Customer Reviews

Bing Crosby: The Hollow Man

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I approached The Hollow Man with the knowledge that it would be a less than glowing review of the life of Bing Crosby. In that respect, I got what I expected. What I didn't expect however, and what drove me to distraction, was the constant substantiating by the authors of every statement that they made that they felt might suffer some criticism. I became annoyed with the lengthy explanations of the logic they used to come to their conclusions. And the way they used quotes from obscure players to back up their assertions reminded me of the tabloids. Another major drawback is that while they review Bing's early performing days quite extensively, they then skip through huge chunks of his life with hardly a mention. A thoroughly dissatisfying read.

I thought this was a great book! I chose to pick it up after finally seeing 'Holiday Inn' this winter. I was interested to learn more about Bing Crosby and I certainly did. This isn't even close to a total Bing-bashing book, as the title/cover art of it may begin to suggest. More accurately, I found it to be a well-researched and objective account of his life and the lives of those around him. The tale was really fascinating-complete with humor (I especially liked the funny story when he and his friends were playing hooky from school as children), success (Bing's rise to fame was interesting to watch unfold and it happened so quickly. His business decisions off stage were really something as well!), and sadness (Particularly, Bing's inability to form a truly warm connection with anyone and his tendency to neglect or "disappear" those friends and loved ones who aided him the most in life. The most disheartening parts for me involved his interactions with first wife Dixie Lee and his first four kids, as well as his break from Al Rinker and Harry Barris of the Rhythm Boys). This book takes nothing away from Bing's talent or outward charm, but rather tries to form a complete picture of his personality and all aspects of his life.

I found this book to be a very sincere and well researched look at one of the world's most famous crooner's. Crosby's well documented selfishness and mistreatment of his own sons and first wife was documented by Dixie (Crosby's first wife, who died of cancer), all 4 of his sons by Dixie. Only one son remains living, and the other 3 all committed suicide by gunshot. Crosby was an ill tempered and mean drunkard, which was substantiated not only by the authors, but by co-workers and studio heads. The authors seemed to have gone to great lengths to establish facts of Crosby's early years with his beginnings with the Rhythmn Boys Trio back in the late 1920's. Crosby's early years near Spokane, Washington, where he grew up are very well documented. I found this to be a very insightful read. The authors intentions to me did not seem to be that of trying to be vindictive or hateful, just factual.Authors show that just because Bing was an alchoholic, didn't mean he wasn't likeable.An enjoyeable read!

I picked this book up because of the title. I wanted to know why Bing was called "The Hollow Man." Of course he wasn't called that during his lifetime. I think the authors of the book thought the title would sell the book.

Always an admirer of Crosby's style and entertainment gifts I was pleased to find the book refreshing and educational regarding his early career and climb to mega stardom. It's clear that much research went into the writing of the book. While, at times, it seems like the authors are most critical of Bing Crosby and more supported of the close relationships he had, I still found the book to be a fairly factual read about Crosby's life and his achievements. Title aside, and it's clear the authors do not care much for Crosby as a man, I wouldn't call them vindictive. However they certainly referenced him from the beginning of the book as a man who used everyone else to achieve his goals. He was most commonly referred to as "lazy" and not in a favorable manner.

Much in this book is about other famous people who worked with Crosby and the relationship he had with them; however the content is viewed through these authors' eyes. So take the pleasure of reading about this icon and do your own assessment of Bing based on prior knowledge and this books references.

I would recommend it to anyone wanting to research Crosby's life or anyone who just wanted to read a biography about Bing Crosby. As I said, it's a good read and well written. That's my opinion.

When BING CROSBY became a superstar in the early thirties with records and movies,it was the JAZZ age.BING made a lot of money,alienated a few friends on his way to stardom,married DIXIE LEE,had many affairs with other women on the cover,and then after winning a battle with the bottle continued to neglect his wife who became an alcoolic and died from cancer in the early fifties.Many aspects of this biography will disappoint the CROSBY fans who thought he was a saint.The authors i think tried simply to tell the truth about the man and his complexity.You'll learn many things about him if you read that book,not only the negative side of course.