And what lyrics… adults only! F bombs all around
Out of curiosity, could this be our only recording of FS swearing?
PJM Definitely not.Ed
Extra
1976 Eddie Cantor B'nai Brith Lodge, Los Angeles, California
STAG ROAST for Pat Henry
Tuesday evening
$35.00 per seat
Jerry Rosen introduces Billy Daniels who sings The National Anthem
Rosen starts off the evening
John Francis
Jan Murray M.C.
George Jessel tells audience there are three champions in the room: SugarRay
Robinson,
Milton Berle and the most popular entertainer in the history of showbusiness,
Frank Sinatra
Joey Villa
Milton Berle
Sid Gould
John Barbour
Pat McCormick
Fred Travelena
Jackie Vernon
Pat Cooper
Jackie Gayle
Frank Sinatra sings parody of Frank Loesser's "If I Were ABell" (Sammy Cahn
wrote special lyrics)
Redd Foxx
Pat Henry
Ed O'Brien supplied the roast details and added: 150 minutes, NC-17All The Way
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1942 Palm Isle Club, Longvew, Texas
Monday evening
Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
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1943 Riobamba Club, New York City (March 11 - May 12)
10 week engagement
3 shows a night
Nat Brandwynne's Orchestra
Billboard March 27, 1943
Riobamba, New York
Talent policy: Show and dance band;
Latin band; production. floorshow at 8,
midnight and 2. Management: Linton
Weil, operator; Fred Chlaventone, maitre
d'hotel; Zussman & Bayne, publicity..
Prices: $2.50 minimum except Saturday,
holiday and holiday eves, $3.
Off to a fast click, this new East Side
spot is currently spending its heaviest
dough for floorshow talent. It brought
in March 11 Frank Sinatra, making his
cafe debut as a single: Walter O'Keefe,
Sheila Barrett, Carney Twins, line of six
Russell Patterson Magazine Girls, Peggy
Holmes and Ray Dowd.
Biggest excitement is Sinatra, who is
being backed by an aggressive publicity
campaign as Bing Crosby's successor, and
who has RK0 pictures, radio and vehicle
deals set. Sinatra may not be another
Crosby, but he's got sex appeal In his
voice, and that's something that means
dollars at the box office. The club has
been packed since he opened, and women
patrons actually gasp out loud when he
sighs thru some pushy pop ballads.
Crooned eight numbers, including a couple of oldies.
He knows how to sell ballads, making the lyrics sound
sincere and letting his face suggest real feeling.
The men apparently were not carried
away by his torching, but the women. . ..
Sinatra is in for three weeks. .
Nat Brandwynne (piano) leads the
show and dance band (three sax, three
fiddles and three rhythm). It's a good ---,outfit, with the
leader's tine piano leadilng most of the arrangements.
Chavez's band" (seven men) is, as usual, a lively, jumpy;
hotcha Latin outfit. Its rhythms are very danceable.
--Paul Denis.
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1948 "Miracle of the Bells" (New York City PremiereMarch 16, 1948)
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Daily News (New York, New York) 16 Mar 1948, Tue
The opening credits of the film read: "Jesse L. Lasky Productions,Inc.
presents Russell Janney's The Miracle of the Bells ." Contemporarynews
items add the following information about the production: Lasky and
co-producer Walter MacEwen purchased Janney's novel in Oct 1946 for
$100,000 plus five percent of the producers' gross up to the first$4,000,000.
After $4,000,000, Janney was to receive ten percent of the producers'gross,
with no maximum limit set. Four other parties negotiated for the book'sscreen
rights, including William Cagney, who wanted the property as a vehiclefor his
brother, James Cagney. At that time, Lasky and MacEwen reportedly made
James Cagney a "percentage offer" to play the part of"Bill Dunnigan."
Janney was announced as the picture's screenwriter at that time. Clark
Gable and Cary Grant were also considered for the lead male role. Many
actresses were considered for the part of "Olga," includingBarbara Bel
Geddes, Ingrid Bergman, Jennifer Jones, Joan Fontaine and Greer Garson.
In 1946, Bergman appeared as "Joan of Arc" in the MaxwellAnderson stage
play Joan of Lorraine . (Ironically, shortly after the release of thisfilm, RKO
distributed Joan of Arc , Walter Wanger's screen adaptation of Anderson'splay,
starring Bergman.) Lasky and MacEwen also considered casting an unknown
actress in the part and tested Jana Garth, who also had played "Joanof Arc" on
stage, and Ricky Soma, an eighteen-year-old New York ballerina.
MaxwellHamilton,
who plays a reporter in the picture, was the editor of Motion Picturemagazine.
In Feb 1947, John Cromwell wasannounced as the film's director, but he
was
replaced by Irving Pichel. Lasky borrowed Pichel from Paramount for
theproduction.
Lasky and MacEwen considered doing the picture in Technicolor, buteventually
concluded that the story would "work better" in black andwhite. A reproduction
of a Pennsylvania mining town was built at RKO's Forty Acres ranch inCulver
City.
HR announced in Jun 1947 that a featurette about the making of the filmwas to
be
shot and used in movie theaters to advertise the multi-million
dollarproduction.
Although the national release of the film coincided with Easter week of1948, HR
announced in Oct 1947 that the film was to be shown in Los Angeles in Dec1947
in order to qualify for the 1947 Academy Awards. The picture did notreceive any
Academy Award nominations, however.
In Mar 1948, NYT reported a rumorthat the actual contribution of radio
personality Quentin Reynolds, who is credited onscreen with Ben Hecht asa
screenwriter, was "reading the novel and reporting its contents toMr. Hecht,
the latter having taken the assignment of writing the screenplay on
theprovision
that he didn't have to read the book." According to NYHT , Hecht, adeclared
Anglophobe, had his name removed from British release prints of the film.In
Aug 1948, Raymond Polniaszek, an undertakeer from Glen Lyon,Pennsylvania,
sued RKO for $500,000 in damages on the grounds that he had beencaricaturized
as "Nick Orloff" in the film, according to a LADN article.Polniaszek claimed
that he
participated in a number of real-life events that were depicted in boththe
novel and
the film, including the burial of a woman named Olga Trotski. Thedisposition of
that
suit has not been discovered.
Modern sources add the followinginformation about the production: Before
casting Frank Sinatra in the role of "Father Paul," Laskysought approval from
the
Catholic Church, which voiced no objections to the performer. Sinatra,who had
actively sought the part, then announced his intention to donate hisacting
salary
to the Church. Sinatra's scenes were written by DeWitt Bodeen. Reviewers
commented on Sinatra's simple, a capella rendition of the song "EverHomeward."
The film encountered distribution difficulties in England because of aboycott
against the films of Ben Hecht. Hecht had made derogatory comments aboutthe
presence of Britain in Palestine.[4]The premier for the film is
anotherinteresting
story. It took place on Friday, March 26, 1948 at the then "ParkTheater" on
Brownsville Road in the little Coal Mining town of Library,
Pennsylvania.Although
the movie was not filmed in Library, the town was chosen to host thepremier
because
it "most resembled a typical American mining community, like the oneportrayed
in the
movie." Accompanying the premier, a large motorcade escorted moviestars Charles
Coburn, Ruth Warrick and Leo Carrillo into the town of Library. The
starsvisited the
War Memorial just down the road from the theater, where they addressedthe
enormous
crowd of locals who showed up for the pomp and celebration. The theateris still
standing
today, and over the years has been converted for other uses, such as aDance
Studio and
a Boxing Gym.[
Reception[edit]
The Miracle of the Bells was dismissed by critics, and was mentioned inthe
satirical film
book The Golden Turkey Awards, which poked fun at Frank Sinatra'sportrayal of
Father Paul.
Time magazine excoriated the film upon release, declaring in their reviewthat
"St.
Michael ought to sue".[ In recent decades the film has developed abetter
reputation due
to its realistic portrayal of coal miners in small town America.
Box office
The film recorded a loss of $640,000
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1954 Rocky Fortune, "Psychological Murder"
Network: NBC
Episode: 23
Time: 9:35 p.m.- 10 p.m.
Performers: Frank Sinatra, Maurice Hart, Frank Gerstle, Betty Lou Gerson,Marvin
Miller.
Writers: Norm Sickel,
Directors: Andrew C. Love
Announcer: Edward King
Description: Rocky witnesses the execution of the will of a wealthywoman who
thinks that she's going insane.
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note:A pilot was done of "Frankie Galahad."
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1959 Southeast Florida State Tuberculosis Hospital, Lantana,FL
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The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Florida) March 17, 1959
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The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) · 18 Mar 1959
Frank Sinatra became a part of Florida’s musical history when he gavea secret
concert at a hospital in Lantana.
By Larry Aydlette The Palm Beach Post
Posted Oct 14, 2019 at 3:20 PM
He was The Chairman. The Voice. A-Number One. King of The Hill.
So when Frank Sinatra arrived in Palm Beach County to give a concert 60years
ago, you’d think it would have been a big, fat, ring-a-ding deal. Alot of hype.
Excited fans lining up for tickets.
But hardly anybody knew he was here.
At the time, Francis Albert Sinatra was the most famous singer in theworld. And
1959 marked the close of a decade that had seen the release ofsome of his
greatest concept albums -- “In The Wee Small Hours,” “SongsFor Swingin’
Lovers,” “Come Fly With Me” and the towering “Frank SinatraSings For Only The
Lonely.”
He was a major movie star, catnip to the ladies and a personality whoseevery
move was fodder for gossip columnists.
So why did he come here under the radar?
Despite many stories of Mob connections and petty cruelties, Sinatra wasjust as
famous among friends for his private generosities. And hisappearance on March
16, 1959 at the Southeast Florida State TuberculosisHospital in Lantana
definitely fits the profile of theSinatra who would quietly help those in need.
You couldn’t buy a ticket. He didn’t do any interviews. Sinatra probablywanted
it kept hush-hush. And who was going to cross Ol’ BlueEyes?
The brief story of his appearance -- “Frank Sinatra Visits Hospital” --was
buried the next day in The Palm Beach Post on Page 13, dutifullyreported by
“Lake Worth News” correspondent Wilbur Royce.. It sharedspace with less flashy
community headlines, such as “Water PressureTemporarily Low.”
The six-paragraph story said the patients had “the time of their lives”when
Sinatra spent more than two hours in the hospital auditorium,“singing songs
from a recent album and other all-time Sinatrahits.”
But he didn’t just perform in the auditorium. “Sinatra visited the wardswhere
patients are confined to their beds, and with the aid of a piano onwheels
serenaded the bed patients,” the Post reported.
Needless to say, a hospital official said there had never been
“suchenthusiastic reception” for any show staged at the hospital. “We wish
tothank Sinatra a great deal for leading the way in what we hope will be
aparade of stars to entertain patients here,” said H.E. Melton, thehospital’s
special services officer.
The patients certainly deserved a respite from their isolated
suffering.Tuberculosis, primarily a lung disease , was a leading cause of death
inthe United States from the early 20th century through the 1950s.Sanitariums
began popping up across the country, and the 500-bed Lantanahospital had opened
only nine years before Sinatra appeared.
Longtime residents probably remember it as the A.G. Holley StateHospital,
re-named in 1969 for a state tuberculosis board member. By the1970s, it was the
state’s only TB hospital, down to 150 patients. Afternumerous attempts to shut
it down, the state finally succeeded in 2012,despite the fact that Florida had
just experienced its worst TB outbreakin decades.
It’s unknown how Sinatra was recruited for the hospital show. He was asupporter
of many charities, including the American Lung Association.And, perhaps most
important, he was hanging out just down theroad.
A few days before, he began a two-week stint at Miami Beach’s
fabledFontainebleau hotel. He had been a frequent visitor to Miami since
the’40s. He had recently filmed Frank Capra’s “A Hole In The Head” on
SouthBeach, and would make his Tony Rome detective pictures there during
the’60s.
When he opened with the Red Norvo combo on March 3 at the hotel’s750-seat La
Ronde room, UPI reported that several hundred people wereturned away. “It was
our largest opening night of the season,” a hotelofficial told the news service.
As always, gossip trailed after him, this time reports of a feud withSammy
Davis, Jr. Sinatra wouldn’t talk about it. He stuck to his singing-- and hits
from “Night and Day” to “All The Way.”
To get an idea of what Sinatra Prime must have been like at the
Lantanahospital, consider what Herb Kelly of The Miami News said about
hisFontainebleau show:
“Maybe a professional head shrinker can explain how Frank Sinatra doesit. The
thin man dressed in jet black suit, jet black shoes andlight pink tie...lifts
the skinny microphone from its stand and sings ‘ICould Have Danced All Night’
in the beat of the blues.
“And for a solid hour, by some mysterious magnetism, he held the audiencein a
spell...Everything about the act is reserved and refined. To coinone of
Sinatra’s polite expressions, ‘It’s a gasser.’”
The French singer and film star Maurice Chevalier saw Sinatra’s last showat the
Fontainebleau, and was impressed by his talent. But he alsoglimpsed the other
side of Sinatra.
“He can turn on his audience in only a moment, and I must say it, he’s alittle
frightening when he does this,” Chevalier told the MiamiNews.
That shadow haunted Sinatra throughout his life and career. Palm BeachCounty
would not get a chance at another Sinatra concert until 1993, whenhe was 77 and
did a four-show run at the Kravis Center. In the Septemberof his years,
Sinatra’s vocals weren’t all there. Neither was his memory,but he still had
plenty of that mysterious magnetism.
As for the tuberculosis hospital, the wrecking ball started knocking downthe
old A.G. Holley buildings in 2014. In its place is Lantana’s
largestdevelopment, a long-gestating, mixed-use complex of retail and
apartmentsknown as Water Tower Commons.
Maybe one day, somebody will be walking through one of the complex’sshops and
hear a voice -- The Voice, in fact. And a Sinatra song willonce again serenade
the area just like the man himself did 60 yearsago.
This story was based on original reporting in The Palm Beach Post, theMiami
News, the Fort Lauderdale News, and stories by Post reporter JeffOstrowski and
former Palm Beach Post writers Michelle Quigley, StaceySinger, Lauren Fisher
and Charles Passy.
--Thanks to Ed O'Brien for posting the above story.
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1988 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington
The "TOGETHER AGAIN" Tour
Orchestra Conducted By: Bill Miller
w/Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, jr.
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