[1] Singer and entertainer Bing Crosby had finished a three-year engagement with Chesterfield cigarettes on CBS radio which had ended in June 1952.
[2] Notable guest stars and appearances on the series included Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny, Ella Fitzgerald, Connee Boswell, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Rosemary Clooney, Peggy Lee, The Bell Sisters and Kay Starr.
Variety liked the opening show, saying inter alia, “Bing Crosby is back for another semester in radio and this time, flying the General Electric colours.
The Hollywood and Vine reports have it that, as with Jack Benny before him, the production, accoutrements and bankroll on Bing’s showcase have been trimmed in keeping with the ‘radio re-appraisal’, if so, GE has grabbed itself a good deal.
"[3] The shows continued until July 2, 1953, and the audience share for the season was 6.5 which enabled the program to scrape into twentieth position in the Nielsen ratings.
Expensive guest stars were rarely used and Crosby employed his sons - Gary, Dennis, Phillip and Lindsay - frequently on the show.
Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires were not used in this second series and a regular spot was established for the Orchestra to play an instrumental version of a well-known song.
Whilst the songs and the chat continued, the ‘normal’ commercials were abandoned in favour of several minutes of ‘discussion’ between Crosby and Ken Carpenter, on such heavyweight subjects as ‘Government’, ‘Communism’ and ‘Collectivism’.
His voice and personality have the magic of the Pied Piper and even without his long-time ‘themer’ (“Blue of the Night’) he'll be fished out of the receiver... General Electric preferred to have cross talk about people, rather than “move merchandise".