SINATRA....

Sinatra......

I’ve had occasion to see Frank in concert twice.

I never saw him in Vegas.  When I worked at the radio station in the back of the Flamingo Hotel on the strip I did see Dean Martin at the Sands and Rich Little (a gas).  Also Nat King Cole did a great show there.

The second time I saw Sinatra was in Philadelphia at the Valley Forge Music Theater.  I had also seen Johnny Mathis there earlier.

Frank’s Valley Forge show was solid and he granted an interview to his buddy Sid Mark who was famous for the Sinatra radio shows each weekend.  I had the  honor of filling in one Sunday when Sid was on vacation and it was a gas.

The real Frank Sinatra however came to life the first time I saw him and that was in Chicago at the Arie Crown Theater.  I remember we were on our feet for most of the show...he knocked em dead with everything you thought he’d do...and ended it with “My Kind of Town” (Chicago is...) which needless to say brought the house down!

I remember several women...in their 30’s or 40’s just walking down the vacant aisles to the stage...star struck by Frank.  He didn’t play to them...he didn’t want to start a problem.  But that was historical because the bobbysoxers (probably what these women were in the 40’s)...were absolutely entranced with Frank's singing and couldn’t stay in their seats.

 
   I remember how nice he was to me when he responded to my invitation to chat about “Only The Lonely” when I was in Peoria.  It’s not every jock who gets to bend his ear for a twenty minute interview!  And to have him hand the phone to Sammy Cahn in his trailer at Paramount so I could chat with him too.

What a guy!

Memories....what this blog is really all about.

stanmajor@aol.com