A Bing Crosby Christmas

From 1962 to 1977, Bing Crosby (1904-1977) and his family had themselves a merry little Christmas on an annually televised special which became a staple holiday pastime for American viewers. In this 1979 highlights compilation, hosted by the late Gene Kelly and Kathryn Crosby, Bing, the Crosby family, and a sleighful's worth of special guest stars (including Fred Astaire, Carol Burnett, Jackie Gleason, Michael Landon, Roy Clark and others, belt out partial or complete renditions of over a dozen holiday songs (and a few others). Highlights include: a 1962 Busby-Berkeley-tinged non-Christmas number featuring Bing and extras in a fleet of office chairs "Doin' the Bing" (a wonderful number that seems to be in perfect equipoise between the '50s and '60s), a Bing and Twiggy (!) duet, the Crosby family as upbeat homeless people decking out a tree with junkyard ornamentation, and the classic pairing of Crosby and David Bowie in "The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth." Like a lot of old television, A Bing Crosby Christmas seems maddeningly slow in places and the lip-synched bits are endearingly off, still for those who want to trip down memory lane to Christmases past ("like the ones we used to know"), this will be a welcome stroll. A strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)