Bing Crosby Rediscovered

Bing Crosby used his fame and wealth to help friends, acquaintances and strangers in ways both public and nearly invisible. In this web-exclusive outtake, Crosby's biographer Gary Giddins describes the "take care of" list of people the entertainer kept, and how Crosby generally did not draw attention to his charitable giving. American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered premieres Dec. 2 on PBS.

America's most famous crooners --- Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin --- sing "The Oldest Established" song from the musical <em>Guys and Dolls</em>. This web-exclusive clip captures the three legendary singers in a televised performance that took place in 1964. This is an web-exclusive outtake from American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered, premiering Dec. 2 at 8 pm on PBS.

Director Robert Trachtenberg worked with the Bing Crosby estate to bring a wealth of audio recordings and images to the public from the first time. In this interview he speaks about the challenge of presenting the man who down-played how hard he worked to become a sensation in film, radio and television. American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered premieres Tue., Dec. 2 at 8 pm on PBS.

At the age of 37, Bing Crosby had 24 films behind him and his Hollywood career was at a crossroads. He found the perfect comedic partner in Bob Hope, with whom he had first performed on stage in 1932. Starting in 1940, Hope and Crosby would star in seven "Road" films. This film excerpt from American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered is rich in archival footage of interviews and film.

Bing Crosby (1903-1977) was the most popular and influential multi-media star of the first half of the 20th century. For more than three decades, through radio, film, television and records, he reigned supreme. For this new documentary, Crosby’s estate granted American Masters access to the entertainer’s archives, including never-before-seen home movies, Dictabelt recordings, photos and more.

Bing Crosby and David Bowie sing a duet in Crosby's Christmas television special in 1977. See their performance of "The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" and find out what it took to get Bowie to appear on the show. Two songwriters recount their quick turnaround of the song to win Bowie over. Bing Crosby Rediscovered premieres Dec. 2 on PBS at 8 pm; holiday encore on Dec. 26 at 9 pm.

In this exclusive clip, Bing Crosby's family reflects on his life as a performer and family man. Hear all surviving members of Crosby’s immediate family — his wife Kathryn, daughter Mary and sons Harry and Nathaniel, and see archival footage from the film. American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered premieres Tues., Dec. 2 at 8 pm and has a holiday encore on Fri., Dec. 26 at 9 pm.

Bing Crosby recorded thousands of songs during the height of his career. Singer and pianist Michael Feinstein and Ken Barnes, who wrote songs with Crosby in the 1970s, talk about Crosby's prolific output of songs and the variety of genres he recorded.

In this web exclusive, see Bing Crosby's full performance of "The Second Time Around" (music by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn). A clip of this song from Crosby's television special in 1961 is seen in American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered, which after its premiere on December 2, comes around for its second time on Friday, December 26 at 9 pm for a holiday encore (check local listings).

In this exclusive outtake from Bing Crosby Rediscovered, hear never-before-released audio of Bing Crosby singing the lyrics he penned to roast Hollywood director Raoul Walsh. The filming of "Going Hollywood," starring Crosby and Marian Davies, had its obstacles. When Bing poked fun at the director and film, Louis Mayer at MGM Studios banned Walsh and Bing from future MGM productions.

Not only was Crosby a multimedia star, he advanced the technology to record music and make television --- such as the laugh track. Filmmaker Robert Trachtenberg describes how his crew was able to include in "American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered" the private letters Crosby recorded on dictabelts. American Masters Executive Producer Michael Kantor adds perspective on Crosby's significance.

Legends Bing Crosby and French entertainer Maurice Chevalier sing "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore" from the film "Gigi" on Bing Crosby's television special in 1961. This film outtake is from American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered, directed by Emmy Award-winning director Robert Trachtenberg.