VIDEO: BING CROSBY - THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS episode 12

VIDEO: BING CROSBY - THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS episode 11

NEW CD: BING CROSBY - KRAFT MUSIC HALL TIME

New from Sepia! 68 tracks from the Kraft Music Hall broadcasts from 1936 to 1946 sung by host Bing Crosby, many appearing on CD for the first time. Most of these songs were never commercially recorded by him....

CD1

1. You're a Double Lovely
2. I've Been Floating down the Old Green River
3. Someone Else May Be There While I'm Gone
4. I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl That Married Dear Old Dad)
5. We've Come a Long Way Together
6. South of the Border
7. Just A Dream of You, Dear
8. After All
9. Silver Threads Among the Gold
10. Confucius Say
11. Say Si Si
12. Love Is All
13. I've Got My Eyes on You
14. The Woodpecker Song
15. Cecilia
16. Playmates
17. Make Believe Island
18. Ferry-Boat Serenade
19. The Moon Won't Talk
20. You Ain't Kiddin' - with Connee Boswell
21. My Mind's On You
22. Two Hearts That Pass in the Night
23. All Through the Night
24. The Band Played On 
25. Blues in the Night
26. Chattanooga Choo-Choo
27. Rose O'Day - with Mary Martin 
28. Home on the Range
29. Who Calls?
30. Darling Nellie Gray
31. Make Believe
32. Mary
33. People Like You and Me - with Mary Martin 
34. For Me and My Gal
35. Brazil
36. Nevada

CD2

1. I've Heard That Song Before
2. Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey
3. Cuddle Up a Little Closer
4. The Way You Look Tonight - with Trudy Erwin 
5. Wonderful One
6. Candlelight and Wine 
7. My Ideal
8. Old Folks at Home 
9. Louise 
10. Something to Remember You By - with Marilyn Maxwell 
11. So Do I - with Eugenie Baird 
12. Dance with a Dolly
13. Blue Hawaii
14. Sweet Leilani
15. Empty Saddles
16. Down by the River
17. We'll Make Hay While the Sun Shines
18. Here Lies Love 
19. Dinah
20. Please 
21. I Haven't Time to Be a Millionaire 
22. I Dream of You (More than You Dream I Do)
23. That Old Black Magic
24. A Little on the Lonely Side
25. After a While 
26. Like Someone in Love
27. Candy
28. May I? / Good Night Lovely Little Lady 
29. The Funny Old Hills 
30. I Have Eyes
31. There's a Small Hotel
32. Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb / That Sly Old Gentleman 

See more: SEPIA RECORDS

VIDEO: BING CROSBY - THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS episode 10

STORIES ABOUT BING: MEL TORME

 

Mel Torme was definitely an admirer of Bing. He got to record with Bing early on in Mel's career in the 1940s, and he continued to have great stories about Der Bingle:

"In 1945, my Mel-Tomes and I walked into Decca recording studios in Hollywood to cut our very first record with Bing. We didn't know what to expect. Bing Crosby. A terror? Haughty? Difficult? When he walked in, grinning, relaxed, and friendly, we relaxed as well and proceeded to make what I feel was a very good record. Bing treated us as though we were old friends, making, not forcing, suggestions. There were a few solo spots for me, and I sang them hesitantly. Bing encouraged me to 'sing out' and egged me on during the actual making of the record .... If there is anyone I have modeled myself after over the years, I would have to say it is Bing Crosby.

In 1975 he invited me and my family to lunch at his home just outside of San Francisco. Mary Frances and Harry, Bing's kids, were on hand as well as Kathryn, and it was a funny, jolly, loving luncheon, full of stories and remembrances. After lunch, Bing, sans hairpiece, asked Harry to go get his guitar. We adjourned to the music room, and, just like that, Bing sat down and began to sing. He did about eight tunes, invited me to join him, which I did, and that's the way the afternoon went .... That night he brought the whole family to the Fairmont, sat at a front table (still sans toupee), and stayed through my whole performance. I never quite got over that."

VIDEO: BING CROSBY - THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS episode 9

VIDEO: BING CROSBY - THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS episode 8

BING 'S DISCOGRAPHY: May 27, 1942

I can not believe it has been 80 years ago, but on this date in 1942 Bing recorded some great Decca sides with his brother Bob's orchestra...

Date: 5/27/42

Location: Hollywood, Calif

Label: DECCA (US)

a.	DLA2996-A	I'll Capture Your Heart(Irving Berlin) - 2:23 Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Margaret Lenhart (voc), Bob Crosby and his Orchestra (orc) ASV - LIVING ERA (UK) (ASV) CDCD AJA 5147 — BING CROSBY & FRIENDS   (1994) CONIFER-HAPPY DAYS (UK) CDCDHD232 — BING CROSBY SINGS IRVING BERLIN and RODGERS & HART    (1993) EPM MUSIQUE CD983002 — BING CROSBY GREATEST HITS 1934 - 1943 (disc 2)   (1994) MCA (US) CDMCAD-25205 — BING CROSBY - HOLIDAY INN   (1988) RETROSPECTIVE (UK) CDRTS 4184 — BING CROSBY & BUDDIES - Gone Fishin' - His 53 Finest - CD1   (2011) UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP CD1130992 — SONGS FROM IRVING BERLIN'S HOLIDAY INN & WHITE CHRISTMAS   (2002)
b.	DLA2998-A	When My Dreamboat Comes Home(Cliff Friend, Dave Franklin) - 2:24 Bing Crosby (voc), Bob Crosby and his Bobcats (orc) CASTLE PULSE CDPBXCD 471/2 — BING CROSBY - THE CENTENARY COLLECTION (disc 2)   (2003) EMI -AXIS (Australia) CDCDAX 701594 — BING SWINGS IT   (1990) EPM MUSIQUE CD983002 — BING CROSBY GREATEST HITS 1934 - 1943 (disc 1)   (1994) MCA (US) CDMCAD4 10887 — BING - HIS LEGENDARY YEARS 1931 - 1957 Disc 2   (1993) MCA/DECCA/GRP (US) CDGRP 16032 / also GRD 603 — BING CROSBY AND SOME JAZZ FRIENDS   (1991) PAST (Pavilion Records Ltd) (UK) CDCD 7065 — BING CROSBY - SWINGING ON A STAR   (1995)
c.	DLA2999-A	Walking The Floor Over You(Ernest Tubb) - 3:08 Bing Crosby (voc), Bob Crosby and his Bobcats (orc) AVID (UK) CDAMBX 147 (AMSC 826) — BING CROSBY A MUSICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY Disc 2   (2005) EMI -AXIS (Australia) CDCDAX 701594 — BING SWINGS IT   (1990) FLAPPER (UK) CDPASTCD 7027 — BING CROSBY - THE GREAT YEARS   (1993) JASMINE (UK) CDJASMCD 3558 — BING CROSBY - ANOTHER RIDE IN COWBOY COUNTRY   (2003) MCA (Japan) CDMVCM24004 — BING CROSBY - A MUSICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY Disc 2 (1925-1942)   (1993)

All titles on:

JASMINE (UK) CDJASCD 651 (CD1) — THE CROSBY BROTHERS - BING & BOB    (2006) JONZO (UK) CDJZCD-33 — THE CHRONOLOGICAL BING CROSBY VOLUME 33   (2003)

BLUE SKIES ON BLU-RAY

 

I almost missed this one, but Bing's 1946 gem Blue Skies has been released on Blu-Ray...

Here is the Blu-Ray review:

Though it's not as sunny as its title might suggest, Blue Skies reunites Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire in a meandering musical that features more than a dozen Irving Berlin tunes. The story of a hoofer and nightclub owner who vie for the same girl (Joan Caulfield) entertains in fits and starts, but can't come close to recapturing the magic of Crosby and Astaire's previous outing, Holiday Inn.

A brand new 2K master yields a glorious 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer that maximizes the impact of the lush Technicolor cinematography of Charles Lang and William Snyder. Superior clarity and contrast combine with beautifully resolved grain to create a vibrant, well-balanced, very film-like picture. The deep blacks of Astaire's trademark top hat and tails and bright, wispy whites of Caulfield's fur outfit grab attention, but it's those sumptuous Technicolor hues that make the visuals of this musical sing. The bold reds of lipstick, a blazing neon sign, and huge bouquet of roses; the subtle variations of green, from the pale tone of Olga San Juan's gown and matching boa to Billy De Wolfe's Irish-green hat; and an array of pastels, from Crosby's powder blue suit to various pinks and lavenders...all of them are perfectly timed so they never look garish or artificial. Several scenes are intentionally dark and even a tad murky, but excellent shadow delineation keeps the picture well defined. Flesh tones remain natural and stable throughout, sharp close-ups flatter all the players, and only a few errant nicks and marks dot the pristine source material. Kino has done a wonderful job revitalizing this 75-year-old classic, and fans of the film will be delighted by this top-notch presentation...

You can find a copy on Amazon - I ordered mine!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BING!

Today marks what would have been the 119th birthday of the great Bing Crosby!

Crosby was born on May 3, 1903 in Tacoma, Washington, in a house his father built at 1112 North J Street. In 1906, his family moved to Spokane in Eastern Washington state, where he was raised. In 1913, his father built a house at 508 E. Sharp Avenue.The house sits on the campus of his alma mater, Gonzaga University. It functions today as a museum housing over 200 artifacts from his life and career, including his Oscar.

He was the fourth of seven children: brothers Laurence Earl "Larry" (1895–1975), Everett Nathaniel (1896–1966), Edward John "Ted" (1900–1973), and George Robert "Bob" (1913–1993); and two sisters, Catherine Cordelia (1904–1974) and Mary Rose (1906–1990). His parents were Harry Lowe Crosby (1870–1950), a bookkeeper, and Catherine Helen "Kate" (née Harrigan; 1873–1964). His mother was a second generation Irish-American. His father was of Scottish and English descent; an ancestor, Simon Crosby, emigrated from England to New England in the 1630s during the Puritan migration to New England. Through another line, also on his father's side, Crosby is descended from Mayflower passenger William Brewster (c. 1567 – April 10, 1644).

Wherever Bing came from, he certainly became a legend! Happy birthday Bing!