Jan. 12, 1965 - Bing Crosby, who started his first weekly television show last fall, expressed doubt today that the series would continue next season.
“It’s been fun, and it hasn’t been too hard a chore,” the singer-actor said. “But according to the rating, we haven’t been doing so well. I think I’d have to get on a glass-bottom boat to find the rating. It’s a rat race. If you don’t get a rating, they dump you.”
The situation comedy, in which Crosby portrays an architectural engineer who is married and has two daughters, is televised by ABC. The latest national Nielsen report listed it in 77th place among all network evening shows with a rating of 14.9.
Until this season, Crosby had appeared on television only on special shows once or twice a year. Speaking by telephone from Hollywood today, he said: “I don’t know whether we’ll continue next year. I’m interested in doing a little work — a movie or something. My contract is with ABC. I suppose it’s up to ABC to sell the show to sponsors. If they don’t buy, we won’t be on next season.”
Crosby said he was not depressed by the show’s rating and that usually a show required “a couple of years to get a good rating.”
“I said I’d do the show if we could do it leisurely,” he said. “I wanted to do a little work. It also was an opportunity to get another series on the air for my company.”
The company is Bing Crosby Productions, which films “Ben Casey” for ABC and “Slattery’s People” for CBS.

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