Film Albums: That Travelin' Two-Beat (1965)

Bing Crosby was always the hippest cat in the music industry and when it came to toe-tapping rhythms, he really knew how to swing it. Dixieland music was a particular favorite of his, so he decided to team up with his gal pal Rosemary Clooney and band leader Billy May to create a Dixieland album in 1965. They went to Bing's old friends, songwriters Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, to help them create some new tunes and Jay came up with the idea of making it a world tour of Dixieland music. He penned the new and catchy tune "That Travelin' Two-Beat" as well as rewriting some of the lyrics to old favorites like "The Poor People of Paris", "Ciao, Ciao, Bambina", and "Knees Up, Mother Brown"... all of which were "swung" way out in jive land by Billy May. It's a rollicking good album! Rosemary Clooney and Der Bingle were a great team and you can tell by the playful sound of their voices that they had a great time putting this album together -- check it out yourself and see if it doesn't put a smile on your face.

Listen to the full album here on YouTube.

Track List

Side One:

That Travelin' Two-Beat

New Vienna Woods

Knees Up, Mother Brown

Roamin' in the Gloamin'

Adios Senorita

Come to the Mardi Gras

Side Two:

Hear That Band

The Daughter of Molly Malone

The Poor People of Paris

I Get Ideas

Ciao, Ciao, Bambina

That Travelin' Two-Beat (Reprise)

Top Picks: That Travelin' Two-Beat, Roamin' in the Gloamin', The Daughter of Molly Malone, I Get Ideas

Road to Utopia ( 1945 )

Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are on the road once again in the 1945 comedy classic Road to Utopia, this time heading out to Alaska during the Klondike gold rush at the turn of the century. Hope and Crosby play a couple of down-in-their-luck vaudevillians named Chester and Duke who find a map to a gold mine, a map initially stolen by Sperry and McGurk, two murderous thugs who are hot on the twosome's trail to retrieve the map. En route to Alaska, Chester and Duke lose their money and stow away on a steamer. After they are caught, they assume the identities of Sperry and McGurk in order to disembark unobserved. This is when the film really gets fun watching the cowardly Chester and mild-mannered Duke swagger and snarl as they masquerade as tough guys. 

"I'll have a lemonade," Chester barks at the bartender and then, realizing he was supposed to be Sperry, adds with a growl "....in a dirty glass!"

Also on the trail of the map to the gold mine is the curvaceous Sal (Dorothy Lamour), whose father was murdered for the map. Ace Larson (Douglas Dumbrille) and his gal Kate (Hillary Brooke) claim they will help her retrieve it but they too are after it for themselves.  We never do get to see this elusive gold mine but the fun of the chase for the map makes up the best parts of the picture.

Road to Utopia was the fourth film in the Road Pictures series and it ranks as one of their most hilarious. Crosby and Hope are clearly having a ball and their verbal sparring is furious and fun. Their dialogue is delivered so off the cuff that one wonders how much of it was written in the script and how much was impromptu. The words that were written on paper earned screenwriters Melvin Frank and Norman Panama an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. 

"Am I dead?" - Chester

"I can't tell, you always look that way." - Duke

Like many of the Road pictures, the "fourth wall" is often broken with Bob Hope making sly glances and remarks to the audience. This one also features humorous breaks from Robert Benchley who comments on the silliness of the script. 

Silliness it indeed is, but this is what makes the film so amusing. Hope and Crosby deliver their lines and then add some personal comments and a little playful bickering before going back to playing their parts. Plus, der Bingel takes time to sing a few songs including the memorable "Welcome to My Dreams". Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen penned the songs for the film and Dorothy Lamour's sizzling rendition of "Personality" hit #1 on the music charts that year. 

Hope and Crosby would return to the sweltering climates of the other Road pictures in Road to Rio (1947) but for wintertime fun you can't beat this Alaskan outing with the twosome. The film is available on DVD ( in multiple editions ) and via streaming. 

Check it Out! Mary Costa Performs The Ukrainian Carol

We have a special treat to share with you today: Mary Costa performing The Ukrainian Carol ( set to words ) on Bing Crosby's The Sounds of Christmas television special filmed in 1970. The lovely opera singer is best known for providing the voice of Aurora in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty ( 1959 ), but she had a long career on stage performing operas all over the world, including La Traviata and Candide. 

We were unable to find a clip of this beautiful performance so instead, this links to the entire The Sounds of Christmas special. Mary Costa performs at the 18:20 minute mark ( it should begin right away if you are watching via this link )....and be sure to check out Robert Goulet's fantastic version of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" while you are it. That begins at the 5:50 minute mark. 

Enjoy! 

Fred Astaire and his Long Lost Hair

A bald Fred in 1944

Fred Astaire has always been more famous for his fancy feet than for his hair, but if one was to take a closer examination of his hair style one would notice that it was quite unique. So unique that even as a Rankin/Bass puppet ( in The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town ) he was recognizable. Not too many Hollywood actors could boast such a large forehead as Fred. 

But what many do not know is that some of that hair was attached. Like other actors such as Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, and John Wayne, poor Fred had a receding hairline....even at an early age he was showing signs of baldness. His toupee stylist did a marvelous job of creating a piece that not only looked natural but appeared to be thinning itself. And what's most impressive is it stayed on while Fred waltzed with Ginger, jumped up on tables, and tapped his way around rooms, even up walls! 

Like most men of his generation, Fred never went out of doors without a hat and always wore his pieces on stage and for public performances. But he was happy to be rid of them when the public eye was not on him. After filming wrapped for Blue Skies, what Fred thought was his final film, he was said to have tore off his hairpiece and stomped on it in glee! Alas, his film career did not come to an end in 1946 and Fred continued to appear in films and television up until the mid-1980s, always sporting his "top hat", that famous hair-piece. 

Astaire, with and without his hair

This post is a part of our latest series entitled "Did You Know?".....sometimes we just feel like sharing interesting fragments of television and movie history and now we have a place to do just that. If you have a hot tip that you would like us to share on Silver Scenes, drop us a line!

Let's Ring in the New Year!

Happy New Year to all of our readers! 

It's time to ring in 2017! A brand spanking new year of exploring obscure classic films, delving into Hollywood's past, and discovering the wonders of British entertainment as well. Are you ready for 2017? We certainly are!

Here's a toast to you, our faithful audience, wishing you the merriest and most blessed new year! 

Bing Crosby's Wild and Carefree Days

For our latest addition to the Movie Magazine Article Collection, we have unearthed this very entertaining article from a great issue...the December 1935 edition of Modern Screen magazine. In addition to this juicy write-up, other articles in this issue included "Women with Careers Should Be Shot!" Says Bette Davis; Mary Carlisle's Tips on Catching a Beau; The True Story Behind Loretta Young's Illness; and a contest from Ruby Keeler ( one of the prizes is a Buffeteer Toaster Service Set...hot diggity! ). We've included some of the ads in this post, just to spice it up a bit. 

Obviously Ms.Walker disapproves of Der Bingle's flippant attitude in life, although we wonder how much of this is really true. This article paints a different picture than the ones told about Crosby in his later years and his children's strict upbringing.

To read the article in its full context click here, otherwise read on dear reader, read on. 

Success a la Crosby

By Helen Louise Walker

Most successful actors have had some definite ambition, some goal, some plan of life. Circumstances or their own limitations may have frustrated them, altering their courses sometimes, but they have known, if not where they were going, at least where they wanted to go. But Bing Crosby's career seems to have just happened to him, like measles. He has broken every copy book maxim for success and neither his growing maturity nor professional eminence seem to have improved him one bit. He is, if anything, growing worse! 

You doubtless know the story of how, at an early age, he set out from Spokane for Los Angeles to try to get a job pounding his beloved drum . . . and how he ran out of money before he arrived and had to sell the drum. So there he was, broke and drum-less. But a job caught up with him anyhow . . . and that's the way things have always gone for Bing. 

As for his present business and professional methods ... well, he recently sold his Toluca Lake place to Al Jolson as a home for Ruby Keeler's mother. He promised to vacate the property by the first of October. But he didn't because, he averred, he couldn't find another house big enough to accommodate two careers, three young sons, a brace of nurses and the sizable staff of servants he maintains. 

At this writing the Crosby family is, to all intents and purposes, homeless. They are living in Ruby Keeler's mother's house and, I must say, Mrs. Keeler is being pretty nice about it. But what if she should decide to turn them out into the California climate at this point? The evenings have been right chilly. . . . And what does Bing mean he can't find a house which is "large enough" when I have heard a dozen film luminaries wailing lately that they couldn't find buyers for their dwellings because those dwellings were too spacious? I know where there is a very pretty hotel for sale, too. 

One doesn't know whether to cry, "Oh come now, Bing! Be your age!" or to hope that, for his own sake, he will keep on being the irresponsible playboy until he is eighty. Maybe it's partly that quality in him which makes you and you and you . . . and me ... enjoy him so much on the screen. There is something attractive, to all of us plodding folk, about the fellow who breaks all the sober rules and still comes out on top. 

Years ago he obtained a release from his contract with Paul Whiteman because of a sudden whim to remain in Los Angeles when the Whiteman orchestra was going east. He refused several promising radio offers for the same reason. Then suddenly he became panicky, thought he was getting nowhere and couldn't imagine why. In his frantic search for advice, he signed with numbers of shrewd gentlemen, who volunteered to manage him for a percentage of his potential salary. When he decided, at last, to accept the radio offer which was to bring him sudden fame and fortune, he found himself thirty-five thousand dollars in debt for advice which he had not taken. 

His own account of that episode is characteristic. "My brother, Everett, took charge of me then and the first thing he did was to pay off the thirty-five thousand dollars. With this off my mind, I decided to go fishing. I forgot to tell anybody about that." 

One wonders whether Brother Ev was able to dismiss that transaction so lightly from his mind, since it was his thirty-five thousand dollars which had gone to pay for the unused advice. Three days later Bing walked into Brother Ev's office to find that worthy fit to be tied. He had accepted a pretty spectacular offer for Bing from an Eastern broadcasting company . . . and then he hadn't been able to find Bing! 

Brother Ev must have his troubles, even today. Bing dislikes to go to the studio unless he is actually working on a picture and one gathers that he goes rather grudgingly even then. One of the executives of his studio wished to see him on important business and Bing, notified of this fact, sent the executive an invitation to play golf. The "conference" resulted in a pleasant golf game but an unsatisfactory (to the busy executive) interview which sent that gentleman back to his office in something of a pet. (An executive in a pet is really something to contemplate. I saw one once and I've been a little jumpy ever since.) But Bing won whatever point he was trying to make, so there you are.

He won his initial success playing traps with an orchestra, his later success singing and his latest, combining singing with acting. Every rising actor I have talked to in the past two years has expounded to me about how one must work hard, study, strive, struggle, learn and grow . . . lots of things like that. It all sounds so grim. But Bing, who is one of the most highly paid singers in the country, never had a voice lesson in his life and can't read a note of music. He scarcely knows the names of the instruments which accompany him. 

Having proved to his employers' satisfaction and that of the public that he can act passably well, he doesn't mind telling you that he never had an elocution lesson in his life, never read a: volume of Shakespeare and has seen very few plays. He doesn't waste time studying in his spare moments. He plays golf, goes fishing or fusses 'round his racing stables. 

Other actors diet, exercise, and equip elaborate gymnasiums to keep their figures fit, their tummies under control. Steam baths, massage, tossing heavy balls about . . . all an uncomfortable and strenuous part of pursuing their careers. 

A year or so ago Bing began to take on weight in a really alarming fashion. His employers were agitated. His brothers were agitated. Critics raised concerted eyebrows and opined that here, unless something pretty drastic was done about it at once, was the beginning of the end of the Crosby career. Whereupon the imperturbable Bing, declining to take any steps at all about this growing front of his, strolled to the studio, excess weight and all, and made his most successful picture to date, Mississippi. There is no use in anyone's getting into a lather over a guy like that!

Years ago, doctors told him that he had a growth in his throat which should certainly be removed at once. Bing didn't like the idea of having any snipping done about his tonsils and declined firmly to permit anything of the sort. Now, eminent specialists tell him that it is that very same little growth which has given him his special and individual style of singing. His chief capital! 

No wonder he indulges his whims and behaves like a spoiled child upon occasion. Recently he had Mae West's pet cameraman, Carl Struss, on his picture, Two for Tonight. The company was a bit behind schedule and had not finished when it came time for Mae to start her new opus, Klondike Lou. Mae wanted her cameraman. Bing, apparently, decided that he liked to be "photographed pretty" too, so he declined to relinquish Mr. Struss. There was considerable tartness apparent on the Paramount lot while production on Mae's picture was delayed until she, at last, consented to content herself with George Clemens, Mr. Struss' assistant. Meanwhile Mae lost her leading man. Owing to the delay in starting, we understand, it was necessary to recall Victor McLaglen to the Fox lot to prepare for Professional Soldier. Bing, of course, was completely within his rights . . . but, dear me! We do expect him to be a handsome so-and-so in the forthcoming picture! 

Recently he notified the studio that he would like to be free of all picture assignments while the horse races are in progress at the Santa Anita track. If any assignments come up, however, one imagines that Brother Ev will take steps about that! 

When he planned the house at Toluca Lake, he called an architect. "What type of house do you want, Mr. Crosby?" he was asked. 

"Oh, I don't know. Just a house, comfortable and big enough for my family." 
 "No choice of period or style, or expense?" gasped the architect. 
 "My brother will tell you how much I can spend on it and I'll leave the rest to you." 

The architect had never encountered so delightful a client before, nor had the interior decorator, who followed him and received a similar carte blanche order. The results, one must say, did credit to both architect and decorator, and Bing, in his easy way, has enjoyed the whole thing very much. It's really a pleasant way to live, when you think of it! 

He has consistently broken Hollywood's most inviolable copy book maxim, which says that, in order to succeed, you must cultivate important people who may advance you by their favor. Bing does little entertaining. He has a few cronies with whom he likes to play cards, frolic or sing. None of them is likely to "advance" him. He will NOT make public appearances at which he must wear evening clothes, be gaped at or sign autographs. Despite his long experience as a public figure, he is really inherently shy. He used to have to do those things to earn his living. He doesn't have to any more . . . so he goes fishing. 

He sulks and becomes downright pettish if anyone or anything interferes with his whims or his convenience. He was arrested a day or two ago for driving forty-two miles an hour in a twenty mile zone on a Hollywood thoroughfare. The arresting officer found a revolver in his car and Bing had left his gun permit at home. So the cop trundled him off to the station to explain these matters. 

"It's a pity," Bing complained afterward, "a downright pity that I can't just drive down the street without some officer picking on me!" 

Well, there you are. You and I drive our careful twenty miles an hour, smile prettily at the big shots, eat our spinach, remember that haste makes waste and that the only way to succeed at your job is to work, study, struggle and strive. And where do we get? And where is Bing? 

I was a little impatient with Bing when I began to write this piece . . . but now, I dunno. I think I'll sleep until noon tomorrow, thumb my nose at the first cop I see and maybe at the first important producer. Maybe even at Will Hays  I'll let you know what happens ... if I live through it!

Movie Magazine Articles, our newest series, will feature articles like these reprinted for our reader's entertainment. Links to the original sources are available within the body of the text. In the future, simply search "Movie Magazine Articles" to find more posts in this series or click on the tag below.Enjoy! 

Farewell to the Alma Mater!

Hat's off to the graduating class of 2014 whoever you may be! Early June is approaching and that means it's graduation time......throw off those mortarboards and give a hip-hooray and a high-ho farewell to the college that you will never see again.

For those who'd like to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane, or perhaps have a chance to fantasize about the college experience they never had, we present you with a selection of some of our favorite college-themed films. They may not be the cream of the crop, but they certainly do embody the All-American college spirit. So tuck away your cap and gown with mothballs, hock your textbooks, and start taking notes....


The Freshman ( 1925 ) 

An awkward college student becomes the hero of the day when he helps his campus' football team win a championship pennant. Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Brooks Benedict. 

College Rhythm ( 1934 )

A college football team fights to help win money so an old department store can modernize itself. This zippy yarn features memorable tunes like, "Goo-Goo" and "Take a Number from One to Ten". Jack Oakie, Joe Penner, Marie Brian, Helen Mack. 

Dancing Co-Ed ( 1938 ) 

When the female half of a famous Hollywood dance team takes time off to have a baby, their manager plants a dance pro at a college and then announces a nationwide college dance tournament to find a new "star". Lana Turner, Richard Carlson, Ann Rutherford, Lee Bowman, Artie Shaw. 

A Yank At Oxford ( 1938 ) 

A Yank invades the ol' campus across the pond but finds he has a large chip on his shoulder which his classmates help to knock off just in time for him to help Oxford win the famous team regatta. Robert Taylor, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh, Edmund Gwenn.

Blondie Goes to College ( 1942 ) 

Dagwood decides to go to college and Blondie takes along to keep him out of trouble. Whilst there, the Bumsteads attract suitors for each other and get into a heap of trouble. Meanwhile, Baby Dumpling is sent off to military school and becomes a sergeant. Arthur Lake, Penny Singleton, Larry Sims, Janet Blair.

Here Come the Co-Eds ( 1945 ) 

Two ballroom dancers find themselves the new caretakers at the Bixby College for young ladies, where they proceed to help the basketball team win a match. Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Peggy Ryan, Martha O'Driscoll, Lon Chaney Jr.

Good News ( 1947 )

A college football star finds he enjoys concentrating an French lessons more than football, when he has Juney as his teacher. Peter Lawford, June Allyson, Joan McCracken, Mel Torme, Patricia Marshall. 

Mother is a Freshman ( 1949 )

A poor widow finds she can put her daughter into college through a family scholarship so long as she attends college herself. Instead of concentrating on schoolwork, "mother" winds up falling in love with the English Lit professor. Loretta Young, Van Johnson, Betty Lynn, Rudy Vallee, Barbara Lawrence. 

Take Care of My Little Girl ( 1951 ) 

A young woman enters college and learns the hard way that sorority life isn't what it is all cut out to be. Jeffrey Hunter, Jeanne Crain, Mitzi Gaynor, Dale Robertson, Jean Peters. 

Bonzo Goes to College ( 1952 )

An intelligent ape ditches the circus life to become the pet of a prof. He ends up becoming a star player on the football team in this sequel to "Bedtime for Bonzo". Maureen O'Sullivan, Charles Drake, Edmund Gwenn, Gigi Perreau, Gene Lockhart. 

The Affairs of Dobie Gillis ( 1953 ) 

Girl crazy Dobie Gillis has a whale of a good time at college much to the chagrin of his steady gal pal in this entertaining MGM musical. Bobby Van, Debbie Reynolds, Hans Conreid, Bob Fosse, Lurene Tuttle.

High Time ( 1960 )

The founder of a nationwide chain of hamburger restaurants decides to take some time off to further his education and joins his kid's college. Bing Crosby, Nicole Maurey, Tuesday Weld, Fabian, Richard Beymer. 

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes ( 1969 )

Dexter Riley accidentally undergoes a shocking experience and finds he now has the brain of a computer. He's a cinch to earn Medfield College the coveted $100,000 prize at the upcoming Academic Challenge. Kurt Russell, Cesar Romero, joe Flynn, William Schallert, Alan Hewitt.

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Hollywood taught us some interesting, albeit useless lessons, through these films. Bonzo taught us that even chimps can make a rousing success of themselves in college. We also learned that comradery between classmates was more important than schoolwork, and being great at sports could get you anywhere in life, until you sprained an ankle. But don't take our word for it, check these films out for yourself and when you're ready to head back to your old alma mater for the 20th reunion, then sit back and enjoy some films that give you a little more accurate look at the post-college days ahead, such as Spring Reunion and H.M Pulham Esq. 

Irish Nuggets

The Luck of the Irish ( 1948 ) 18k

During a visit to Ireland, an American reporter finds and catches a leprechaun who sticks with him and helps him decide whether to remain or  return to New York to marry his fiancee and achieve success in politics. Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Cecil Kellaway, Jayne Meadows. 20th Century Fox. Directed by Henry Koster. 

The Luck of the Irish never achieved classic cult status on St. Patrick's Day like The Quiet Man or Darby O'Gill and yet it should have for it's a delightful film. Cecil Kellaway, adorable in any role he plays, is especially suited to the leprechaun part. The DVD release includes two versions, one entirely in black and white, and another in the original release format of black and white and green tint. 'Tis a pot of gold for sure!

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Top O' The Morning ( 1949 ) 14k

A singing insurance investigator comes to Ireland to recover the stolen Blarney Stone and romance the local policeman's daughter. Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Ann Blyth, Hume Crownyn. Paramount Pictures. Directed by David Miller. 

Alright, we cheated a bit with including this film among the nuggets for we haven't seen it yet. It just sounds like such a good film we would really doubt if it turns out to be a dud. With such a great cast, how can it fail to be anything but bragha.

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The Quiet Man ( 1952 ) 24k

A former boxer comes to Ireland to purchase his mother's cottage and make a new life for himself, but first he must square himself with his wife, who believes him to be a coward for not putting up a fight for her dowry. John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor MacLaglen, Mildred Natwick. Republi Pictures. Directed by John Ford.

This is one of those beautiful films where everything falls into place perfectly...the cast, the script, the music, the cinematography the locations. It just couldn't be any better than it is. It ranks as one of John Ford's greatest films ( if not his best ) and certainly one of the finest pictures to ever come out of Republic Pictures. You'll be spouting Quiet Man-isms forever after viewing this film. "And who taught you to be playing patty fingers in the Holy water?"


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Darby O'Gill and the Little People ( 1958 ) 18k

Darby O'Gill, caretaker to Lord Fitzpatrick, is unhappy when he is replaced by a new lad, but gladly decides to matchmake him with his daughter so that he may remain at his cottage. Later he beguiles King O'Brian, the king of the leprechauns to help him save his daughter when the banshee comes knocking on their door. Albert Sharpe, Sean Connery, Janet Munro, Jimmy O'Dea. Walt Disney Productions. Directed by Robert Stevenson.

"Sparkling with Leprechauns and Laughter" is right! Darby is one of those films that has great replay value. You can watch it every St. Patrick's Day and never tire of it. King Brian finally met his match when it came to old Darby. A special shout-out to Peter Ellenshaw for his magnificent matte paintings in this film. They surely do transport us to the beautiful land of the leprechauns. 

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The Secret of Boyne Castle ( 1969 ) 14k

A young student and his friend help deliver a secret message to Boyne Castle to aid an American spy and help an Eastern European agent defect. Retitled "Guns in the Heather" for its feature film release. Kurt Russell,  Glenn Corbett, Alfred Burke, Patrick Dawson. Walt Disney Productions. Directed by Robert Butler. 

Most of the television movies made for Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color are tough to find on DVD, and bootleg versions that are available are often very blurry. Alas, that is the case with this film but from what we made out of the picture it sure was entertaining. The movie pairs Kurt Russell with a young Irish boy ( who, quite frankly, we thought was a villain ) and together they play like a Hardy Boys duo. Why Walt Disney never put Kurt Russell in a Hardy Boys series I certainly don't know, but at least this movie got all the great mysteries of one of them - a motorcycle chase, a secluded castle, a glider ride, and a really clever spy ( not like those bungling crooks Disney films always had in the 1990s ).