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The Frank Sinatra Show(s)
I’ve done posts on Young Frank and Old Frank, but not one yet on Middle Frank, which is arguably the peak of his art.
To be accurate, Late-Middle Frank is probably the real peak. Early-Middle Frank was an awkward period, when Sinatra actually dipped in popular esteem, due to a variety of factors, including changing styles, his extra-marital affair with Ava Gardner, nasty behavior with the press, etc. It was during this period that he essayed his first TV variety series The Frank Sinatra Show a.k.a. Bulova Watch Time (1950-52). Learning that Sinatra ever had weekly variety shows at all was an eye-opener to me. I grew up during the Late Frank period, when he was among that short list of stars who were so big and so revered that they only did occasional TV variety specials (others of that stature included Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, George Burns, etc). A weekly variety show is all about getting down in the trenches — lots of real hard work, not unlike the grind of vaudeville.
But Sinatra went there twice in the ’50s. As we say, the first occasion came at a time when he was slipping somewhat. And I will say, from my perspective, this kind of vehicle is not the ideal sort of platform for Sinatra’s talents. He is best experienced on record. No one can assail his singing and interpretation of songs (well, some do, but that’s more pernickety than the other 95% of us), Second to his gifts as a songster, the best way to enjoy him is as a movie actor. His track record in films is surprisingly solid, only a handful of clinkers. But any scenario in which you’re exposed to the real Sinatra as a person seems to me his weakest suit. In other words, where he’s hosting, engaging in banter, trying to do comedy sketches, and so forth. In those situations, I find him tense, unlikable, self-enchanted, and edgy in an unpleasant way. I imagine I’m not the only one who feels or felt that way, as his first variety show actually lost a ratings war to the preachments of Bishop Fulton Sheen. Directed by Jack Donohue,The Frank Sinatra Show‘s cast regulars included comedians Ben Blue and Sid Fields, singer June Hutton (younger sister of Ina Ray Hutton), and vocal groups The Heathertones and The Whippoorwills. Frequent guests included Jackie Gleason (who proved a much better variety host than Sinatra), Phil Silvers, Smith and Dale, Dagmar, The Andrews Sisters, and Faye Emerson, whose own variety show would replace Sinatra’s.
Immediately after the first Frank Sinatra Show went off the air, Sinatra proved himself as a movie actor in things like From Here to Eternity (1953) and Suddenly (1954) and pulled his career out of the doldrums. By 1957 he had a long string of cinematic successes under his belt and felt strong enough to attempt another television show, undoubtedly with an aim of erasing the stain of his previous failure at the format. The second attempt at The Frank Sinatra Show (1957-58) also failed, this time for the opposite reasons. At this stage Sinatra was such a success, and so busy, that he essentially phoned in his TV show. Imagine the attraction of “The Frank Sinatra Show — Sometimes with Frank Sinatra!”
The original plan for this ambitious yet scattershot show was 13 variety shows, 13 dramatic teleplays starring Sinatra, and ten dramas merely hosted by Sinatra (common at the time). In the end, there were 22 variety shows, four dramas starring Sinatra, and six that were hosted by Ole Blue Eyes. The increased number of variety programs was probably taken as a boon by entertainment lovers, but also indicates that the producers were going for broke, taking the path of least resistance production-wise. Much like his chum Dean Martin, Sinatra disliked rehearsing. (But that’s true of many people. A better way to put it is, those guys didn’t rehearse). By this stage Sinatra had begun performing regularly in Las Vegas, had starred in a string of hit movies, and had released a string of hit LP records with producer Nelson Riddle. He had established a new sound, a new look, and a new persona. Now he had the opposite problem from the one that plagued his first show. If he was riding too low in 1950, by 1957 he was riding too high, and hadn’t the focus to devote to the show, between live engagements, films, and recording sessions.
By some measures, Sinatra had a fourth regular series from 1959 to 1960, though it was really a series of four seasonal specials, called The Frank Sinatra Timex Show (Elvis made his first post-army TV appearance on one of these). If you count these four specials as a series, it was the most successful of the three. After this, Sinatra produced and hosted 15 stand alone variety specials through 1990, and also guest hosted occasionally on programs like The Tonight Showand The Hollywood Palace.
For more on show business history,please see my book No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous; and keep an eye out for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.
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