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 ...
.....But with Christmas time being, all those old chestnuts are played again.
Speak for yourselves.
But then, I was raised on old stuff so much It is my habit to enjoy it and explore on my own.
I can only hope the Beatles are brought down a notch.
One of the reasons people have been forgotten in the past is that their work was ephemeral. Now, you can go to YouTube and see Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Red Skelton. Even if they fall out of fashion for a while, there are always fans, and they could suddenly become well-known and popular again for a variety of reasons.
The Beatles records are still selling quite well, with many listeners among the millenials.
Its mostly a function of what Hollyweird and the enemedia wish to emphasize. Skeleton, Hope & Crosby: American patriots, baaaaad! Your latest drug addled leftwing whack-job celebrity, good.
The artists of the 30s, 40s and 50s are largely unknown to the current generation. I’m a child of the 60s and can’t say I am all that familiar with Hope, Crosby, Sinatra, et. al. I knew of them, but not with the body of their work. I knew Frank Sinatra had a wonderful ear for music and marvelous voice. He also liked his Scotch. But I only knew his most popular songs like “New York New York.”
The Beatles, on the other hand, seem to have some enduring qualities. We have a Beatles cover band play at the amphitheater across the road from us every year. It’s a packed house, lots of young people. and they know all the songs. Will this still be the case in 30 years? Who knows. Maybe not.
The who?
The answer is no one but a dwindling, aging minority cares about the entertainers and artists that were once popular & influential in an America that no longer exists.
Frank did not drink scotch he was a Jack Daniels Man.
Check all those guys out.
Several of my friends (18-25) have no idea who Bob Hope or Bing Crosby are. Myself, I watched “White Christmas” with my kids last night and thought it was a beautiful movie. Nothing like that could be made in Hollywood today. The perverts in Hollywood would have the two male characters have ‘flaws’ to make them ‘human’ instead of making them role models to exemplify.
I love Bing Crosby. I think his Christmas albums are my favorite to listen to during Christmas.
....And at Christmas time, the music they do, Christmas music wise are classics.
Different band.
Will we forget the beatles?
One can always hope!
All the crooners are terrific. They will not be forgotten.
Beatles?
Probably.
What is needed a classic channel that would show all sorts of stuff that a new generation might like.
Right now they could have a special Christmas channel and show all those Christmas Specials the stars would do back then. Man what a hoot that would be and I would watch them.
Yes, also one of my favorite groups.
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