Frank Sinatra films and songs

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Mary_Gail_36

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Most people remember Frank Sinatra for his music.

But he was in a number of films, and won an Oscar for his portrayal of Angelo Maggio from here to Eternity.

I don’t think I’ve seen all of his films.

I did see* From Here to Eternity* a number of times.

One role that I don’t get too much is his role in “Guys and Dolls” and why did Brando sing “Luck be a Lady”? I would have thought whoever cast that film would give the singing parts to Sinatra.

My favorite Frank Sinatra song actually is “It was a very good year.” mainly because my dad used to sing that around the house, mixing up the words with an Italian accent.
 
Frank Sinatra actually was pretty good on film. He acted in drama, comedy and musicals. I like him in a movie where he is part of a plot to assasinate the president of the U.S.
I think the film is Suddenly, but I might be wrong.
I like My Way, It Was a Very Good Year and the song about One for my baby and one for the road…?
Love him or hate him, he had quite a career and definitely did it his way. I was watching Rosemary’s Baby not long ago and forgot about how the star (Mia Farrow?) had a brief marriage to Frank. It was quite the scandal because of the age difference.
 
My two favorite Sinatra songs are “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Softly As I Leave You”. I’m a child of the rock era of the 60’s and the disco era of the 70’s, but I adore Frank’s music.
 
Arebella said:
My two favorite Sinatra songs are “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Softly As I Leave You”. I’m a child of the rock era of the 60’s and the disco era of the 70’s, but I adore Frank’s music.
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I like those too.
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
Most people remember Frank Sinatra for his music.

But he was in a number of films, and won an Oscar for his portrayal of Angelo Maggio from here to Eternity.

I don’t think I’ve seen all of his films.

I did see* From Here to Eternity* a number of times.

One role that I don’t get too much is his role in “Guys and Dolls” and why did Brando sing “Luck be a Lady”? I would have thought whoever cast that film would give the singing parts to Sinatra.

My favorite Frank Sinatra song actually is “It was a very good year.” mainly because my dad used to sing that around the house, mixing up the words with an Italian accent.
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I don’t think there is a Frank Sinatra song I don’t like, but I prefer him in the sad ballads such as “It was a very good year,” “One for my baby,” “Angel eyes,” and others.
 
7_Sorrows said:
Frank Sinatra actually was pretty good on film. He acted in drama, comedy and musicals. I like him in a movie where he is part of a plot to assasinate the president of the U.S.
I think the film is Suddenly, but I might be wrong.
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The Manchurian Candidate

I too have a soft spot for Guys and Dolls, primarily because we did the play in high school. And agreed: Brando was stoopid casting for Sky Masterson, but I’m not sure who should have been cast instead, except perhaps Robert Alda, who had created the role on Broadway.

Old Blue Eyes had his share of good movies and clunkers, but the Rat Pack were definitely the Kings of Cool. :cool: Other favorites are On the Town, High Society, and The Man With the Golden Arm.

tee
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
One role that I don’t get too much is his role in “Guys and Dolls” and why did Brando sing “Luck be a Lady”? I would have thought whoever cast that film would give the singing parts to Sinatra.

My favorite Frank Sinatra song actually is “It was a very good year.”
Click to expand...
It’s been so long since I last saw Guys and Dolls that I had forgotten who sang “Luck Be a Lady.” On the radio, I’ve only heard Sinatra’s version.

I have to agree with you about “It Was a Very Good Year.” Even when I was younger it made me feel melancholy.
 
tee_eff_em said:
The Manchurian Candidate

I too have a soft spot for Guys and Dolls, primarily because we did the play in high school. And agreed: Brando was stoopid casting for Sky Masterson, but I’m not sure who should have been cast instead, except perhaps Robert Alda, who had created the role on Broadway.

Old Blue Eyes had his share of good movies and clunkers, but the Rat Pack were definitely the Kings of Cool. :cool: Other favorites are On the Town, High Society, and The Man With the Golden Arm.

tee
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the film I am referring to is called Suddenly. It was made in 1954. Good suspense film for the 1950’s and Frank gave a strong performance as one of the 3 gangsters who holds a farm family hostagem
 
7_Sorrows said:
the film I am referring to is called Suddenly. It was made in 1954. Good suspense film for the 1950’s and Frank gave a strong performance as one of the 3 gangsters who holds a farm family hostagem
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Ooooh – Never heard of that one. I’ll have to look for it.

🍿
tee
 
Mary_Gail_36 said:
Most people remember Frank Sinatra for his music.

But he was in a number of films, and won an Oscar for his portrayal of Angelo Maggio from here to Eternity.

I don’t think I’ve seen all of his films.

I did see* From Here to Eternity* a number of times.

One role that I don’t get too much is his role in “Guys and Dolls” and why did Brando sing “Luck be a Lady”? I would have thought whoever cast that film would give the singing parts to Sinatra.

My favorite Frank Sinatra song actually is “It was a very good year.” mainly because my dad used to sing that around the house, mixing up the words with an Italian accent.
Click to expand...
Sinatra: eternally cool, cute and actually an incredibly talented actor. I still discover to this day great Sinatra performances in films. The Joker is Wild I just saw for the first time last fall. Sinatra can act. He was at his peak in the 40s, early 50s in my opinion. I grew up with rock’n’roll so his music has never really been all that appealing to me, but as my musical tastes evolved and I got into classical, jazz, etc. (actually starting in my 20s) I have learned to enjoy his songs more and more. Frank is a favorite of mine, no question.
 
FollowChrist34 said:
Sinatra: eternally cool, cute and actually an incredibly talented actor.
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This comment made me think of my other favorite cool actor, Steve McQueen, which got me wondering if the 2 were ever in a movie together. They were! Never So Few (1959), staring Sinatra, McQueen, Peter Lawford, & Charles Bronson. Wow! An overdose of cool. 😃

Now I’ve got to go looking for that movie.
 
Bonnie said:
This comment made me think of my other favorite cool actor, Steve McQueen, which got me wondering if the 2 were ever in a movie together. They were! Never So Few (1959), staring Sinatra, McQueen, Peter Lawford, & Charles Bronson. Wow! An overdose of cool. 😃

Now I’ve got to go looking for that movie.
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My favorite Steve McQueen film is “Love With the Proper Stranger” with Natalie Wood. He plays bad boy Rocky Papasano who has an affair with Italian American Angie Rosini. played by Natalie Wood.

I think McQueen was about 15 years younger than Frankie.
 
A personal side story about a Rat Pack member, Dean Martin…

My mother knew him and his family well from his childhood in Steubenville, Ohio. Dino kept in touch with many of his old friends throughout his career. He even came back to the Ohio Valley several times to visit. We got Christmas cards and fruit baskets from California just about every year from Dean and his family. Once in the early 1960’s, at the height of the “Rat Pack era”, my parents went to Vegas on a vacation. They stayed at The Sands while the Rat Pack was playing there. My mom contacted Dean and my parents got front row seats to their show that night, and got to go backstage. When my parents were leaving and my dad went to the front desk to check out and pay their bill for a week’s stay, they were informed that it had already been taken care of - by Dean Martin.
He stayed in touch with my parents (and several other old Ohio Valley friends) up until the time he got very ill and eventually died. Despite his image as a womanizer and a hard-drinking partyer (which had some truth to it), he was a very kind and down-to-earth kind of guy who never forgot where he came from.
 
Arebella said:
A personal side story about a Rat Pack member, Dean Martin…

My mother knew him and his family well from his childhood in Steubenville, Ohio. Dino kept in touch with many of his old friends throughout his career. He even came back to the Ohio Valley several times to visit. We got Christmas cards and fruit baskets from California just about every year from Dean and his family. Once in the early 1960’s, at the height of the “Rat Pack era”, my parents went to Vegas on a vacation. They stayed at The Sands while the Rat Pack was playing there. My mom contacted Dean and my parents got front row seats to their show that night, and got to go backstage. When my parents were leaving and my dad went to the front desk to check out and pay their bill for a week’s stay, they were informed that it had already been taken care of - by Dean Martin.
He stayed in touch with my parents (and several other old Ohio Valley friends) up until the time he got very ill and eventually died. Despite his image as a womanizer and a hard-drinking partyer (which had some truth to it), he was a very kind and down-to-earth kind of guy who never forgot where he came from.
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what a beautiful memory to have.

I stayed at the Sands back in the 90’s before it was torn down. it was fun to picture what it must have been like 30 years earlier.
those were the good old days!
 
I’m not a huge Sinatra fan, but I did attend a tribute show to him when I stayed at the Welk Resort in Escondido, California in 2006. (Over 10 years ago :eek: )

Now that I’m into swing dancing, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard him pop up occasionally on DJ playlists.
 
I’m partial to ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ myself.

I’m not crazy about his acting, but I can always make time for ‘Guys and Dolls’ or ‘The Manchurian Candidate’. ‘From Here To Eternity’ is good but it’s very long and kind of depressing.

If you haven’t read James Kaplan’s biography titled ‘Frank Sinatra: the Voice,’ you really should. I learned a lot from it about the real person behind the icon.
 
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