Well, years later it is finally here and Giddins has captivated my reading attention again. This time the book focuses on 1940 until 1946.
I soon turn 55 and lament the boring world of entertainment we live in, from the here today gone tomorrow celebrities to the rap music I have to listen to being blasted from cars next to me at the stop light. Little do the people around me know that in MY car I am probably listening to an old Kraft Music Hall broadcast with Bing or another one of my singing favorites.
These days people my age and younger MIGHT know Crosby for his Christmas music which seems to pop up annually, even if it's just White Christmas.
Hopefully there are still enough people out there who know who Bing Crosby was or are interested in knowing who he was. Gary Giddins deserves kudos (and money income) from this book!
This book is fascinating because it not only portrays Bing through the war years but weaves a portrait of some of the people who were part of his life and times. It is captivating reading about how Bing interacted with some of his fans including a couple of sisters who followed him around innocently. Some of the songwriters and film folk who were in his circle include Jimmy Van Heusen and Leo McCarey. Those people probably aren't household names anymore but even so the way they wove their craft and their intricate personalities come through in the commentary. I loved it. Most all of the stars of the time are mentioned including Bob Hope and Ingrid Bergman. Name dropping always impresses me. The book isn't just about Bing but the people and events that made up the years from 1940-1946. Sometimes a history lesson, sometimes entertainment show biz lore, sometimes facts and figures.
Bing Crosby seemed to get a bad rap after he died. His son wrote a scathing book and I remember another bio called "The Hollow Man."
Bing was definitely complex. This book presents him in all of his various traits and I have to say it is quite positive. I didn't know Bing was so involved in entertaining the troops during WWII... just as much as Bob Hope who seemed to make a life career out of letting everyone know it. Bing also valued his fans and corresponded with many of them, often for years. His "icy" side could also come through, which makes the book all the more an interesting read. He definitely was not a one dimensional man. His wife was an alcoholic long before anyone knew what to do with that. Bing coped by staying away and making movies.
The book also features some excerpts from letters Bing wrote during those years and they are often self effacing and fun. I have always loved the Crosby vocabulary. He certainly knew how to use the English language and even invented words of his own.
Thanks Gary Giddins for transporting me to a time where I fit in. I wasn't even alive then but the names and music are all very relevant to me. It was great fun to whirl through the book and captivate myself in the people and storyline. Don't know if Giddins is planning another volume. I hope so but if it's like the time between the first and this one, I'll have lots of time to savor this new edition for years to come.
