On November 1, 1952, Bing Crosby’s wife, Dixie, died. Unable to do the show scheduled for November 6th, Jimmy Stewart was called upon to fill in for him. Most newspapers simply listed “Bing Crosby” in their radio listings for the day. At least one paper, the Oakland Tribune, Oakland, CA, did print a short preview of the show and gave it a new name – Music Parade.
The show’s regulars, including Ken Carpenter and John Scott Trotter, were there as well as guests Rosemary Clooney, Gordon MacRae and Joe Venuti. Jimmy talked with each of the guests and introduced performances by them. He also assisted Ken Carpenter with the commercials for General Electric. At the end of the program, Stewart announced that Bing would be returning the following week and that Dinah Shore would be his guest.
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