Photoplay (Jan - Jun 1943)

50 20 — Q: Do you ever refuse to sing? A: Yes, when people ask me to stand at the piano and deliver a small concert at informal gatherings. I hate that idea. 21 — Q: Who is the most difficult director in Hollywood? (Bing chose the consequences: Give us an embarrassing picture of yourself.) 22 — Q: What is your favorite song? A: It used to be "Stardust," but "White Christmas" is pushing a close second. 23 — Q: What song have you sung publicly which you did not think was suited to your voice? A: "Ballad For Americans" because it requires more voice than I have. 24— Q: What instrument would you like to play in jam sessions? A: The drums, because I can play them a little, and no other instrument at all. 25 — Q: Do you ever have a desire to lead a band? A: Of course. Everyone loves to lead a band, although I'm darned if I know why. Ever notice a drunk in a night club? Leading the band invariably is his first idea — and his best one! 26 — Q: Why do you wear such loud color combinations? A: Believe it or not, it's because I'm color-blind. I used to try to work out careful combinations, but I discovered I had less success with them than the haphazard grab method I use now. 27 — Q: Do you have a pet extravagance in clothes? A: I guess sweaters are my phobia. I can't resist a good-looking one, even though I have many more than I need, probably thirty or thirty-five in all. I never give them up and it is the law around the house that no one touches them. 28 — Q: Do twins run in your family? A: My brother Ted fathered twins just before ours were born, but they are the only ones in the family history. 29 — Q: What feminine characteristic do you dislike most? A: Unnecessary argument and talking tco much. 30 — Q: Who do you think is the most important man in Hollywood? (Bing chose the consequences: Write a limerick about a "groaner" named Crosby.) 31 — Q: What i; your philosophy of life? A: Do all the work you have to do and devote the rest of your time to pleasure because, as you grow older, you lose the precious ability to enjoy things. 32 — Q: Do you like yourself as a person? A: Not very well. I'm too lazy and I don't have the talent I wish I had. I could do with a little more imagination and energy, too. 33 — Q: What do you think is your best trait? Your worst? A: My best trait, I think, is my sense of humor. I'm a soft audience for any comedian. My worst, which I never have admitted but which people say is true nevertheless, is my refusal to make friends easily and to make any effort to be gay company. 34 — Q: Aside from the entertainment field, how could you earn a living? A: To be honest, I'd be in a helluva fix. I'm too lazy to do manual labor and too unaggressive for salesmanship or anything like that. My only chance, perhaps, would be as a hack writer and I'd probably starve at that. 35 — Q: Are you really lazy or is it a publicity gag? A: Let's just say I'm plain tired all the time. 36 — Q: Could you be happy now on a small income or salary? A: Not if I had to circulate in the same company. Otherwise I'm sure I Don't breathe this to a soul — but are we going to have Tl/rV in the l/\JA-Y issue! Its about VJ<?\)Jj£5 Ever since nDfcf{\ the boys have had an eye for the outline of a pretty girl. And t l/fc — don't imagine she's been sleeping all these years. She likes outlines, tool JO we're going to publish some gorgeous color pictures of gorgeous Hollywood stars in — a-ha — bathing suitsl Just VVA/f and &£ Jur l/V)l^ issuel could be perfectly happy on a small ranch or living in a small town under small-town conditions. In other words, I mean money is relatively important to me but luxuries are not. 37 — Q: What is your idea of an ideal way to spend a day? A: Well, it would be at the Del Mar ranch during racing season. Get up at seven a.m., shoot a few quail, have breakfast, take a swim, play eighteen holes of golf, go to the track, have a fair percentage of winning bets, eat a good dinner at home, go listen to a good dance band for a while and call it a day at eleven p.m. Sure, I still say I'm lazy; the above would be doing what I want to do and therefore fun. 38 — Q: What do you notice first in a woman? A: Are you kidding? Her eyes — it says here. 39 — Q: Do you rebel against routine? A: No, it's a swell way to get things done. 40 — Q: Which of your own movies is your favorite? A: "Sing You Sinners" — because I actually got paid for hanging around a race track. 41 — Q: What character quality do you think is most essential in a husband? A: Faithfulness. 42 — Q: In what way could your personal life be happier. A: Only if I didn't have to work. Think of the extra golf I could play! 43 — Q: What phase of movie-making irritates you? A: The endless and inevitable delays. I like to get things over with so I can get out on that golf course. 44 — Q: What is your honest opinion of Hollywood as a whole? A: Its a good place to live and just like any other town except maybe everyone is a little more prone to rib things. 45 — Q: What kind of entertaining do you prefer? A: Casual get-togethers at home where folks drop in and everyone does something toward an impromptu show. It's fun to see the ham in other people as well as yourself. 46 — Q: Do you run your home on a budget? A: We try to — without too much success. 47 — Q: When and where were you married? A: In the sacristy of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Hollywood in 1929. 48 — Q: Are you good at spinning yarns? A: I think I'm good. Hope disagrees. 49 — Q: What is your best dodge in ducking flat questions? A: I ask another question. 50 — Q: Are you good at remembering names and faces? A: Faces, but not names. Usually when I get stuck for a name I say, "Are you still down there?" and try to wangle a clue from the answer. 51 — Q: Does it embarrass you to be stared at in public? A: I'm never aware of anyone staring. Usually they holler at me. It's not embarrassing; I like it. 52 — Q: Do you lose your temper quickly? A: I don't have any temper to lose. In fact, I can't remember ever getting really mad. I used to wrap a few golf clubs around trees when I missed a shot, but that's not losing your temper and, besides, I don't do it any more. 53 — Q: Do you prefer brains or beauty in a woman? (Bing chose the consequences: Give us a picture showing the Crosby "great lover" technique.) 54 — Q: What do you find it hardest to forgive? A: Disloyalty. The End