Bing Crosby | Gentle Bedtime Reading

Drift off with this calm bedtime reading designed to support sleep and ease the weight of insomnia. These gentle moments help you unwind as you learn something new in a peaceful, comforting way. In this episode, you’ll explore the remarkable life and influence of Bing Crosby, discovering his music, films, and cultural impact at a soft, relaxing pace. Benjamin’s warm, steady narration offers a soothing rhythm without whispers or hypnosis—just simple, fact-filled storytelling to help quiet anxious thoughts and settle restless nights. As you listen, you can relax knowing the focus is on calm education meant to ease stress, support better sleep, and create a restful space just for you. Settle in, press play, and drift into a serene night.

Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I help you drift off one fact at a time.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster,

And today's episode is about Bing Crosby.

Harry Lillis Bing Crosby Jr.

,

May 3,

1903 to October 14,

1977,

Was an American singer and actor.

The first multimedia star,

He was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide.

Crosby was a leader in record sales,

Network radio ratings,

And motion picture grosses from 1926 to 1977.

He was one of the first global cultural icons.

Crosby made over 70 feature films and recorded more than 1,

600 songs.

Crosby's early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed,

Such as Frank Sinatra,

Perry Como,

Dean Martin,

Dick Hames,

Elvis Presley,

And John Lennon.

Yank Magazine said that Crosby was the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen during World War II.

In 1948,

American polls declared him the most admired man alive,

Ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII.

In 1948,

Music Digest estimated that Crosby's recordings filled more than half of the 80,

000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music in America.

Crosby won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Going My Way,

1944,

And was nominated for its sequel,

The Bells of St.

Mary's,

1945,

Opposite Ingrid Bergman,

Becoming the first of six actors to be nominated twice for playing the same character.

Crosby was the number one box office attraction for five consecutive years,

From 1944 to 1948.

At his screen apex in 1946,

Crosby starred in three of the year's five highest-grossing films,

The Bells of St.

Mary's,

Blue Skies,

And Road to Utopia.

In 1963,

He received the first Grammy Global Achievement Award.

Crosby is one of 33 people to have three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,

In the categories of motion pictures,

Radio,

And audio recording.

He was also known for his collaborations with his friend Bob Hope,

Starring in the Road to films from 1940 to 1962.

Crosby influenced the development of the post-World War II recording industry.

After seeing a demonstration of a German broadcast quality reel-to-reel tape recorder brought to the United States by John T.

Mullen,

Crosby invested $50,

000 in the California electronics company Ampex to build copies.

He then persuaded ABC to allow him to tape his shows,

And became the first performer to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape.

Crosby has been associated with the Christmas season since he starred in Irving Berlin's musical film Holiday Inn,

And also sang White Christmas in the film of the same name.

Through audio recordings,

Crosby produced his radio programs with the same directional tools and craftsmanship,

Editing,

Retaking,

Rehearsal,

Time-shifting,

Used in motion picture production,

A practice that became the industry standard.

In addition to his work with early audio tape recording,

Crosby helped finance the development of videotape,

Bought television stations,

Bred racehorses,

And co-owned the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team,

During which time the team won two World Series,

1960 and 1971.

Crosby was born on May 3,

1903,

In Tacoma,

Washington,

In a house his father built at 1112 North J Street.

Three years later,

His family moved to Spokane,

An eastern Washington state,

Where Crosby was raised.

In 1913,

His father built a house at 508 East Sharp Avenue.

The house stands on the campus of Crosby's alma mater,

Gonzaga University,

As a museum housing over 200 artifacts from his life and career,

Including his Oscar.

Crosby was the force of seven children,

Brothers Lawrence 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 Lillis Crosby,

1870-1950,

A bookkeeper,

And Catherine Helen Cade,

1873-1964.

His mother was a second-generation Irish-American.

His father was of Scottish and English descent.

An ancestor,

Simon Crosby,

Emigrated from the Kingdom of 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.

In 1917,

Crosby took a summer job as property boy at Spokane's Auditorium,

Where he witnessed some of the acts of the day,

Including Al Jolson,

Who held Crosby spellbound with ad-libbing and parodies of Hawaiian songs.

Crosby later described Jolson's delivery as electric.

Crosby graduated from Gonzaga High School in 1920 and enrolled at Gonzaga University.

He attended Gonzaga for three years,

But did not earn a degree.

As a freshman,

Crosby played on the university's baseball team.

According to the son of his coach,

Gus DeRay,

Crosby played home games,

But did not qualify for the smaller squad that won on the road.

He was so popular with his teammates,

However,

That they would sneak him on the train and hide him.

He brought his guitar along and entertained them in return.

The university granted him an honorary doctorate in 1937.

Gonzaga University houses a large collection of photographs,

Correspondence,

And other material related to Crosby.

On November 8,

1937,

After Lux Radio Theater's adaptation of She Loves Me Not,

Joan Blondell asked Crosby how he got his nickname.

Crosby Well,

I'll tell you,

Back in the knee-bridges day when I was a wee little tyke,

A mere bross of a lad,

As we say in Spokane,

I used to totter around the streets with a gun on each hib.

My favorite after-school pastime was a game known as Cops and Robbers.

I didn't care which side I was on.

When a cop or robber came into view,

I would haul out my trusty six-shooters,

Made of wood,

And loudly exclaim,

Bing!

Bing!

As my luckless victim fell clutching his side,

I would shout,

Bing!

Bing!

And I would let them have it again.

And then as his friends came to his rescue,

Shooting as they came,

I would shout,

Bing!

Bing!

Bing!

Bing!

Bing!

Bing!

Bing!

Blondell I'm surprised they didn't call you Killer Crosby.

Now tell me another story,

Grandpa.

Crosby No,

So help me,

It's the truth.

Ask Mr.

DeMille.

DeMille I'll vouch for it,

Bing.

As it happens,

That story was pure whimsy for dramatic effect.

The Associated Press had reported as early as February 1932,

As would later be confirmed by both Bing himself and his biographer,

Charles Thompson.

That it was in fact a neighbor,

Valentin Hobart,

Circa 1910,

Who had named him Bingo from Bingville,

After a comic feature in the local paper called The Bingville Bugle,

Which the young Harry liked.

In time,

Bingo got shortened to Bing.

In 1923,

Crosby was invited to join a new band composed of high school students a few years younger than himself.

Al and Miles Rinker,

Brothers of singer Mildred Bailey,

James Heaton,

Claire Pritchard,

And Robert Pritchard,

Along with drummer Crosby,

Formed the Musicalators,

Who performed at dances both for high school students and club goers.

The group performed on Spokane radio station KHQ,

But disbanded after two years.

Crosby and Al Rinker obtained work at the Clemmer Theatre in Spokane,

Now known as the Bing Crosby Theatre.

On August 14,

1925,

Bing appeared at the Clemmer Theatre as part of the Clemmer Trio,

Frank McBride,

Lloyd Grinnell,

And Harry Crosby,

And they were shown as being presented with special stage effects.

Rinker played piano in the pit.

They continued at the theatre alongside the film of the week for a very successful 12 weeks.

They were initially billed as the Clemmer Trio,

And later as the Clemmer Entertainers,

Depending on who performed.

In October 1925,

Crosby and Rinker decided to seek fame in California.

They traveled to Los Angeles,

Where Bailey introduced them to her show business contacts.

The Fanchon and Marco Time Agency hired them for 13 weeks for the review,

The Syncopation Idea,

Starting at the Boulevard Theatre in Los Angeles,

And then on the Lowe's Circuit.

They each earned $75 a week.

As minor parts of the Syncopation Idea,

Crosby and Rinker started to develop as entertainers.

They had a lively style that was popular with college students.

After the Syncopation Idea closed,

They worked in the Will Morrissey Music Hall Review.

They honed their skills with Morrissey,

And when they got a chance to present an independent act,

They were spotted by a member of the Paul Whiteman Organization.

Whiteman needed something different to break up his musical selections,

And Crosby and Rinker filled this requirement.

After less than a year in show business,

They were attached to one of the biggest names,

Hired for $150 a week in 1926.

They debuted with Whiteman on December 6 at the Tivoli Theatre in Chicago.

Their first recording in October 1926 was I've Got the Girl,

With Don Clark's orchestra,

But the Columbia-issued record was inadvertently recorded at a low speed,

Which increased the singer's pitch when played at 78 rpm.

Throughout his career,

Crosby often credited Bailey for getting him his first important job in the entertainment business.

Success with Whiteman was followed by disaster when they reached New York.

Whiteman considered letting them go.

However,

The addition of pianist and aspiring songwriter Harry Barris made the difference,

And the Rhythm Boys were born.

The additional voice meant they could be heard more easily in large New York theaters.

Crosby gained valuable experience on tour for a year with Whiteman,

And performing and recording with Bix Biederbeck,

Jack Tegerton,

Tommy Dorsey,

Jimmy Dorsey,

Eddie Lang,

And Hoagie Carmichael.

Crosby matured as a performer,

And was in demand as a solo singer.

Crosby became the star attraction of the Rhythm Boys.

In 1928,

He had his first number one hit,

A jazz-influenced rendition of Old Man River.

In 1929,

The Rhythm Boys appeared in the film King of Jazz,

With Whiteman.

But Crosby's growing dissatisfaction with Whiteman led to the Rhythm Boys leaving his organization.

They joined the Gus Arnheim Orchestra,

Performing nightly in the coconut grove of the Ambassador Hotel.

Singing with the Arnheim Orchestra,

Crosby's solos began to steal the show,

While the Rhythm Boys' act gradually became redundant.

Harry Barris wrote several of Crosby's hits,

Including At Your Command,

I Surrender Dear,

And Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams.

When Mack Sennett signed Crosby to a solo film contract in 1931,

A break with the Rhythm Boys became almost inevitable.

Crosby married Dixie Lee in September 1930.

After a threat of divorce in March 1931,

He applied himself to his career.

On September 2,

1931,

15 Minutes with Bing Crosby,

His nationwide solo radio debut,

Began broadcasting.

The weekly broadcast made Crosby a hit.

Before the end of the year,

He signed with both Brunswick Records and CBS Radio.

Out of nowhere,

Just One More Chance,

At Your Command,

And I Found a Million-Dollar Baby in a Five-and-Ten-Cent Store,

Were among the best-selling songs of 1931.

Ten of the top 50 songs of 1931 included Crosby with others,

Or as a solo act.

A battle of the baritones with singer Russ Columbo proved short-lived.

He replaced with the slogan,

Bing was King.

Crosby played the lead in a series of musical comedy short films for Mack Sennett,

Signed with Paramount,

And starred in his first full-length film,

1932's The Big Broadcast,

The first of 55 films in which he received top billing.

Crosby would appear in almost 80 pictures.

He signed a contract with Jack Capp's new record company,

Decca,

In late 1934.

Crosby's first commercial sponsor on radio was Cream of Cigars,

And his fame spread nationwide.

After a long run in New York,

Crosby went back to Hollywood to film The Big Broadcast.

His appearances,

Records,

And radio work substantially increased his impact.

The success of his first film brought Crosby a contract with Paramount,

And he began a pattern of making three films a year.

Crosby led his radio show for Woodbury Soap for two seasons,

While his live appearances dwindled.

Crosby's records produced hits during the Depression when sales were down.

Audio engineer Steve Hoffman stated that Crosby played a crucial role in revitalizing the record industry by supporting Decca founder Jack Capp's plan to lower the price of singles from $1 to $0.

35,

And to receive royalties based on sales rather than a flat fee.

Crosby's reputation and musical influence attracted other artists to Decca and helped ensure the company's success,

Which in turn prevented the phonograph record business from collapsing during the Great Depression.

His first son,

Gary,

Was born in 1933,

With twin boys following in 1934.

By 1936,

Crosby replaced his former boss,

Paul Whiteman,

As host of the weekly NBC radio program Craft Music Hall,

Where he remained for the next decade.

Where the blue of the night meets the gold of the day,

With his trademark whistling,

Became his theme song and signature tune.

Crosby's vocal style helped take popular singing beyond the belting associated with Al Jolson and Billy Murray,

Who had been obligated to reach the back seats in New York theaters without the aid of a microphone.

As music critic Henry Pleasance noted in The Great American Popular Singers,

Something new had entered American music,

A style that might be called singing in American,

With conversational ease.

This new sound led to the popular epithet,

Crooner.

Crosby admired Louis Armstrong for his musical ability,

And the trumpet maestro was a formative influence on Crosby's singing style.

When the two met,

They became friends.

In 1936,

Crosby exercised an option in his Paramount contract to regularly star in an out-of-house film.

Signing an agreement with Columbia for a single motion picture,

Crosby wanted Armstrong to appear in a screen adaptation of The Peacock Feather that eventually became Pennies from Heaven.

Crosby asked Harry Cohn,

But Cohn had no desire to pay for the flight or to meet Armstrong's crude,

Mob-linked but devoted manager,

Joe Glaser.

Crosby threatened to leave the film and refused to discuss the matter.

Cohn gave in.

Armstrong's musical scenes and comic dialogue extended his influence to the silver screen,

Creating more opportunities for him and other African Americans to appear in future films.

Crosby also ensured behind the scenes that Armstrong received equal billing with his white co-stars.

Armstrong appreciated Crosby's progressive attitudes on race,

And often expressed gratitude for the role in later years.

During World War II,

Crosby made live appearances before American troops who had been fighting in the European theater.

He learned how to pronounce German from written scripts and read propaganda broadcasts intended for German forces.

The nickname Debingel was common among Crosby's German listeners and came to be used by his English-speaking fans.

In a poll of U.

S.

Troops at the close of World War II,

Crosby topped the list as the person who had done the most for G.

I.

Morale,

Ahead of President Franklin D.

Roosevelt,

General Dwight Eisenhower,

And Bob Hope.

The June 18,

1945 issue of Life magazine credited Crosby as one of America's most influential and successful entertainers.

Estimating since his first recording in 1931,

Roughly 60 million of his records have been sold,

With White Christmas alone selling 2 million copies in the United States and 250,

000 in Great Britain.

Crosby's weekly broadcasts were closely followed by singers and bandleaders,

And the day after he introduced a song in the air,

About 50,

000 copies would typically be sold across the country.

He had a notable ability to turn new or relatively unknown ballads into instant hits,

A phenomenon often referred to in the music industry as the Big Goose.

At the time,

Crosby's popularity,

Earnings,

And audience reach were unparalleled,

And his contracts with Decca and Paramount extended into the mid-1950s.

Even recordings made a decade earlier continue to sell strongly,

Reflecting the enduring public appetite for his voice and personality.

For audiences both in the U.

S.

And abroad,

Crosby had become a symbol of the friendly,

Humorous American spirit.

Despite this,

He rarely focused on his own future,

Enjoying the act of singing itself and remaining content to continue performing,

Even if public attention were to wane.

The biggest hit song of Crosby's career was his recording of Irving Berlin's White Christmas,

Which Crosby introduced in a Christmas Day radio broadcast in 1941.

A copy of the recording from the radio program is owned by the estate of Bing Crosby and was loaned to CBS Sunday Morning for their December 25,

2011 program.

The song appeared in his films Holiday Inn,

1942,

And a decade later in White Christmas,

1954.

Crosby's record hit the charts on October 3,

1942,

And rose to number one on October 31,

Where it stayed for 11 weeks.

A holiday perennial,

The song was repeatedly re-released by Decca,

Charting another 16 times.

It topped the charts again in 1945,

And a third time in January 1947.

The song remains the best-selling single of all time.

Crosby's recording of White Christmas has sold over 50 million copies worldwide,

His recording was so popular that Crosby was obliged to re-record it in 1947 using the same musicians and backup singers.

The original 1942 master had become damaged due to its frequent use and pressing additional singles.

In 1977,

After Crosby died,

The song was re-released and reached number five in the UK singles chart.

Crosby was dismissive of his role in the song's success,

Saying,

A jackdaw with a cleft palate could have sung it successfully.

In the wake of a solid decade of headlining mainly smash hit musical comedy films in the 1930s,

Crosby starred with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour in six of the seven Road to musical comedies between 1940 and 1962.

Lamour was placed with Joan Collins in the Road to Hong Kong and limited to a lengthy cameo,

Cementing Crosby and Hope as an on-and-off duo,

Despite never declaring themselves as a team in the sense that Laurel and Hardy,

Or Martin and Lewis,

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were teams.

The series consists of Road to Singapore,

1940,

Road to Zanzibar,

1941,

Road to Morocco,

1942,

Road to Utopia,

1946,

Road to Rio,

1947,

Road to Bali,

1952,

And the Road to Hong Kong,

1962.

When they appeared solo,

Crosby and Hope frequently made note of the other in a comically insulting fashion.

They performed together countless times on stage,

Radio,

Film,

And television and made numerous brief and not-so-brief appearances together in movies aside from The Road Pictures' Variety Girl,

1947,

Being an example of lengthy scenes and songs together along with billing.

In the 1949 Disney animated film,

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.

Toad,

Crosby provided the narration and song vocals for the Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment.

In 1960,

He starred in High Time,

A collegiate comedy with Fabian Forte and Tuesday Weld that predicted the emerging gap between Crosby and the new younger generation of musicians and actors who had begun their careers after World War II.

The following year,

Crosby and Hope reunited for one more road movie,

The Road to Hong Kong,

Which teamed them up with the much younger Joan Collins and Peter Sellers.

Collins was used in place of their longtime partner Dorothy L'Amour,

Whom Crosby felt was getting too old for the role,

Though Hope refused to do the film without her and she instead made a lengthy and elaborate cameo appearance.

Shortly before his death in 1977,

Crosby had planned another road film in which he,

Hope,

And L'Amour search for the Fountain of Youth.

Crosby won an Academy Award for Best Actor for Going My Way in 1944 and was nominated for the 1945 sequel,

The Bells of St.

Mary's.

He received critical acclaim and his third Academy Award nomination for his appearance as an alcoholic entertainer in The Country Girl.

The Fireside Theater,

1950,

Was his first television production.

The series of 26-minute shows was filmed at Howe Roach Studios rather than performed live on the air.

The telefilms were syndicated to individual television stations.

Crosby was a frequent guest on the musical variety shows of the 1950s and 1960s appearing on various variety shows as well as numerous late-night talk shows and his own highly rated specials.

Bob Hope memorably devoted one of his monthly NBC specials to his long intermittent partnership with Crosby titled On the Road with Bing.

Crosby was associated with ABC's The Hollywood Palace as the show's first and most frequent guest host and appeared annually on its Christmas edition with his wife Catherine and his younger children and continued after The Hollywood Palace was eventually cancelled.

In the early 1970s,

Crosby made two late appearances on The Flip Wilson Show singing duets with the comedian.

His last TV appearance was a Christmas special,

Merry Old Christmas taped in London in September 1977 and aired weeks after his death.

It was on the special that Crosby recorded a duet of The Little Drummer Boy and Peace on Earth with rock musician David Bowie.

Their duet was released in 1982 as a single 45 rpm record and reached number three in the UK single charts.

It has since become a staple of holiday radio and the final popular hit of Crosby's career.

At the end of the 20th century,

TV Guide listed the Crosby-Bowie duet one of the 25 most memorable musical moments of 20th century television.

Crosby was one of the first singers to exploit the intimacy of the microphone rather than use the loud,

Penetrating vaudeville style associated with Al Jolson.

Crosby was,

By his own definition,

A phraser a singer who placed equal emphasis on both the lyrics and the music.

Paul Whiteman's hiring of Crosby with phrasing that echoed jazz particularly his bandmate Bix Beiderbecke's trumpet helped bring the genre to a wider audience.

In the framework of the novelty singing style of the Rhythm Boys Crosby bent notes and added off-tune phrasing an approach that was rooted in jazz.

He had already been introduced to Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith before his first appearance on record.

Crosby and Armstrong remained warm acquaintances for decades occasionally singing together in later years e.

G.

Now You Has Jazz in the film High Society 1956.

In Crosby's performances the presence of jazz phrasing jazz rhythm and jazz improvisation varied depending on the piece of music but those were elements that Crosby frequently used.

This can be observed particularly in his straight jazz work during the late 1920s and early 1930s Crosby's recordings with Buddy Cole and his trio from the mid-1950s as well as in his numerous collaborations with such jazz musicians as Louis Armstrong,

Duke Ellington,

Ella Fitzgerald,

Joe Venuti or Eddie Lang.

However,

While Crosby can be called a jazz singer he was not strictly only a jazz singer as he modeled the style and techniques to a broad scope of music that he performed ranging from jazz to country to even such materials as operetta arias.

During the early portion of his solo career Crosby's emotional,

Often pleading style of crooning was popular but Jack Capp,

Manager of Brunswick and later Decca taught Crosby into dropping many of his jazzier mannerisms in favor of a clear vocal style.

Crosby credited Capp for choosing hit songs working with many other musicians and most important,

Diversifying his repertoire into several styles and genres.

Capp helped Crosby have number one hits in Christmas music Hawaiian music and country music and top 30 hits in Irish music,

French music,

Rhythm and blues and ballads.

Crosby elaborated on an idea of Al Jolson's phrasing or the art of making a song's lyric ring true.

I used to tell Sinatra over and over,

Said Tommy Dorsey there's only one singer you ought to listen to and his name is Crosby all that matters to him is the words and that's the only thing that ought to matter for you too.

Critic Henry Pleasence wrote in 1985 while the octave B-flat to B-flat in Bing's voice at the time,

1930s is to my ears one of the loveliest I have heard in 45 years of listening to baritones both classical and popular it dropped conspicuously in later years.

From the mid 1950s Bing was more comfortable in a bass range while maintaining a baritone quality with the best octave being G to G or even F to F.

In a recording he made of Dardanella with Louis Armstrong in 1960 he attacks lightly and easily on a low E-flat this is lower than most opera basses care to venture and they tend to sound as if they were in the cellar when they get there.

Crosby's popularity around the world was such that Dorothy Masuka the best-selling African recording artist stated that only Bing Crosby,

The famous American crooner sold more records than me in Africa.

His great popularity throughout the continent led other African singers to emulate him including Masuka,

Dolly Rathobie and Miriam Makeba known locally as the Bing Crosby of Africa.

Presenter Mike Douglas commented in a 1975 interview During my days in the Navy in World War II I remember walking the streets of Calcutta,

India on the coast it was a lonely night,

So far from my home and from my new wife Jen.

I needed something to lift my spirits as I passed a Hindu sitting on the corner of a street I heard something surprisingly familiar I came back to see the man playing one of those old vitriolas like those of RCA was the horn speaker the man was listening to Bing Crosby sing Accentuate the Positive I stopped and smiled in great acknowledgement the Hindu nodded and smiled back the whole world knew and loved Bing Crosby His popularity in India led many Hindu singers to imitate and emulate him notably Kishore Kumar,

Considered the Bing Crosby of India Throughout Europe and Russia,

Crosby was also known as Derbingel a pseudonym coined in 1944 by Bob Musil an American journalist based in London after Crosby had recorded three 15-minute programs with Jack Russon for broadcast to Germany from ABSIE During the golden age of radio,

Performers had to create their shows live sometimes even redoing the program a second time for the West Coast time zone Crosby had to do two live radio shows on the same day,

Three hours apart for the East and West Coast Crosby's radio career took a significant turn in 1945 when he clashed with NBC over his insistence that he be allowed to pre-record his radio shows The live production of radio shows was reinforced by the Musicians' Union in ASCAP which wanted to ensure continued work for their members On the air,

The encyclopedia of old-time radio John Dunning wrote about German engineers having developed a tape recorder with a near-professional broadcast quality standard Suddenly,

Crosby saw an enormous advantage in pre-recording his radio shows The scheduling could now be done at the star's convenience He could do four shows a week,

If he chose,

And then take a month off But the networks and sponsors were adamantly opposed The public wouldn't stand for canned radio,

The networks argued There was something magic for listeners in the fact that what they were hearing was being performed and heard live everywhere at the precise instant Some of the best moments in comedy came when a line was blown and the star had to rely on wit to rescue a bad situation Fred Allen,

Jack Benny,

Phil Harris and,

Yes,

Crosby were masters at this and the networks weren't about to give it up easily Crosby's insistence eventually factored into the further development of magnetic tape sound recording and the radio industry's widespread adoption of it He used his clout,

Both professionally and financially,

For innovations in audio But NBC and CBS refused to broadcast pre-recorded radio programs Crosby left the network and remained off the air for seven months creating a legal battle with his sponsor,

Kraft,

That was settled out of court Crosby returned to broadcasting for the last 13 weeks of the 1945-46 season The Mutual network,

On the other hand,

Pre-recorded some of its programs as early as 1938 for The Shadow,

With Orson Welles ABC was formed from the sale of the NBC Blue network in 1943 after a federal antitrust sued and was willing to join Mutual in breaking the tradition ABC proposed a contract offering Crosby $30,

000 per week to produce a pre-recorded radio program,

Airing each Wednesday,

Sponsored by Philco In addition,

Around 400 independent stations paid a collective $40,

000 for broadcasting rights to the half-hour show which was distributed every Monday on a set of three lacquer discs each containing about 10 minutes of audio per side at 3,

313 RPM In June 1947,

Murdo McKenzie from Bing Crosby Enterprises witnessed a presentation of the German-made magnetophone the same tape recorder models that engineer Jack Mullen had brought back from Radio Frankfurt along with several reels of recording tape after World War II Originally developed in Germany by BASF and AEG in the 1930s the device used 6.

5mm magnetic tape coated with ferric oxide allowing approximately 20 minutes of high-fidelity recording per reel Around this time,

Ampex founder Alexander M.

Ponyatov instructed his company to develop a more advanced version of the magnetophone for commercial use Crosby hired Mullen to start recording his Philco Radio Time show on his German-made machine in August 1947,

Using the same 50 reels of IG Farben magnetic tape that Mullen had found at a radio station at Bad Noheim near Frankfurt while working for the U.

S.

Army Signal Corps The advantage was editing As Crosby wrote in his autobiography his decision to use Mullen's tape recorder for his broadcasts was driven by his interest in improving both the quality and flexibility of his shows By recording on magnetic tape,

Crosby could produce longer sessions around 35 to 40 minutes and then edit them down to the required length for broadcast This allowed him to remove jokes or moments that didn't work well keeping only the most effective material The system also made it possible to discard songs that didn't sound right compare different takes,

Recorded with or without an audience and splice together the best versions In addition,

The ability to edit freely encouraged improvisation during recording since mistakes or extra ad-libbing could easily be trimmed later resulting in a more polished and engaging final program

Reviews

Great selection. I wanted to listen until the end but your voice lulled me to sleep again! I’ll be back to hear more interesting facts about this legend. Thank you 😴

Hey, Benjamin, I enjoyed that one! Just interesting enough to engage and then put me to sleep. I loved the old Bing Crosby films: The Bells of St Mary and White Christmas. I didn’t know he did so much to advance audio and video recording. Anyway, thank you!

Very interesting talk about Bing Crosby. Didn't hear the end 😴

I love Bing Crosby! This will be on repeat I’m sure! 😻😻

Thank you 🙏🏼 Ben for several times of great sleep 😴 you are almost 😅 as soothing as Bing!!😜