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List of Bing Crosby TV appearances

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This is a listing of the most important television appearances by the entertainer Bing Crosby.

Background

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Somewhat reluctantly, in 1954, Bing Crosby had started making television appearances, which were usually filmed in advance.[1] He had been concerned about over-exposure, saying, "I do think this: anybody who goes into TV should be sparing in how much work he does. No entertainer who's in everyone's home once a week can survive very long. His welcome can't be stretched that far. If a new motion picture of mine were released each week for fifty-two weeks—or even for thirty-nine weeks—I soon wouldn't have many friends coming to the theaters to see me. And they'd drop the flap on me at home, too. They'd weary of my mannerisms, my voice, my face."[2]

In 1954, Crosby's radio show had reduced in status from a major weekly program to a daily fifteen-minute show, but after the success of the film High Society and hit records such as "True Love" and "Around the World," he was tempted to become more heavily involved in television. The big breakthrough came in 1957 with the live, award-winning "Edsel Show." Afterwards, he settled into a routine of making at least two television specials each year, but he never really attempted to dominate the sector as he had other media. He eschewed a weekly variety series while singers such as Perry Como, and later, Andy Williams, embraced such exposure enthusiastically, with considerable benefits accruing to their record sales and to their long-term images.[3]

Crosby was especially closely associated with ABC's variety show The Hollywood Palace. He was the show's first and most frequent guest host, and appeared annually on its Christmas edition with his wife Kathryn and his younger children. The coverage of his annual golf tournament gave him regular exposure as did his appearances on The American Sportsman program. He did try his hand with a weekly sit-com series in 1964-65, but this was not renewed after the first season.

Crosby's last TV appearance was a Christmas special taped in London in September 1977 and aired just weeks after his death.[1] It was on this special that Crosby recorded a duet of "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace on Earth" with rock star David Bowie. It was released in 1982 as a single 45-rpm record and reached No.3 in the UK singles charts.[4] It has since become a staple of holiday radio, and the final popular hit of Crosby's career. At the end of the century, TV Guide listed the Crosby–Bowie duet as one of the 25 most memorable musical moments of 20th-century television.[5]

Crosby's main television appearances as host

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Original airdate Title Principal guests
January 3, 1954 The Bing Crosby Show Jack Benny, Sheree North
April 25, 1954 The Bing Crosby Show Joanne Gilbert and The Wiere Brothers
March 10, 1956 High Tor Julie Andrews, Everett Sloane, Nancy Olson
October 13, 1957 The Edsel Show Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Rosemary Clooney
October 1, 1958 The Bing Crosby Show for Oldsmobile Dean Martin, Patti Page, Mahalia Jackson
March 2, 1959 The Bing Crosby Show for Oldsmobile Jo Stafford, James Garner, Dean Martin
September 29, 1959 The Bing Crosby Show for Oldsmobile Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Peggy Lee
February 29, 1960 The Bing Crosby Show for Oldsmobile Perry Como, The Three Crosby Brothers, Sandy Stewart
October 5, 1960 The Bing Crosby Show for Oldsmobile Carol Lawrence, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mercer, The Three Crosby Brothers
March 20, 1961 The Bing Crosby Show for Oldsmobile Maurice Chevalier, Carol Lawrence
December 11, 1961 The Bing Crosby Show Bob Hope, Shirley Bassey, Terry-Thomas, Dave King, Marion Ryan
May 14, 1962 The Bing Crosby Show Bob Hope, Edie Adams, Gary Crosby, Smothers Brothers
December 24, 1962 The Bing Crosby Show for Clairol Mary Martin, André Previn
November 7, 1963 The Bing Crosby Show Caterina Valente, Buddy Ebsen, The Young Americans
1964-1970 The Hollywood Palace Various
February 15, 1964 The Bing Crosby Show for Lever Brothers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Kathryn Crosby, Peter Gennaro
September 13, 1964 ABC's Wide World of Entertainment Mickey Rooney, David Janssen, Jimmy Dean, Lawrence Welk
1964-1965 The Bing Crosby Show Beverly Garland, Frank McHugh and many guest stars
March 10, 1965 The Grand Award of Sports John Glenn, Kathryn Crosby
1967- 1976 The American Sportsman Phil Harris
March 14, 1967 A Little Bit of Irish Milo O'Shea, Kathryn Crosby
1968-1977 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am
October 23, 1968 The Bing Crosby Special Bob Hope, Diana Ross and The Supremes, José Feliciano, Stella Stevens, Dorothy Lamour
February 15, 1969 Feelin' Groovy at Marine World Anissa Jones, The Rascals, Kathryn Crosby
December 17, 1969 Bing & Carol - Together Again for the First Time Carol Burnett, Juliet Prowse, Roy Clark
March 31, 1970 Goldilocks Kathryn Crosby, Mary Crosby, Nathaniel Crosby, Paul Winchell, Avery Schreiber
April 13, 1970 Bing Crosby - Cooling It Dean Martin, Flip Wilson, Bernadette Peters
December 16, 1970 Bing Crosby's Christmas Show for the Bell System Family Theatre Melba Moore, Jack Wild, The Doodletown Pipers, The Crosby Family
January 19, 1971 Dr. Cook's Garden Frank Converse, Blythe Danner
December 14, 1971 Bing Crosby and the Sounds of Christmas Robert Goulet, Mary Costa, Mitchell Singing Boys, Kathryn Crosby and family
February 27, 1972 Bing Crosby and Friends Bob Hope, Pearl Bailey, Carol Burnett
December 10, 1972 Christmas with the Bing Crosbys Sally Struthers, David Hartman, Edward Villella, Kathryn Crosby and family
December 9, 1973 Bing Crosby's Sun Valley Christmas Show John Misha Petkevich, John Byner, Michael Landon, Connie Stevens, Kathryn Crosby and family
October 9, 1974 Bing Crosby and His Friends Bob Hope, Pearl Bailey, Sandy Duncan
December 15, 1974 Christmas with the Bing Crosbys Mac Davis, Karen Valentine, Kathryn Crosby and family
December 3, 1975 Merry Christmas Fred, from the Crosbys Fred Astaire, The Young Americans, Joe Bushkin, Kathryn Crosby and family
March 26, 1976 Bell Telephone Jubilee Liza Minnelli, Ben Vereen, Joel Grey, Marvin Hamlisch, Roy Clark, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé
December 1, 1976 Bing Crosby's White Christmas Jackie Gleason, Bernadette Peters, Kathryn Crosby and family
March 20, 1977 Bing - A 50th Anniversary Gala Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Pearl Bailey, Bette Midler, Mills Brothers, Paul Anka, Kathryn Crosby and family
August 27, 1977 Bing in Norway Harry Crosby
November 30, 1977 Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas Twiggy, Ron Moody, Stanley Baxter, David Bowie, Kathryn Crosby and family

Significant guest appearances

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Original airdate Title Other guests
December 19, 1948 Philco Playhouse - A Christmas Carol As an epilogue, Crosby sang Silent Night in a filmed insert with The Bob Mitchell Boys' Choir
June 21, 1952 Olympic Fund Telethon Dorothy Lamour, Frank Sinatra, Abbott and Costello, Burns and Allen, Martin and Lewis, Liberace, Paul Douglas, Ezio Pinza, Phil Harris, Edward G. Robinson
March 21, 1954 The Jack Benny Show George Burns, Bob Hope, Eddie ''Rochester'' Anderson
December 3, 1954 Person to Person Interviewed by Edward R. Murrow
November 11, 1956 The Ed Sullivan Show Phil Silvers, Marcel Marceau, Julie Andrews, Louis Armstrong and Kate Smith
January 22, 1957 The Phil Silvers Show - Sgt. Bilko Presents Bing Crosby
December 20, 1957 Happy Holidays with Bing & Frank Frank Sinatra show
March 2, 1958 The Bob Hope Show Anita Ekberg, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner
November 22, 1958 The Dean Martin Show for Timex Phil Harris, The Treniers
October 19, 1959 The Frank Sinatra Timex Show Dean Martin, Mitzi Gaynor, Jimmy Durante
March 16, 1960 Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall Genevieve, Peter Gennaro
August 26, 1961 A Big Night Out with Peggy Lee David Kossoff, Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn
April 3, 1962 Picture Parade Bob Hope
October 24, 1962 The Bob Hope Show Juliet Prowse, Lucille Ball
February 17, 1963 The Dinah Shore Show Al Hirt, Bud & Travis
December 13, 1963 The Bob Hope Comedy Hour Jack Benny, Danny Thomas, Juliet Prowse.
October 6, 1964 The Bell Telephone Hour Burl Ives, McGuire Sisters, Grant Johannesen
June 27, 1965 The Eamonn Andrews Show Spike Milligan, Cilla Black, Patrick Campbell, Harry H. Corbett
July 6, 1965 Late Night Line-Up Interviewed by Joan Bakewell
December 15, 1965 The Bob Hope Comedy Special Jack Benny, Nancy Wilson, Janet Leigh
January 6, 1966 Telescope Interviewed by Fletcher Markle
March 27, 1966 Timmy's Easter Parade of Stars (Canada) (aka The Easter Seal Show) Robbie Lane and the Disciples, Juliette, Kathryn Crosby
April 20, 1966 The Road to Lebanon (A Danny Thomas Special) Hugh Downs, Claudine Auger, Sheldon Leonard, Bob Hope.
May 1, 1966 The Magic of Broadcasting John Scott Trotter, Sheldon Leonard, Diane Sherry, Kerry McLane, Rod Serling, Arthur Godfrey, Lucille Ball
October 30, 1966 The Andy Williams Show The Young Americans, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Kate Smith
November 16, 1966 The Bob Hope Chrysler Comedy Special Bach-Yen
April 13, 1967 The Dean Martin Show Rowan & Martin, Don Cherry, Polly Bergen
October 9, 1967 The Danny Thomas Hour - ‘The Demon under the Bed' George Maharis, Joan Collins, Mary Frances Crosby
October 19, 1967 The Dean Martin Show The Golddiggers, Lena Horne, Dom DeLuise
October 25, 1967 The Joey Bishop Show Dorothy Lamour, Matt Monro, Regis Philbin, Kathryn Crosby
November 25, 1967 The Jackie Gleason Show Alan King, Liberace
February 12, 1968 The Bob Hope Variety Special Barbara Eden, Pearl Bailey
May 5, 1968 The Ed Sullivan Show - A Tribute to Irving Berlin The Fred Waring Glee Club, Robert Goulet, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Ethel Merman, Peter Gennaro, Bob Hope
February 17, 1969 Chrysler Presents The Bob Hope Special Lisa Miller, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Martha Raye, George Burns
October 4, 1969 The Jackie Gleason Show - The Honeymooners In Hollywood Art Carney
November 6, 1969 The Dean Martin Show Jack Gilford, Eva Gabor, Dom DeLuise
November 10, 1969 The Carol Burnett Show Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Ella Fitzgerald
February 16, 1970 The Bob Hope Chrysler Special Oleg Cassini, Johnny Carson, Johnny Cash, Raquel Welch, Ray Bolger
November 29, 1970 The John Wayne TV Special - Swing Out, Sweet Land Ann-Margret, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Dan Blocker, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, and many more
January 7, 1971 The Flip Wilson Show David Steinberg, The Supremes
January 23, 1971 The Pearl Bailey Show Andy Williams, Louis Armstrong
February 10, 1971 The David Frost Show Louis Armstrong
February 15, 1971 Chrysler Presents The Bob Hope Special Jerry Colonna, Teresa Graves, Jo Anne Worley, Petula Clark
March 18, 1971 Ver-r-r-ry Interesting Arte Johnson (host), Peter Marshall, Nancy Kulp, Joe Flynn, Elke Sommer, Billy De Wolfe
October 7, 1971 The Dean Martin Show Rip Taylor, Richard Castellano, Lou Jacobi, Kay Medford
November 29, 1971 Monsanto Presents Mancini Hoagy Carmichael, Michael Landon, Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ‘66
January 3, 1972 The Merv Griffin Show Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, David Butler
March 15, 1972 The Carol Burnett Show Paul Lynde, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner
March 16, 1972 The Flip Wilson Show Tim Conway, Melba Moore
December 23, 1972 The Parkinson Show
February 22, 1975 Grandstand
July 24, 1975 Top of the Pops
July 25, 1975 Today Thames TV, London program - interviewed by Llew Gardiner
July 25, 1975 The Merv Griffin Show Rich Little
August 30, 1975 Parkinson
September 4, 1975 The Mike Douglas Show Kathryn Crosby
September 14, 1975 Stars on Sunday
September 24, 1975 The Vera Lynn Show Trini Lopez
October 12, 1975 Stars on Sunday
October 15, 1975 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Don Rickles, Bob Hope, John Wayne
October 24, 1975 Texaco Presents - A Quarter Century Of Bob Hope On Television John Wayne, Frank Sinatra
October 28, 1975 The Mike Douglas Show - Kathryn and Bing at Home Kathryn Crosby
November 12, 1975 Dinah! Pat Boone, Phil Harris
November 16, 1975 Stars on Sunday
December 14, 1975 Stars on Sunday
January 27, 1976 International Pro-Celebrity Golf Tom Weiskopf, Peter Oosterhuis, Val Doonican
March 5, 1976 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Ray Bolger, Marvin Hamlisch, Burt Mustin
April 5, 1976 The Rich Little Show Bob Hope (cameo)
April 12, 1976 The Bob Hope Olympic Benefit Shirley Jones, Lynn Anderson, René Simard, Freddie Prinze
December 3, 1976 The Joe Franklin Show WOR-TV Arthur Tracy, Kathryn Crosby
December 3, 1976 Bing with Pat - A Look at a Legend Interviewed by Pat Collins
December 6, 1976 Today Interviewed by Gene Shalit
December 6, 1976 An Hour with Bing & Kathryn Crosby - AM New York Kathryn Crosby - Interviewed by Stanley Siegel
December 10, 1976 Good Morning America Kathryn Crosby
January 12, 1977 International Pro-Celebrity Golf Johnny Miller, Tony Jacklin, Peter Alliss, Sean Connery
May 31, 1977 Barbara Walters Special

References

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  1. ^ a b Pairpoint, Lionel. "The Chronological Bing Crosby on Television". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  2. ^ Crosby, Bing (1953). Call Me Lucky. New York: Da Capo Press. pp. 328-329. ISBN 0-306-80504-9.
  3. ^ Macfarlane, Malcolm. "Bing Crosby - Day by Day". BING magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  4. ^ British Hit Singles & Albums (18th ed.). Great Britain: Guinness World Records. 2005. p. 126. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.
  5. ^ "TV Banter". tvbanter.net. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
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