The program on this DVD is basically a retrospective produced in the early 1990s for public television that was originally called "A Bing Crosby Christmas: Just Like the Ones You Used to Know" that was narrated by Gene Kelly and hosted by Bing's widow, Kathryn Crosby, who since went on to star in the Broadway version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "State Fair." The program itself features clips from fifteen of Bing's classic television specials, concentrating on the period from the early 1960s onwards when he included Kathryn and their three children in the programs. For those of us who grew up with these specials -- and they were a staple of every holiday season for Baby Boomers -- Bing's family can be seen growing up before our eyes. Yes, it does include the classic duet that Bing recorded with David Bowie of "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" that was taped a month before Bing's sudden death of a heart attack while playing golf in Spain in October of 1977. But it also includes clips with guest stars such as Fred Astaire, Mary Martin, Jackie Gleason, Carol Burnett and Bernadette Peters, among others, and of course, Bing closing as he always did, singing Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," heard here across several performances and key changes. The only down side of these clips is that most are heavily narrated over the music itself which limits their appeal over multiple viewings/listenings. The bonus features alone are more than worth the price of the disc, however, including an extended portion of a live Bing Christmas special from the mid-1950s that included Bing and Frank Sinatra having an hilarious, full-of-inside-jokes "sing-off" against one another, including Sinatra taking the Hope role in the title song to "The Road to Morocco" only to have Hope himself show up in protest. Louis Armstrong and Rosemary Clooney also make appearances. There are also some scratchy clips from "Holiday Inn," including Bing's first-ever introduction of "White Christmas" by a cozy late-night fire to Marjorie Reynolds, and "Bell's of St. Mary's" as well. There is also an amusing early sound short and Bing's first ever film appearance called "Blue of the Night" after his signature tune of the same name where Bing plays himself meeting a fan who claims to be engaged to him (she only knows his voice from the radio and doesn't know what he looks like) and includes an hilarious scene where Bing sings her to sleep pretending he has a portable radio and later has to convince an Irish cop (Bud Jamison, who played similar roles in Three Stooges shorts of the 1930s) that he really is Bing. "Well, if you are," says Jamison, "give us some of that whistling stuff to prove it." There is also a useful Bing bio and an accurate and thorough discography of every Christmas song Bing recorded during his long and memorable career. All in all, a fun collection for Bing fans as well as fans of Christmas. Come to think of it, isn't that just about everybody?
