The Bing Crosby Show | |
---|---|
Genre | Sitcom |
Directed by | James Sheldon |
Starring | Bing Crosby Beverly Garland Carol Faylen Diane Sherry Frank McHugh |
Theme music composer | Sammy Cahn Jimmy Van Heusen |
Opening theme | "There's More to Life Than Just Living" |
Ending theme | "It All Adds Up" |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 28 |
Production | |
Producer | Steve Gethers |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production company | Bing Crosby Productions |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | September 14, 1964 – April 19, 1965 |
The Bing Crosby Show [1] is a 28-episode sitcom television program starring crooner, film star, iconic phenomenon, and businessman Bing Crosby and actress Beverly Garland as a married couple, Bing and Ellie Collins, rearing two teenaged daughters during the early 1960s. In the format, Crosby portrayed a former entertainer turned architectural designer with a penchant for singing, and each episode usually contained at least one song. Produced by Crosby's own company, affiliated with Desilu Studios and subsequently CBS Paramount Television, the series aired on ABC from September 14, 1964, to April 19, 1965. Rebroadcasts continued until June 14. [2]
The roles of the daughters Janice and Joyce Collins were played by Carol Faylen and Diane Sherry, respectively. Top Warner Bros. character actor Frank McHugh appeared as Willie Walters, the Collins's live-in handyman. Pamela Austin appeared twice on the program, as Clarissa Roberts.
This was one of the few times Crosby portrayed a happily married man, having often portrayed bachelors, widowers, divorcees, or priests. (Note: The Star Maker was one film in which he was happily married. He also portrayed a married man in the films Dixie and Blue Skies but there were problems in the relationships.)
Guest stars included Herbert Anderson, Frankie Avalon, Jack Benny, Jimmy Boyd, Macdonald Carey, Vikki Carr, his son Gary Crosby, Dennis Day, Roger Ewing, Glenda Farrell, Joan Fontaine, Kathy Garver, George Gobel, Kathryn Grant (Crosby's second wife, also known as Kathryn Crosby), Pat Harrington, Jr., Phil Harris, Charles Lane, Nobu McCarthy, Gary Morton, Ken Murray, Lloyd Nolan, Ruth Roman, and James Shigeta.
The Bing Crosby Show, main sponsor was Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury division, other sponsors included Lever Brothers, Mennen, Pepto-Bismol and Gillette. It was aired at 9:30 pm. Eastern on Mondays. The series faced competition on CBS from the sitcom Many Happy Returns , and on NBC, Crosby faced the second half of the popular The Andy Williams Show , which alternated with a Jonathan Winters variety show, The Jonathan Winters Show . [3]
Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate | Directed by | Written by | Episode Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1-1 | "A Fine Romance" (pilot) | September 14, 1964 | James Sheldon | Dan Beaumont | A remark by Janice leads to a night of adventure for Bing and Ellie and they attempt to recall their courtship days. |
1–2 | "Exactly Like Who?" | September 21, 1964 | James Sheldon | Tom August & Helen August (aka Alfred Lewis Levitt & Helen Levitt) | Bing's daughter brings home a fast-talking songwriter who hopes to use Bing and Ellie to promote one of his new songs. |
1–3 | "A Bit of Fresh Danish" | September 28, 1964 | James Sheldon | Bill O'Hallaren | A Danish sociologist offers some sophisticated ideas on the role of women. |
1–4 | "The Green Couch" | October 5, 1964 | James Sheldon | Jack Sher | Bing is rousted out of bed to vouch for Ellie and his friend Willie after they get arrested. |
1–5 | "Hoop Shots" | October 12, 1964 | James Sheldon | Steve Gethers | Bing and Ellie try to break up a romance between their daughter and a basketball player (Jimmy Boyd). |
1–6 | "Flashback" | October 19, 1964 | James Sheldon | Steve Gethers | A look back at how Bing and Willie made the effort to enter vaudeville after getting out of the Army. |
1–7 | "The Education of Bing Collins" | October 26, 1964 | James Sheldon | Jerome Ross | Joyce develops a crush on a teacher who Bing baits with questions about obscure events. |
1–8 | "The Dominant Male" | November 9, 1964 | James Sheldon | Irving Gaynor Neiman | Bing and Joyce's date (Gary Crosby) offer clear evidence of their independence. |
1–9 | "The Importance of Bea 'n' Willie" | November 16, 1964 | James Sheldon | Bill O'Hallaren | Willie gets a crush on a lumberman's daughter, with the entire family working together to promote the romance. |
1–10 | "The Liberated Woman" | November 23, 1964 | James Sheldon | Irving Gaynor Neiman | Bing's Aunt Lulu (Glenda Farrell) helps install theatrical ambitions in Ellie. |
1–11 | "Genius at Work" | November 30, 1964 | James Sheldon | Mayo Simon | An eccentric math wizard annoys the Collins while he's staying with them, but he gets sidetracked when Janice presents him with an intriguing math problem. |
1–12 | "The Yadwin Report" | December 7, 1964 | James Sheldon | Stan Cutler | Joyce's latest boyfriend determines that the Collins marriage is doomed. |
1–13 | "Janice and Me on a Saturday Spent With Random Inputs No. 1" | December 14, 1964 | James Sheldon | Loring Mandel | An exponent of electronic computer music finds an ally in Janice and an opponent in Bing. |
1–14 | "The Christmas Show" | December 21, 1964 | James Sheldon | Jack Sher | Bing and the cast gather around the piano and sing Christmas carols. |
1–15 | "The Soft Life" | January 11, 1965 | James Sheldon | Jack Sher | Bing and Ellie have different ideas about vacations, with each side then trying to prove their way is best. |
1–16 | "Bugged By the Love Bugs" | January 18, 1965 | James Sheldon | Bill Morrow | Bing becomes a pariah in the family after they learn that he refused free tickets to see a rock group, The Love Bugs. |
1–17 | "Are Parents People?" | January 25, 1965 | James Sheldon | Jack Sher | Bing and Ellie are reluctant to approve Joyce's trip to Mexico. |
1–18 | "That's the Way the Suki Yakies" | February 1, 1965 | James Sheldon | Dan Beaumont | Bing and Ellie are guest of a Japanese couple (James Shigeta and Nobu McCarthy) and are impressed by the wife's deference to her husband. |
1–19 | "The Gifted Child" | February 8, 1965 | James Sheldon | Russell Beggs | Janice is sent by her school to a psychiatrist to determine the extent of her precocity. |
1–20 | "The Image" | February 15, 1965 | James Sheldon | Jack Sher | After Ellie calls in a decorator (Kathryn Crosby) and hires a PR man (Pat Harrington, Jr.), Bing heads to a nearby hotel owned, where the owner George Gobel thinks he's a bum. |
1–21 | "The Keefers Come Calling" | February 22, 1965 | James Sheldon | Stanley Charles & Bill O'Hallaren | A pair of newlyweds (Frankie Avalon and Vicki Carr) have a habit of wearing the wrong costumes at parties. |
1–22 | "Operation Man Save" | March 1, 1965 | James Sheldon | Bill O'Hallaren | Bing's super-efficient secretary (Joan Fontaine) annoys Ellie with her advice on everything and then meets her downtrodden husband (Dennis Day) who dealt with this for years. |
1–23 | "One For the Birds" | March 8, 1965 | James Sheldon | Louis Kamp | A former vaudeville partner of Bing's (Phil Harris) arrives, but while staying in the garage, his deadbeat tendencies begin to annoy everyone. |
1–24 | "The Test" | March 22, 1965 | James Sheldon | Jerome Ross | With Bing and Joyce getting set to take their driving exams, Ellie and Janice are tasked with instructing them for their respective driving tests. |
1–25 | "Moonlight Becomes You" | March 29, 1965 | James Sheldon | Dan Beaumont | A college professor (Mel Torme) is moonlighting as a jazz pianist in a cellar café. |
1–26 | "What's A Buddy For?" | April 5, 1965 | James Sheldon | Dan Beaumont | Bing and his insurance broker (Lloyd Nolan) are in competition to manage the local Little League baseball team. |
1–27 | "Conform, Conform, Whoever You Are" | April 12, 1965 | James Sheldon | TBA | Bing and Ellie decided to reject the idea of celebrating the New Year and opt for a quiet celebration in a cabin—until they're discovered by the local rural population. |
1–28 | "Real Estate Venture" | April 19, 1965 | James Sheldon | Jerome Ross | A high-powered real estate broker (Ruth Roman) tries to get Ellie to join her staff. |
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. was an American singer, actor, television producer, television and radio personality and businessman. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He 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. He made over 70 feature films and recorded more than 1,600 songs.
Jessurun James Oppenheimer was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom I Love Lucy.
June Lockhart is an American retired actress, beginning a film career in the 1930s and 1940s in such films as A Christmas Carol and Meet Me in St. Louis. She primarily acted in 1950s and 1960s television, and with performances on stage and in film. On two television series, Lassie and Lost in Space, she played mother roles. She also portrayed Dr. Janet Craig on the CBS television sitcom Petticoat Junction (1968–70). She is a two-time Emmy Award nominee and a Tony Award winner. With a career spanning nearly 90 years, she is one of the last surviving actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
George Robert Crosby was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younger brother of famed singer and actor Bing Crosby. On TV, Bob Crosby guest-starred in The Gisele MacKenzie Show. He was also a regular cast member of The Jack Benny Program, on both radio and television, taking over the role of bandleader after Phil Harris' departure. Crosby hosted his own afternoon TV variety show on CBS, The Bob Crosby Show (1953–1957). Crosby received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for television and radio.
The Hollywood Palace is an hourlong American television variety show broadcast Saturday nights on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titled The Saturday Night Hollywood Palace for its first few weeks, it began as a midseason replacement for The Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show, which lasted only three months.
Gary Evan Crosby was an American actor and singer. His parents were Bing Crosby, of whom he wrote a highly critical memoir, and the singer and actress Dixie Lee.
Mary Frances Crosby is an American actress, the only daughter of actor/singer Bing Crosby and his second wife Kathryn Grant. She played Kristin Shepard in the television series Dallas.
Tichina Rolanda Arnold is an American actress. She began her career as a child actor, appearing in supporting roles in Little Shop of Horrors (1986) and How I Got into College (1989) before being cast as Pamela "Pam" James on the Fox sitcom Martin, which she portrayed from 1992 until the show ended in 1997. Arnold also portrayed the family matriarch Rochelle on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Judi Mann in the TV Land original sitcom Happily Divorced from 2011 to 2013. From 2014 to 2017, she acted the lead role of Cassie Calloway on Survivor's Remorse. As of 2018, Arnold portrays Tina Butler in the CBS sitcom series The Neighborhood. From 2018 to 2019, she acted the role of Paulette in the South African series Lockdown.
Kathryn Crosby is a retired American actress and singer who performed in films under the stage names Kathryn Grant and Kathryn Grandstaff.
"On the Sunny Side of the Street" is a 1930 song composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Some authors say that Fats Waller was the composer, but he sold the rights to the song. It was introduced in the Broadway musical Lew Leslie's International Revue starring Harry Richman and Gertrude Lawrence.
Dixie Lee was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She was the first wife of singer Bing Crosby.
Beverly Lucy Garland was an American actress. Her work in feature films primarily consisted of small parts in a few major productions or leads in low-budget action and science-fiction movies; however, she had prominent recurring roles on several popular television series.
Variety Girl is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Mary Hatcher, Olga San Juan, DeForest Kelley, Frank Ferguson, Glenn Tryon, Nella Walker, Torben Meyer, Jack Norton, and William Demarest. It was produced by Paramount Pictures. Numerous Paramount contract players and directors make cameos or perform songs, with particularly large amounts of screen time featuring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Among many others, the studio contract players include Gary Cooper, Alan Ladd, Paulette Goddard, Ray Milland, William Holden, Burt Lancaster, Robert Preston, Veronica Lake, William Bendix, Barbara Stanwyck and Paula Raymond.
Francis Curry McHugh was an American stage, radio, film and television actor.
Star Spangled Rhythm is a 1942 American all-star cast musical film made by Paramount Pictures during World War II as a morale booster. Many of the Hollywood studios produced such films during the war, generally musicals, frequently with flimsy storylines, and with the specific intent of entertaining the troops overseas and civilians back home and to encourage fundraising – as well as to show the studios' patriotism. This film was also the first released by Paramount to be shown for 8 weeks.
The Church of the Good Shepherd, located at 504 North Roxbury Drive, is a Catholic church in Beverly Hills, California.
The Star Maker is a 1939 American musical film directed by Roy Del Ruth, written by Frank Butler, Don Hartman and Arthur Caesar, and starring Bing Crosby, Louise Campbell, Linda Ware, Ned Sparks, Laura Hope Crews, Janet Waldo and Walter Damrosch. Filming started in Hollywood on April 17, 1939 and was finished in June. The film was released on August 25, 1939, by Paramount Pictures, and had its New York premiere on August 30, 1939. It was the only film in which Crosby played a happily married man.
A Christmas Sing with Bing was a series of transcribed radio hours hosted by Bing Crosby and broadcast on Christmas Eve for eight years from 1955 to 1962. The first edition of the program was released as an LP by Decca Records in 1956. Insurance Company of North America was the broadcast sponsor.
Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas is a 1977 Christmas television special starring Bing Crosby and his family with special guests Twiggy, David Bowie, Ron Moody, Stanley Baxter and Trinity Boys Choir. It includes a duet by the unusual pairing of Crosby and Bowie on "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy".