Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Famous Today, Forgotten Tomorrow (We've forgotten Hope & Crosby. Will we forget the Beatles?)
The Wall Street Journal ^ | Dec. 9, 2014 | Jim Fusilli

Posted on 12/18/2014 2:10:08 PM PST by presidio9

Tributes to two of the most famous American entertainers of the 20th century serve as a reminder of how fame flees. The entertainers are Bing Crosby and Bob Hope; the reminders are the documentary “American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered,” which had its premiere last week (and will run again on Dec. 26 ) on PBS, and “Hope: Entertainer of the Century,” a new biography by Richard Zoglin. Neither Crosby nor Hope have much cachet with contemporary consumers of art and culture, but the accounts of their careers make convincing cases that their contributions still influence their respective fields, even if some in those fields may not know it.

Given Crosby’s skill and stature as a vocalist, the PBS documentary raises the question of how future generations will think of the musicians of the ’60s who advanced popular music in their time. Will the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder be as marginalized, if not forgotten, as their significant predecessors?

-SNIP-

Thus, it would have been inconceivable in the mid-20th century that one day either man would be underappreciated or misunderstood. Few current-day music fans think of Bing Crosby as the man who invented the concept of the pop singer and elevated it to high art, swung with Louis Armstrong, and influenced Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday, Presley, Frank Sinatra and countless other vocalists and instrumentalists. In his time, Crosby was the pinnacle of popular music, but today he’s recalled primarily for his version of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” As for Hope, -SNIP-

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: bennett; billieholiday; bingcrosby; bobdylan; bobhope; burlives; elvispresley; franksinatra; popularmusic; redskelton; steviewonder; thebeatles
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-128 next last
To: presidio9

I was talking with some younger people once, and somebody mentioned the Beatles. One young person asked, “Who are the Beatles?”

Another young person replied, “Oh, that was Paul McCartney’s first band.”


101 posted on 12/18/2014 5:51:51 PM PST by 04-Bravo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator
One of the best piano players there ever was, but most only know him as a singer.

Truth. I've been listening to Nat King Cole since I was a kid, but only discovered he played the piano this past year. Felt pretty dumb about that, since I've seen plenty of pictures of him AT the piano, but I guess I'd assumed he was one of those guys who could play enough to accompany himself while practicing or something, not that he was really good at it.

102 posted on 12/18/2014 6:30:32 PM PST by Amity
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 90 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

Bing Crosby and Bob Hope are not forgotten. I’m also pretty sure the beatles will live forever.

Let me see if I can find something, brb.


103 posted on 12/18/2014 8:40:16 PM PST by jocon307
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9; All

Here it is. I’m not the world’s biggest Paul McCartney fan, but I think this is great. And I’ve already had the pleasure of listening to it with my grandson, and I intend to get it into the full rotation, if you know what I mean and I think you do.

“Blackbird”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrxZhWCAuQw


104 posted on 12/18/2014 8:48:21 PM PST by jocon307
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies]

To: Clemenza

Dude, don’t be hating on the doo-wop! Sheesh almighty.

Doo-wop rules!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBT3oDMCWpI

Before the light

Hold me again

With all of your might

In the still of the night

In the still of the night


105 posted on 12/18/2014 9:01:46 PM PST by jocon307
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: MIchaelTArchangel

The Who’s on first!


106 posted on 12/18/2014 9:06:35 PM PST by Larry Lucido
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

Crosby, never as long as there continue to be White Christmas.

Ives, Frosty would become the nightmare on Elm Street

And the non-crooner, actors ....not when they believe as they did..
Bob Hope
youtube.com/watch?v=BAIpI8IxgFs
John Wayne
youtube.com/watch?v=btvSE6tVHzQ


107 posted on 12/18/2014 9:08:11 PM PST by V K Lee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

Might I suggest Googling “Radio Dismuke”? All sorts of great music from
the teens through the twentys. Good stuff and almost a century old!.


108 posted on 12/18/2014 11:08:26 PM PST by ADemocratNoMore (Jeepers, Freepers, where'd 'ya get those sleepers?. Pj people, exposing old media's lies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jocon307
Oh MY !

A couple of centuries ago ... 1962 or 3, ....

Boston area was served by a farm and conglomerate ... the HOOD milk company .. (quart bottles delivered by one of those cute trucks ...
bottles capped with cardboard caps
that, if you waited too long in the winter to get the bottles from your front stoop, the milk would freeze and push the cap up ...)

.. and the HOOD CO. had a treat called a HOODSIE, which was a small tub of ice cream that came with a wooden spoon/paddle ...
usually only eaten by kids under 12 because it was a sure sign you hadn't grown up yet if you still ate HOODSIE's

The local teenage dance at the Catholic church .. (make room for the Holy Ghost ... C'mon, you two ... separate a little ) ..
was called The Hoodsie Hop and the last dance was always In The Still Of The Night.

109 posted on 12/18/2014 11:26:17 PM PST by knarf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 105 | View Replies]

To: presidio9

How many posts till Beatles suck anyhow poster?

I miss Bob Hope....

Vietnam.


110 posted on 12/18/2014 11:48:12 PM PST by wardaddy (glenn beck is a nauseous politically correct conservative on LSD)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: knarf

So cute! I loved eating ice cream with those little wooden spoons, something about that tasted so good.


111 posted on 12/19/2014 2:38:39 AM PST by jocon307
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies]

To: TexasGator
Obviously, you have no knowledge of who Bing Crosby was.

A wife beater.

112 posted on 12/19/2014 3:55:12 AM PST by Sirius Lee (All that is required for evil to advance is for government to do "something")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: morphing libertarian
Acting and song style require creativity.

Maybe, but nothing like what is required to write, compose, paint. These are the true artists. These are the true creators. Without scripts to read and songs to sing, Bing would be selling shoes. But hey, if being one of the dwindling handful of the now dead drunken child abuser's fanboys gets you through the day, go for it.

113 posted on 12/19/2014 4:05:12 AM PST by Sirius Lee (All that is required for evil to advance is for government to do "something")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: henkster

A little known fact about Sinatra-he got his first big break on the 30s equivalent of American Idol.


114 posted on 12/19/2014 4:15:51 AM PST by Fresh Wind (The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Sirius Lee
It gets tiresome reading comments that denigrate a man or woman because of something that came out many years after ... sometime after their death ... and a lifetime of achievement(s) is reduced to a sound byte.

The entire Hollyweird scene could be reduced to some terrible event described in one word ...

whoremonger
whore
c***s***er
wife beater
wife killer
sexual deviant

The 50's and 60's were historical milestones in their own right and the preceding 30's and 40's generation(s) actually gave birth to them.

115 posted on 12/19/2014 6:45:23 AM PST by knarf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 112 | View Replies]

To: Sirius Lee

Idiotic


116 posted on 12/19/2014 6:45:29 AM PST by morphing libertarian (Defund , sue, impeach. Overturn Obamacare, amnesty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 113 | View Replies]

To: Sirius Lee

I agree,

I’m a huge Beatles fan,

I was in Liverpool recently and was surprised at how little they have there to acknowledge them. I did visit the Albert dock and went through the ‘Beatles story’ museum, it wasn’t all that terribly impressive,


117 posted on 12/19/2014 8:17:59 AM PST by captmar-vell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: captmar-vell

A prophet without honor .....


118 posted on 12/19/2014 8:19:19 AM PST by nascarnation (Impeach, Convict, Deport)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 117 | View Replies]

To: Sirius Lee
Maybe, but nothing like what is required to write, compose, paint. These are the true artists. These are the true creators.

You are attempting, however inartfully, to quantify the value of the so-called "performing arts" versus the "creative arts." I am an architectural designer, who also draws and sculpts on the side -so I presume to speak with some authority on this issue. I am also a conservative heterosexual male -which makes me something of a rare bird in my field -but that's a different story.

The question of "what is art?" is something that has thus far never been successfully answered, and is best left to philosophers. For example, I still believe the sight of Barry Sanders running with the football was its own art form. I will say this on this issue: While there is no shortage of bad singers and bad actors, great singing or great acting takes talent and training, as do the creative arts. A great actor (the best I was ever lucky enough to see was Alec Guinness -on Broadway, not in a space ship) can take a script and play bring forth thoughts and emotions that weren't there). It is important to realize that the performing arts are, for the most part, collaborative pieces. Sort of like architectural design, come to think of it. And, as a capitalist, I will point out that in today's culture, the performing arts are, by far, the disciplines of greatest financial reward.

119 posted on 12/19/2014 8:28:30 AM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 113 | View Replies]

To: Chickensoup
homeschoolers music curriculum

Heck - a lot of adults (ahem) might be interested!

120 posted on 12/19/2014 8:29:56 AM PST by Patriotic1 (Dic mihi solum facta, domina - Just the facts, ma'am)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 98 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120121-128 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson