BING CROSBY HOLIDAY FILM FESTIVAL
The 2022 Bing Crosby Holiday Film Festival will feature several of the world-renowned entertainer’s best films along with live entertainment in a special weekend benefit event Dec. 10 and 11 at the Bing Crosby Theater in downtown Spokane.
SATURDAY, DEC. 10
- Noon to 2:00 p.m. – “White Christmas”
- 2:45 to 4:15 p.m. – “Road to Utopia”
- 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. – Howard Crosby
- 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. – “White Christmas”
SUNDAY, DEC. 11
- Noon to 2:40 p.m. – “The Bells of St. Mary’s”
- 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. – “Sing You Sinners”
- 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. – The Zonky Jazz Band
- 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. – Howard Crosby and Everdream (formerly “Affiniti”)
Presented by the non-profit Bing Crosby Advocates, this year’s annual yuletide salute to Spokane’s favorite son will feature four of the legendary entertainer’s most beloved films, including two showings of Crosby’s 1954 classic “White Christmas”. This year will also mark the festival debut of Bing’s rarely seen 1938 musical comedy “Sing You Sinners”. In addition, the weekend celebration will showcase live performances by The Zonky Jazz Band and Howard Crosby (son of Bing’s brother Ted), who will wrap up the weekend festivities with the popular Celtic Christmas trio Everdream (formerly “Affiniti”).
Of special note at this year’s event is a celebration of the 80th anniversary of Crosby’s iconic recording of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”, the holiday perennial that became the biggest selling hit of his 50-year career and won the Oscar for Best Song after its debut in 1942’s “Holiday Inn”.
“Sing You Sinners” is considered Crosby’s first significant big screen performance and co-stars Fred MacMurray and a young Donald O’Connor in a hugely entertaining film that today is considered a hidden gem among Crosby’s 80 movies. Also on tap are two of his box office favorites from 1945: “Road to Utopia”, the fourth of seven “Road” comedies Crosby and Bob Hope teamed up for over 22 years, and “The Bells of St. Mary’s”, in which the crooner reprised his most celebrated screen role as Father O’Malley, for which he received an Oscar for “Going My Way” (1944).
