Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Live Radio Broadcast October 7, 1943
2. Road to Victory
3. I'll Be Home for Christmas
4. Nobody's Sweetheart
5. Comedy Routine
6. One Alone
7. Sunday, Monday or Always
8. Live Radio Broadcast December 16, 1943
9. Pistol Packin' Mama
10. Oh, What a Beautiful Morning
11. I Used to Love You (But It's All over Now)
12. Comedy Routine
13. Shoo Shoo Baby
14. White Christmas

Disc 2:

1. Live Radio Broadcast April 13, 1944
2. Swinging on a Star
3. Take It Easy
4. Speak to Me of Love
5. One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)
6. It's Love, Love, Love
7. Amor
8. Live Radio Broadcast June 15, 1944
9. Bless 'Em All
10. Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet
11. Day After Forever
12. Together
13. Put It There Pal
14. I'll Be Seeing You

Disc 3:

1. Live Radio Broadcast March 9, 1944
2. Bombardier Song
3. Mexicali Rose
4. Witness for My Lord
5. I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night
6. Two Sleepy People
7. Going My Way
8. Live Radio Broadcast June 29, 1944
9. Swinging on a Star
10. There's a Small Hotel
11. General Jumped at Dawn
12. Square Dance
13. It Had to Be You
14. San Fernando Valley

Disc 4:

1. Live Radio Broadcast January 25, 1945
2. Don't Fence Me In
3. Strange Music
4. Jesus Is a Rock in a Weary Land
5. This Heart of Mine
6. One Meatball
7. Sleigh Ride in July
8. Medley: That's for Me/Ain't It a Shame About Mame/Only Forever
9. Live Radio Broadcast January 18, 1945
10. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive
11. There Goes That Song Again
12. Runnin' Wild
13. Frankie and Johnny
14. You've Got Me Where You Want Me
15. Down by the River
16. It's Easy to Remember
17. Soon
18. Swanee River

Disc 5:

1. Live Radio Broadcast July 6, 1944
2. Sno Qualimie Jo Jo
3. Together
4. Tumbling Tumbleweeds
5. Sandman
6. Exactly Like You
7. I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)
8. Amor
9. Live Radio Broadcast November 30, 1944
10. Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby?
11. I Promise You
12. One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)
13. Jeepers Creepers
14. Glow Worm
15. I'm Making Believe
16. Medley: With Every Breath I Take/Love Is Just Around the Corner/June I

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #273876 in Music
• Released on: 1994-06-21
• Number of discs: 5
• Format: Box set

Customer Reviews

WWII Radio: Music and comedy that holds up 50 years later.
Laserlight gave America a great gift in the 1990's. Using original transcription discs from the Bing Crosby Collection at Gonzaga University in Washington State, a series of representative Kraft Music Hall radio shows was resuscitated and brought to the mass market on CD.

In the 10 shows, Bing and friends like Trudy Erwin and Marilyn Maxwell sing World War II-era hits like "Swingin' On A Star," and "I'll be seeing you," accompanied by John Scott Trotter and his orchestra. Guest stars include Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Phil Silvers, Roy Rogers, The Andrews Sisters, and others, with whom Bing banters in very witty and literate dialogue written by Carroll Carroll. (And don't forget those Kraft Cheese commercials!)

The music is central, but to me, what really sells this set is the comedy spots with the various guest stars. Funny, rapid fire, and not as dated as one might expect.

Special note should be made of the great digital remastering done from the original recordings. The audio was run through something called CEDAR processing, which helps to minimize or remove the clicks, pops, and other surface noise inherent in old phonograph records. The sound still has a bit of an "edge," but considering the low fidelity of the source material, this CD product is a remarkable achievement indeed.

Not having lived through the WWII period (I was born in the 1950's), the series was also an education for me in America's experience with food and gas rationing, war bond drives, collecting kitchen fat (for the production of high explosives) and finding a myriad of other ways to pitch in for the war effort. All of these are promoted on the KMH shows.

This CD set is a nice memory of (or an introduction to) an era when popular entertainment was still a good-hearted enterprise. I've listened to the recordings many times, and I always get a kick out of them. They leave not doubt about why why Bing Crosby was the biggest entertainer of his generation, or why the Kraft Music Hall had such a long run.

Leroux From Texas
Absolutely loved it, can not help but grin at the Ration point commercial for Kraft. I listen to it at work and have to shut my door half of the time because I'll have a silly grin on my face from some of the comedy. If you like Bing Crosby you will like this, if you love Bing Crosby I don't see how you can be without it. I have two single, and this box set and I'm looking for more! And remember that you can case in your left over fat for TWO Ration points at the butcher, that isn't to be ignored.

Great singing and comedy as only Bing can do it!
The original full KRAFT MUSIC HALL, WWII programs. Ten half hour programs. Truly outstanding. Many excellent guests. If you are a Bing fan, it is a MUST have!