GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW
1952 - 1954

Following Chesterfield's announcement in April of 1952 that it would no longer sponsor his radio variety show, Bing reached an agreement with Coca Cola in June to be his sponsor. The next month, however, Coca Cola and Bing parted company, apparently over an investment conflict of interest. Instead, the final two years of Bing's prime-time network variety show on CBS were sponsored by General Electric. The first season was broadcast on Thursday evenings; the second season on Sunday evenings. For the second season Bing replaced his traditional "Blue of the Night" theme song with an instrumental song he called "Bing's Theme" composed by Victor Young. Most of the GE shows were assembled, the songs pre-recorded and the applause and laughter canned. The first season was marred by the death of Bing's wife, Dixie Lee, from ovarian cancer. As a result Bing was absent from the Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 broadcasts. Jimmy Stewart and Judy Garland took over duties as host of these shows. Rosemary Clooney and Bing's sons, especially Gary, were frequent guests these final two years. What follows is a list of the broadcasts, principal guests and songs sung by Bing from the two GE seasons. Joining Bing on all the broadcasts are his announcer, Ken Carpenter, and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra. Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires provided vocal accompaniment for Bing throughout the first GE season.

GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (10-9-52) w JANE WYMAN, JOE VENUTI Feet Up Til the End of the World Just Crazy for Me (Wyman) Zing a Zong (w Wyman) Auf Wiedersehn GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (10-16-52) w BELL SISTERS, HELEN O'CONNELL Transcript (PDF) Open Up Your Heart Just for You There's a Ship Comin' In (Bell Sisters) Zing a Little Zong (w Bell Sisters) Til the End of the World You Like (O'Connell) Walking My Baby Back Home (w O'Connell) You Belong to Me GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (10-23-52) w JIMMY STEWART Feet Up Wish You Were Here Somebody Loves Me Auf Wiedersehn [Bing missed the next two weeks due to the death of his wife, Dixie Lee, from ovarian cancer.] GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (11-13-52) w DINAH SHORE, JOE VENUTI Just You, Just Me Open up Your Heart You'll Never Get Away (w Shore) Sleepy Time Gal Doodle Do Do (w Shore) You Belong to Me GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (11-20-52) w DINAH SHORE, JOE VENUTI Glow Worm The Live Oak Tree Takes Two to Tango (w Shore) Dinah Silver Bells (w Shore) Wish You Were Here GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (11-27-52) w CONNIE BOSWELL Just You, Just Me Wish You Were Here Some Sunny Day That's a Plenty (w Boswell) Keep it a Secret Live Oak Tree You Belong to Me GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (12-4-52) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY, CHRISTIAN FOURCADE Sleigh Ride You'll Never Know (Clooney) The Merry-Go-Run-Around (w Clooney) White Christmas GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (12-11-52) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY Open Up Your Heart Because You're Mine Who Kissed Me (Clooney) Two to Tango (w Clooney) Silver Bells (w Clooney) To See You is to Love You GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (12-18-52) w ELLA FITZGERALD, JOE VENUTI Sleigh Bell Serenade Some Sunny Day Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (w Ella) To See You is to Love You GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (12-25-52) w GARY CROSBY Adeste Fideles Come all Ye Faithful Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Sleigh Bell Serenade Jingle Bells (w Gary) The Christmas Song White Christmas Silent Night GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-1-53) w ELLA FITZGERALD Open Up Your Heart Keep It a Secret Chicago Style (w Ella) Medley: Because Your Mine, You Belong to Me, Wish You Were Here GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-8-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY Sleigh Ride Takes Two to Tango (w Clooney) Keep it a Secret GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-15-53) w BOB HOPE, ROSEMARY CLOONEY Glow Worm I Do (Clooney) Chicago Style (w Clooney) Open Up Your Heart (w Hope & Clooney) Heart and Soul GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-22-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY South Ramparts Street Parade (w Clooney) Lovely for Ducks (Clooney) Heart and Soul I Never Knew You'll Never Know (Clooney) Something to Remember You By (w Clooney) GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-29-53) w KAY STARR, JOE VENUTI Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes Keep it a Secret Side by Side (w Starr) After You've Gone Because You're Mine GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (2-5-53) w KAY STARR, JOE VENUTI Lady of Spain Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes The Breeze (w Starr) Sleepy Time Gal Why Don't You Believe Me? GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (2-12-53) w JACK BENNY Glow Worm, Heart and Soul GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (2-19-53) w JOANNE GILBERT, JOE VENUTI Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes I'm Trying to Forget You Chicago Style (w Gilbert) You Don't Know What Lonesome Is Why Don't You Believe Me? GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (2-26-53) w PEGGY LEE Lady of Spain Til I Waltz Again with You Just One of Those Things (P Lee) That's a Plenty (w Lee) Keep It a Secret June in January GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (3-5-53) w JIMMY BOYD, JOE VENUTI Bye Bye Blues My Devotion Early Bird (Boyd) Open Up Your Heart (w Boyd) Quizas Why Don't You Believe Me? GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (3-12-53) w JAMES STEWART, JOE VENUTI Jeepers Creepers Til I Waltz Again with You Two-Shillelagh O'Sullivan GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (3-19-53) w DINAH SHORE, JOE VENUTI Mr.Tap Toe Mexicali Rose You're in Avalon Town Harbor Lights (w Shore) GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (3-26-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY Bye bye blues You can't blame a fool in love Haven't got a worry (Clooney) You're Just in Love (w Clooney) It's Only a Paper Moon (w Clooney) MandyHeart and soul GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (4-2-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY Way down yonder in New Orleans Why did I leave Ohio? Who kissed me last night (Clooney) Chicago style (w Clooney) Easter parade (w Clooney) One little candle GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (4-9-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY Mr. Tap Toe What would you do? (Clooney) People will say we're in love (w Clooney) Lazy medley Only Forever (w Clooney) GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (4-16-53) w GEORGE KEINAPAU, JOE VENUTI Wild Horses Til I waltz again with you Keep it a secret It's you I adore Hawaiian wedding song There's music in you A quiet girl GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (4-23-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY, JOE VENUTI Way Down Yonder in New Orleans There's Music in You Tenderly (Clooney) April in Paris These Foolish Things (w Clooney) We Couldn't Say Goodbye (w Clooney) You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To (w Clooney Quiet Girl GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (4-30-53) w BELL SISTERS, JOE VENUTI Wild Horses April in Portugal The Dance of Love (Bell Sisters) Wait Til the Sun Shines Nellie (w Bell Sisters) Do You Ever Think of Me? Blue Tango (Joe Venuti) Salome (w Joe Venuti) Hushabye GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (5-7-53) w JOE VENUTI Wild Horses And the Angels Sing Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider My Devotion Hawaiian Paradise I Love You GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (5-14-53) w JIMMY BOYD Deed I Do Salome with the Seven Veils Little But Loud (Boyd) Small Fry (w Boyd) Wild Horses Hushabye GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (5-21-53) w LINDSAY CROSBY, JOE VENUTI (from France) Mademoiselle du Paris Hello young lovers My truly fair (Lindsay) Sleepy time gal A quiet girl Some enchanted evening GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (5-28-53) w LINDSAY CROSBY, JOE VENUTI Lady of Spain Domino My Truly Fair (Lindsay) Embrasse moi bien Somebody loves me There's music in you JACK BENNY SHOW (6-1-53) w BING CROSBY Open Up Your Heart Bing Crosby's biography Way Back Home (w Bob Crosby) GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (6-4-53) w LINDSAY CROSBY, JOE VENUTI All My Love Valencia Granada Belle of Barcelona (w Lindsay) Do You Ever Dream of Me? Summertime GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (6-11-53) w LINDSAY CROSBY, JOE VENUTI Mademoiselle du Paris Domino Oolala Qui Qui Down on the Farm (Lindsay) Qui Qui Marie I Never Knew Embrasse moi bien You Go to My Head GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (6-18-53) w LINDSAY CROSBY, JOE VENUTI Valencia River Seine Tenderfoot If It's All the Same to You (w Lindsay) Begin the Beguine Violets and Violins (in French) GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (6-25-53) w LINDSAY CROSBY, JOE VENUTI Mademoiselle du Paris Night and Day Belle of Barcelona (w Lindsay) You Go to My Head Some Enchanted Evening GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (7-2-53) w LINDSAY CROSBY, JOE VENUTI All My Love A Quiet Girl Mon Coeur Est un Violon Cele M'est Egale La Seine Granada Summertime ///////////// END OF 1ST GE SEASON //////////// GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (9-27-53) w GARY CROSBY 1. Down the Riverside 2. Vaya con Dios 3. What a Little Moonlight Can Do (w Gary) 4. Embrasse moi Bien 5. Magic Window GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (10-4-53) w GARY CROSBY 1. Keep it Gay 2. Violets and Violins 3. Tenderfoot 4. Hey Joe (Gary) 5. Down by the Riverside (w Gary) 6. Mademoiselle du Paris 7. Song of India (Trotter orchestra) 8. No Other Love GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (10-11-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY 1. C.O.D. to Me 2. I Love Paris 3. Lonely Am I (Clooney( 4. That's Amore (w Clooney) 5. Ol' Virginia 6. Lost Cord 7. Little Brown Jug (w Clooney) 8. Genevieve (w Clooney) 9. Ebb Tide (Trotter orchestra) 10. Easy to Remember GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (10-18-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY 1. They All Laughed 2. P.S. I Love You 3. You're in Kentucky (Clooney) 4. Allez Vous Aime 5. Shine on Harvest Moon / Buckle Down / Indian Summer (w Clooney) 6. Tropicana (Trotter orchestra) 7. Where is Your Heart GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (10-25-53) w JANE MORGAN 1. Row Row Row 2. My Love My Love 3. Valencia 4. April in Portugal (Morgan) 5. C'est Si Bon (w Morgan) 6. Donkey Serenade (Trotter Orchestra) 7. Everybody Loves My Baby 8. Vaya Con Dios GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (11-1-53) w GARY CROSBY 1. Keep It Gay 2. It's Easy to Remember 3. Hey Joe (Gary) 4. What a Little Moonlight Can Do (w Gary) 5. Granada 6. Oh How I Laughed When I Think How I Cried about You 7. I Love Paris GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (11-8-53) w GARY CROSBY 1. They All Laughed 2. Violets and Violins (in French) 3. When I Was Bad (Gary) 4. Down by the Riverside (w Gary) 5. Everybody Loves My Baby 6. Walk Me By the River 7. No Other Love GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (11-15-53) w PEGGY LEE 1. Papaya Mamma 2. River Seine 3. I've Got a Crush on You (Lee) 4. It's Wonderful (w Lee) 5. 1920s college medley (w Lee) 6. Vaya Con Dios GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (11-22-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY 1. Y'all Come 2. Lady Oh! 3. It's a most Unusual Day (Clooney) 4. Something to Remember You By (w Clooney) 5. That's Amore (w Clooney) 6. Think 7. Granada 8. Change Partners GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (11-29-53) w PEGGY LEE 1. Papaya Mamma 2. Valencia 3. Exactly Like You (w Lee) 4. You are too beautiful 5. I Got Rhythm (w Lee) 6. Can't Take that Away (w Lee) 7. P.S. I Love You GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (12-6-53) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY 1. Gypsie in My Soul 2. Allez Vous Aime 3. Happy Xmas Little Friend (Clooney) 4. You're Just in Love (w Clooney) 5. These Foolish Things (w Clooney) 6. We Couldn't Say Goodbye (w Clooney) 7. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To (w Clooney) 8. My Love GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (12-13-53) w ELLA FITZGERALD 1. Row, Row, Row 2. Think 3. Moanin Low (Ella) 4. Silver Bells (w Ella) 5. White Xmas (w Ella) 6. Where is Your Heart GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (12-20-53) 1. Adeste Fideles 2. Sleigh Ride 3. Xmas Song 4. Rudolph Reindeer 5. Jingle Bells 6. Xmas medley 7. White Christmas 8. Silent Night GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (12-27-53) w ELLA FITZGERALD 1. Love is Just Around the Corner 2. Wrong Time, Wrong Place 3. Someone to Watch Over me (Ella) 4. Looking for a Girl to Love (Ella) 5. Istanbul (w Ella) 6. You are too beautiful GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-3-54) w CONNIE RUSSELL 1. Gypsie in My Soul 2. Granada 3. My Kind of Love (Russell) 4. That's Amore (w Russell) 5. Someone Lovelier than You 6. Secret Love 7. Vaya Con Dios GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-10-54) w GARY CROSBY 1. Great Day 2. Stranger in Paradise 3. Ricochet (Gary) 4. Down by the Riverside (w Gary) 5. Think 6. Where is Your Heart? GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-17-54) w HELEN O'CONNELL 1. Zing went the Strings of My Heart 2. It's Alright with Me 3. Ebbtide (O'Connell) 4. Sometimes I'm Happy (w O'Connell) 5. If There is Someone Lovelier than You 6. Oh Lady Oh 7. Secret Love GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-24-54) w GARY CROSBY 1. Sing Hallelujah 2. You Are Too Beautiful 3. A Woman (Gary) 4. Cornbelt Symphony (w Gary) 5. Oh How I Laughed 6. Stranger in Paradise 7. No Other Love GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (1-31-54) w CONNIE RUSSELL 1. Gypsie in My Soul 2. Allez Vous Aime 3. You've Changed (Russell) 4. Istanbul (w Russell) 5. If There Is Someone Lovelier than You 6. Keep it Gay 7. Easy to Remember GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (2-7-54) w HELEN O'CONNELL 1. Love is Just Around the Corner 2. Secret Love 3. In the Still of the Night (O'Connell) 4. Surrey with Fringe on Top (w O'Connell) 5. Granada 6. Where is Your Heart? GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (2-14-54) w ELLA FITZGERALD 1. Everybody Wants my Baby 2. My Love, My Love 3. That's a Plenty (w Ella) 4. Violets and Violins 5. No Other Love 6. Kiss Me Once Again GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (2-21-54) w FOUR ACES 1. Jones Boy 2. Changing Partners 3. So Long (Four Aces) 4. Heart of My Heart (w Four Aces) 5. That's What a Rainy Day is For 6. You Go to My Head GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (2-28-54) w FOUR ACES 1. Singing in the Rain 2. Young at Heart 3. Organ Grinder Swing (Four Aces) 4. Tell Me Why (w Four Aces) 5. Changing Partners 6. Answer Me My Love GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (3-7-54) w JANA MASON 1. I Get So Lonely 2. But Beautiful 3. I Still Suites Me (w Mason) 4. That's What a Rainy Day is For 5. Secret Love GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (3-14-54) w PEGGY KING 1. Somebody Bad Stole the Wedding Bell 2. Young at Heart 3. That's Amore (w King) 4. I Get So Lonely 5. I Can't Believe Your in Love with Me 6. Too Ra Loo Ral GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (3-21-54) w FRANK SINATRA 1. The Jones boy 2. Granada 3. Young at Heart (Sinatra) 4. Sinatra-Crosby medley 5. Wanted GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (3-28-54) w FRANK SINATRA 1. I Get So Lonely 2. Imagination 3. Take a chance (Sinatra) 4. Sinatra-Crosby medley 5. If you love me GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (4-4-54) w GARY & LINDSAY CROSBY 1. Rosalie 2. Somebody Bad Stole the Wedding Bell (Gary) 3. Medley of songs w sons 4. Answer Me, My Love GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (4-11-54) w GARY & LINDSAY CROSBY 1. Singing in the Rain 2. A Dime and a Dollar (Lindsay) 3. If You Love Me GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (4-18-54) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY 1. Somebody Bad Stole the Wedding Bell 2. Wanted 3. Bad News (Clooney) 4. Easter Parade (Clooney) 5. Cockeyed Optimist 6. Dear Hearts, Gentle People 7. Vaya Con Dios GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (4-25-54) w TONI ARDEN 1. A Dime and a Dollar 2. Tobermory Bay 3. In Paris and In Love (Arden) 4. Small Hotel (w Arden) 5. Lost in Loveliness GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (5-2-54) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY 1. Can't Give You Anything but Love 2. From the Vine Came the Grape 3. You Make Me Feel So Young (Clooney) 4. A Man and a Woman (w Clooney) 5. You Took Advantage of Me 6. Wanted GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (5-9-54) w CROSBY BOYS 1. Between the Devil and Deep Blue Sea 2. I Get so Lonely (Gary) 3. Let's Harmonize (w Crosby boys) 4. Tobermory Bay GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (5-16-54) w TONI ARDEN 1. In the Good Ol' Summertime 2. Oh Tell Me Why 3. Cry My Heart (Arden) 4. So in Love (w Arden) 5. It's Only a Paper Moon 6. With Every Breath I Take GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (5-23-54) w ROSEMARY CLOONEY 1. Do I Love You? 2. But Beautiful 3. Tomorrow (Clooney) 4. Lily of Laguna (w Clooney) 5. Answer Me, My Love GENERAL ELECTRIC SHOW (5-30-54) w GARY & LINDSAY CROSBY (last original show) 1. Good Old Summertime 2. Let's Harmonize (w boys) 3. Long Way to Tipparari (w boys) 4. Moonlight Bay (w Boys) 5. Oh Tell Me Why 6. Secret Love

On May 11, 1954, CBS announced that Bing's 20-year-old son and Stanford student, Gary, would replace his father as host of a summer show in his father's time slot on Sunday evenings beginning June 6. Two weeks before his debut Gary was injured in an automobile accident near San Jose, California. As a result Gary missed the May 30 transcription date for the June 6 broadcast. CBS substituted a rerun of one of Bing's General Electric shows with Rosemary Clooney as guest June 6. Gary's summer show was not sponsored by General Electric and was known simply as "The Summer Show with Gary Crosby." John Scott Trotter continued as musical director, but Hy Averback replaced Ken Carpenter as announcer. GE also announced it would not sponsor Bing's show in the fall. When it became apparent no sponsor was going to provide the necessary funding to sustain his radio variety show, Bing decided to end the show. However, Bing wrote to his long-time musical director, John Scott Trotter, in September to tell him that the "true reason" he was ending his variety show was that he had lost his enthusiasm for singing and felt his singing had deteriorated to merely "adequate." In October, CBS convinced Bing to return to radio in a low-budget "sustaining" (sponsor varies from show to show) prime-time nightly 15-minute solo broadcast to be launched November 22 with announcer Ken Carpenter and the Buddy Cole Trio. Bing would remain a fixture of daily network radio broadcasting on CBS in some form until November 1962.

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