Bing's 'Welcome Stranger' - the Promo Discs and Commercial Releases

In casting Bing Crosby's latest film, 1947's Welcome Stranger, Paramount Studios tried to recreate the success of the Groaner's most recent films. First, they enlisted Barry Fitzgerald, the beloved foil from one of Crosby's most successful entries, Going My Way. Only this time, Bing and Barry would be doctors instead of priests.

Then, for good measure, Paramount cast Joan Caulfield as the love interest, as it had in Crosby's most recent film, Blue Skies. And as usual Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen were on hand to provide the songs (although the Irving Berlin catalog had graced Blue Skies).

The result was a success at the box office, but the songs are less remembered than many others written for Bing's film projects. Even Bing's The Bells of St. Mary's had a more durable hit, "Aren't You Glad You're You?", the only Burke-Van Heusen song in the score.

Too bad, because the Welcome Stranger songs are accomplished and varied - and perfectly suited to Crosby's talents and persona. Today we get to hear not only the four Decca sides recorded in conjunction with the film, but the same songs as heard on the soundtrack, courtesy of the promotional records that Paramount sent out in advance of the film's opening.

The sets lead off with the gorgeous ballad, "As Long as I'm Dreaming." Both versions are effective and affecting, but the soundtrack has a level of involvement that Bing sometimes didn't attain in his commercial recordings. The same is true of most of the other recordings, which is perhaps understandable considering that the Decca sessions were nine months after the soundtrack recordings.

The "dreamer" was a central element of Crosby's film and TV characters from Holiday Inn through to High Tor. A related aspect was the "regular guy" personality that was embodied in Welcome Stranger by the song "My Heart Is a Hobo." In this number, Bing insists that he "loves to go out berry pickin', hates to hear alarm clocks tickin'," while admitting that he "hates the stodgy guy that I am." (He apparently had to work at being irresponsible.)

"Country Style" is a square dance - far more common back then - which comes off better on the soundtrack than in the studio.

"Smile Right Back at the Sun" was a cracker-barrel philosophy piece that was a bid to replicate the popularity of "Aren't You Glad You're You?" or Going My Way's "Swinging on a Star." It didn't achieve as much success, even though it's a good song. Here the commercial recording is just as effective as the soundtrack.

The songs in both sets are well-recorded and very enjoyable. The download includes many stills and posters from the film, along with the booklet included in the 78 set (cover below). All recordings were cleaned up from Internet Archive originals.