[Dixielandjazz] Bing Crosby Show 1954

[Robert Ringwald]

Slightly off topic.  However, I'm sure that some listmates will enjoy.  


"The Bing Crosby Show" (1954)
The Bing Crosby Show
by Mike Hale
New York Times blog, January 14, 2011
If you received one of Universal's new Bing Crosby DVD collections over the holidays
and have immersed yourself in his films, you can sample another aspect of his career
at the Internet Archive (archive.org), where you can find a scratchy, slightly blurry
copy of "The Bing Crosby Show" from 1954:
http://www.archive.org/details/GE_Presents_The_Bing_Crosby_Show_-_Debut
The show, actually a half-hour variety special that was essentially Crosby's introduction
to television, is an entertaining and enlightening time capsule, from the opening
promo for General Electric with its blazing arc of current to the host's caustic
remarks about his "Road" movie partner, Bob Hope.
Ever noticed Hope's facial expression on TV, Crosby asks -- "like a stricken steer?"
Later, when Jack Benny jumps on Crosby's back as part of a routine, Crosby deadpans,
"First comic I've carried since Hope."
The show has sly moments: When Crosby tells a story about Benny's being thrown out
of the nightclub the Cocoanut Grove for bringing in his own food, Benny replies,
"I remember when you were thrown out of the Grove, and it was a different kind of
picnic." After the well-toned Sheree North, posing as Benny's date, whips off her
long skirt and performs a calisthenic dance routine, Crosby tells Benny, "Say, pick
up Sheree's skirt and muff before you leave." Benny: "I'll pick up her check too."
In addition to the banter and jokes -- mostly delivered while standing in front of
a fake stage curtain covered with huge CBS eyes -- you'll be treated to Crosby's
renditions of "It Had to Be You," "Changing Partners" and "I Love Paris."