Bob Crosby Movies
Though he pretended to find it amusing, singer/bandleader Bob Crosby was rather sensitive about being constantly bracketed with his older brother Bing. At one point, Crosby observed in 1958, "it got so bad that whenever someone asked me what my occupation was, I used to answer automatically 'Bing Crosby's brother.'" To many jazz aficionados, however, Bob was the only Crosby, by virtue of his famous musical aggregation "The Bobcats," which he formed in 1935. Crosby and his able musicians Yank Lawson, Bob Haggart, Ray Bauduc, Eddie Miller, Bob Zurke, Jesse Stacey and Joe Sullivan delivered some of the hottest jazz ever to emanate from a primarily white orchestra. Because of Bing's movie popularity, Bob's handlers decided that records, radio and nightclubs weren't enough: the "other Crosby" would have to have a movie career as well, thus Bob made his film debut in 1935's Rhythm on the Roof. Crosby made a few tentative stabs at playing characters other than himself in films like Let's Make Music (1940) and The Singing Sheriff (1944), but he seemed more comfortable playing "himself' in guest spots. One of his more enjoyable screen appearances was in Two Tickets to Broadway (1951), wherein Crosby genially poked fun at brother Bing in the delightful production number "Let's Make Comparisons." He also popped up unbilled from time to time in Bing's pictures: in Road to Bali, Bob walks on, says hello to his brother, fires a gun into the air and walks off, whereupon Bing explains "I promised him a shot in this picture." Entering television as orchestra leader for The Jack Benny Show (a job he'd taken over from Phil Harris on radio), Crosby successfully starred on his own daytime program for CBS, which ran from 1953 through 1957; he then moved to NBC, where he headlined a prime-time summer replacement series for Perry Como in 1958. Bob Crosby made his final film appearance along with several other jazz greats in the Red Nichols biopic The Five Pennies (1959). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Five Pennies is the life story of influential jazz cornetist Red Nichols, played here by a remarkably straight-faced Danny Kaye. The somewhat romanticized screenplay chronicles Nichols' rise from obscurity, annotates the many future bandleaders who would play with Nichols' "Five Pennies," and details his self-destructive streak and (seeming) inability to conform to changing musical tastes. Weaving in and out of the main story is a sentimental subplot concerning Nichols' physically impaired daughter Dorothy, played by Susan Gordon as a child and by Tuesday Weld (in her movie debut) as a young woman. Nichols's long-suffering wife is portrayed by Barbara Bel Geddes. The storyline occasionally lapses into sappiness and the ending is almost impossibly lachrymose, but the musical highlights save the day. Especially memorable is Danny Kaye's duet with Louis Armstrong. Among the real-life musicians who grace the supporting cast of The Five Pennies are Bob Crosby, Ray Anthony, Shelly Manne, and, as Jimmy Dorsey, Bobby Troup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, (more)
- 1958
Senior Prom is another of those musical salads of the 1950s, heavy on the guest stars but very light on plot. The story concerns the romance between pretty high-schooler Gay Sherridan (Jill Corey) and wealthy BMOC Carter Breed III (portrayed by future "Billy Jack" star-auteur Tom Laughlin). Actually, the right boy for Gay is poor-but-likeable Tom Harper (Paul Hampton), so guess who winds up taking Gay to the senior prom? Well, nobody really cares, not with such topnotch musical talents on hand as Louis Prima & Keely Smith, Sam Butera & The Witnesses, Connee Boswell, Bob Crosby, Toni Arden, Jose Melis, Freddy Martin & His Orchestra, Les Elgart, and even Mitch Miller. And, oh yes, Ed Sullivan shows up too. Senior Prom was produced by Harry Romm and directed by David Lowell Rich, the same team responsible for the Three Stooges' comeback feature Have Rocket Will Travel; in fact, this musical's associate producer was Moe Howard! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jill Corey, Paul Hampton, (more)
This sixth entry in the Crosby-Hope-Lamour "Road" series was the first (and last) in Technicolor. This time, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope play George Cochran and Harold Gridley, American vaudevillians stranded in Australia. To avoid a dual shotgun wedding, George and Harold sign on as deep-sea divers for sinister South-Sea-island prince Ken Arok (Murvyn Vye). After a contretemps with an octopus (courtesy of stock footage from Reap the Wild Wind), our heroes sail to the prince's Balinese homeland, where they meet and fall in love with gorgeous Princess Lalah (Dorothy Lamour). Though Lalah favors George, she feels obligated to Harold, because he resembles her childhood best friend -- a chimpanzee (this must be seen to be believed). When Ken Arok attempts to usurp Lalah's throne, she and the boys escape to a tropical island, where they meet the inevitable slapstick-comedy gorilla. More adventures await the intrepid trio on another island, this one dominated by an active volcano. Who gets the girl in this one? A hint: the loser tries to physically prevent the "The End" title from flashing on the screen during the final fadeout. Though not as fresh and spontaneous as earlier "Road" endeavors, Road to Bali has its fair share of non sequitur gags, inside jokes and unbilled guest appearances (including Martin and Lewis, Bing's brother Bob Crosby, Humphrey Bogart and Jane Russell). Best bit: when Crosby feels a song coming on, Hope turns to the camera and hisses "He's gonna sing, folks. Now's the time to go and get your popcorn." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, (more)
- 1951
Personally supervised by Howard R. Hughes, the RKO Technicolor musical Two Tickets to Broadway stars Janet Leigh as a small-town girl who hopes to make it big in the Big Apple. Moving into a Manhattan boarding house populated by such showbiz hopefuls as Ann Miller, Tony Martin, Gloria De Haven and Barbara Lawrence, Leigh aspires to appear on the popular TV variety program hosted by bandleader Bob Crosby. Two-bit agent Eddie Bracken promises to make her dreams come true, even though he doesn't know Crosby from Adam. Along the way, Leigh falls for Martin, though the course of true love seldom runs smooth--in fact, at one point it threatens to run all the way back to Leigh's home town. Injecting their time-honored routines into the proceedings are veteran vaudevillians Joe Smith and Charlie Dale, playing a couple of stagestruck deli owners (their roles were originally slated for Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, but Laurel's illness precluded any film work). Despite the creative input of choreographer Busby Berkeley, the film's best number is the simplest: Let's Make Comparisons, wherein Bob Crosby explains why he's not his brother Bing. Seemingly a surefire box-office hit, Two Tickets to Broadway inexplicably posted a loss of $1,150,000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Martin, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1950
When You're Smiling is distinguished by the presence of several top recording artists of 1950. The wafer-thin plotline concerns the misadventures of Texan Gerald Durham (Jerome Courtland), who arrives in the Big City to learn the ropes of the music business. Durham not only ends up with a recording contract, but also wins heroine Peggy Martin (Lola Albright) in the bargain. So much for the story. The principal selling card of When You're Smiling consists of the guest-star turns by Frankie Laine, Bob Crosby, The Modernaires, The Mills Brothers, Kay Starr and Billy Daniels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerome Courtland, Frankie Laine, (more)
- 1945
Yes, even Ida Lupino occasionally starred in screwball comedies during the 1930s and 1940s. Pillow to Post casts Lupino as free-spirited travelling saleswoman Jane Howard, who has trouble finding suitable lodgings during the wartime housing shortage. In order to secure a room at a motor camp catering exclusively to married servicemen, Jane pretends to be the wife of hapless young lieutenant Don Mallory (William Prince). Misunderstanding piles upon misunderstanding, and before long poor Mallory is facing a general court-martial. While Lupino pushes the envelope a bit in the leading role, the film's comedy content is also in the capable hands of Sidney Greenstreet, Stu Erwin and Willie Best. Pillow to Post is adapted from a stage play by Rose Simon Kohn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ida Lupino, Sydney Greenstreet, (more)
- 1944
Bob Crosby, bandleader brother of Bing, heads the cast of Columbia's Meet Miss Bobby Socks. The thin-as-cheesecloth plot concerns WW2 veteran Don Collins (Crosby), who becomes the idols of teenaged girls everywhere when he pursues a singing career. Obviously intended as a takeoff of the "Sinatra craze", the film's comedy is rather dated, especially the story angle wherein Collins' fans, rather than cagey promoters, find a series of jobs for their idol. It's hard to tell who the titular "Miss Bobby Socks" is since the film is virtually wall-to-wall girls; apparently, the title refers to Susan Tyler (Louise Erickson), kid sister of nominal heroine Helen Tyler (Lynn Merrick). Guest stars include Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five and the Kim Loo Sisters, though they're seen but briefly in the course of events. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crosby, Lynn Merrick, (more)
- 1944
In this comic western, a Broadway star leaves his musical revue to go West and help out his troubled friend. While there, the performer finds himself forced into becoming the town sheriff. Mayhem ensues, but somehow, the crooner manages to round up a band of killers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crosby, Fay McKenzie, (more)
- 1944
In this drama, a piano teacher buys a song-publishing business only to discover that it is on the brink of bankruptcy and is embroiled in a lawsuit over the song: "Kansas City Kitty". Other songs include "Tico Tico", "Nothing Boogie from Nowhere", and "Pretty Kitty Blue Eyes". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1944
This youthful musical follows the romantic travails of a group of talented high school students and their charismatic high school bandleader. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Jean, Patric Knowles, (more)
- 1944
Newspaper reporter Marion Hargrove's best-selling novel was adapted to the screen by MGM as a vehicle for Robert Walker. The story is basically a series of humorous anecdotes about Hargrove's tenure at boot camp in the early days of World War II. Keenan Wynn is terrific as Hargrove's topkick, and Robert Benchley is no less superb as the father of Hargrove's girl friend (Donna Reed). See Here, Private Hargrove not only secured the stardom of Robert Walker, but launched Marion Hargrove on a lengthy career as a Hollywood screenwriter (his son, Dean Hargrove, has carried on the tradition into TV). The film was followed by a lesser 1946 sequel, What Next, Corporal Hargrove?, which followed the leading character to France. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Walker, Donna Reed, (more)
- 1944
Universal's My Gal Loves Music is an agreeable derivation of Paramount's The Major and the Minor, with a bit of Nothing Sacred thrown in. Grace McDonald plays pretty and talented Judy Mason, who poses as a 14-year-old child prodigy to pep up business for snake-oil peddler Dr. Bilbo's (Walter Catlett) medicine show. As an upshot of this deception, Judy is brought to New York to sing on a network radio program, with Bilbo-who happens to be her uncle-in tow. Mel Murray (Bob Crosby), bandleader on the radio show, decides to protect "little" Judy during her visit to the big city. He finds himself falling in love with the girl despite the presumed difference in their ages, leading Judy to seriously consider telling the truth for the first time in the picture. Featured in the cast of My Gal Loves Music are genuine kiddie performers Freddie Mercer and Paulina Carter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crosby, Alan Mowbray, (more)
A Booth Tarkington novel was the source for the so-so Judy Garland musical Presenting Lily Mars. Garland plays the title character, a small-town girl with big-city ambitions. She heads to Broadway hoping for stardom, but after a series of disappointments the best she can manage is an understudy job. That's right, folks: the star walks out on opening night, Lily goes on in her place, and the audience boos and throws rotten tomatoes (just kidding: Lily's a sensation, of course). Van Heflin costars as a young producer who falls in love with Lily, but who avoids bestowing upon her instant stardom for fear of being accused of favoritism. Naturally, Judy Garland gets to sing a lot, and whenever she does the picture soars; other musical acts include the orchestras of Bob Crosby and Tommy Dorsey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Garland, Van Heflin, (more)
- 1943
Beverly Ross (nn Miller) is a would-be radio personality, but the closest she gets to being on the air is running the switchboard at a local station. Worse yet, the blustery station owner Mr. Kennedy (Tim Ryan) wants no part of programming "jive" (i.e., swing music) that she loves, preferring the classics. But she manages to con Vernon Lewis (Franlin Pangborn), the host of the station's early morning classical show, into believing that he needs a vacation and slips into his time-slot at 5 am, where she starts running records by Bob Crosby's band, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Frank Sinatra in place of Beethoven and Mendelssohn. The soldiers at the local army base pick up on the new show, and two of them, wealthy candy company magnate Barry Lang (William Wright) and his former chauffeur Andy Adams (Dick Purcell, decide they want to meet this new disc jockey, and as luck would have it her brother (Larry Parks) is in their platoon and invites them to his home. But the two men decide to switch identities, Barry denying his wealth and pretending to be Andy, and Andy presenting himself as the candy heir Barry -- and as if matters aren't complicated enough for Beverly, coping with their antics, she has to fight to keep her radio show. But when the soldiers listening to her start writing in by the thousands, and Barry suggests she call her 5am show "Reveille," she takes it one step further and "Reveille With Beverly," and becomes a smash. But can she sort out the intertwining romantic overtures of the two men in her life? ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Miller, William Wright, (more)
- 1941
Hoping to cash in on the success of Universal's Buck Privates, Republic Pictures hastily commissioned an imitation, Rookies on Parade. Instead of Abbott and Costello, Republic settled for bandleader Bob Crosby and comedian Eddie Foy Jr., a not-so-unfair exchange at that. The story details the misadventures of two itinerant songwriters named Duke (Crosby) and Cliff (Foy) as they try to survive Army boot camp. Intending to boost the morale of their fellow draftees, our heroes stage a big musical show, which they eventually hope will graduate to Broadway. The talent roster includes nightclub thrush Gertrude Niesen, double-talk expert Cliff Nazarro and dancer Louis Da Pron. And of course there's the inevitable tough drill sergeant, played with both barrels by William Demarest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crosby, Ruth Terry, (more)
A rather weak entry in producer Edward F. Finney's series of Tex Ritter Westerns, Trouble in Texas enjoyed a much longer than usual shelf life courtesy of its beautiful leading lady Rita Hayworth, then known as Rita Cansino. Ritter stars as a rodeo champion searching for the villains who killed his brother. The gang, headed by Barker (Earl Dwire), is summarily poisoning competition to Barker's own champion, Squint Harmer (Yakima Canutt). With the assistance of Carmen (Hayworth) and comedic sidekick Lucky (Horace Murphy), Ritter not only avoids being poisoned, but goes on to win the rodeo. As a sort of consolation prize, the Barker gang rob the local bank, but choose a rather unfortunate wagon filled with dynamite as the getaway vehicle. In between riding in the (stock-footage) rodeo and chasing down his brother's killers, Ritter sings his own "Song of the Rodeo" and Al Bryan's "Down the Colorado Trail," while Hayworth performs a Mexican dance. When Trouble in Texas was re-released in 1943 by Ambassador Pictures, Rita Hayworth not surprisingly earned star billing ahead of Ritter. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tex Ritter, Earl Dwire, (more)
- 1936
In this musical comedy a Broadway playboy inherits an almost bankrupt girls' school from his late aunt. He breathes life into the school by giving song and dance lessons. The financially ailing school is funded by an odd, but rich man who becomes the main backer. Songs include: "I Feel Like a Feather in the Breeze," "You Hit the Spot," "Rhythmatic," "My Grandfather's Clock in the Hallway," "Who Am I?" "Guess Again," "Will I Ever Know?" ""Learn to Be Lovely."" ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Penner, Jack Oakie, (more)
