Bing Crosby Collection

Bing Crosby is one of America's most popular entertainers of all time. Bing Crosby was a superstar of movies, music, radio and television during a spectacular career that lasted over 50 years. He was considered to be the first multimedia star of the 20th Century.

This 10 DVD Collection showcases some of his best films and the diverse range of roles he was so well known for.

THE BELL OF ST MARYS: Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby) is transferred to the Roman Catholic inner-city school St Mary's, where he quickly falls into conflict with its headmistress, Sister Mary (Ingrid Bergman). Their primary disagreement has to do with the deteriorating school itself. Father O'Malley feels it should be abandoned and the children sent to other schools. Sister Mary and the other nuns, however, believe there is still hope, possibly in the form of charity from a wealthy business owner (Henry Travers).

SING, YOU SINNERS: Lazy Joe Beeb (Bing Crosby), unable to support his mother and younger brothers, impulsively goes to California. With winnings from a gambling bet, Joe purchases a racehorse, and the family joins him. Joe, David (Fred MacMurray) and Mike, at the urging of Mrs Beeb, take up singing to earn money and David hopes he can finally marry long-time girlfriend Martha (Ellen Drew). Trouble begins, however, when Mike decides to race the horse but is approached by a shady competitor to throw the race.

WE'RE NOT DRESSING: Wealthy socialite Doris Worthington (Carole Lombard) is enjoying a yacht party on the Pacific when the boat sinks, forcing the group to seek shelter on a nearby island. Her guests, including Uncle Hubert (Leon Errol) and Prince Michael Stofani (Ray Milland), have no survivalist skills, so the group is forced to rely on sailor Stephen Jones (Bing Crosby) for help, despite their reluctance about having a commoner in charge. Jones attempts to romance Doris with his charms and his music.

BIRTH OF THE BLUES: Jeff Lambert (Bing Crosby), who has grown up in New Orleans surrounded by black music, determines to start a band featuring white coronet player Memphis (Brian Donlevy). However, the Basin Street Hotshots are rejected from several venues for playing "black" jazz, until singer Betty Lou Cobb (Mary Martin) insists they be hired as her backup band. The band finds success until Jeff and Memphis fall out over Betty Lou, then get entangled with gangster Blackie (J. Carrol Naish).

HERE COME THE WAVES: Twin sisters Rosemary and Susie Allison are successful nightclub performers. Their act is about to come to a close when serious-minded Rosemary announces she's joining the Waves. Fun-loving Susie decides to enlist also, especially after she learns that crooner Johnny Cabot has just been drafted by the Navy.

MISSISSIPPI: When a group of civil rights workers goes missing in a small Mississippi town, FBI agents Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) are sent in to investigate. Local authorities refuse to cooperate with them, and the African American community is afraid to, precipitating a clash between the two agents over strategy. As the situation becomes more volatile, the direct approach is abandoned in favour of more aggressive, hard-line tactics.

RHYTHM OF THE RANGE: Cowboy Jeff Larabee returns from the east and meets Doris Halloway, a young girl, that he regards as a vagabond, till he learns that she's the owner of the farm where he works. He tries to win her heart, but without success, until she is endangered by gangsters.

RHYTHM OF THE RIVER: Bob Sommers (Bing Crosby) is a talented but unambitious songwriter who makes his living penning tunes for others. Cherry Lane (Mary Martin) is an aspiring musician, and also one who ghost-writes. Both happen to be working for a composer (Basil Rathbone) who has a bad case of writer's block. Neither Bob nor Cherry knows about one another, until they meet by chance, fall for each other and begin to collaborate in hopes of making it in the music business on their own.

WELCOME STRANGER: Alice arrives at her estranged brother Ethan's house in an attempt to reconcile, but bizarre visions, the return of his strange girlfriend, and Alice's paranoia and suspicion force the siblings to cling to reality amidst mysterious circumstances.

ROAD TO BALI: Harold (Bob Hope) and George (Bing Crosby) are two vaudeville performers in Australia. After they realise their local gal pals intend to marry them, they sign up for a diving expedition led by the local island prince, Ken Arok (Murvyn Vye). They soon meet the prince's sister, Lalah (Dorothy Lamour), who rules a beautiful island. When their dive uncovers a jewel-filled chest, Ken tries to steal both the treasure and Lalah's throne, and the trio is forced into hiding.