Favorite Bing Movie: Holiday Inn (1942), Road To Morocco (1942) and The Country Girl (1954)
Favorite Bing Song: I'll Be Seeing You and Only Forever
I think popular music in this country is one of the few things in the 20th century that have made great strides in reverse.~Bing
Bing Crosby was born Harry Crosby on May 2nd 1903 in Tacoma, Washington. He got the name Bing from a comic strip called Bingville Bugle from a character named Bingo.
Bing's career lasted over 40 years. He inspired singers such as Frank Sinatra and was also an Oscar winning actor. Some of major accomplishments include:
-He was the first full-time vocalist ever signed to an orchestra.
-He made more studio recordings then any other singer in history (about 400 more then Sinatra).
-He made the most popular record ever, "White Christmas," the only single to make American pop culture charts twenty times, every year but one between 1942 and 1962. In 1998, after a long absence, his 1947 version hit the charts in Britain.
-He scored the most number one hits ever, thirty-eight, compared with twenty-four by The Beatles and eighteen by Elvis.
-Between 1927 and 1962 he scored 368 charted records under his own name, plus twenty-eight as a vocalist with various bandleaders, for a total of 396. No one else has come close, compare Paul Whiteman (220), Sinatra (209), Elvis (149), Glenn Miller (129), Nat "King" Cole (118), Louis Armstrong (85) and the Beatles (68).
-He was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor three times and won for Going My Way.
-He was a major radio star longer then any other performer, from 1931 until 1954 on network, 1954 until 1962 in syndication.
-He financed and popularized the development of tape, revolutionizing the recording industry.
And that's just the tip. The things he is probably more remembered for is his Christmas classic White Christmas from the film Holiday Inn and the seven 'Road To...' films he made with Bob Hope.
His legend, however, isn't as big as it should be. Negative publicity after his death in 1977 tarnished his image. The effect he had on other musicians and the admiration of his friends and colleagues shows the impact he made on the entertainment world as a whole. Frank Sinatra said that Bing, himself, was the best there was until he died. Artie Shaw said that Bing was the first hip white person born in the United States. And Louis Armstrong said that Bing's voice was like gold being poured from a cup.
His persona in Hollywood was of a guy who was just himself. He seemed like the guy next door on screen. His sharp wit, sarcasm and charm made him one of the best actors the screen ever saw, because he didn't ever seem like he was trying. Watch his films such as Holiday Inn, Going My Way and The Bells Of St. Mary's and others showed an easy going guy. He could steal a film just by being himself. Others around him seemed like they were trying too hard.
Bing passed away from a heart attack on October 14th 1977 on a golf course in Madrid, Spain. He just finished a round of golf and his last words were reported as That was a great game of golf, fellers. He was 74. Unfortunately his tombstone has his wrong birth year. It says 1904 instead of 1903.
1944 (17th) * ACTOR -- Going My Way {"Father O'Malley"}
1945 (18th) ACTOR -- The Bells of St. Mary's {"Father O'Malley"}
1954 (27th) ACTOR -- The Country Girl {"Frank Elgin"}
Most info from: Bing Crosby A Pocketful Of Dreams The Early Years 1903-1940 by Gary Giddins
