I agree. Modern music isn't the same.

Well back then you couldn’t fool people with ZERO talent. There wasn’t auto tune or computer generated music. It was real and raw. These performers could sing, dance, play instruments, do comedy, everything. True legends.

Spike Jones.

They would have called it "tap dancing" then, but you're right. Spike Jones' band, the City Slickers were really funny and amazingly talented musicians too. (I love stepdancing, by the way)

agree he did well

Actually there are still many talented musicians around. But record companies aren't interested in music, only money.

Great story, Alan!

Bing like in Crosby? Awesome!

Spike and all his band were excellent musicians, but when they started to wreck a tune & play like their brains were scrambled they got me as a baby thru now rolling on the floor with laughter. Pure Joy! By the way Johnny, if Bing Crosby was your uncle, your Uncle Bob had one of the finest bands I ever heard (recordings only).

Der Bingle must have had a great time with Spike on John Scott Trotter's orch!

In the big old LA hotel where the Oscars were first held, there's a huge photo of an early Academy Awards ceremony. If you look carefully, you'll see Spike behind the drum kit. Der Bingle might be in the picture too!

John Scott Trotter ?!? That's ONE name that I haven't heard in a while !!! -- Trotter handled the orchestrations for Columbia Pictures 'Pennies from Heaven' .. which was his first work with Bing Crosby. --- This would start a 17-year professional association with Crosby, although Trotter and Crosby had first met in 1929 in New York City at the Manger Hotel while Crosby was working with Paul Whiteman's orchestra. - In July 1937, Trotter replaced Jimmy Dorsey as the musical director for Crosby on NBC's radio program Kraft Music Hall. - That same year, Trotter began arranging and conducting songs for Crosby's records for Decca. Their first recording together, 'It's the Natural Thing to Do' .. reached the No. 2 spot in the charts of the day and they had many hits over the ensuing years. Trotter would remain Crosby's musical director until 1954. ~ The involvement with the Kraft Music Hall came about when .. -----*[ Larry Crosby, .. Bing's brother ]* --------- and public relations director, sent Trotter a wire asking if he could be in Hollywood on June 28, 1937 to take over the orchestra of the Kraft Music Hall on July 8. - Although Trotter had rehearsed and directed orchestras, he had never had an orchestra of his own, with his own name. - The first time he appeared under his own name 'John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra' was on the Kraft Music Hall with Bing Crosby. The Kraft Music Hall went fifty weeks a year and Trotter did one hundred and forty consecutive Thursdays without missing one; some sort of record. ~ Bing Crosby talked very warmly about Trotter in his 1953 autobiography 'Call Me Lucky' .. and commented about Trotter's remarkable self-control. ~ Trotter also had orchestra related responsibilities. - Jerry Colonna was a trombonist for the band and future entertainer Spike Jones* served as his drummer. ~ Carroll Carroll, who was the chief writer of Kraft Music Hall, recalled Trotter's massive volume and appetite when it came to his everyday life; - - - ```>>>> "Trotter, a monolith of a man, stood astride pop and 'long hair' music, as it was then called, like a colossus, and occasionally flew from Hollywood to New Orleans for the weekend (something not done often in the thirties) just to cater to his gourmet tastes with a decent plate of oysters Rockefeller." During the war, when home economist M. F. K. Fisher was a guest on the show to plug her wartime conservation cookbook, .. 'How to Cook a Wolf' ... she told Bing that her book explained how to use leftovers. The heartily-fed Trotter stepped to the mike and, in his most polite and gentle North Carolina drawl, asked, 'Pardon me, ma'am, but what are left-overs ??? ~ Trotter, along with Jack Kapp, has been criticized for mainstreaming Crosby's style away from his jazz roots. The reality is that Crosby himself chose the songs he performed on his radio shows and had ultimate approval for anything he recorded to disc. - Crosby could have worked with any musical arranger he chose, but he preferred working with Trotter for 17 years. -- Crosby once said of Trotter; ... "I'm not musically educated enough to really describe what he was in music terms. I just knew he was very good and he had marvelous taste." ~ Trotter died of cancer on October 29, 1975, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He was buried in Sharon Memorial Park in Charlotte. Surviving him were a sister, Margaret Kinghorn, and two brothers, William and Robert Trotter.[ --- (rip) ~~~ So .Mr. Johnnie Holiday .. I guess the question is ... ( 4 years later ) ... was your dad, Larry Crosby, .. Bing's brother ??? From Wikipedia ------->>> { Laurence Earl "Larry" Crosby (January 3, 1895 - February 7, 1975) was the long-time publicity director of his younger brother, the singer Bing Crosby his brother. Larry was the eldest of Bing's six siblings. - He was born in Tacoma, Washington. - The seven Crosby children were brothers Larry (1895-1975), Everett (1896-1966), Ted (1900-1973), Harry (1903-1977, popularly known as Bing Crosby), and sisters Catherine (1905-1974), Mary Rose (1907-1990) and Bob (1913-1993). His parents were English-American bookkeeper Harry Lowe Crosby (1871-1950) and Irish-American Catherine Helen "Kate" Harrigan (1873-1964), daughter of a builder from County Cork, Ireland.Larry managed annual Bing Crosby National Pro-Amateur, or also called Crosby Clambake, now called AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, California, near Monterey.Starting in 1971 Larry was also director of "Prisoners in Exchange for American Construction Enterprise -PEACE" a group seeking better treatment of prisoners of Vietnam War. - Larry died of cancer in Century City, California at age of 80. }

Sorry dude, that type disappeared in the late '60s with the emergence heavy satire and below-the-belt humor. Keep dreaming if you think this style of comedy will EVER come back!(fool!) 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

As you can tell from the last number, Jones was a drummer before he started this act. And what an act it was!!!!

David Theisen "That guy..." was Eddie Cline. Cline directed several films that starred W.C. Fields. Spike hired him after Clines directing days had come to an end. Cline served as an idea man and stage director, of sorts.

I love these little snippets of info that come from some of the commenters. Thanks Mr. Cook!

Mick Brenton Or America’s. Or Great Britain’s. Or India’s. Or- well, you get the idea.

VERY NICE!!! THAT'S LIKE SAYING YOU'RE GOING TO GET MOIST IN A TITLEWAVE!!! HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE? NICE! HIS DRUMMING IS EXTROIDINARY!!! ONE OF A KIND!!

@@baumcollcsame7871 Bit rude. I'm sure he can spell Tidal wave and Extraordinary.

No they don't, more's the pity.

It was Kinescoped, which is the same thing.

Reminds me of "The Bremen Town Musicians". One of my favorite childhood stories. Small world and Greetings, from wherever the hell, i am (?)

You didn't get a job in the Jones band solely on your musical abilities. You had to have some other odd talents to throw in the mix, which is what would get Spike's attention. ALL of his musicians were fantastic showmen as well.

MTToomer try Marimba. Glockenspiels are held with one hand.

@@Phillyfan45 FINALLY, somebody got it right.

Fantasdickk

WWII was ongoing in 1954?

Freddy Morgan. He absolutely thrashed the banjo.

@@Collectologist I did some research on him after watching a few more Spike vids. He was GREAT!

Danial Acosta | This old man, he played two, He played knick-knack on my shoe; With a knick-knack paddywhack, Give a dog a bone, This old man came rolling home "

@@t5o7m Uhh...

At 0:14, Spike clearly introduces the song as "Whisperin'". Pay attention!

pattigee1 That was fantastic performance. He even drummed on the tv camera and cameraman. What NBC studio was this?

@@glennso47 -- Probably New York. And, IIRC, the "cameraman" was one of his comedians, Peter James.

Ca m'intrigue ce truc-là. Je n'y connais rien en histoire de prise de son, mais à supposer que ce soit en prise de son direct, où diable fourre-t-on les micros ?... surtout à cette époque, ça date de quoi, les années 50, genre... c'est forcément post-synchronisé...

My Gal Sal, then Runnin' Wild (an old Glenn Miller standard).

Je suis si heureux de voir un confrère francophone pour rendre hommage a ce génie qu'était Spike Jones

It's FUN!

Crystal meth..

Hi David - Actually David, the real trombone and sax players were mic'd. SJ and Peter James were faking it.

But i meant when he moves around the set, it doesn't seem faked but where's the mike when he's tapping on everything?

David Hadley Mic's are hung like in the audience for applause and laughs. The there are floor mic's that cover certain area's. By the way, when you watch it again, the guy acting as the camera man get's hurt twice during the bit. Once when he's hit in the head with the wooden camera lens and when he falls he lands right on his headset. You can see it in his face. Ouch.

Well i must say the sound level is amazingly consistent, they did a great job!

Spike Jones Jr. I am guessing that the older guy sitting in the audience whose shoes are being rapped upon by Spike is Eddie Cline, and the cameraman is Peter James. Am I correct?

Why to some people make everything political, Joe Mancini?😒