Monday, July 24, 2017

What Might've Been: The Bing Crosby Show (1964)

As a television producer, Bing Crosby had some success in the 60's, largely with two hit series--the medical drama, Ben Casey, and the WWII sitcom, Hogan's Heroes. In between, Crosby tried to give it a go in a sitcom of his own, which was posited by ABC as a lead-in to Ben Casey on Monday nights in 1964.

In The Bing Crosby Show, Crosby played Bing Collins, singer-turned-electrical engineer, husband, and father to two precocious daughters. He did manage to slip in a number or two, not including the theme song, each week, but it seemed viewers were more interested in what Andy Williams was doing on NBC at the time, which is why Crosby folded his tent after 1 season.

Edit, 9/16/21: Have to change the video. From November 1964, here's "The Liberated Woman":



Crosby didn't try to cast himself in another series after this. Instead, he opted for the periodic variety specials that culminated with his famous 1977 show with David Bowie, broadcast after Crosby's passing.

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