We always watch three old movies in December: Scrooge (1970) starring handsome young Albert Finney, then a sweet little English film called A Child's Christmas in Wales (1987) based on the Dylan Thomas poem, and of course, the all-time classic, White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Miles and Rosemary Clooney. There are other good Christmas movies, but we're creatures of habit and besides, we own those DVD's.
The PBS program American Masters just aired a special called Bing Crosby Rediscovered. John was smart and recorded it in advance so we could fast forward through the long pledge breaks begging for money.
Anyway, Bing's acting and singing talent was undeniable, but the man's personality is an enigma. Even the four sons from his first unhappy marriage (two of them committed suicide-- hum) couldn't agree if he was a sadistic, cold disciplinarian or a pretty decent dad for the time. The second family he raised had a much softer opinion of him. Maybe he mellowed.
Remember we went to Crosby's historic Del Mar racetrack in November? We walked around and ate popcorn and placed some 2 dollar bets. So it was interesting seeing footage of that elegant track in its heyday on the TV special.
Can a man who loves horses be all that bad?
Bing Crosby was born Harry Lillis Crosby, Jr. in Tacoma, Washington, the fourth of seven children. He was of English and Irish descent. Crosby studied law at Gonzaga University in Spokane but was more interested in playing the drums and singing.
I saw his pipe displayed at the Gonzaga University Special Collections when I attended an archives conference there in the 1990's. The "Crosbyana Room" in the "Crosby Student Center" is a shrine for Crosby fans.
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