In the latest issue of 'Bing' we can read much of the background to the recording of Bing's two LP set, the original inspiration in the 'Life' magazine series and of Bing's slightly surprising involvement in the subsequent film.

That sent me off on a quest. For years I have wanted to see and read that magazine series. Well, here it is, the pages from Life on the internet.

Preview -  pages 98-99    30 March 1959  http://tinyurl.com/HTWWW0
Part 1 - Pages 79-96         6 April 1959    http://tinyurl.com/HTWWW01
Part 2 - Pages 77-102      13 April 1959   http://tinyurl.com/HTWWW02
Part 3 - Pages 76 -94       20 April 1959   http://tinyurl.com/HTWWW03
Part 4 - Pages 78-104      27 April 1959   http://tinyurl.com/HTWWW04
Part 5 - Pages  74-100        4 May 1959   http://tinyurl.com/HTWWW05
Part 6 - Pages 66 - 86       11 May 1959    http://tinyurl.com/cn9dl8k
Part 7 - Pages 86- 112      18 May 1959    http://tinyurl.com/HTWWW07

And you can browse through the pages - Interspersed among them are several letters to the editor about the series. Letters continue through  25 May 1959,  1 June 1959, and  8 June 1959

And then there are items about the film 29 March 1963, 19 April 1963, 48 October 1963, 13 December 1963, and 7 February 1965

In between times there were other items - 'Say One For Me' is advertised and there is an article about Red Nichols and the film 'The Five Pennies' in which Bob Crosby played a 1930s 'Society' bandleader.

There is much else of interest. It would be very nice indeed to have some of the products advertised at the prices shown. Other 'new' products have now been forgotten.

Some of the articles open an interesting light on what is almost a different age.

A more general browse through the magazines can be launched from here. http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/LIFE.html?id=vUgEAAAAMBAJ

You'll be amazed at the entries for Bing.