It is shocking that the classic Christmas song “White Christmas,” which is a joyful holiday classic, carried a bittersweet memory for the late Bing Crosby. In an interview with Fox News, his nephew Howard Crosby revealed the most challenging moment of his uncle’s professional career.
He shared that Bing Crosby claimed that singing the song “White Christmas” to 15,000 homesick troops in France during World War II, just before the Battle of the Bulge, was one of the most emotional and challenging moments of his career. The sight of teary-eyed soldiers who longed for home and any of whom would lose their lives shortly after turned the song into a bittersweet one for Crosby
15,000 soldiers were in tears when Bing Crosby sang “White Christmas” to them all
Howard recalled that they were playing golf when he threw the question at Bing Crosby, even though he didn’t know what Crosby was going to say, whether he would say it was learning lines for a movie or working with a difficult director. However, Crosby didn’t hesitate; he hadn’t thought about it before he revealed that it was when he gave an open-air concert for 15,000 GIs and British Tommies in an open-air field in France.
Crosby told him Dinah Shore and the Andrews Sisters performed at the show, and it was all fun until he had to sing “White Christmas.” It was when he was singing he noticed that the majority of the 15,000 soldiers were in tears, and it took him a lot not to break up.
Despite the difficulty, Crosby considered it his patriotic duty. He even turned down wearing his toupee for authenticity and ensured that frontline soldiers, not officers, sat in the front rows of his performances. This event turned White Christmas into more than a song.
Bing Crosby was rejected by the army because he was “too old”
Bing Crosby’s dedication to the troops extended beyond music. As a devout Catholic and a deeply humble individual, he viewed entertaining soldiers as an honor and a way to contribute to the war effort. Even though he tried to enlist, he was too old for it.
This made him direct his energy towards making his performances meaningful to the soldiers, but ultimately, “White Christmas” became more than just a chart-topping hit and a holiday song. It was also a symbol of hope in a time of war. For many, the song brought comfort during one of the darkest chapters in history.