BING IN DREAM HOUSE

Dream House
Tile #3 on the Studio City Walk of Fame

Production Company: Mack Sennett Comedies

Cast: Bing Crosby, Ann Christy, Kathrin Clare Ward, Eddie Phillips, Vernon Dent

Directed by Del Lord

DREAM HOUSE is commemorated in Tile #3 on the Studio City Walk of Fame. The two-reel comedy feature film, produced by Mack Sennett, the "King of Comedy", was released on January 17, 1932.

Bing Crosby stars as plumber 'Bing Fawcett' in one of his earliest films. Dream House is one of six two-reel musical comedies Mr. Crosby made for Mack Sennett that include I Surrender Dear (1931), One More Chance (1931), Billboard Girl (1932), Blue of the Night (1933) and Sing, Bing, Sing (1933).

Mr. Crosby went on to become the first multi-media superstar entertainer with records, radio, television and film.

SYNOPSIS: Bing Crosby sings "Take My Sugar to Tea" on his way to ask Betty (Ann Christy) to get married. Betty is on her way to Hollywood and at the train, they exchange promises of marriage. Betty's mother (Kathrin Clare Ward) doesn't want her beautiful daughter marrying a plumber and does everything she can to sabotage the engagement.

Bing goes to Hollywood to find Betty but he is refused entry to the lot where she is filming. He has several slapstick moments trying to reach Betty. He puts on a disguise to become an extra on the set of an Arabian desert film. Bing bursts into the song, "It Must Be True (Beside a Shady Nook)." Hell breaks loose, all leading to the lovers' reunion and Betty decides to stop acting and return home with Bing.

On the way home to Missouri, Bing croons the title song "I Have Built a Dream House" to Betty.

THE END



SOURCE

THE CROSBY AT RANCHO SANTA FE

The Art of Living Well – a Legacy of Sophistication and Style

Perhaps no person was closer to symbolizing the style and charm of Rancho Santa Fe more than Bing Crosby. For Bing, Rancho Santa Fe was more than a retreat from the rest of the world; it was a place of warmth and sharing with friends and family.

Like all who experience this place, Bing was inspired by the history of Rancho Santa Fe and the vision of architect Lillian Rice, who, in the 1920s, created the look and feel of the Village. He even purchased one of the original Village adobe homes – The Osuna House – and commissioned Rice to design a complementary residence. In so doing, Bing joined the legacy of these gentle hills between mountains and sea. The shape of the terrain dictated the layout, and the course itself respects the rugged beauty of the land.

The Crosby Club draws inspiration from these historic structures and from the land itself. With each passing year the original idea is validated.



SOURCE

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: BING IN THE 1930S

Bing Crosby in the 1930s was like Lady Gaga of the present day. Bing was everywhere in the 1930s, and his rise to popularity has never been equaled. His radio work, his feature movie roles, and well as his marriage and four children - all happened in the decade of the 1930s. Here are some examples of Bing in the 1930s...

LITTLE BOY LOST: AN APPRECIATION

This excellent review is by Ginny B. She runs a movie appreciation blog. Details of here blog follow the review...



Bing Crosby is remembered best for light comedy and his crooning. However, there were a few roles that brought out the more dramatic side of this actor and singer.

In Little Boy Lost (1953), Crosby plays Bill Wainwright, an American journalist, who is in search of his lost son. Bill was a war correspondent during WWII, and had married a French woman. The two had a baby boy, but soon after the child was born, Bill had to go on assignment. He was wounded, and by the time he recovered and was ready to return to France and his family, the Nazis had already taken over and denied him re-entry. His wife, who he later finds out was working with the French underground, was killed by the Nazis, and his son was passed hand to hand among the underground members. Bill's post-war search for his now 8 year old son leads him to a French orphanage where he is presented with Jean, played by an adorable Christian Fourcade.

Unsure if this is really his son, Bill take little Jean to Paris where he hopes introducing him to familiar sights, sounds and smells will bring memories of his lost wife to the little boy, which would prove Jean is his son.

Because I want you to enjoy the suspense of the movie as much as I did, I will refrain from sharing the ending with you. You will have to see for yourself whether Jean really is Bill’s son, or will Bill have to decide whether to keep searching or settle for the fact that he will never find his son.

Christian Fourcade does a wonderful job portraying Jean, a young orphan who grows to love Bill and wants to belong to him. You will fall in love with this little character. Like me, you will probably feel as though you would adopt him whether or not he was really your son...

SOURCE

THE BING CROSBY INTERNET MUSEUM IS BACK

Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the internet, the greatest website dedicated to our crooner Bing Crosby is back. Steve Lewis has brought back the Bing Crosby Internet Museum, which he founded in 1996. The site was a successful resource for Bing Crosby fans, both new and old, for almost two decades until the site was sadly shut down in January of 2010.

I have kept in touch with Steve Lewis over the years, and although the bulletin board section of his museum has remained closed, the meat and potatoes of his site is intact. Welcome Steve and the board back, and maybe we can even talk him into recreating his bulletin board section in the future.

Welcome back Steve!

THE BING CROSBY INTERNET MUSEUM

BING AND ARMED FORCES RADIO

Armed Forces Radio Service entertained during World War II
by Associated Press

During World War II, the Armed Forces Radio Service kept the troops entertained with the "Command Performance" and "Mail Call" radio shows. These musical-variety broadcasts were produced for American men and women serving in the war and were only heard by the general public.

Years later thanks to tape, CDs, the Internet and even apps for phone and iPad. "Command Performance," which aired on Armed Forces Radio Network via a direct shortwave transmission, featured guests suggested by soldiers including Jack Benny, Judy Garland, Bob Hope, Ginger Rogers and Fred Allen. "Mail Call" boasted such stars as Groucho Marx, Garland, Dick Powell, Bing Crosby, Norma Shearer, Nelson Eddy and Betty Grable.

It might not seem a lot to listeners today, but those broadcasts meant an awful lot to the soldiers overseas during World War II and the Korean War...

SOURCE