Today is the birthday of the one and only Bing Crosby. To celebrate today we will look at a selection of Bing performing some great songs in the movies.
Our first song is from Bing's film debut, a delightful movie that is just starting to get the attention it deserves recently, King of Jazz (1930). This movie is pretty much the movie equivalent of a TV variety show. There is no story, but instead just a bunch of musical numbers and comedy skits. The film would star the man who at that time was known as the King of Jazz, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. At this time Bing had not yet begun his solo career instead he was part of the vocal trio The Rhythm Boys. At this time the group was touring with Paul Whiteman so they ended up appearing in the picture. The following is a song from the movie that featured them. This is the extremely catchy Happy Feet written by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen. If this song doesn't make you want to dance nothing ever will. Now we have a delightful song from the often overlooked movie Double or Nothing (1937). This song, The Moon Got in My Eyes features Bing performing without any instruments but instead with a band of singers taking the place of the backing instruments. In the film they were called the sing band. This song was written by Johnny Burke and Arthur Johnson. A year before this film, Bing had recorded another song by these two, one of his most popular songs, Pennies From Heaven. Next comes Bing performing one of my favorite songs he recorded, Moonlight Becomes You. Johnny Burke served as one of the writers on this song as well. He cowrote it with James Van Heusen. The would also write together such major hits for Bing as Swinging on a Star, Sunday Monday or Always and Going My Way. This version of Moonlight Becomes You is from Road to Morocco, one of the series of fantastic "Road" movies Bing made with Bob Hope. Last is Bing Crosby performing the Cole Porter song, That's Jazz with Jazz legend Louis Armstrong in the movie, High Society (1956), a musical remake of the classic The Philadelphia Story (1940). I admit to preferring The Philadelphia Story but this is a great musical number.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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