THE KRAFT MUSIC HALL

Scripts for the Kraft Music Hall survive, certainly for Bing’s earliest tenure with the program.  They have been preserved on microfilm, and give a fascinating insight into the show’s workings.  The typed scripts are scattered with hand-written adjustments, which were probably made during the run-through and show rehearsals.  Each performance includes a routine overview, timing sheet and following report.  Rehearsal and broadcast times and location are noted.  The written program comments are a challenge to decipher, but some perseverance reveals insights and little gems such as “An elephant never forgets, but a Crosby never remembers” (referring to Bing’s tendency to stand too close to the microphone despite ongoing reminders).

A typical dossier is for the broadcast of 5 March 1936, here represented by the Routine and Timing Sheets, the first several Script pages (up to the first commercial) and the Program Report.