Bing Crosby

 
Frank and Dean as back-up singers? What next, snow in Palm Springs?

We’re not sure about snowflakes in Palm Springs, but that narrow chin on the man in front belongs Bing Crosby. Both Sinatra and Martin admired his vocal artistry and acknowledged his influence on theirs, especially in the recording studio. If there was a rivalry it was a friendly one, as Frank and Bing occasionally performed together on stage and screen.

When it came to popular crooning, during the early post-war years Crosby pretty much had the top of the mountain to himself. Once Sinatra’s turn came, it’s hard to imagine the Chairman of the Board playing second fiddle to anyone, but in Harriet’s depiction the pleasure Frank seems to be taking in it probably was a real-world truth.