wacky tacky Icons: Boo-Boo-Boo-Bing Crosby

As part of a recent blog award, I was asked with what am I currently obsessed.  I'm so scattered and excessive in my obsessions, I never figured that I could only be obsessed with just one thing.  My life is lived in a veritable "hyperbolic chamber" and I love and am obsessed with everything!   One particular obsession never occurred to me until I was going through the thousands of pictures stored on my computer; a suspiciously-recurring theme amongst the photographs made me realize that I was stalking a dead man.

Bing Crosby
May 3, 1903 - October 14, 1977
(Source)

I don't have all of his records.  I haven't seen all of his films.  I don't "collect" Bing Crosby lobby cards or posters.  Neither have I read nor seen a biography on this master of melody .  Yet somehow, subconsciously I have found myself slightly obsessed with Der Bingle.  As a singer myself, I know that it all started with the music.

"San Fernando Valley"
One of my favorite selections from my collection of sheet music.

"San Fernando Valley" - Bing Crosby

Sorry SFV residents, I LOVE the song much more than the actual valley...

I'm sure my first exposure to Crosby was as the narrator to the "Sleepy Hollow" segment of Walt Disney's The Adventures of Icahbod and Mr. Toad, which I have shared on more than one occasion on this blog.  If not Ichabod, then it was easily through the holiday classic, White Christmas.  Bing has an undeniable charm and charisma in his ability to put a song over.  He can be bluesy, swinging, or refined.  Not only is his voice incredible, but his style is unique and his tone is mellow and welcoming.  I guess that is why I like him well enough to break into Blue Skies Trailer Village, the Rancho Mirage trailer park he founded in 1955 (along with some other Hollywood notables).

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, er...Mary showing the lawn jockey
who's boss on Bing Crosby Rd in Blue Skies Trailer Village.

The gate at Blue Skies Village
That's Der Bingle's silhouette!

"Blue Skies" - Bing Crosby

Now, truthfully, there really isn't anything particularly wacky or tacky about old Bing, the exceptions being the "Road" films with Bob Hope and some less-than-flattering reports about his parenting skills.  However, I figure that if I, the self-appointed arbiter of wacky tacky, deem him worthy of obsession and icon status, then indeed he is.  So worthy, in fact, that it was of the utmost importance to find his grave.

An unassuming marker for the grave of one of the most popular recording artists of the 20th Century

Some people leave flowers.  Some people leave notes.  Some people leave coins.
I was tempted to leave a sack of oranges - irreverent.

Another awkward photo of Mr. Tiny
Having not a shred of dignity or shame is a virtue, right?
Mary was convinced that I needed to be in a photo.
The fact that the grave is on a slope offers no measure of
 redemption to the "I'm a school girl with a crush" pose.

"You're Getting to be a Habit with Me" - Bing Crosby

It is nice to have the opportunity to visit a star where he rests but it is even better to have the opportunity to see where he lived.  As we bummed around the very same San Fernando Valley about which Mr. Crosby so wonderfully sang, I decided that we needed to find his house.

Bing Crosby's house as it appeared in the 30's
(Source)

The Crosby Estate as it appears in 2012.  Not really worse for 80 years of wear, but I doubt
Old Man Crosby would've kept so many cars and dumpsters in the front yard.

Sorry, I was basically standing in the middle of the street while the car was running and,
never having participated on MySpace, I never mastered the self portrait.

I think I could be happy living there with a few changes.
  I'll take the green roof /shutters and car from the postcard view.

"Changes" - Bing Crosby

Obviously, there are far bigger and more devout fans than I, but when I am forced to confront my idolatry, I must admit that I really am a huge fan of Bing Crosby.  Vocalists who are gifted in the storytelling aspect of singing are my favorite; whether it was a tender lullaby about counting your blessings or a western tune about a range-riding cowboy not wanting to be fenced in, Bing was a consummate storyteller.

 

"Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" - Bing Crosby

"Don't Fence Me In" - Bing Crosby with Patty, LaVerne, and Maxene, The Andrews Sisters

Any cowboy tune (even one penned by Cole Porter) couldn't exhibit the entire story behind my regard for Bing.  I honestly get a sense of peace and a lot of joy out of old Crosby's crooning - especially at this time of year.  For me, Bing Crosby is the sound of the holiday season.  Christmas wouldn't be Christmas at our house without his holiday album on repeat.  

"Mele Kalikimaka" - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters

"Jingle Bells" - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters

"The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" Bing Crosby & David Bowie

"White Christmas" - Bing Crosby

I hope that wherever you are, and however you celebrate, you are bolstered by the love of family and friends and good, old-timey music!

Blue Skies Trailer Village
70260 Hwy 111
Rancho Mirage, CA

Bing Crosby's Grave
Holy Cross Mortuary
5835 W Slauson Ave
Culver City, CA

Bing Crosby Estate
10500 Camarillo St
Toluca Lake, CA


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Collecting: I Don't Give a Sheet!

Collections can be carefully curated or amassed with wild abandon.  Collections can be born out of the discovery of a single item or thrust upon one in one fell swoop.  My collection of vintage sheet music is an unholy combination of both.  Music has always played an integral part of our not so well-to-do family.  Thusly, sheet music and a love for music has been the rich inheritance passed down through generations.  Being the natural pack-rat that I am, I took the initial inherited library and have added to it over time based on the beautiful images that adorn the covers.  Naturally, it has begun to spiral out of control and for someone who, beyond hammering away at a child's color-coded xylophone or picking out "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on the piano, couldn't play a musical instrument to save his life, the idea of a shelf full of sheet music is rather ridiculous.  I was told by a wise friend that, "the greatest collectors are the best editors."  So, my new goal is to try and collect better by collecting less.  Okay, so maybe I'll just try to try....

The only redeeming quality about a sheet music collection is the relative ease with which it can be stored.  It requires no special shelving.  It takes up very little space.  It can actually be quite useful (like I said, it's like one never-ending sing along around these parts and my siblings can all play "real" instruments).  Here are some pieces from the collection that are particularly attractive, interesting, or musically inspiring.

COWBOY SONGS

I don't know if I could love the cover of "Cowboy Songs" any more than I do right now.  It is an anthology of ridin' and ropin' songs with 1936 cover art that makes my heart sing.

"Wah! Hoo!" - Ray Whitley (1936)

I couldn't find the Fred Waring recording but this one needed to be heard.

I LOVE cowboy music!!!

DORIS DAY

"It's Magic" - Romance on the High Seas (1948)

It just doesn't get better than Doris.

TINY HILL

Mr. Tiny would love to find more music with Tiny Hill on the cover

BING CROSBY

"San Fernando Valley"

One of my favorite "Der Bingle" tunes

BROADWAY & MOVIE MUSICALS

"That's for Me" - State Fair (1945)

One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite movies.

Could Vivian Blaine get any more beautiful?

"Tip Toe Through the Tulips" - The Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929)

And I'll bet you thought Tiny Tm wrote that one...

"Sonny Boy" - The Singing Fool (1928)

"Rosalie" - Rosalie (1937)

LYRIC BOOKS

I love these lyric books because even if one didn't play an instrument, 

they made it possible to sing along with records or the radio.

POPULAR TUNES

"Accent on Youth" - Duke Ellington (1935) 

"The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" - Shep Fields (1937)

It's not Guy Lombardo, but it is a pretty great recording.

"Near You" - Francis Craig & His Orchestra (1948)

"It's Been a Long, Long Time" - Stan Kenton w/ June Christy

This has always been my grandparents' song.

PATRIOTIC

These two (WWI era) are especially interesting because I always tend to think that past generations 

were inherently more patriotic and dutiful than today.  Placed side by side, it is clear that war is 

always a hardship and not everyone was joyful or proud to see their child become a casualty 

of war.

"Bell Bottom Trousers" - Kay Kyser (1942)

The real reason I collect sheet music is because I can't help myself.  The colors, graphics, accessibility, and generally low price tag have me on the hunt for more and more.  I love that almost every single piece is inscribed with the name of the original owner.  Although, I kind of wonder why.  Did sheet music get so blotto at parties that it wandered off to strange homes?  Did it get loaned out so often that the borrowers forgot from whom it was lent?  Why did it require that handwritten ID bracelet?  Whatever the reason, it is just another one of my silly collecting passions.  Again, it does have a useful side - especially if you are a musician.  If you are not, it is wonderful for use in decorating too.  In the home of a staunch recreationist, what lends a more period character than colorful, musical ephemera?  In a modern setting, what provides more charm and interest than the beautifully-printed images of sheet music?  Please keep an eye out for me for Tiny Hill!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny