The Silver Screen
For a guy who claimed to be just a saloon singer, making
nearly 60 movies is a lot of moonlighting. Throw in a special Academy
Award for a 1945 short film advising racial tolerance (The
House I Live In), a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role
in the big screen adaptation of the novel From
Here to Eternity, and a Best Actor nomination for the role
of the junkie drummer Frankie Machine in the controversial The
Man With the Golden Arm and you have a guy who really could
have quit his day job. When you consider the fact that he was able
to make movies while recording dozens of songs each year and performing
concerts all around the world (sometimes three times a night while
in Las Vegas!), you begin to see that Sinatra could have justifiably
been called the hardest working man in show business. Instead,
he was dubbed The
Chairman of the Board
because of his immense influence in every aspect
of the entertainment industry.
Along with the aforementioned films, here are a few more that you may not be familiar with along with a couple classics that can be seen regularly on cable.
Anchors Aweigh (1945). The Voice got top billing over Gene Kelly even though the hoofer got to perform with a dancing mouse. At this point in his career, people were still willing to see and believe Sinatra as a innocent and inexperienced boy. Sinatra claimed everything he learned about dancing he learned from Gene Kelly and this film shows he was a fast learner. In the big dance number he more than holds his own with the famed athletic dancer.
On The Town (1949). A great Leonard Bernstein score and another role with Gene Kelly as sailors on leave in New York. Sinatra was so skinny in these days that he had to wear prosthetic hips under his pants to make his uniform fit properly!
Meet Danny Wilson (1952). A flop at
the box office, this film from Sinatra's Dark Ages
offers a
great collection of standards along with a story that is almost biographical.
From Here To Eternity (1953). The film that revitalized a career in a tailspin and earned the singer an Academy award as the doomed private Maggio. After a number of public outbursts and a well-publicized affair, the public's distaste with the singer's behavior suddenly turned around with his symbolic performance in this film. What resulted was nothing short of a Lazarus-like comeback.
Suddenly (1954). Sinatra turned in a chilling performance as an assassin hired to kill the president. Now, for all of you conspiracy theorists, it’s alleged that one Lee Harvey Oswald saw this taut little thriller just a few days before November 22, 1963.
Young At Heart (1954). Sinatra as a cynical, down-on-his-luck composer who thinks he's born to lose even though he actually does get the girl in the end. An often overlooked film because of its apparent sunny atmosphere, Sinatra's performance is surprisingly dark and powerful. He performs a number of standards and had a huge come-back hit with the title song.
Guys And Dolls (1955). Sinatra wanted the roll of Sky Masterson, but he turned in a great performance as Nathan Detroit. A classic musical based on Damon Runyen characters has a great score even though some of the great songs went to Marlon Brando (yes, Brando!). Different from the glossy musicals of the 30s and 40s, this film has a raw energy and grittiness that makes it great fun to watch.
The Man With The Golden Arm (1955). A movie about heroin addiction that caused a sensation in its time, but is very tame by today's standards. Except, that is, for Sinatra’s gritty realism as the addicted drummer Frankie Machine and a cool Elmer Bernstein score. Try to overlook the backstage lot feel of the sets and concentrate on the powerful performance that earned Sinatra a Best Actor nomination.
High Society (1957). A great Cole Porter score, Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Louis Armstrong in this musical remake of The Philadelphia Story. Fluff, but great fluff and watching Sinatra sing a duet with his boyhood idol Crosby is a blast.
Some Came Running (1958). Sinatra plays a struggling writer and war veteran returning to his hometown and all of the hypocracy he once left behind. With an excellent supporting cast that includes Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962). A wicked, brilliant political satire about brainwashing and communism that legend says Sinatra pulled from release after the death of his pal President Kennedy. In actuality, he pulled the movie from release during a rights dispute with United Artists studio. It is true, however, that the movie was approved for production only after Sinatra secured the President's blessing.
And a couple more if that’s not enough:
The Tender Trap (1955). Sinatra as Charlie Reader—a bachelor talent agent awash in women and unwilling to commit to any of them until determined Debbie Reynolds sets her sights on him. Sinatra has a hit with the title song.
The Joker Is Wild (1957). Sinatra plays
comedian Joe E. Louis in the film that produced the Academy Award winning
hit song All the Way.
Pal Joey (1957). The Rodgers and Hart musical with the added attractions of Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak that also includes a host of great standards.
Ocean’s 11 (1960). The King of Las Vegas and his court in the first, and most enjoyable, of the Rat Pack movies. Amazingly, Sinatra filmed by day and performed two shows each night at The Sands during this period.