BING CROSBY
(Broadcast: October 16, 1946 – December 28, 1956)

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A versatile performer, Bing Crosby was able to bridge the gap between a variety of commercial media finding a well-established place in film, radio and television. Crosby's career in radio coincided with his emergence in film during the early 1930s, a path that would lead him to success in both mediums by the middle of the decade.

Crosby's early work in radio found him performing with the Gus Arnheim Orchestra in Los Angeles, emerging as an exclusive singular personality with his self-titled, Fifteen Minutes with Bing Crosby by 1932 on CBS and playing host for the popular variety show, The Kraft Music Hall on NBC during 1935. It was with the Kraft Music Hall that Crosby and his creative staff developed a successful show format that Crosby would continue to use throughout his career on radio. Balancing guest interviews, musical performances and segments featuring interaction with a house band, the program style popularized by Crosby can now be seen on almost all of the major television networks late-night talk show circuits, a testament to its success with both network business economies and audiences.

Crosby would stay with NBC on the Kraft Music Hall until 1946, when a dispute with network managers and the program's sponsor, Kraft, prompted him to leave the network and partner with ABC to produce the pre-recorded Philco Radio Time, a variety show featuring guest interviews, under the banner of The Bing Crosby Show. The move to pre-recorded production was significant for Crosby, as it allowed him to schedule his radio appearances at his convenience and exposed the show to a national audience linked by the ABC network chain.

Following the rise of television, Crosby would appear in a range of projects produced for the medium, including numerous variety specials, a popular Christmas series and a sitcom.