''The Bing Crosby Show for Chesterfield'' was a 30-minute

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

variety

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

program starring entertainer

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

. The series ran on CBS Radio from 1949–1952. The series was sponsored by Chesterfield cigarettes and was usually recorded in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Notable guest stars and appearances on the series included

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific (musica ...

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo ...

, The Bell Sisters and The John Scott Trotter Orchestra.

Show origins

Singer and entertainer

had finished a three-year engagement with

Philco Philco (an acronym for Philadelphia Battery Company) is an American electronics industry, electronics manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia. Philco was a pioneer in battery, radio, and television production. In 1961, the company was purchase ...

and ABC on '' Philco Radio Time'' which had ended in June 1949. Crosby then returned to CBS where Chesterfield cigarettes picked up the sponsorship tab for his show. The show was named ''The Bing Crosby Show for Chesterfield'' and premiered on September 21, 1949.

Overview

Following his three-year stint with

which had concluded in the previous June, Bing Crosby's first programme with his new sponsors was broadcast on the 21st September 1949. The decade which was drawing to a close had consolidated Crosby's position as the world's most popular singer and in comparison to periods of a similar duration, was his most productive in terms of feature films, records, radio time and personal appearances. Only in retrospect can the massive transformation that overtook the entertainment business, in the Fifties, be appreciated. The ailing cinema still believed it could find its salvation in gimmicks and dabbled with wide screens, stereophonic sound and 3D. In 1954, the advent of rock and roll was to provide the most astonishing and far-reaching changes that had ever taken place in the field of popular music. Radio was running out of sponsors and the “smart” money was backing television. The public infatuation with the medium became absolute and advertisers were swift to recognise the obvious advantage to be gained from visual presentation of their products.

Liggett & Myers Liggett Group ( ), now JTI Ligget, formerly known as Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, is the fourth largest tobacco company in the United States. As of 2014, Liggett Group was the fourth largest American tobacco company by gross revenue, though ...

, manufacturers of Chesterfield cigarettes, were no exception, keeping a foot firmly placed in both camps. In addition to Bing Crosby, they had also acquired the services of

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

and

Arthur Godfrey Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer. At the peak of his success, in the early to mid-1950s, Godfrey was heard on radio and seen on television up to six days ...

and were later to add, if only briefly,

and

Martin & Lewis Martin and Lewis were an American comedy duo, comprising singer Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. They met in 1944 and debuted at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 25, 1946; the team lasted ten years to the day. Before they teamed up, Martin ...

Season one

With Chesterfield cigarettes on board as Crosby's new sponsor after his stint with Philco on ABC Radio's '' Philco Radio Time'', Bing returned to his original home on radio, CBS. The network premiered ''The Bing Crosby Show for Chesterfield'' on Wednesday September 21, 1949 at 9:30 pm (Eastern) which was the time slot that series would remain in for its entire three-year run. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' liked the opening show. "Bing’s back and all’s right with the airwaves. Sparked by the crooner’s mellow mike manners and a showmanly assist from guest stars

and Abe Burrows, the preem show sailed along effortlessly in the warm, relaxed groove so characteristic of the groaner." During the season the audience share was 18.0 which put the singer in ninth place overall for evening programmes. The top position was held by the Jack Benny show with a rating of 25.3. The ratings were now being collected by the AC Nielsen company which used the audiometer, a mechanical black box inserted into a radio set to record stations being listened. In March 1950, a survey came out with "the greatest radio personalities during the last 25 years". The survey named Crosby the number 2 personality behind

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

. Entertainer Bob Hope and comedic duo

Amos 'n' Andy ''Amos 'n' Andy'' was an American radio sitcom about black characters, initially set in Chicago then later in the Harlem section of New York City. While the show had a brief life on 1950s television with black actors, the 1928 to 1960 radio sho ...

were tied for the number 3 spot.

Season two

This season of the program was known for its list of guest stars, including Bob Hope, Dorothy Kirsten,

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American Folk music, folk singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his o ...

, Dick Powell,

, Hopalong Cassidy,

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, television personality, and the chart-topping female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during the ...

and

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

. The December 20, 1950 broadcast of the program featured Crosby's then wife Dixie Lee and their four boys Gary,

Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is some ...

, Phillip and Lindsay. '' Variety'' summed up the opening show on October 11, 1950 saying, "If Crosby can keep banging it in, in the weeks to come as he did on the tee-off, it’s going to take some doing by the others to keep him out of the first ten." However the audience share for the season was only 10.0 and the show did not figure in the top 20 ratings as assessed by Nielsen. The top radio show for the season was the ''

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a old-time radio, classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of A ...

'' with a rating of only 21.0 reflecting the increasing impact of television. The second season of the program was also noted for resurrecting the career of actress

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

. Judy's drug addiction and unreliability had led

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

to release her from her contract there in September 1950. Depressed and broke, and having recently attempted suicide, Judy was invited to become a semi-regular on the program, appearing eight times during the season, until she secured a concert engagement at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

in April 1951.

"Bing's Month"

CBS and

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

declared the month of January 1951 "Bing's Month" in honor of Crosby's 20th year as a solo artist in show business. Art Linkletter hosted a half-hour tribute to Crosby over CBS radio on January 9. On January 7, the

Liberty Broadcasting System The Liberty Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Liberty; sometimes referred to as LBS, Liberty Radio or the Liberty Radio Network) was a U.S. radio network of the late 1940s and early 1950s founded by Gordon McLendon, which main ...

from its

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

affiliate KMPC broadcast an hour-long tribute to Crosby hosted by Ross Mulholland and featuring interviews with

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American Jazz bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 193 ...

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombone, trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-to ...

, Russ Morgan,

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007). was an American actress. A star of both movies and television, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress, four Golden Globe Awards and nominations for two Pr ...

, The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Burke,

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

, Victor Young,

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

and others.

Season three

The opening show was on October 3, 1951 and ''Variety'' welcomed it with "Bing Crosby is probably one of the most affable performers in radio. Year in and year out, he’s held a commanding position on the air by virtue of warm, easy verbiage and a song style that’s made him the number one pop-singer. His return to the airways after a summer hiatus indicates that Crosby will maintain his audiences." Unfortunately, ''Variety'' was wrong and this season of the program would prove to be the last as Chesterfield decided to drop the show. Radio audiences were falling because of the impact of television and Chesterfield cigarettes decided to use their advertising budget on the new medium. The show did not reach the top 20 Nielsen ratings and the most highly rated radio show for the season was the '' Amos ‘n’ Andy'' program with 17.0. The series ended on June 25, 1952. Sponsorship for Crosby moved from Chesterfield to

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

and in the fall of 1952, '' The Bing Crosby Show for General Electric'' premiered.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bing Crosby - Chesterfield Show, The American variety radio programs American jazz radio programs 1949 radio programme debuts 1952 radio programme endings Bing Crosby