The Groaner

Just in time for the man's birthday, I finished Bing Crosby: Swinging On A Star: The War Years, 1940-1946, the second book in Gary Giddins' definitive biography.  The first, A Pocketful Of Dreams, dealt with Bing's early years, from his birth in 1903 to 1940, when he was establishing his style and rising to the top.  In this volume, he's at the top and staying there.

He wasn't an ordinary star--he ruled over all of show biz.  He was the biggest singer of his era, managing 41 #1 records (compared to 24 for the Beatles and 18 for Elvis). As a singer, he influenced everyone, from Frank Sinatra to Dean Martin to Perry Como.

In radio, his show, Kraft Music Hall, was regularly among the top ten.  In movies, he was on the Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll in 1940, and remained on the list from 1943-1954.  While we're at it, he won the Best Actor Oscar for Going My Way (1944), which also won Best Picture and was the biggest hit of the year.

Crosby was probably the biggest star of the 20th century, but how many under 40 (he died 42 years ago) remember him.  How many even know his name? Fame is fleeting.

Of course, even during his lifetime he was, if not losing his grip, losing his cool.  He was about as hip a popular entertainer as existed in the 1930s.  By the 1960s, he was a square.  The only time the younger generation really paid attention to Bing was when he showed up during Christmas (especially when he did a song with David Bowie). But then, the hip people who found him old-fashioned in his later years are now old-fashioned themselves.