SWINGING ON A STAR

SWINGING ON A STAR
By Charles Apple - THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Seventy-five years ago today, the movie “Going My Way” was released in theaters. The musical featured Spokane’s own Bing Crosby in a role that would win him an Academy Award and that featured him singing a song that would win an Oscar.


This would be Crosby's first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and the only time he’d win an Oscar. He’d be nominated again the next year for “The Bells of St. Mary’s” and then one more time in 1954.

But Crosby, in fact, was well- acquainted with the Oscars. Even by 1944, Crosby had sung songs in movies that had been nominated five times for Academy Awards.

Crosby did a lot more than just star in movies and sing in musicals. He recorded 50 to 70 records a year during the 1940s. He pioneered the use of prerecorded radio shows on reel-to-reel magnetic tape — reportedly, so he could spend more time playing golf. In 1963, Crosby would receive the first Grammy Global Achievement Award.

Crosby gave benefit concerts to help sell war bonds and did special programs for the Armed Forces Radio Network. He traveled to France to entertain troops just months after the D-Day invasion.

And he took his golf seriously. He worked his way to a 2 handicap and played in both the British and U.S. Amateur Championships. He started a tournament in 1937 that has evolved into the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Crosby was born in Tacoma but his family moved to Spokane when he was 3 years old. He attended Gonzaga University and would perform between films in Spokane’s Clemmer Theater — which is now named after Crosby.

Crosby died in 1977 after playing a round of golf at La Moraleja Golf Course near Madrid, Spain. He was 74...

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MEMORIES OF SWINGIN ON A STAR

Do you ever hear a song that floods your senses with memories of the past? Transports you to a time when you were young, or even just yesterday? There are a few songs that will forever remind me of my father. He was always singing to my sister and I a hand full of songs, such as “Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys”.

One of the songs I use to LOVE that he would sing for us was “Swinging on a Star”. A song you won’t find on any local radio stations. It reminds me so much of him and times when we use to jump in the car, stop at our local mom and pop store for my pick of candy and his signature “Tootsie Roll” and belt out tunes as we drove through the country.

Years ago I decided to add this song to my musical collection and purchased the Bing Crosby CD. I recently got the CD out to start sharing this song with my daughter. I’ve told her the history of it and how her grandpa use to sing it to me. We will sing it together in the car on the way to school sometimes. Today was one of those days and it made me happy to sing with my daughter and think of my father and how he is smiling down on us, happy that we are sharing a moment in honor of him.

Author: Colleen

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SWINGING ON A STAR

To serious Bing Crosby fans, I think "Swinging on A Star" is the most widely issued Bing recording - next to "White Christmas". In the old days of collecting Crosby CDs, it would appear on almost every issue. For a few rare Bing recordings, the collector would have to endure "Swinging On A Star" again. However, listening to this song again, I find it is a pretty good song. It was definitely a song that captured music lover's attention in 1944. Here is a little history on this song: "Swinging on a Star" was composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. It was sung by Bing Crosby in the 1944 film Going My Way, winning an Academy Award for best song. Song writer Jimmy Van Heusen was at Crosby’s house one evening for dinner, and to discuss a song for the movie Going My Way. During the meal one of the children began complaining about how he didn’t want to go to school the next day. The singer turned to his son and said to him, “If you don’t go to school, you might grow up to be a mule. Do you wanna do that?” Van Heusen thought this clever rebuke would make a good song for the movie. He pictured Bing, who played a priest, talking to a group of children acting much the same way as his own child had acted that night. Van Heusen took the idea to his partner lyricist Johnny Burke, who approved. They wrote the song. The first recording of Swinging on a Star took place in Los Angeles on February 7, 1944, released by Decca Records. The Williams Brothers quartet, including legendary crooner Andy Williams, sang backup vocals to Crosby. The song was recorded by countless other singers such as Frank Sinatra, Burl Ives, and Tony Bennett - but Bing's version is the best...