JOHNNY HOLIDAY: NOT RELATED TO BING

 As a Bing Crosby fan and writer, I have come in touch with some of the wonderful people in Bing's family. I have had the pleasure to correspond with his nephew Howard Crosby (Ted's song) and his grandson Phil Crosby Jr. Off and on through the years though I have crossed paths with someone claiming to be related to Bing. His stage name is Johnny Holiday and "performs" the old standards and claims to be the great nephew of Bing Crosby, but he has not relation to Bing. Johnny Holiday (aka Scott Ables) claims to be the grandson of Bing's sister Mary. However, no one in the Crosby family has ever met him!

Howard Crosby, genuine nephew of Bing Crosby on Mary Rose, sister of Bing Crosby and supposed grandmother of Scott Ables/Johnny Holiday:

“Aunt Mary Rose had two children, cousin Carolyn who is 89 and lives in Las Vegas, and her son Bill Miller who died many years ago. Carolyn had 6 children, the Quinns, 5 of whom are still with us. I know them all...”

“This guy is NOT one of our relations, that's for sure!”

Furthermore, Johnny Holiday claims to have gotten his start on The Lawrence Welk Show, but I contacted someone I know in the Lawrence Welk organization, and they have no record of him. There are no pictures of Scott with his world-famous great uncle Bing, and when he presented a picture to the woman who woman who produced a channel spot on Cicada club (where he performs) of supposedly himself with Bing. It was actually a picture of Harry Crosby with his father Bing.

Reportedly Kathryn Crosby, the widow of Bing, has sent this Johnny Holiday letters to cease and desist using the Crosby name. There are no records of Johnny Holiday online prior to 2004. If his real name is Scott Ables there is even less online about him than Johnny Holiday.

His last posts were regarding cancer treatment. If he is suffering from cancer, godspeed and no one deserves to have that infliction, but someone close to him that wishes to remain anonymous claims that Scott/Johnny has been "suffering" from cancer for years. The source claims people feel bad for him, and think he is delusional. Whether he is delusional or just trying to make a buck, I do think the truth needs to come out. There are talented people in the Crosby family that are trying to keep the memory of Bing alive, and while Johnny Holiday is saying good things about Bing, he is also spreading lies that he is part of the Crosby family.

I have reached out to Scott Ables/Johnny Holiday for comments and/or his side of the story, but I have not heard back from him. If anyone knows the truth of how Scott Ables came to be called Johnny Holiday, please reach out to me...

BING AND MINUTE MAID

 Here is another great advertisement Bing did for Minute Maid. This looks to be from the 1950s. It is interesting that they were giving away orange juice too...

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: BING AND FRANK SINATRA

Here are some wonderful photos of the two blue eyes - Bing and Frank Sinatra. They appeared together many times during their careers...

BING AND HIS FAITH

In 1916, Bing became an an altar boy for St. Aloysius Church. Every third week, he attended and served mass at 6:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.

One of Bing’s friends asked him if he would like to sing at the church. Bing was hesitant, but ended up singing with the choir, and also doing a solo. Crosby impressed the other boys and many attending the church service.

St. Aloysius and Gonzaga were very important to Crosby. Both institutions played a big role in his upbringing and life. Crosby would later star in a movie that was based on his friendship with one of the priests at Gonzaga.

The Spokane neighborhood where Bing Crosby lived was mainly Catholic and was sometimes referred to as the “Little Vatican,” or the “Holy Land.”

SOURCE

AUDIO ASPIRIN: EILEEN

BING'S DISCOGRAPHY: MARCH 15, 1957

Here is a quick recording session that Bing had 67 years ago!

Date: 3/15/57

Location: Los Angeles
Label: CAPITOL (US)
"Man On Fire" film title


Bing Crosby (voc), Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra (orc)
a. 16694-1 Man On Fire(Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster) - 2:54
EMI (UK) (EMI) CD7243 5 2281527 — LEGENDS OF THE 20th CENTURY - BING CROSBY (1999)
b. 16693-1 Seven Nights A Week(Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn) - 2:31

Both titles on:
HARRY LILLIS (UK) CDHLYCD-001 — HARRY LILLIS - STEP TO THE REAR (limited circulation) (1993)
JASMINE (UK) CDJASCD 495 — NELSON RIDDLE - LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE (2008)

March 15, Friday. Records “Man on Fire” and “Seven Nights a Week” for Capitol Records with an orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle. Bing’s record of “Man on Fire” is heard by the producers of the Man on Fire movie and is brought in to be used in the opening titles of the film.

A LETTER FROM BING: FEBRUARY 9, 1957

 Here is an interesting letter that Bing wrote to the manager from a Las Vegas hotel and casino...

BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES

Beautiful Memories is a 1976 vinyl album recorded by Bing Crosby for United Artists Records, and the last album of new material to be released during his lifetime. Eight of the songs were recorded at Devonshire Sound Studios, Magnolia Boulevard, North Hollywood on October 19 and 29, 1976.[1] The orchestral accompaniment was recorded in London on September 10 and 11, 1976 and Crosby dubbed his voice in Los Angeles. Of the other four songs on the LP, one had been recorded on February 26, 1975. The title song was dubbed by Crosby on November 5, 1976, also at United Western Studios, using the track recorded in London. Crosby was accompanied by Pete Moore and his Orchestra throughout the album and by The Johnny Evans Singers on certain tracks

The UK magazine The Gramophone reviewed the album saying: "Sadness inevitably surrounds “Beautiful Memories” by the late Bing Crosby, which must be one of the last LPs we will enjoy by this splendid gentleman with fifty years of consummate artistry to his credit, although we are advised of at least one more in the pipeline from Polydor. It is not his best album by any means, but Crosby never made a bad one to my knowledge, and there is much of value and interest in his versions of mostly recent pop ballads such as “A Little Love and Understanding,” “My Resistance Is Low,” “When a Child Is Born,” and “The Woman on Your Arm.” It is certainly a very adequate valedictory souvenir from a singer who has left beautiful memories for a multitude around the world.

Track listing:

SIDE ONE:
1. "Beautiful Memories" Roger Cook, Herbie Flowers 3:46
2. "A Little Love and Understanding" Gilbert Bécaud, Marcel Stellman 3:17
3. "My Resistance Is Low" Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Adamson 2:18
4. "Children" Cyril Ornadel, Hal Shaper 3:52
5. "Déjà Vu (As Tho’ You Never Went Away)" Pete Moore, Ken Barnes 3:12
6. "When a Child Is Born" Ciro Dammicco, Fred Jay 3:22


SIDE TWO:
7. "The More I See You" Harry Warren, Mack Gordon 2:26
8. "What I Did for Love" Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban 3:22
9. "Yours Sincerely" Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart 2:43
10. "We've Only Just Begun" Roger Nichols, Paul Williams 3:55
11. "The Woman on Your Arm" Randy Edelman 3:53
12. "The Only Way to Go" Marvin Hamlisch, Tim Rice 2:56

THE BELLS OF ST. MARYS AND THE POSTWAR AUDIENCE

The Bells Of St. Marys was more than a typical 1940s feel good film. It marked one of the first films in harrowing post-war era. Harrowing is a word that barely scratches the surface of the emotional abyss that is war. The uncertainty, the fear, and the profound loss cast long shadows over the human experience. At the end of it, there is often yet another difficult journey: rebuilding. It can be tumultuous. 

In the wake of World War II, as the world struggled to rebuild and heal, Leo McCarey's The Bells of St. Mary's in 1945 not only became the highest-grossing movie of its time but also offered solace and hope to a weary audience. This film captures the essence of wartime struggle, not through the lens of battlefields and violence, but by delving deep into the hearts and minds of its characters. The film's main characters, Sister Benedict (played by Ingrid Bergman) and Father O'Malley (portrayed by Bing Crosby) are determined to achieve their shared goal of saving a school in financial crisis in spite of their differences and despite a myriad of constraints they face.

The Bells of St. Mary's is a feel-good tear-jerker sequel to McCarey's 1944 film Going My Way, which was the highest-grossing film of the year and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In The Bells of St. Mary's, Bing Crosby reprises his role as Father O'Malley, a charismatic priest assigned to a struggling Catholic school, St. Mary's. There, he clashes with the school's traditional principal, Sister Mary Benedict. Father O'Malley's unconventional approach to leadership conflicts with Sister Benedict's strict way of instilling discipline in the students. For example, when Father O'Malley finds two students fighting, he praises the one who threw the best punches, declaring him the winner. This move doesn't sit well with Sister Benedict, who had advised students against retaliation. Father O'Malley argues that boys should be prepared for the world, which they may have to face war in one day. Considering that this is immediately after World War II, it makes sense, even to the conservative Sister Benedict, who secretly trains the bullied boy on self-defense and encourages him to face bullies head-on.

78 years after its release, The Bells of St. Mary's retains its relevance. In an era marked by division and turmoil, the film's message of unity, understanding, and compassion is as vital as ever. It serves as a timeless lesson that, even in the face of adversity, individuals from diverse backgrounds as exemplified by Father O'Malley and Sister Benedict can come together to create positive change. The enduring popularity of the film attests to its ability to transcend time and inspire new generations...

SOURCE

BING RUMOR: BING AND PSYCHEDELIC FILMS

BING RUMOR: There is a rumor that Bing was involved in psychedelic films in the 1940s!

In the 1940s, British psychologist Cecil Stokes created Auroratone films, deeply psychedelic short movies meant to be shown at psychiatric institutions to help treat patients suffering from mental disorders, particularly war veterans. In 1942, Stokes was granted US patent #2292172 for the Process and Apparatus for Producing Musical Rhythm in Color. This was the year before Albert Hoffman discovered the hallucinogenic properties of LSD and two decades before psychedelic light shows appeared at rock and avant-garde music performances.

According to Wikipedia, "the patterns were produced by using crystallizing chemicals and polarized light, which were then synchronized to a variety of recorded musical tracks… Bing Crosby was involved with these films due to his being a shareholder in the [Auroratone] foundation and his interest in the rehabilitation of veterans."

SOURCE