Bing Crosby ARSC Journal, 43(1), 127–130. Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (; May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor. The first multimedia star, Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1931 to 1954. His early career coincided with recording innovations such as the microphone. This allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed him, including Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, and Dean Martin. "Yank" magazine said that he was the person who had done the most for American soldiers'
The Jazz Singer cost for "The Jazz Singer" was $422,000 (approximately US$5.76 million in 2015 dollars)—a large sum, especially for Warner Bros., which rarely spent more than $250,000. It was by no means a record for the studio, however; two features starring John Barrymore had been costlier: "The Sea Beast" (1926), a loose and entirely silent adaptation of "Moby-Dick", at $503,000 and "Don Juan" at $546,000. Nonetheless, the outlay constituted a major gamble in light of the studio's financial straits: while "The Jazz Singer" was in production, Harry Warner stopped taking a salary, pawned jewelry belonging to his wife, and moved his family