Crosby, in case you didn't know, is fast becoming a tycoon in foods, drugs, clothes and household gadgets. He has dozens of items on the market. And business is very good. You may have used some of his wares. These are only a few.
When he isn't singing, Bing helps develop and market his "products" through Crosby Enterprises and the Crosby Research Foundation. Both are run by Bing's two smart older brothers, Larry and Everett. (Larry heads the Foundation and Everett the Enterprises.) The three Crosbys have their own office building in Hollywood.
Crosby actually started out on his business career shortly before World War II. At that time, a group of Southern California scientists, needing financing, asked him if he would back a foundation to promote valuable inventions. Bing said yes. And that's how he first became involved in making incendiary bombs, vitamin B complex, submarine detectors and automatic aiming devices for anti-aircraft guns. After the war, the foundation -- which, according to Larry, didn't make a cent in four years -- turned to gadgets. All sorts of items are sent to Crosby. In fact, he has received close to two million in nine years! It costs the foundation $1,500 a month just to send some of them back to the inventors. But 20 or 30 items are going big.
A chemist brought the foundation an oil. Its vapor, drawn into the lungs, was supposed to neutralize mouth odor. The oil was tasteless and colorless. Bing added a scent, called it "Breatholator" and put it up in a neat package. One million were sold the first year, and it has sold millions since.
A fellow came to the foundation one day trying to promote a rocking horse for kids. The basic principle of the toy was adapted to a hospital rocking bed. Experiments showed that the action of the bed might improve some patients' circulation and body functions. As a result, one of the foundation's big projects today is a rocking bed for polio victims. Larry thinks it may some day eliminate use of the iron lung.
Another Crosby item: ever hear of milk or cream keeping fresh without refrigeration? Crosby does it with cans. Bacteria are removed before the cans are sealed.
Businessman Bing hasn't forgotten the ladies. He markets a nylon hose with special features.
Still another Crosby gadget is an electric current inverter that gives extra zip to an electric razor. Some 15,000 were sold in a few months.
Crosby actually manufactures only a few items. He finds it easier to place them with manufacturers, then sit back and collect some of the profits.
Bing has lots of other activities and many of them are handled by his brother Everett through Crosby Enterprises. That organization handles TV, films, sport shirts and recording instruments. It also is involved in a frozen orange juice company, a vast ranch with 3,500 head of cattle near Elko, Nevada, and the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team (of which Crosby owns a share). Then, of course, there is Bing's recording and radio work. Bing himself inspects all marketable items before they go into production. But unlike many people with gobs of money, he hasn't become a "soft touch." He's in business, and he's out to make a profit. He has an office in the Crosby Building, but does most of his work at his home or at his Nevada ranch.
He has even built a better mousetrap, but the world hasn't battered down his door. Seems this mousetrap is a little longer than the old 10-cent type. It is made of aluminum, works automatically and can't snap down on your finger. But it retails for 29 cents, and so far has been a flop. "Nice break for the mice," says Bing.
Bing Crosby invests in the Auroratone.