Cinematical

Can you sit through fourteen Bing Crosby films? Sure you can. The Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theatre is having a Bing Crosby fest in late July (starts July 20th), and it's screening a slew of Bing in his various iterations. It kicks off with Going Hollywood, in which Crosby plays his usual charming self, gleefully seducing Marion Davies. It's an 80mm print, and includes a special 20mm short. Another film showing up on opening day is High Society, which was "Crosby's favorite film" and, according to this press release I'm staring at, a "pastel-colored, chamber-music version of ... The Philedelphia Story." You judge for yourself which version is better.

Blue Skies screens July 22 and 23rd, and cuts a swath with the famous figures: Irving Berlin wrote the score; Fred Astaire partners up with Crosby. Should be fun.

Oh, and then there's Crosby's Oscar-winning Going My Way—best pic, best director, best supporting actor, best song, best story, best cinematography. I guess if you don't see this, you're not really a film buff.

There's nothing up on the Walter Reade site yet, but when they publish the schedule, you'll find it here.