[133], In 2006, the former Metropolitan Theater of Performing Arts ('The Met') in Spokane, Washington, was renamed to The Bing Crosby Theater.[134]. We kept meeting each other, and then wed plan to get married, and he would have a kidney stone or something dreadful like that. He did make up for it at the end of the week by catching a number of sea trout. July The film High Society is released, starring Bing, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly and Louis Armstrong. [3]:24[26], 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 him spellbound with ad-libbing and parodies of Hawaiian songs. Pianist Harry Barris joins the duo to make The Rhythm Boys. Two years later she became Bing Crosby's second wife, being more than thirty years his junior. His Legendary Years How's the sound? Bing is part owner and co-director and greets fans at the gate on opening day. Apr. In all the files there is only one single reference to a person associated with the Mafia. She also played the part of "Mama Bear" alongside her husband and children in Goldilocks and co-starred with Jack Lemmon in the comedy Operation Mad Ball (1957), with Tony Curtis in the drama Mister Cory (1957) and as a trapeze artist in The Big Circus (1959). "Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)", with his trademark whistling, became his theme song and signature tune. Runner-up to Miss Texas 1952. Crosby had to do two live radio shows on the same day, three hours apart, for the East and West Coasts. Nov. In the summer of 1966, he spent a week as the guest of Lord Egremont, staying in Cockermouth and fishing on the River Derwent. I still love you. They each earned $75 a week. BBC commences transmissions of a major 14-part series chronicling Bings life. In 1937, Crosby hosted the first 'Crosby Clambake', a pro-am tournament at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, the event's location prior to World War II. Sept. FilmHere Comes the Groom is released, in which Bing is directed by Frank Capra and co-stars with Jane Wyman. One each for radio, recording, and motion pictures. records Where the Blue of the Night for first time, which becomes his theme song. bing! A graduate of the University of Texas and a student nurse at one point, she found her way into films via the beauty pageant circuit. His contract with Paramount runs until 1954. Collins was used in place of their longtime partner Dorothy Lamour, 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. July The Del Mar Racetrack opens in California. Kathryn Crosby: He loved me, and I knew it. She also appeared in the 1989 film adaptation of Stephen King's novel Pet Sematary. We could also take out the songs that didn't sound good. In the early 1970s, he made two late appearances on the Flip Wilson Show, singing duets with the comedian. Excerpts can be seen in American Masters Bing Crosby Rediscovered. How did Bing Crosby and Kathryn Grant meet? "[45][46], The biggest hit song of Crosby's career was his recording of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", which he introduced on a Christmas Day radio broadcast in 1941. He loved them all.People who watched him in movies knew exactly what he was like because that was what he put on the screen. 3 in the UK singles charts. Now 82 and still living in California, Crosby keeps busy these days with ballet (hip replacement surgery won't keep her down) and staying active with her . [108], Crosby's younger son Phillip disputed his brother Gary's claims about their father. Crosby had one confirmed extramarital affair between 1945 and the late 1940s, while married to his first wife Dixie. We heart local Los Angeles attractions and events. At Reina Victoria Hospital he was administered the last rites of the Catholic Church and was pronounced dead. Last year, I did a cabaret in New York out on the island to benefit a school, and I sang several songs. Its not heavy. He took one more step and then fell dead. They had four sons: Gary, twins Dennis and Phillip, and Lindsay. Kathryn Crosby says Bing was too scared to marry her because of the age difference/ pic:WENN.COM, We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. In 2006, Crosby's niece through his sister Mary Rose, Carolyn Schneider, published the laudatory book Me and Uncle Bing. We had a twelve-grade schoolhouse, and anytime there was a senior high school play, and they needed a child, I was elected. It was quite a lovely experience. Sept. Bing films his final Christmas show, which features Bings family and David Bowie. We heart you!!! Bing is introduced to Al Rinker and joins him in the local Spokane band, the Musicaladers. [5], On November 4, 2010, Crosby was seriously injured in an automobile accident in the Sierra Nevada that killed her 85-year-old second husband, Maurice William Sullivan, whom she had married in 2000. They were working in television, so I got to do a lot of short films. [125] At about 6:30 pm, as Crosby and his party headed back to the clubhouse, Crosby said, "That was a great game of golf, fellas. He took Bob salmon fishing up in Canada once, and they had just pulled off to sea when Bob said, 'I have to go back in.' Bing postponed his wedding to Kathryn that was set for Sept. 10, 1955, apparently because of Grace. The film White Christmas is released. At first Bing objected to casting Grace in the role of his wife in the movie because he felt she was too glamorous for the part. He was the number one box office attraction for five consecutive years, 1944 to 1948. Husband Bing appeared as a guest occasionally. "[109] Nevertheless, Phillip did not deny that Crosby believed in corporal punishment. His mother was a second generation Irish-American. Crosby had arranged for Ampex, another of his financial investments, to record the NBC telecast on kinescope. Statistician Joel Whitburn at Billboard determined that Crosby was America's most successful recording act of the 1930s and again in the 1940s. His first wife was actress and nightclub singer Dixie Lee, to whom he was married from 1930 until her death from ovarian cancer in 1952. I came back to Austin and finished up my degree and took my Inquiry classes for six weeks. [29] The university granted him an honorary doctorate in 1937. The reporters stopped us outside and asked Bing, Are you going to marry Miss Grant? He said, Why yes. All rights reserved. Films Road to Rio, a film is financed by Crosby, Hope and Paramount. [53] He had already been introduced to Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith before his first appearance on record. He had 24 separate popular singles in 1939 alone. They got enormous laughs, which just went on and on. Birthday: November 25, (89 years) HomeTown: Houston , Texas, United States. Sept. But his chart success remains impressive: 396 chart singles, including roughly 41 number 1 hits. Born Wilma Wyatt, actress and singer Dixie Crosby married Bing Crosby in 1930. All that matters to him is the words, and that's the only thing that ought to for you, too. Mar. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. His contract with Decca runs until 1955. Kathryn Crosby: Actually my sister, who is four years older, and I are changing our birthdays this year to May because in May, the Crosby golf tournament takes place. The Fireside Theater (1950) was his first television production. His first commercial sponsor on radio was Cremo Cigars and his fame spread nationwide. If he muffed a song then, the audience loved itthought it was very funnybut we would have to take out the show version and put in one of the rehearsal takes. The Bing Crosby on Broadway stage show opens at the Uris Theatre in New York City. Kathryn Crosby: Dr. Sullivan was my trustee, and he had a heart that did a tango. It was from my gynecologist, and it said, She will be able to work for five months. I asked Otto Preminger, Is this a problem? Otto said, No. I hadnt spoken to him for a year, and he wrote to me and asked me to go to dinner. The Fireside Theater (1950) sponsored by Procter & Gamble, was his first television production. Crosby, 74, died from a heart attack, four days after his final concert. 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. Aug. Harry Lillis Crosby III, Bings first child with Kathryn, is born. I asked him if he liked baseball. He would get an additional $40,000 from 400 independent stations for the rights to broadcast the 30-minute show, which was sent to them every Monday on three 16-inch (40-cm) lacquer discs that played ten minutes per side at .mw-parser-output .sfrac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .sfrac.tion,.mw-parser-output .sfrac .tion{display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.5em;font-size:85%;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .sfrac .num,.mw-parser-output .sfrac .den{display:block;line-height:1em;margin:0 0.1em}.mw-parser-output .sfrac .den{border-top:1px solid}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}33+1/3 rpm. [122] His first performance after the accident was his last American concert, on August 16, 1977, the day Elvis Presley died, at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California. ****
A survey in 2000 found that with 1,077,900,000 movie tickets sold, Crosby was the third most popular actor of all time, behind Clark Gable (1,168,300,000) and John Wayne (1,114,000,000). Dispute arose between the two families and was settled in 1999. [87][88] The restored broadcast was shown on MLB Network in December 2010. How old was Bing Crosby when he married Kathryn Grant? 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. The couple had three children: Harry Lillis III, Mary Frances and Nathaniel. Kathryn Crosby: Rear Window was shot when I was first at Paramount Pictures. Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, 37 (6): 490496, 498, 500, 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512; June 1989. But it just didnt work because I was very young so I found something more appropriate.Crosby was nominated for best actor as an alcoholic singer in The Country Girl. June 27 Bing and Dixie welcome their first son, Gary Evan Crosby. Well print that. In 1906, his family moved to Spokane in Eastern Washington state, where he was raised. SAYS Kathryn: He loved his sons. Whiteman considered letting them go. Bob Said, 'Fish dont applaud.' Then we got married, which was very good. Jan. Dinah with the Mills Brothers reaches Number 1. [104][105], In 1965, the Crosbys moved to a larger, 40-room French-chateau style house on nearby Jackling Drive, where Kathryn Crosby continued to reside after Bing's death. Its a wonderful time. bing! [96], In the most recent Crosby biography, Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star; the War Years, 1940-1946, Gary Giddins published excerpts from an original diary of two sisters, Violet and Mary Barsa, who, as young women, used to stalk Crosby in New York City during December 1945 and January 1946 and who detailed their observations in the diary. I was so innocent, just out from Texas. Crosby has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Tired of Dixie's drinking, he even asked her for a divorce in January 1941. In the Cool of the Evening, Bings song with Jane Wyman from Here Comes the Groom, wins Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. Since Bing Crosby's death in 1977, she has taken on a few smaller roles and the lead in the short-lived 1996 Broadway musical State Fair. Whiteman needed something different to break up his musical selections, and Crosby and Rinker filled this requirement. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Billboard magazine used different methodologies during his career. On August 12, 1938, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club hosted a $25,000 winner-take-all match race won by Charles S. Howard's Seabiscuit over Binglin's horse Ligaroti. Born November 25, 1933, actress and singer Kathryn Crosby performed in 1950s films under the stage names Kathryn Grant and Kathryn Grandstaff. 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. Jack Mullin: The man and his Machines. 1966 'He got the first licking, and we got the second.'"[113]. Kathryn Crosby (born Olive Kathryn Grandstaff, November 25, 1933) is an American retired actress and singer who performed in films under the stage names Kathryn Grant and Kathryn Grandstaff. I was a lot younger than he was. When they got a chance to present an independent act, they were spotted by a member of the Paul Whiteman organization. Kathryn Crosby: Nobody knows about that really because Bing never talked to me about that, and all he ever said about Dixie was that she was a wonderful mother and that she was an angel. Now tell me another story, Grandpa!Crosby: "No, so help me, it's the truth, ask Mister De Mille. His recording was so popular that he 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 in pressing additional singles. I really hope everyone enjoys this film because they have all the movies from our basement that they are using, lots of early films of Bing, and its just wonderful! After Crosby's death in 1977, he left the residue of his estate to a marital trust for the benefit of his widow, Kathryn, and HLC Properties, Ltd., was formed for the purpose of managing his interests, including his right of publicity. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written consent of the publisher. At last Kathryn's ordeal was over. [59] In 1960 Crosby was honored as "First Citizen of Record Industry" based on having sold 200 million discs. The filmEast Side of Heaven is released. Bing met Grace Kelly on the set of their movie The Country Girl in 1954, more than a year after his first wife's death and after he had already started dating his future wife, Kathryn Grant. He would appear in 79 pictures. Dec. Bing performs with Bob Hope at the Capitol Theatre in New York City. In a memorandum dated January 16, 1959, it is said: Sometimes, if Crosby was having fun with a song and not really working at it, we had to make it up out of two or three parts. Dec. Bing receives a Peabody Award for services to television. More info. Kathryn Crosby (born Olive Kathryn Grandstaff; November 25, 1933)[1] is a retired American actress and singer who performed in films under the stage names Kathryn Grant and Kathryn Grandstaff. Audio engineer Steve Hoffman stated, "By the way, Bing actually saved the record business in 1934 when he agreed to support Decca founder Jack Kapp's crazy idea of lowering the price of singles from a dollar to 35 cents and getting a royalty for records sold instead of a flat fee. On October 13, 1977, Crosby flew alone to Spain to play golf and hunt partridge. After pointing out pieces she treasures -- from heirloom furnishings purchased from the William Randolph Hearst collection to the Oscar won by her late husband, Bing, in 1944 -- Kathryn. Are the holidays difficult for you? 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. Hed had four kidney stones. "Bing was born on May 3, 1903. [55][56], Crosby elaborated on an idea of Al Jolson's: phrasing, or the art of making a song's lyric ring true. Bing wins Best Actor for Going My Way at the Academy Awards. I don't think it had anything to do with Daddy Dearest. Back Bay Books. [15] In addition to his work with early audio tape recording, he 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). He loved strong women. There have been disputes between Crosby's two families beginning in the late 1990s. We couldn't use the jokes, but Bill asked us to save the laughs. He was very happy with my ignorance and then we discovered the world togetherKathryn had actually auditioned for a role in White Christmas. And then I asked if he liked race horses. Dec. I came back to see the man playing one of those old Vitrolas, like those of RCA with the horn speaker. that Crosby's second wife, Kathryn Grant Crosby, may have am interest in the property and gave the first wife's estate 20 days to name her in an amended petition. When we got together in Las Vegas, Aunt Mary was with me, and Bing was with his driver, Leo Lynn, and we went to the courthouse and got our license. [81] NAFI Corporation and Crosby purchased television station KPTV in Portland, Oregon, for $4 million on September 1, 1959. Harry said, I wouldve killed to get to go with Louis Armstrong to Australia, which was an experience that Bing gave to Gary. It gave us a chance to first try a recording of the songs in the afternoon without an audience, then another one in front of a studio audience. 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