Bing Crosby Message Boards

The Hollow Man

NAME	MESSAGE
DEAN	posted 07/24/02 03:42 PM Central Time (US) no email address given I have always openly admitted that in spite of its barely concealed intention to harm Bing and his reputation, "The Hollow Man," was always much easier going than Gary Giddin's more detailed and respectful volume...Though written off as lying garbage by most Crosby fans, it has to be said that most of the derogatory things that were said against Bing in " Hollow Man," were said by people who knew him quite well at one time or another and it all added up to a fascinating read with a surprise on almost every page...Unless Giddins wanted to quote from that book he would obviously be in a somewhat narrow corridor as far as new quotations were concerned, if only because many people who contributed to the earlier book had passed on before Mr Giddins could check the authenticity of their quotes...I believe that,"The Hollow Man," gives a feel of the people and the times more vividly than Giddins book and it obviously has the edge in terms of fascinating gossip. That being said, I have no doubt that Mr Giddins book will be the reference book that most future historians will turn to when they need information about the greates entertainer of the 20th century...Mr Giddins has been cursed for putting too much into this book. He would have been cursed even more had he left too much out. He was always in a no win situation and he has my sympathy. Not that he needs it.
Steven Lewis	posted 07/24/02 10:02 PM Central Time (US) no email address given The distorted and misleading presentation of Bing in "The Hollow Man" has been documented through many examples, some of which are located elsewhere on this website. Among those who have protested in writing their attributed contributions to THM are Carroll Carroll and Al Rinker. Gary Giddins has characterized THM as garbage. The primary author, Slatzer, later wrote a biography of Marilyn Monroe in which he claimed he was once secretly married to her. Perhaps we should give him credit for not making himself the 4th Rhythm Boy! Of course the book is entertaining, in a manner similar to a magic act.
Dean	posted 07/25/02 04:06 AM Central Time (US) no email address given Steven, as you say, a great many of the allegations against Bing in THM are garbage but to ignore the firmer evidence of a Bing who was very different from his film persona would be to do reality and history a disservice...As for the later withdrawel of statements allegedly given to Slatzer and Co; well, I have a video of Carrol Carrol saying that he didn't like Bing any better than he liked Jolson. He makes it clear that he likes Jolson not at all!..I also possess the tape of an interview that Al Rinker gave where he makes it clear that he was unhappy with the way that Bing had ignored him over the years...I also have a video interview with Rise Stevens who co-starred with Bing in "Going My Way" in which she is happy to praise His talents though she does go on to say, "He was not a warm person and he was very difficult to talk to." There is ample evidence that Bing had no problem with freezing out people when he didn't want to be bothered for some reason or other. Never having been rich and famous I have never had to deal with the pressures that Bing had to deal with and I am not being critical of him for not always being the character he portrayed in his films. What I am saying is that it would be foolish and dishonest to ignore large amounts of clear evidence that he could be distant, boorish and careless of other peoples' feelings at times. Not one of us is perfect but Bing had a terrific voice and screen personality which I shall always enjoy no matter how many glimpses I get of a less than perfect human being. These are just my opinions and I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings.
Steven Lewis	posted 07/25/02 10:50 AM Central Time (US) no email address given Okay, I'll concede your point that no one is perfect. However, the criticism of "The Hollow Man" has to do with an advocacy style that pervades the tabloid press and cable journalism in which the advocates use any means possible to support their view and destroy alternative views. This includes using techniques akin to magic (sleight of hand) to confuse and mislead. These advocates quote out of context, present only one side of the story, systematically assume only one interpretation ... Slatzer used these methods in his seach-and-destroy bio of Bing. Similar methods are used in "fan" biographies that amount to little more than mindless puffery. Gary Giddins' approach was that of a scholar trying to make sense of what is often conflicting data. The issue is not whether Bing is "perfect," but relates entirely to honesty and integrity in biography, science or any other area and a public that too easily believes only what it wants to believe..
DEAN	posted 07/25/02 01:20 PM Central Time (US) no email address given Steven, No arguments from me on your comments about Slatzer and the kind of reporting he represents. He knew that stories circulated portraying Bing as less than sweet at times and decided to get in quickly with a hotch potch of slanderous stories that could make him some serious money. His efforts combined with Gary Crosby's stab in the back turned millions of people against Bing and consigned him to a near forgotten darkness...I enjoyed the parts of THM that stepped aside briefly from muck raking to give us anecdotes about Bing and his friends in the twenties and thirties that I had never heard before. From that point of view I found the book to be interesting reading...As I stated previously, Gary Giddin's book is something else entirely and is of great importance to the historical records of popular entertainment and to a balanced view of Bing's character that must eventually prove to be of great interest to future historians...Bing on film and records will always be there to be enjoyed but in real life he was not some latter day saint, nor was he the devil incarnate. No one should attempt to portray him as either.
Arne	posted 07/25/02 02:50 PM Central Time (US) contact the author directly Another important point to consider when analyzing the Slatzer book is one of INTENT: what was Slatzer really trying to do? write an objective biography? of course not! His own publisher described the book as part of a genre called "critical biography".... One that exists to destroy the reputation of it's subject. Now, I will give credit where credit is due: "Hollow Man" is unstinting in it's praise of Crosby the artist and the phenomenon (If it wasn't, the book wouldn't be in my home). And it does provide some useful information about Crosby's early years in show biz (Let's face it, reading "Hollow Man" was certainly the first time most of us had ever heard of Roger Marchetti, who is now commonly accepted as a major force behind much of Bing's early solo success)...but the book, in it's negativity and rampant suggestive editorializing, wasn't even merely trying to deliver a portrait of Bing that emphasised the usual Crosby "flaws": Cold, withdrawn, difficult. Rather, Slatzer was trying mightily to portray Bing as mean, cruel, evil, and selfish. Quite a different thing. Especially when an editorial decision is made to ignore all evidence that would ballance out the harsh views expressed. I love the way "Hollow Man" chapters end with a promise that the really BAD stuff is just around the corner; yet, it never really materializes. The evils, the cruelty,..... in the end it seems that Bing was nothing more than, well,...cold, withdrawn, and difficult (no matter how hard Slatzer tries to "spin" the evidence in the worst possible direction). About Carroll Carroll - Make no mistake: He categorically denied that he was interviewed for the book, turned the authors down flat when they came calling. And the authors lied about this, saying that he DID speak to them, lifting quotes from Carroll's previous writings and attributing these quotes to author's interviews. Carroll, incidentally, has described Bing as a flawed human being, but a great man. Carroll hated this book and panned it mercilessly in his column in "Variety" back in '81... My favorite "Hollow Man" moment: On page 276, when the author states that Bing only saw Harry Barris one time between 1932 and 1943. He seems to remember, a few pages later that Barris appeared in several Crosby movies during those years! There is no explanation anywhere for this howler......Good work, Slatzer!
Henry Zecher	posted 09/23/04 07:34 PM Central Time (US) contact the author directly The criticism of Giddins' bio of Bing being mostly about his professional life rather than providing more on his private life is unwarranted. Bing was an intensely private man, kept no journal, and revealed himself to no one after Eddie Lang died. I just finished a full-length biography of someone just like Bing -- William Gillette, the stage actor who created the Sherlock Holmes image. He was a reticent New Englander, very private, kept no journal, revealed himself to few. I had his letters, and letters from family members, and published reminiscenses of those who knew him, and that was it. So, guess what? Most of the book is on his professional life, his activities, and his associations, but little on a truly personal level. There's nothing to draw from. You get glimpses, little more.
Steven Lewis	posted 09/23/04 07:50 PM Central Time (US) no email address given According to Kathryn, Bing did keep a journal. She used it to help write her recent book, My Last Years with Bing.
Tom Degan	posted 09/20/03 12:19 PM Central Time (US) contact the author directly Recently, while out checking out various garage sales in my native Orange County, I came across a paperback copy of Bing Crosby: The Hollow Man. I know that much (if not most) of this trashy, badly researched biography has been throughly discredited since its publication in 1982, but the authors have Al Rinker, in quotations, saying some fairly unkind things about der Bingle. What was the story there? Was Al duped? Misquoted? Or (even worse) quoted out of context? Was he a bitter man, resentful of Bing's success? Or (Heaven forbid) was what he was quoted as saying have a grain of truth?
David Lobosco	posted 09/20/03 01:08 PM Central Time (US) contact the author directly I believed that Al Rinker gave the info on Bing, because as his life went on he became a bitter and lonely man. His thought this interview in the 1980s would be his last chance at fame. Al Rinker never came close to the fame of Bing Crosby as well as his sister Mildred Bailey. Bing even recorded one of Al's songs in the mid 1940s "Suspense", and it was horrible. That's my opinion, and only Al Rinker himself knows why he did that.
DEAN	posted 09/20/03 01:37 PM Central Time (US) no email address given I think it has to be remembered that the early days in Spokane when Bing and Al Rinker were small town buddies remained a memory of great affection for Al for his entire life while Bing was a different kind of personality who discarded the past like an old suit of clothes, and with as little emotion. The long car ride from Spokane to LA in the Autumn of 1925 and the growing adulation and success were experiences that were never to be repeated in Al's lifetime while they were to be but the first sparks hralding a growing conflagration for Bing. While the Rhythm Boys were together, Al, Harry Barris and Bing were highly paid and famous people living a happy and luxurious life; but when Bing realized that his was the magnetic presence that pulled in the crowds and set off alone towards an enormously successful future, Al _amp; Harry had to accept that the bright lights and the fame could not be sustained by them without him. Barris made sporadic appearences in a few Bing films over the years and wrote some good songs but the booze dragged him under. Al knew in his heart that he hadn't the talent to continue on his own and he remembered with great fondness the days when he and Bing were big news in the business and he recalled the days when they earned big money and chased the girls and partied the nights away. It took him a while to realize that Bing cared little for the past and lived his life almost entirely in touch with the present which continued to adulate and love him. The realization that Bing cared little about his beginnings with Al started a growing irritation and resentment in Rinker. In an interview I possess he praises Bing and refuses to accept any credit at all for Bings success. He says that Bing had all the talent and he knew that the split had to come. Rather sadly he says," If only he'd phoned or called in once in a while." Unlike Barris who gave up believing that Bing would renew their friendship, Rinker always hung onto the belief that Bing would become infused with his own affection for earlier times and contact him. When it became obvious this would never happen Al became cynical and critical. I think most of us would have felt much the same, only a great deal earlier. It seems evident from all the evidence that Bing was not an emotional man who dwelt in the happy days gone by. Rinker was, and that was the root of his tragedy.
Carmela	posted 09/20/03 04:17 PM Central Time (US) no email address given I read a different story on the subject. Bing helped Harry Barris get in movies and write some songs. Barris continued to drink his life away. That's not Bing's fault. Al wanted to make it on his own without Bing's help. [Bing was willing to help him.] We read so many different stories about Bing but I believe a lot of the negative stuff comes from people who were jealous of him. Notice in your own life, the people who talk bad about you are usually the jealous ones.
Malcolm Macfarlane, BING magazine	posted 09/21/03 06:15 AM Central Time (US) contact the author directly For a balanced view of the Bing and Al Rinker relationship read pages 251 and 252 of Gary Giddins book. I don't think we can add to that.
Ben Weaver	posted 09/21/03 12:02 PM Central Time (US) contact the author directly There is an interesting interview with Al Rinker that was published in the book by Laurence J. Zwisohn,"BING CROSBY-A Lifetime Of Music" in 1978. In the interview Al recalls how a group of friends in Spokane formed 'The Musicaladers' in the early 1920's and how Bing joined as a drummer in 1924. He has fond memories of the trip down the coast in 1925 and the early days with the Whiteman Orchestra. He ends the interview: "Then we joined Gus Arnheim at the Cocoanut Grove. By that time the drive was gone from the Rhytmn Boys. We were each developing different interests. Harry was writing songs. Bing was playing golf. I was becoming interested in the production end of the business. We felt the Rhythmn Boys was a stage in our lives and now it was over. Bing's talent wasn't technical, it was natural. You could give him any note and just like that he had it. He had a marvelous ear. He had a good beat. He could sing jazz and he could sing ballads. He had a great sense of rhythmn. He had it all. There's never been a truly pop singer who could sing and interpret songs like Bing. It was a great experience now that I look back on it". What I find interesting in this interview is what Al says about what they each did when the Rhythmn Boys broke up. "Harry was writing songs. Bing was playing golf. I became interested in the production end of the business." I think Bing was doing more than playing golf.
Henry Zecher	posted 03/26/04 07:46 PM Central Time (US) contact the author directly The reference to Giddons' book is the best source, I think. Al Rinker made Bing angry one night (somewhere around 1930 or thereabouts) when he wouldn't lend him money and told him how he should be acting. That appeared to be the cut, because no one told Bing how to behave. Bing was never unfriendly with Al after that, but the closeness was gone. Al apparently, later in life, wanted an inside track to Bing based on nostalgia, and Bing had closed the door. And, once Bing closed a door, it remained closed.