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The ABC Bing Crosby Sitcom(1964-65) Why did it flop?

T

TimL

Guest
I just recently copied some Cleveland TV Listings from December 1964 and one show caught my eye..The Bing Crosby Show which was a one season sitcom on ABC, airing Mondays at 9:30 PM ET..This episode (12-21-64) was a Christmas episode with the Cast in Character, along with Musical guests the Wellingtons singing carols. I am wondering..With the Star Power of Crosby, why did this show apparently flop so badly?..It was only on the 64-65 season and was never in Syndication that I know of. You would think this show would have lasted 2-maybe 3 years anyway. Has anyone here ever seen this show and have an opinion on it?

Trivia:The Wellingtons sang the Gilligan's Island theme in the first year and also made a guest appearance on the Show as a marooned Rock Group

Edit:The Groups name was the Mosquitos on Gilligan's Island<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by TimL on 10/07/05 02:55 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Boring ...

> I just recently copied some Cleveland TV Listings from
> December 1964 and one show caught my eye..The Bing Crosby
> Show which was a one season sitcom on ABC, airing Mondays at
> 9:30 PM ET..This episode (12-21-64) was a Christmas episode
> with the Cast in Character, along with Musical guests the
> Wellingtons singing carols. I am wondering..With the Star
> Power of Crosby, why did this show apparently flop so
> badly?..It was only on the 64-65 season and was never in
> Syndication that I know of. You would think this show would
> have lasted 2-maybe 3 years anyway. Has anyone here ever
> seen this show and have an opinion on it?


Never that much interested in Bing, since he did not seem that interesting.

The show, to me, was a bore. Typical formula sitcom -- with Bing who managed to conveniently sing one or two songs on the show.

Now that we have heard about Bing's dark side, at least from some of the children by his first wife, the entire show, and Bing, just seem downright creepy.

Of course, it had no chance at syndication with only 28 episodes.

I never saw that Christmas episode you mentioned, but as you know Bing was big on Christmas specials :).
 
Re: Boring ...

> > I just recently copied some Cleveland TV Listings from
> > December 1964 and one show caught my eye..The Bing Crosby
> > Show which was a one season sitcom on ABC, airing Mondays
> at
> > 9:30 PM ET..This episode (12-21-64) was a Christmas
> episode
> > with the Cast in Character, along with Musical guests the
> > Wellingtons singing carols. I am wondering..With the Star
>
> > Power of Crosby, why did this show apparently flop so
> > badly?..It was only on the 64-65 season and was never in
> > Syndication that I know of. You would think this show
> would
> > have lasted 2-maybe 3 years anyway. Has anyone here ever
> > seen this show and have an opinion on it?
>
>
> Never that much interested in Bing, since he did not seem
> that interesting.
>
> The show, to me, was a bore. Typical formula sitcom -- with
> Bing who managed to conveniently sing one or two songs on
> the show.
>
> Now that we have heard about Bing's dark side, at least from
> some of the children by his first wife, the entire show, and
> Bing, just seem downright creepy.
>
> Of course, it had no chance at syndication with only 28
> episodes.
>
> I never saw that Christmas episode you mentioned, but as you
> know Bing was big on Christmas specials :).

I somewhat remember the show. 9:30 was about my bedtime (10:00 now). The show had no interest for me. I think I was about 10 or 11. Yes, it was boring as were the sitcoms with Jimmy Stewert, Henry Fonda, & Doris Day
>
 
Re: "The Bing Crosby Show"

The failure of Bing Crosby's 1964/65 TV series is one of several examples of something that, for lack of a better term, I'd call the "We've Signed This Big Star Syndrome".

Over the years, producers or networks have signed a major star to do a TV series, and such producers and/or networks believe that because this major star appears on their program that success will be automatic.

But viewers aren't as dumb as the network occassionally think that are. If the show is good, people will come back week after week to watch. But if the show isn't very good, people won't watch, no matter how big the star. I would not be surpised if the first week of Bing's 1964/65 TV series enjoyed strong ratings with the numbers sliding way down after that.

Probably the best part of the show (I've never seen even one episode!) was Bing's musical numbers. In my book, he's one of the three greatest male solo vocalists of the 20th century, along with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.

Quite frankly, if Bing Crosby indeed wanted to finally take the plunge into a weekly TV series in 1964, this was the wrong vehicle. He instead should have hosted a variety show (much like his "Kraft Music Hall" on radio two decades earlier, but updated to the mid-sixties). And of course, the producers of such a Bing Crosby variety series would have booked Bob Hope as a guest to open the series/season, and appear four other times a season: Christmastime and the three "sweeps" months (November, February, and May).

If Bing had decided to do a musical variety series instead of a sitcom, I think it would have been a solid success and would have run at least three or four years.
 
Re: "The Bing Crosby Show"

>> If Bing had decided to do a musical variety series instead
> of a sitcom, I think it would have been a solid success and
> would have run at least three or four years.
>

Actually Bing in some way did just that...Though it wasnt named after him, he did Host "Hollywood Palace" (ABC) more than any other performer (32 times between 1964-70)
 
Re: "The Bing Crosby Show"

> >> If Bing had decided to do a musical variety series
> instead
> > of a sitcom, I think it would have been a solid success
> and
> > would have run at least three or four years.
> >
>
> Actually Bing in some way did just that...Though it wasnt
> named after him, he did Host "Hollywood Palace" (ABC) more
> than any other performer (32 times between 1964-70)
>
Also, in the late '50s he did a number of specials for
ABC that cumulatively ranked thirteenth among all shows
for the 1958-59 season.
 
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