bunsterjonez:

Top 10 Favorite Actors - 3. Gene Kelly

shoopdancer2504:

Favourite Classic Films (in no particular order)
High Society (1956), dir. Charles Walters

Put me in your pocket, Mike.

Frank Sinatra in The Miracle of the Bells (1948)

Frank Sinatra in The Tender Trap (1955)

“I would like to be remembered as a man who brought an innovation to popular singing—a peculiar, unique fashion that I wish one of these days somebody would learn to do so it doesn’t die where it is. I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living his life, and who had good friends, fine family—and I don’t think I could ask for anything more than that, actually. I think that would do it.”

Rest in Peace Frank Sinatra (December 12, 1915-May 14, 1998) 

Frank Sinatra in Step Lively (1944)

Frank Sinatra in Step Lively (1944)

The Frank Sinatra Show ran on ABC from October 1957 to June 1958. The series, which combined musical variety episodes with drama episodes, was Sinatra’s second attempt at a television series. The first, for CBS, was a ratings failure that aired during the lowest ebb of Sinatra’s career from 1950 to 1952. In 1957, Sinatra was at the peak of his powers. He was busy recording, starring in films, and making live appearances, and was not interested in another television show of his own. Finally, though, he signed a $3,000,000 deal and decided to give the medium another try. The results are a mixed bag, with Sinatra excelling in the musical segments—some of which remain fan favorites—and often failing in the skits and comedic portions. Many critics at the time wondered why Sinatra, who was one of the world’s greatest entertainers, could not make a great television show. He had great success as a guest star, but as a host, something wasn’t right. In her article Hollywood stars vs variety show hosts: The incompatible case of Frank Sinatra on 1950s television, Karen McNally writes that it was Sinatra’s basic personality and public image that didn’t sit well with TV audiences of the 1950s. Unlike his hugely successful contemporaries Perry Como and Dinah Shore, Sinatra was not predictable, calm, cool, or sweet. His image by the late 1950s was “a complex mix of urban swinger sexuality, emotional vulnerability, working-class and ethnic alienation and political liberalism, a heady combination for a television variety.” Other critics felt that the failure of the show was due to producers trying to tone down this image, and thus falsifying and stifling the real Sinatra. In any case, Frank Sinatra seemed to be out of place amongst the niceness of 1950s television, and his show was cancelled early, airing for just one season. Much of the series can be seen today and, while there are missteps, many of Sinatra’s performances are uniquely wonderful.
Clips: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Frank Sinatra performs “Our Love is Here to Stay” on the Frank Sinatra Timex Show, 1959 (x)

Pal Joey (1957)