Ed,
Great information. I went with October 27th because of this article from
October 28th:
The second paragraph says “contacted at the Sands Hotel where he finished out a
show stand last night.” I took that to mean the 27th. I saw no ad for the
Sands however in the Las Vegas Review Journal on the 27th with the last ad
appearing on the 26th but not saying anything about it being the last night. I
also assumed that if he opened on Wednesday then he would have closed on a
Tuesday being October 27th. My logic might be flawed though.
Scott
From: sinatraphiles-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:sinatraphiles-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of eob101 ;("eob101")
Sent: October 14, 2022 2:48 PM
To: sinatraphiles@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [sinatraphiles] Re: October 7 - THIS DATE IN SINATRA HISTORY
Here’s one that got missed:
1953 Sands, Las Vegas, Nevada (October 7-27)
With Ray Sinatra Orchestra
The Nicholas Brothers
Hi Scott,
Great find. I did some research and found quite a few
interesting facts about this engagement.
Frank was originally set to open on 10-4 but his marriage
was falling apart and Ava was his primary concern. Then the date
was changed to 10-8. Variety has a small article mentioning this
opening. Frank told Jack Entratter that he might have to push
the date up to 10-13. He was in negotiations with Elia Kazan
and Sam Spiegel for the plum role of Terry Malloy in Columbia
Pictures "On The Waterfront." At the same time, Lucille Ball
and Desi Arnaz had formed their own production company.
They had created a show for Frank in which he would play
a down and out club performer. The tentative title was
"Blues In The Night." Frank was also set to start, on 10-6,
a dramatic radio show titled "Frankie Galahad." He was
a taxi driver in N.Y.C., who solved crimes. At the last moment
it was switched to "Rocky Fortune." According to Variety,
Frank taped the debut show, in Los Angeles, on the afternoon
of the 6th. He then decided to open at the Sands the next day.
Variety, in their 10-7 issue, had B & J Kean as the headliners
with the Louis Jordan Orchestra. They had opened in mid-
September and Jack Entratter extended their run until Frank's
appearance was set. Entratter got ads in the late editions
of the Tuesday papers and also in Wednesday's.
Opening night was a bit of a disaster. Ava would not
attend, Frank was distraught and it showed. His finely tuned
octet felt it too. They hit a few clams and Frank exploded
at them during the actual performance.The Vegas papers were
highly critical of his behavior. Billboard reviewed his show on
10-13. The reviewer mentioned opening night and how Frank
redeemed himself the following week. Entratter had cut back on
the supporting acts to give Sinatra a full hour of singing to a
very appreciative crowd. Frank's cousin, Ray, was on the bill,
but he was not involved with Frank's segment of the show. The
star was billed as "Frank Sinatra & Orchestra."
Frank opted to go with two radio shows and skip the
offer from Desi and Lucy. He knew how draining a TV series could
be and "Pink Tights" was set for a mid-December start at 20th
Century, and other offers were pouring in everyday, regardless of
what happened with the "Waterfront" project. And he was about to
record his first Capitol album with Nelson Riddle conducting George
Siravo's charts.
On 10-31, Frank appeared before the Nevada Tax
Commission. He was applying for a state gambling license. He
was awarded the license and the Sands increased his ownership
to two percent. After the hearing, Sinatra returned to the Sands
and threw a big party. He also performed. Which bring us to the
question of when did he close his first engagement at the hotel.
The 10-28 issue of Variety has him performing for the final week
of October. The 11-4 Variety does not list any entertainment during
the first week of November. The 11-11 has Jeanette MacDonald
opening. Frank set new attendance records during his engagement.
Variety gave him a rave review and the Sands couldn't wait for his
next appearance.
Ed