The Bing Crosby Show

💡 Did You Know?

The 1964 Bing Crosby Special was video taped in color at the Burbank NBC Television Studios on Stage 2, in June 1963. Producers Vanoff and Harbach brought their production assistants in NYC to Los Angeles to prepare the show's material. Rita Scott supervised the production elements, acting as the UPM. The color special was for a CBS TV 'color'' broadcast. CBS Television City had color cameras in storage in their facility (stored in the main facilities corridor between the Drapery Department and the main stage midway). CBS did not have the color facilities to video tape the special, nor the available stages to record the special. NBC Burbank was the only West Coast facility, using RCA Color Cameras and Ampex Video Recording Tape Machines, to record and tape-edit the show. Vanoff assembled the production team of writers, music arrangers, designers at the Burbank facility to rehearse and tape the Special. Bing Crosby used his trump card to bring his guest performers together for a 'very very musical special'. The segments were taped without an audience present. An orchestra and crew members were the only audience for the performers. After the production was in "the can," Vanoff, Harbach and Rita Scott remained in Los Angeles developing a television project with Bing Crosby Productions, which became the ABC TV variety show "The Hollywood Palace" hosted by Bing Crosby. This ABC TV variety show premiered January 1964, and had a seven season duration until being canceled in 1970. The Saturday night "The Hollywood Palace" was ABC's answer to CBS's Ed Sullivan's Sunday night variety hour.