SPOTLIGHT ON CAROL RICHARDS

For every Dinah Shore or Jo Stafford in Hollywood, there is a Carol Richards. You might not know the name Carol Richards, but I bet at one point or another you heard her voice. Carol was born on June 6, 1922 and her real name was Carol Swiedler. She was an American singer, radio and television performer, remembered for her duets with Bing Crosby on the hit single "Silver Bells" and on the song "Sunshine Cake".

She began performing at age 4, but within a couple of years her mother thought she was acting "like a diva", and wouldn't let her take the stage again until she was 11. Her first marriage occurred at age 16, and for a time she was known as Carol Lutzhoff. She changed her last name to Richards in honor of a favorite nephew. She was married five times, marrying fifth husband Edward Sweidler in 1966 after moving to the Chicago area in the 1960s. Her third husband died and her other marriages ended in divorce.

At the start of her career in her early 20s, Carol Richards won a Bob Hope talent contest, moved to Hollywood and appeared on numerous TV shows including I Love Lucy, Name That Tune, The Saturday Night Review, and variety shows hosted by Ralph Edwards, Dennis Day, Pinky Lee, Edgar Bergen, and Ezio Pinza. For four years (1953–1957), she was a regular cast member on the Bob Crosby Show. She was the movie singing voice for Joan Caulfield in the film The Petty Girl, Vera Ellen in Call Me Madam, for Cyd Charisse in Silk Stockings, Brigadoon, Deep in My Heart, and It's Always Fair Weather, and for Betta St. John in The Robe. She worked frequently with Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis, and Bob Hope, and sang with the Russ Morgan and Desi Arnaz Bands.

In the 1960s after moving to Chicago, Richards performed at numerous club dates, and appeared frequently on Don McNeill's famous radio show, The Breakfast Club. She gave up her career after marrying Edward Sweidler.

Following her performing career, Richards continued her work as an artist, completing numerous sculptures, pastels, and oil paintings as well as publishing a book Letters from the Cosmos with her husband.

Richards had 15 children, 19 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. She died largely forgotten in Vero Beach, Florida, on March 16, 2007 of heart disease and kidney failure. She was survived by her husband of 40 years, Edward Swiedler...

GUEST REVIEWER: THE ROAD TO HONG KONG

Bing Crosby guru is back with another one of his fine reviews. This time up he reviews the last "Road" movie that Bing and Bob Hope made - The Road To Hong Kong (1961). The Road was getting a little beat up by the time that this movie was made...

This turned out to be the end of a great cycle of comedy films. Two mega-individual stars, pooling their talents to come up with comedy classics.

Since this was the only Road picture not done on the Paramount lot it has a whole different feel to it and not for the better. Unfortunately the decision was made to dump Dorothy Lamour from her traditional role as sex object for Crosby and Hope to pant over. Joan Collins was years away from her career role as Alexis Carrington. Here she's just not into the same spirit of things that Dotty was. Dotty was brought in and did one of her numbers Warmer Than A Whisper towards the end of the film.

It's been pointed out that 29 year old Collins looked ridiculous falling for 58 year old Crosby. I can see the case for it, but I would remind everyone that four years earlier, Bing in fact took as his second wife, a woman with just such an age difference.

One of the inside jokes of the film was that Hope's name in the film was Chester Babcock which is the birth name of Jimmy Van Heusen who wrote so many film scores for Crosby. Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn contributed a ballad for Bing dueted with Collins called Let's Not Be Sensible. And Bob and Bing get two patter numbers, Teamwork and the title tune. There's a lot less music in this outing and that's not for the better of the film.

Still the film has some good comedic moments the best of which involve a hilarious scene in a Hindu doctor's office with an unbilled Peter Sellers as the doctor. The doctor advises Hope to take a cure for amnesia at a hidden lamasery, a la Shangri La, where they find David Niven committing Lady Chatterley's Lover to memory. And at the end when the boys and Collins arrive on another planet in a surreal ending they find Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin waiting for them.

Among the rest of the supporting cast Robert Morley as a mad scientist and chief villain and Felix Aylmer as the Grand Lama stand out.

Before Crosby died in 1977, he Hope and Lamour and signed to do still another film entitled Road to the Fountain of Youth. I wish it had been done. Road to Hong Kong is all right, but not up to the standards of those wacky days at Paramount...

BRUCE'S RATING:6 OUT OF 10 STARS

MY RATING: 5 OUT OF 10 STARS

BING AND MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

This interesting article was originally published in the Daily News on Feb. 12, 1968. This story was written by Nathan Kanter and Arthur Mulligan...

The new Madison Square Garden had a historic and glittering premiere last night as 19,832 persons paid $10 to $250 a seat to attend a “Salute to the USO” and be entertained by the antics of such performers as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

It was a gay and responsive crowd, liberally sprinkled with men in military uniforms, which turned out for a fun night in Fun City but with a noble underlying motive. The proceeds are scheduled for the benefit of the United Service Organizations.

Eight searchlight trucks were stationed strategically to light up scene around the Seventh Ave. entrance to the circular Ave. entrance to the circular Garden arena. The arena is part of an 8.5-acre complex stretching from 31st to 33d Sts. and Seventh to Eighth Aves., stop Pennsylvania station.

Scores of celebrities were on hand, including Mayor Lindsay, who showed up in a tuxedo after tapping this weekly TV show. The Hollywood premiere flavor was somewhat marred by a group of 25 peaceniks who handed out pamphlets and shouted catcalls at servicemen at the Seventh Ave. entrance.

None of the military men paid them so much as a glance but witnesses reported that one irate middle-aged male civilian landed a good right hook on the chin of one of the demonstrators, then continued on into the Garden.

The show was supposed to get under way at 8:30 p.m., but it was 8:50 before the mayor showed up. It was 9 p.m. when Les Brown and his orchestra struck up the National Anthem, accompanied by the cadet glee club of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

John (Bud) Palmer, the city’s official greeter, then introduced Sen. Jacob Javits, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, and George Champion. Champion, general manager of the “Salute to the USO,” and board chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank, showed that Lindsay had a friend at that bank.

Champion introduced Lindsay as a “courageous mayor.” Half of the assemblage gave Lindsay a standing ovation and the other half applauded politely, if not resoundingly.

Lindsay, in introducing Hope, remarked that the comedian had been in many zones of combat, then quipped: “Welcome to New York,” an obvious reference to the bitterness engendered by the recent sanitationmen’s strike.

“I’ve salvaged at least one thing out of these last few days,” Lindsay added. “At least they’ve, stopped calling me Mr. Clean.”

In his turn, Hope cracked: “I’m happy that he (Lindsay) came here from his busy schedule. It just proves what one actor will do for another.”

At another point, Hope remarked of Lindsay: “Isn’t it wonderful how he walks all over the city. I guess he can’t get a cab either.”

Gov. Rockefeller was supposed to show up but if he did nobody saw him.

Hope and his guests, many of them ad-libbing with the help of “idiot cards” -- much of the big show being taped for a telecast tonight -- were light of heart. Pearl Bailey started her songs with “Poor Butterfly” and end with “Mame.” Bing Cosby, Hope’s co-star of the evening, began with “Cockeyed Optimist” and later joined his partner in a medley of songs...

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BING & SATCHMO

Bing & Satchmo is a 1960 studio album by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong, arranged and conducted by Billy May. It was recorded for Crosby's own company, Project Records, and released through MGM. Crosby and Satchmo had worked together many times before they recorded this album, appearing in films such as Pennies from Heaven (1936), Here Comes the Groom (1951) and High Society (1956) together, and making several radio broadcasts between 1949 and 1951. The lyrics of the tunes on Bing & Satchmo were specially adapted for them by a number of notable songwriters.

Only eleven tracks were issued on the original vinyl LP with "(Up A) Lazy River" being held back as it had been previously recorded by Louis Armstrong for another company. Special permission was, however, granted for it to be included in the "All Star Festival" LP issued in 1963 on behalf of the United Nations in aid of the world's refugees. Johnny Mercer sings a few lines with the chorus on this track.

The tracks "Dardanella" and "Muskrat Ramble" from Bing & Satchmo were both released as singles in October 1960. Billboard magazine commented that the tracks would be popular with "jocks".

The entire album, including "(Up A) Lazy River", was issued on CD in 2009 by DRG Records

The initial Billboard review from 31 October 1960 selected the album for its pop spotlight, and described the album as a "group of nostalgic tunes that provide excellent easy listening programming".

Variety said: “Teamup of Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong provides a lot of listening pleasure. Both are masters of their craft and know how to pack a vocal punch with seemingly little effort.

SIDE ONE
"Muskrat Ramble" (Kid Ory, Ray Gilbert) - 3:03
"Sugar (That Sugar Baby O' Mine)" (Maceo Pinkard, Edna Alexander, Sidney D. Mitchell) - 5:13
"The Preacher" (Horace Silver) - 2:21
"Dardanella" (Fred Fisher, Felix Bernard, Johnny S. Black) - 2:50
"Let's Sing Like a Dixieland Band" (Alan Bergman) - 2:21

SIDE TWO
"Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" (Joe Turner Layton, Henry Creamer) - 3:09
"Brother Bill" (Silver) - 3:01
"Little Ol' Tune" (Johnny Mercer) - 3:07
"At the Jazz Band Ball" (Nick LaRocca, Larry Shields, Johnny Mercer) - 3:02
"Rocky Mountain Moon" (Mercer) - 3:42
"Bye Bye Blues" (Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown, and Chauncey Gray) - 3:48

BONUS TRACK
"(Up A) Lazy River" (Hoagy Carmichael, Sidney Arodin) - 3:14

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REMEMBERING: NELKANE BENTON (1934-2016)

Last week I lost a good friend that I met through the Bing Crosby community. I met Nelkane Benton through internet Bing Crosby message boards. When I befriended her on Facebook, she constantly had a kind word to say about anything I posted from Bing Crosby to pictures of my kids. I will miss her friendship. I truly will.

Nelkane always said "Walk in another's shoes, and you will care." Born on June 15, 1934 in Kansas City, Missouri, Nelkane Benton was a woman who left an impression. For nearly six decades and spanning two centuries (from 1953 to 2011) she was a key figure, and one of the few African-Americans of stature, in the Southern California entertainment industry.

Raised in New York City, she started as a 19 year-old publicist for legendary singer Bing Crosby, and went on to run KABC-AM's Ombudsman Service, rising to become Community Relations Director for KABC-AM, and its sister stations KLOS-FM and Radio Disney. She was well known for her Spotlight on the Community broadcasts, and organized numerous pet adoption parties, Red Cross blood drives, gift-giving drives for service members, food banks for veterans, and scholarships for youth in foster care--to name only a few.

Her work won several National Association of Broadcasters Crystal awards for Community Service, and the Service to America Radio Partnership Award. In death, she joins her parents Olga Catchings of Greenville, TX and Ruben Benton of Kansas City, MO, and her husband Thomas Hill of Cincinnati, OH.

She leaves behind her daughter Donna Benton, son-in-law Bapa Rao Kotcherlakota, and granddaughter Dana Kotcherlakota Benton. Services will be held at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Chapel in Hollywood, on February 2, 2016, 6-7 p.m.

Rest in peace dear friend...

PAST OBITS: MARJORIE REYNOLDS

One of the most beautiful leading ladies that appeared with Bing Crosby was Marjorie Reynolds. Reynolds was by his side when he introduced "White Christmas" in Holiday Inn (1942) and also appeared with Bing in the now forgotten blackface film Dixie in 1943. Here is her obituary that appeared in the New York Times of February 16, 1997. She died on February 1st...

Marjorie Reynolds, 79, Actress, In Classic Films and on Television
Published: February 16, 1997

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., Feb. 15— Marjorie Reynolds, an actress who began her career as a child in silent films and went on to star in a number of Hollywood classics and on television, died on Feb. 1 at her home here, her family said on Wednesday. She was 79.

The film that crowned Ms. Reynolds's career in Hollywood was ''Holiday Inn'' (1942), in which she was the love interest in a rivalry between Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire and got to dance a minuet with Astaire.

She also appeared opposite Ray Milland in the 1944 screen adaptation of Graham Greene's ''Ministry of Fear,'' directed by Fritz Lang, and showed her comedic gifts in ''Up in Mabel's Room'' (1944), opposite Dennis O'Keefe.

Her film credits also include ''Duffy's Tavern'' (1945), ''Monsieur Beaucaire'' (1946), with Bob Hope, and ''That Midnight Kiss'' (1949), with Mario Lanza.

On television, as Peg Riley in ''The Life of Riley,'' Ms. Reynolds became a familiar face to American audiences. She played the wife of Chester A. Riley (William Bendix), an aircraft plant worker and lovable bumbler, from 1953 to 1958.

After the series went off the air, Ms. Reynolds appeared in such television shows as ''The Millionaire'' and ''Leave It to Beaver.'' Her last film appearances included ''Juke Box Rhythm'' (1959) and ''The Silent Witness'' (1962).

Ms. Reynolds was born Marjorie Goodspeed in Buhl, Idaho, and moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was a child.

Ms. Reynolds began acting in her childhood under the stage name Marjorie Moore. She changed her screen name after marrying Jack Reynolds, a production manager and screenwriter. After they divorced, she married Jon M. Haffen, a film editor.

She is survived by a daughter, Linda Hinshaw of Playa del Rey, Calif...

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