Decades before Paris Hilton and voracious media hordes anxiously awaited her release from County Jail, aspiring crooner Bing Crosby was quietly jailed with nary a mention in the newspapers. And after he became a star, his arrest and court records just as quietly vanished.
Crosby, then 27, crashed his car in front of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in November 1929 after a night of drinking. This was during Prohibition, when liquor was illegal.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday June 28, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 87 words Type of Material: Correction
Bing Crosby: The L.A. Then and Now column in Sunday's California section incorrectly stated that Bing Crosby's brother Harry wrote an article in the 1955 Hollywood Reporter. The article was written by Bing Crosby, using his real name, Harry L. Crosby. Also, the column gave Bing Crosby's age as 27 in November 1929. The year he was born is disputed; in his autobiography, Crosby wrote that he was born in 1904 but acknowledged that other years had been suggested. Biographers and fans continue to debate the point.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday July 01, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 88 words Type of Material: Correction
Bing Crosby: The L.A. Then and Now column in the June 24 California section said Bing Crosby's brother Harry wrote an article in the 1955 Hollywood Reporter. The article was written by Bing Crosby, using his real name, Harry L. Crosby. Also, the column gave Bing Crosby's age as 27 in November 1929. The year he was born is disputed; in his autobiography, Crosby wrote that he was born in 1904, but he acknowledged that other years had been suggested. Biographers and fans continue to debate the point.
The incident meant Crosby missed his big break, a solo in Paul Whiteman's 1930 movie musical "The King of Jazz." But he wondered later whether his voice had been suited to the tune -- a flop could have torpedoed his career before it began.
Eventually, he became one of the nation's most beloved entertainers. He won an Oscar in 1944 for "Going My Way." His best known song was "White Christmas," first recorded in 1942. He was also known for his "Road" pictures with Bob Hope and his love of golf.
Although his drunk driving wasn't reported in The Times or other local newspapers, and the records disappeared, the facts are not in dispute.
Crosby himself discussed the incident more than 20 years later. In the early hours of New Year's Day 1950, he was broadcasting on KGIL radio from Ciro's nightclub in Hollywood. Johnny Grant, Hollywood's honorary mayor, was emceeing the program.
"[Crosby] told me the story over the air about how he was flung into 'durance vile' " -- jail -- "something I had never heard of before," Grant said in a recent interview.
The incident is also documented in a 2001 biography by Gary Giddins and in a 1955 Hollywood Reporter article by Crosby's brother, Harry.
Crosby was in town to film the Whiteman musical, a vaudeville-type production produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. at Universal Studios. Crosby's trio, the Rhythm Boys, came west from New York in June 1929 with Whiteman's orchestra.
To make the band feel at home, Universal built a recreational lodge for the 24 musicians on the back lot. Whiteman arranged for each of them to buy a Ford to drive around Los Angeles. Each car included a spare tire cover emblazoned with Whiteman's image.
"We all bought autos -- or at least we made the down payments with money which Pops [Whiteman] advanced to us, then deducted from our salaries," wrote Harry Crosby in the Nov. 15, 1955, Hollywood Reporter. Bing chose a convertible.
