In this exclusive outtake from Bing Crosby Rediscovered, hear never-before-released audio of Bing Crosby singing the lyrics he penned to roast Hollywood director Raoul Walsh. Writer Gary Giddins describes the background of the MGM film Walsh directed — Going Hollywood (1933) starring Crosby and Marian Davies. Davies caused the film some delays and after it wrapped, Bing poked good-natured fun at the director by writing lyrics to a song called “Rollicking Rockaway Raoul.”
According to Giddins, when Louis Mayer at MGM Studios heard about the song, he banned Walsh and Bing from the MGM lot. Bing didn’t work for MGM again until decades later after Mayer was fired, when he was signed for High Society (1956) and Man on Fire (1957).
American Masters – Bing Crosby Rediscovered premiered December 2, 2014 and receives its holiday encore on Friday, December 26 at 9 pm on PBS (check local listings).
