Bing Crosby ‘White Christmas’ WWII: Emotional Performance Revealed

NEED TO KNOW

• Bing Crosby once shared with his nephew his most difficult ever performance of “White Christmas”
• Crosby said he struggled to keep it together as he sang the song for crying soldiers during World War II
• The song became an anthem for American soldiers abroad during the war

Bing Crosby’s rendition of “White Christmas” became particularly emotional for soldiers serving in World War II — leading to one of the most challenging performances of Bing’s life.

Bing’s nephew Howard revealed details about the song and his uncle in a 2016 interview. Bing, who passed away in 1977 at the age of 74, was born in Tacoma, Wash., and raised in Spokane. His childhood home is now a museum on the campus of his alma mater, Gonzaga University.

Bing first performed “White Christmas” in 1942’s Holiday Inn, a film featuring music by Irving Berlin. Released in August, the song gained momentum throughout the fall and into the holiday season.

Bing Crosby singing on ‘The Bing Crosby Show’ in December 1953.

CBS via Getty

“The song became a hit in the winter of 1942, when it was embraced by homesick American GIs as a symbol of the country to which they longed to return and the values they were fighting to defend,” wrote Jody Rosen, author of the 2002 book White Christmas. “It was the war’s unlikely anthem: a ‘Why We Fight’ song in which the fight was never mentioned.” It was frequently played on Armed Forces radio.

“White Christmas” won the Oscar for Best Original Song and became the best-selling single of all time—a record it still holds. While many artists have covered it, Bing’s baritone remains the voice most associated with the classic tune.

During the war, Bing performed live for troops stationed in Europe. Howard shared with reporters, “I once asked Uncle Bing about the most difficult thing he ever had to do during his entertainment career. He didn’t have to think about it. He said in December 1944, he was in a USO show with Bob Hope and the Andrews Sisters. They did an outdoor show in northern France.”

From left: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney in ‘White Christmas’.

Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

“White Christmas,” of course, was performed. “At the end of the show, he had to stand there and sing ‘White Christmas’ with 100,000 G.I.’s in tears without breaking down himself,” Howard said.

“Of course, a lot of those boys were killed in the Battle of the Bulge a few days later.” The Battle of the Bulge, which took place from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945, began with a surprise attack by the Nazis. It was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the United States during the war, but after its conclusion, the Nazis never launched another offensive.

Crosby revisited “White Christmas” in the 1954 film White Christmas, alongside Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. Fittingly, given the song’s connection to WWII, the film’s plot centers on two former soldiers who create a traveling show, partly to honor their former general. The film culminates in a celebration of the white New England Christmas they had yearned for during the war. In 1953, The New York Times simply described “White Christmas” as “a national institution.”