: No, Bing Crosby’s name won’t appear in this column every day – but
this one I want to tell you before we drop him for a while. Shows what kind of
guy he is pretty clearly. A few nights ago, he dropped in at Phil Tanner’s Show
Club, a small bar on Geary St., and happened to ask Phil “How’s business?” “Pretty
slow, Bing. Pretty slow,” sighed Tanner, and Bing smiled: “Well, maybe we can
do something about that.” Next day, Crosby with Al Jolson as his guest,
recorded his weekly radio show at Marine Memorial. At the end of the program,
just before the closing commercial, Bing ad libbed to Jolson: “Okay, Al, now
let’s go down to Phil Tanner’s Show Club on Geary and sing a few songs, huh?”
In other words, a million dollar plug for a little jernt on Geary. For free.
For Friendship.
(Herb Caen, The San Francisco
Examiner, 7th February, 1950)
Always welcome on CBS’s
Bing Crosby Show, Al Jolson, king of the mammy-singers, returns for another
guest appearance tonight.
(Battle Creek Enquirer, 15th
February, 1950)
No. 23 22nd
February 1950
Transcribed
in Hollywood (26th January 1950). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s
Rhythmaires, The Firehouse Five
Plus Two (a) and The Andrews Sisters.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo
(b)
with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & The
Andrews Sisters
*The
Wedding Samba (c)
with The Andrews
Sisters
*Have I
Told You Lately That I Love You? (d)
with The Andrews
Sisters
The Firehouse
Stomp The Firehouse Five Plus Two
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Ward Kimball
*Yessir! That’s My Baby (e)
with The Firehouse Five Plus Two
*I Can
Dream Can’t I?
(f)
with The Andrews Sisters
& Rhythmaires
*(We’ve
Got) A Sure Thing (g)
with Rhythmaires & Buddy Cole (Piano)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Bing
notes that this is the radio debut for the recently, highly successful group,
led by Ward Kimball and composed mainly of employees from the Walt Disney
Studios.
(b)
Commercial Recording 3.1.50
(c) Magic
AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And
Friends”
Grappenhauser GRAP1001 -
“Music! Music! Music!”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Limited Edition Club JGB1005 – “Slightly Latin”
(d)
Commercial Recording 25.11.49
(e) Magic
AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And
Friends”
Grappenhauser GRAP1001 -
“Music! Music! Music!”
Limited Edition Club JGB1006 - “Kinda Dixie”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
(f) HRB Music
BCP1001 - “Bing Crosby And
Friends”
Japanese MCA9301 - “Bing Crosby Radio Show”
United Artists UAK30115 - “The Golden Age Of American Radio Starring Bing Crosby”
Golden Age GA5023 - “One Hour From The Bing Crosby Radio Shows”
Precision Records & Tapes NCP711 - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years -
Volume 4 (Recording date shewn as 26.1.50).
GNP Crescendo GNPD9051 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years”
The Radio Years RY18 (CD) - “Bing Crosby On Radio In The Thirties” (Date shewn as “(1938)”!
Hallmark 303372 (CD) - “Bing Crosby & Friends - The Radio Years”
Shout! CD DK 31515 “Swingin’ With Bing”
Riff CDPRGA 50290 (CD) – “Bing And His Gal Pals”
Sounds of Yesteryear DSOY903 - "Bing Crosby - Love Is"
(g) Shout! CD
DK 31515 “Swingin’ With Bing”
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
Husband of Local Woman on Crosby Program Wednesday
Frank R. Thomas, son-in-law
of Dr. and Mrs. W. D. Armentrout of Greeley, is a member of the Firehouse Five
Plus Two jazz combo that will be featured on the Bing Crosby radio show from 7:
30 until 8 p. m. tonight (Wednesday). Thomas
plays the piano. He is the husband of the former Jeanette Armentrout. Dr.
Armentrout is vice-president of Colorado State College of Education. The Firehouse
Five Plus Two combination has proved to be very popular on the west coast. They
play every Monday night at the Mocambo and recently entertained during the Bing
Crosby Golf Tournament. Members organised the group as a hobby several years
ago.
(Greeley Daily Tribune (Colorado),
22nd February, 1950)
No. 24 1st
March 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Quicksilver
(a) with Rhythmaires
(featuring Gloria Wood)
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Chattanoogie Shoeshine Boy (b) with Red Nichols
(Cornet)
Comedy
Dialogue Bing
Crosby & Bob Crosby
*Enjoy
Yourself (It’s Later Than You
Think) (c) with Bob Crosby
& Rhythmaires
*The Little
Grey House (d) with
Rhythmaires
*Whispering
Hope
(e) with Bob Crosby
& Loulie Jean Norman
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a)
Commercial Recording 25.11.49
(b)
Commercial Recording 3.1.50
(c) This item
is a parodied version, enabling Bing and Bob Crosby to indulge in some brotherly
‘digs’.
Magic AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Grappenhauser GRAP1001 -
“Music! Music! Music!”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Jasmine CD
JASCD 651 “The Crosby Brothers”
(d) Commercial
Recording 16.11.49
(e) Grappenhauser GRAP1001 - “Music! Music! Music!”
Bob Crosby, who
rejoins CBS’ Club 15 on March 27 as head man and singing star, has a complaint to
air when he pays his second visit of the season to CBS’ Bing Crosby Show…His
gripe is that was bad enough to be referred to as “Bing Crosby’s brother,” but
now he has to contend with the title of “Gary Crosby’s uncle.” As a special
feature, the talented Crosbys do a repeat of their nostalgic arrangement of “Whispering
Hope.”
(The Tampa Times, 1st
March, 1950)
No. 25 8th
March 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*The New
Ashmolean Marching Society
And
Students’ Conservatory Band (a)
with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Why Remind
Me? with Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Gary Cooper
‘New Arrival’
Sketch
(b)
Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper & Ken Carpenter
*Cradle
Song (Brahms)
(c)
*Play A Simple Melody
(d) with Gary
Crosby
Dear Hearts And Gentle People
Gary Crosby with Rhythmaires
*My Foolish
Heart
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a)
Commercial Recording 28.1.60
(b) This item
is a comic re-enactment of the scene in the hospital waiting room at the time of
Gary Crosby’s birth and closes with Bing singing (unaccompanied), a few lines of
item (c).
(c) See note
(b) above.
Commercial Recording 23.5.41
(d) Varese Sarabande CD 3020669052 “Bing Crosby – Crosby
Classics”
Commercial Recording 23.6.50
Sixteen-year-old
Gary Crosby, Bing’s oldest son, who received scores of professional offers after
making his debut on his father’s radio program last month, pays a return visit
to the Bing Crosby show (WDAE, 9:30 p.m.). He will share the guest spotlight
with Gary Cooper, Bing’s long-time friend, for whom young Gary was named.
(The Tampa Times, 8th
March, 1950)
No. 26 15th
March 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night Opening
Theme
*Copper
Canyon
(a) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Sunshine
Cake
(b) with
Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby, Dennis Crosby & Phillip Crosby
*Thanks
(c) with
Phillip Crosby
The Cry Of The Wild Goose Dennis
Crosby
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo Dennis
& Phillip Crosby with Rhythmaires
*Marta
(Rambling Rose Of The
Wildwood) (d) with
Perry Botkin (Guitar)
*A Dream Is
A Wish Your Heart Makes
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Grappenhauser GRAP1001 - “Music! Music!
Music!”
(b)
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(c) Bing’s
contribution is restricted to spoken comments, only. It will be recalled
that Phillip Crosby recorded the same song, some years later, with similar
accompaniment from his father.
(d) Grappenhauser GRAP1001 - “Music! Music! Music!”
Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
Commercial Recording 22.6.50
(e) At the close of the programme, Bing confesses that he has no idea who next week’s guests will be but after the closing theme, Ken Carpenter is heard announcing that the guests will be Clifton Webb and Mildred Bailey. Although Mildred Bailey is featured in Programme No. 30, Clifton Webb never appeared in the Chesterfield series.
It is family night
again on CBS’ Bing Crosby Show as Bing’s 14-year-old twins, Dennis and Philip,
make their debut as a guest team. Philip songs one of Bing’s old hits, “Thanks,”
and Dennis offers “Flight of the Wild Goose.”
(The Tampa Times, 15th
March, 1950)
No. 27 22nd
March 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Copper
Canyon
(a) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Bye, Bye,
Baby with
Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Ethel Merman
*Dearie
(b) with Ethel
Merman
‘Littleheardof, Nevada’ Sketch
Bing Crosby, Hopalong Cassidy, Ethel
Merman & Ken Carpenter
*My Foolish
Heart
(c)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Jasmine
CD JASMCD 3558 - “Bing Crosby – Another Ride in Cowboy Country”
(b) Bing
‘breaks up’ during this item and comments, “Don Ameche gets better cues than that!”
Magic AWE3 - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Magic DAWE3 (CD) - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Parrot PARCD006 (CD) - “
(c) Shout! CD DK 31515 “Swingin’ With Bing”
Bing Crosby, Hopalong Cassidy, and Ethel
Merman turned Marine's Memorial Theater into a sort of horse opera house
yesterday.
Der Bingle appeared in a
pale yellow silk sport shirt, gray flannels and no tie. So Bill Boyd (he’s
Hopalong) gave him a fancy black gabardine riding shirt, edged with whipcord
and tasseled with white felt plus pantsand a whopping cowboy hat to match.
“Boy, that’s right off the
prairie,” mused Crosby. “If I ever crack that in Elko (site of the big Crosby
ranch) it’ll kill ‘em. Wear it? Sure, I’ll wear anything.”
Hopalong, except for his
wide brimmed white cowboy hat and riding boots, was the very model of a modern
natty businessman. He wore a Navy blue suit, white shirt and a conservative tie.
Miss Merman, a well
preserved well girdled eyeful, showed up late to rehearse her songs. She was
poured into a black cocktail dress, with a lacy top. One of the cast
eyed her admiringly.
“She hasn’t changed in
twenty years,” he whispered. “She’s great.”
For the radio show, to be
aired April 12, she became “Mulehide” Merman. Bing was “Squirtalong” Crosby,
About a Hollywood report
that he is to have his unruly appendix removed next week, Crosby entered a
somewhat unconvincing “don’t know anything about it.”
The report came from the
Groaner’s brother, Larry.
(The
San Francisco Examiner, March 3, 1950)
A Western flavor
will be added to the Bing Crosby Show tonight (WDAE, 9:30 p.m.) when Der Bingle
plays hosts to Bill “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd and Ethel “Annie Oakley” Merman.
(The Tampa Times, 22nd
March, 1950)
No. 28 29th
March 1950
Transcribed
in Hollywood (23rd March 1950). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s
Rhythmaires, The Firehouse Five Plus Two and The Andrews Sisters.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
Comedy
Dialogue
(a) Bing
Crosby & Ken Carpenter
*Wilhelmina
(b) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*You’re
Wonderful
(c) with
Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & The
Andrews Sisters
That’s
A-Plenty The
Andrews Sisters
*Lock,
Stock And Barrel
(d) with The
Andrews Sisters
*Candy
And Cake
(e) with
Rhythmaires
*Everybody
Loves My Baby
(f) with
The Firehouse Five Plus Two
*A Dream Is
A Wish Your Heart Makes (g)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) The
dialogue is mainly concerned with Bing’s appendectomy on March 13th. Instead of
convalescing, after the
operation, he taped the remainder of the season’s shows and left,
for
(b) All-Star
Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
(c) All-Star
Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(d) Commercial
Recording 15.2.50
(e) Grappenhauser GRAP1001 - “Music! Music! Music!”
Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
(f) All-Star
Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
Grappenhauser GRAP1001 -
“Music! Music! Music!”
Limited Edition Club JGB1006 - “Kinda Dixie”
Jasmine CD JASCD 460 “”Stoking The Fire – The Whole Story – Vol.2 “
(g) All-Star Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
Back to the “Bing
Crosby Show” comes that hot combo, the Firehouse Five – Plus Two, to give raucous
support to the theory that the Dixieland musical style is here to stay. The
instrumentalists share guest honors with the famous Andrews Sisters on Bing’s broadcast
tonight from 9:30-10 over WCAU. The Firehouse group, composed mostly of artists
from the Walt Disney studio, started their organization just for “kicks,” but
they have since become a serious threat to bands of long-standing fame.
(Courier-Post, 29th March,
1950)
No. 29 5th
April 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Music!
Music! Music! (Put Another Nickel
In) (b)
with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Perry Como & Arthur Godfrey
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby, Perry Como & Arthur Godfrey
On The Outgoing
Tide
Perry Como
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby, Perry Como & Arthur Godfrey
Making Love,
Ukulele Style
Arthur Godfrey (Vocal & Ukulele)
*Candy
And Cake
(c) with Arthur
Godfrey & Rhythmaires
*A Dream Is
A Wish Your Heart Makes
(d) with Perry
Como
*Dear Old
Girl
(e) with Perry Como
& Arthur Godfrey
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) From the
Chicago Civic Opera House and performed for the Convention of the National
Association
of Tobacco Distributors.
(b) Grappenhauser GRAP1001 - “Music! Music! Music!”
Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
(c) See
Programme No. 36 Note (a)
(d) See Programme No. 36 Note (a)
Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
(e) Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
Commercial Recording 12.8.36
If
you’ve been having
trouble deciding who’s your favorite crooner you’ll have a. chance to
compare the qualities of three of them when Bing Crosby welcomes both
Perry Como
and Arthur Godfrey to his 9:30 show tonight via CBS-WGBS, Chicago’s
Civic Opera
House isthe setting for this special session arranged in connection with the tobacco distributors’
annual convention….The three will team for “Dear Old Girl” - and watch for the
harmony on that one! For extra measure they'll do a family skit with Como as a
six-year old, Crosby as his father and Godfrey as his mother - of all things.
(Marion Aitchison, The Miami Herald, 5th April, 1950)
No. 30 12th
April 1950
Transcribed
in Hollywood (25th March 1950). Announced by Ken Carpenter. With Jud Conlon’s
Rhythmaires, The Firehouse Five Plus Two and Mildred Bailey.
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
(a) Opening
Theme
*Candy
And Cake
with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*The Big
Movie Show In The Sky
(b) with
Rhythmaires
*I’ve Got
The World On A String
(c) with
Mildred Bailey
That’s
A-Plenty The
Firehouse Five Plus Two
*Please
Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone
(d) with The
Firehouse Five Plus Two
*With My
Eyes Wide Open, I’m Dreaming
(e)
*Marta
(Rambling Rose Of The
Wildwood)
(f) with
Perry Botkin (Guitar)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) The
programme dispenses with the customary opening dialogue between Bing and Ken
Carpenter.
(b) Commercial
Recording 23.12.49
(c) Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
Commercial Recording 26.1.33
(d) Limited Edition
Club JGB1006 - “Kinda Dixie”
(e) Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
(f)
Commercial Recording 22.6.60
A note of
nostalgia pervades CBS’ Bing Crosby Show, as Mildred Bailey famed singer of the
blues who landed Bing his first professional singing job, visits her famous protégé.
(WDAE 9:30 p.m.) Also on hand for a return stint is the Dixieland group known
as the Firehouse Five – Plus Two.
(The Tampa Times, 12th
April, 1950)
She [Mildred Bailey] seemed to improve, and soon
was on her way home. In the meantime, said [Alec] Wilder, Bing Crosby had
quietly picked up the mortgage on the farm, so she could live there securely,
free of anxiety about money.
Back on her feet, she went to California for an
April 12, 1950 appearance on Bing’s network radio show. There’s real affection
in the tone of their remarks to one another, and when she sings
“
(Richard Sudhalter, Lost Chords -
White Musicians and their contribution to Jazz, page 704)
“Crosby’s 11 Day Gotham Marathon, Taping 25 Shows Before Sailing”
(Front Page
Headline)
“Bing Crosby, who leaves tomorrow (Thursday) on the ‘Queen
Elizabeth’ for England, will have wound up a busy 11days in Gotham, during which he taped five of his weekly
Chesterfield shows and twenty of his cross the board CBS stanzas for Minute
Maid. Period
is one of the heaviest recording marathons any top performer has achieved. Guests on four of
the 30-minute airers are, Bea
Lillie, Fred Allen, Mary Martin, Al Jolson and Ella Fitzgerald. The fifth show
recorded without an audience is a musical reprise of the year’s top tunes. To tape additional
Minute Maid shows in
England and France, Crosby and his producer/writer are
taking along a portable Ampex
machine and tape will be flown back until Crosby returns in Mid-June. On the junket,
Crosby will play in the British Amateur Golf Championship Tourney at St.
Andrews, Scotland on May 22nd.”
(“Variety”
12th April 1950)
No. 31 19th
April 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Music!
Music! Music! (Put Another Nickel
In)
with Rhythmaires & Mel Henke (Piano)
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Lock,
Stock And Barrel
(a) with
Rhythmaires
Bye, Bye, Baby Carole
Richards with Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue Bing
Crosby & Lindsay Crosby
Rag Mop Lindsay
Crosby with Rhythmaires
*Sunshine
Cake
(b) with
Carole Richards & Rhythmaires
*Swanee River (The Old Folks At
Home)
(c) with
Lindsay Crosby & Rhythmaires
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) There is
an aside by Bing during this item when, seemingly inspired by the swingy violin
arrangement, he remarks, “Well!....Spade Cooley!” (Spade Cooley was a Country & Western
bandleader, known as ‘The King of Western Swing’ who was jailed for many years
for the murder of his wife).
Commercial Recording 15.2.50
(b)
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(c) Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
Commercial Recording 21.2.35
Treading where his
three older brothers have trod before him, 11-year-old Lindsay Crosby, Bing’s
youngest, turns up as guest on CBS’ Bing Crosby Show (WDAE 9:30 p.m.) Carol
Richards is also on the guest list to swap songs and banter with Pop Crosby.
(The Tampa Times, 19th
April, 1950)
No. 32 26th
April 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Wilhelmina
with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Baby,
Won’t You Say You Love Me with
Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
(a) Bing
Crosby & Beatrice Lillie
*Sunshine
Cake
(b) with
Beatrice Lillie & Rhythmaires
*Candy
And Cake
with Beatrice Lillie & Rhythmaires
*If I Knew
You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked A Cake (c) with
Beatrice Lillie
*My Foolish
Heart
(d)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Much of
this dialogue is concerned with Bing’s ‘forthcoming trip to Europe’ - in fact,
he was already there when the programme was broadcast.
(b) All Star
Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
Commercial Recording 10.5.49
(c) With special ‘British’ lyrics by Tom Adair.
Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
(d) Startone ST225 - “Bing And Mary”
Beatrice Lillie,
sharp-tongued British comedienne and long a favorite here and abroad, will be a
guest on the Bing Crosby tonight over CBS and WJR at 9:30. Miss Lillie learns
that Bing is planning a European tour and offers him a wealth of unsolicited advice
on traveling plus a few tips on the progress of British television. She then
joins the crooner in a medley of song hits.
(Battle Creek Enquirer, 26th
April, 1950)
No. 33
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
(c) Opening
Theme
*The Horse
Told Me
(d) with
Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
(e) with
Rhythmaires
I Hadn’t Anyone
Till You
Ella Fitzgerald with Rhythmaires
*Stay With The Happy People
(f) with Ella
Fitzgerald & Rhythmaires
Give My Regards
To Broadway
(l) Al
Jolson
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Al Jolson
*Ma Blushin’ Rosie
(g) with Al
Jolson
*Avalon
(h) with Al
Jolson
*Lullaby
Of Broadway
(i)
with Al Jolson
*My Old
Kentucky Home
(j)
with Al Jolson
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) The
complete programme was issued on Totem 1016 - “Bing ‘N’ Al - Volume 5” (Sleeve
shews actual transcription date
as 10.4.50)
(b) From CBS
Playhouse No. 2
(c) There is
a false start to the opening theme when one of the trumpets hits a wrong
note. When the
theme is re-commenced, Bing comments over the opening bars, “We’ll have to get
that trumpet player off the blended stuff and onto the straight, I think!”
Broadway BR-138 - “Crosbyana Volume 8 - Just For Fun - Take Two”
(d) Windmill WMD260
- “Favourite Melodies”
Musidisc 30CV1356 - “Bing
Crosby - His Greatest Hits”
Biac Records BRAD10520/521
- “Bing Crosby At His Rarest Of
All Rare Performances”
Commercial Recording 21.6.49
(e) In the
spoken commercial, leading to the jingle, Ken Carpenter ‘fluffs’ a line and
Bing, jokingly reprimands him with, “Ah, Hah! - Forty lashes!” Carpenter gets his own back, however, when
Bing makes a similar ‘fluff, in the second commercial spot.
(f) All Star
Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
Parrot PARCD002 (CD) - “Ella Fitzgerald And Bing Crosby - My Happiness”
Legends LECD119 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - Volume 2”
Wisepack LECDD612 (CD) -
“The Essential Collection”
Shout! CD DK 31517 “Swingin’ With Bing”
(g) Broadcast
Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(h) Broadcast
Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Parrot PARCD004 (CD) - “Al Jolson And Bing Crosby - Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
Commercial Recording 14.3.57
(i)
Broadcast Tributes BTRIB0003 - “Bing ‘N’ Al”
Prism PLATCD 708 (CD) – “Let Me Sing And I’m Happy”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
(j) Windmill
WMD260 - “Favourite Melodies”
Parrot PARCD004 (CD) - “Al Jolson And Bing Crosby - Let Me Sing And I’m
Happy”(Date
shewn as
30.5.50)
Legends LECD118 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - Volume 1”
Wisepack LECDD612 (CD) -
“The Essential Collection”
Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio
Duets”
Commercial Recording 9.12.40
(k) A strange
and sombre note, in retrospect, that Al Jolson’s last line, in this, his final
broadcast with Bing should be, “The trip would kill me”
(l) Sepia 1053 (CD) – “Bing Crosby Meets Al Jolson – The Complete Radio Duets”
Al Jolson will
join Bing Crosby in a medley of three old favorites when he and songstress Ella
Fitzgerald share the guest spotlight on Bing’s show at 8:30 tonight over WMT.
(The Rock Island Argus, 3rd
May, 1950)
No. 34 10th
May 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Stay With The Happy People (a)
with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue Bing
Crosby & Mary Martin
A Wonderful
Guy Mary
Martin
Comedy
Dialogue Bing
Crosby & Mary Martin
*Dearie
(b) with Mary
Martin
*It Isn’t
Fair
(c)
*Wait Till
The Sun Shines Nellie
(d) with Mary
Martin
*Whispering
Hope
(e) with Mary
Martin & Rhythmaires
(featuring Loulie Jean Norman)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) Startone ST225 - “Bing And Mary”
(b) Startone ST225 - “Bing And Mary”
All Star Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
(Date shewn as Nov 10
1950)
Parrot PARCD005 (CD) - “
(c) Startone ST225 - “Bing And Mary”
All Star Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show” (Date shewn as Nov 10 1950)
Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
(d) Startone ST225 - “Bing And Mary”
Parrot PARCD005 (CD) - “
Commercial Recording 13.3.42
(e) Startone ST225 - “Bing And Mary”
All Star Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
(Date shewn as Nov 10
1950)
Parrot PARCD006 (CD) - “
Mary Martin, star
of “South Pacific,” highlights songs from her musical hit tonight when she is
the guest on the Bing Crosby Show (WDAE 9:30 p.m.) It is a grand reunion with
Mary and Bing recalling the movie “Rhythm on the River,” the first they made together.
Years later, Mary teamed up with Crosby for a radio show.
(The Tampa Times, 10th
May, 1950)
No. 35 17th
May 1950
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*The Yodel
Blues
(b) with
Rhythmaires
*Baby,
Won’t You Say You Love Me
(c) with
Rhythmaires
Comedy
Dialogue
Bing Crosby & Fred Allen
*The Lament
Of Homer Tracy
(d) with Fred
Allen & Rhythmaires
*It Isn’t
Fair
(e) with
Bernie Leighton (Piano)
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) The
opening introductions and the first commercial are, in fact, handled by Fred
Allen but Ken Carpenter returns, in his usual role, after the second song, for
the remainder of the programme.
(b) The song
was written for and introduced in the show, ‘Texas Li’l Darlin’” as, “They Talk A Different
Language”
All Star Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
Musidisc 30CV1356 - “Bing
Crosby - His Greatest Hits” (As “I Got The Blues Hooly Hooly”)
Biac Records
BRAD10520/521 - “Bing Crosby At His
Rarest Of All Rare Performances” (As “I Got The Blues Hooly Hooly” - Recording venue shewn as
Commercial Recording 23.12.49
(c) Musidisc 30CV1356 - “Bing Crosby - His
Greatest Hits”
Biac Records BRAD10520/521
- “Bing Crosby At His Rarest Of
All Rare Performances”
(d) This item is
purported to have been written by Fred Allen.
All Star Products LP2000 - “Bing Crosby’s All Star Chesterfield Show”
Host Records BC1001 - “A Tribute To Bing”
Sepia CD 1360 "Chesterfield Radio Time Starring Bing Crosby"
(e) Musidisc 30CV1356 - “Bing Crosby - His
Greatest Hits” (As “It’s Just For
Today”)
Biac Records
BRAD10520/521 - “Bing Crosby At His
Rarest Of All Rare Performances” (As “It’s Just For Today” - Recording
venue shewn as
As a guest on the
Bing Crosby Show tonight over WJR at 9:30, Fred Allen recites his troubles, makes
some pungent observations about television, gives Bing advice for his European
trip, and unveils his “City-Billy” song. The musical masterpiece is called “The
Lament of Homer Tracy,” concerning the sordid tragedy which overtakes a
department store floorwalker.
(Battle Creek Enquirer, 17th
May, 1950)
No. 36 24th May
1950 (a)
Transcribed in
*Where
The Blue Of The Night
Opening Theme
*Music!
Music! Music! (Put Another Nickel
In)
with Rhythmaires
*Chesterfield Jingle
with Rhythmaires
*Mule
Train
(b) with
Perry Botkin’s String Band
Dear Hearts And Gentle People
Gary Crosby with Rhythmaires
*A Dream Is
A Wish Your Heart Makes
(c) with
Perry Como
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo Dennis
& Phillip Crosby with Rhythmaires
*Candy
And Cake
(d) with
Arthur Godfrey & Rhythmaires
Rag Mop
Lindsay Crosby with Rhythmaires
*If I Knew
You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked A Cake (e) with Bob
Hope & Rhythmaires
*My Foolish
Heart
Where The Blue Of The Night
Closing Theme
Notes:
(a) The
majority of the programme consists of edited excerpts from previous shows. The items involving
Bing and Arthur Godfrey/Perry Como have been ‘lifted’ from Programme No.
29. The songs
which feature the Crosby boys have been extracted from three, separate, previous
programmes.
Bing introduces all the items and snippets of linking dialogue, from the
‘guests’ have been clipped from the original shows. The only ‘new’
items are a different version of “Music! Music! Music! and the duet, “If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked A Cake”. The latter, posed a small problem regarding its origin, as it has obviously
been inserted into the jigsaw of excerpts. Considering the participants, the
duet is unusually polished and restrained, indicating prior preparation but at
the same time, it seems improbable that the whole entourage would have been
assembled to provide, what amounts to barely two minutes of air time and it has
now been established that it was first heard on the CBS programme, ‘Welcome Back
Baseball’ broadcast on 15th April 1950. As a matter of interest, the issue, “Bing
Crosby - The Radio Years - Volume 4” shews a recording date of 12th April 1950.
(b) See
Programme No. 7 Note (c)
Commercial Recording 26.10.49
(c) See Note
(a) above.
(d) See Note
(a) above.
(e) See Note
(a) above.
HRB Music BCP1001 - “Bing Crosby And Friends”
Japanese MCA9301 - “Bing Crosby Radio Show”
United Artists UAK30115 - “The Golden Age Of American Radio Starring Bing Crosby”
Golden Age GA5023 - “One Hour From The Bing Crosby Radio Shows”
Precision Records & Tapes NCP711 - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years -
Volume 4” (Date shewn as
12.4.50)
GNP Crescendo GNPD9052 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - The Radio Years”
Legends LECD119 (CD) - “Bing Crosby - Volume 2”
Wisepack LECDD612 (CD) -
“The Essential Collection”
The Radio Years RY18 (CD) - “Bing Crosby On Radio In The Thirties” (Shewn as “I Knew You Were Coming” - Date shewn as 1938!)
Hallmark 303372 (CD) - “Bing Crosby & Friends - The Radio Years”
Jasmine JASCD 357/8 (CD) – “Bob Hope & Friends – Put It There
Pal”
Winding up his radio
season in high style, Bing Crosby is host to Arthur Godfrey, Perry Como, Bob Hope
and the four Crosby sons in a roundup of the past season’s top tunes.
(The Tampa Times, 24th
May, 1950)
“With Chesterfield now having Bing Crosby (on CBS) and Bob
Hope (on NBC) under its wing, it’s a cinch that the ‘you Bing me and I’ll Hope
you’ series of reciprocal guest shots will become a common thing in the course
of the ‘50/’51 program semester. The Hope-Crosby by-play has been one of the
top audience come-ons for years.”
(“Variety”
14th June 1950)
“Groaner Seen Slugging It Out With Groucho For Wed. Night’s
Hot Spot”
(Headline)
“It will be Bing Crosby on CBS fighting it out with Groucho
Marx, next season with the Wednesday night at nine time becoming the pivotal
point in the major ‘50/’51 program slugfest. With Marx taking over the same time on NBC
that he had on Columbia, reports this week were that the way has been cleared
for Crosby to move up half an hour into the ex-Marx time on Columbia. Just who finalised
the decision isn’t quite clear but it’s understood that at the time NBC
succeeded in signing Marx to his $3,000,000 contract, CBS board Chairman,
William S. Paley, indicated he’d
slotCrosby as the Marx
competition as a retaliatory gesture. Around NBC where elation still runs pretty
high over the Groucho acquisition, they’re wagering Marx will win hands down
while the CBS boys are equally confident that the Groaner will whittle down his
former back to back mate.”
(“Variety” 21st June
1950)
Go to the 1950-51 season for Chesterfield