THE
MIKE
DURRETT
SHOW
Today's Episode:Frank Sinatra: a Man and His Comedy
Dateline: 05/25/98
Hi, and welcome to the show.
Insert the cassette into the VCR. Press PLAY and watch your monitor at home.
Fade in:
Leo the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion roars twice.
Fade out.
Fade in:
We see a poetically beautiful, rich blue 1955 sky, holding court to fairy tale, fluffy white clouds. This big vista is easily contained within the boundaries of the early CinemaScope-era widescreen frame. There's even enough room for a wee bit of Earth near the bottom of the picture. Sky, though, mostly sky.
Oh, yeah, on the horizon, far away, tiny, there's the silhouette of a man. We can't see his features; but he's walking toward us -- no, correction, he's strolling toward us and he's taking his own, sweet time. And he is singing.
and suddenly you're sighing sighs..."*
About this time we notice the absence of opening credits -- highly irregular for movies up to this date. The man is going to finish his strut and his tune first. Fine. Please do. The credits can wait.
After several verses, he arrives at the camera. He stops his stepping. He looks us straight in the face, raises his hands and his voice; and he effortlessly buttons his song. The movie titles begin. The man smiles. You see a pair of laughing eyes, and suddenly you're sighing sighs.
The man is Frank Sinatra the Movie Star.
Stop the tape.
That scene is only one shot, fluid, unedited. It is one of my favorite movie moments.
We don't need billions of special effects dollars and hyperspeed editing techniques to make great moments. The best stuff comes from talent -- both before and behind the camera -- and simplicity. Like farm girl Judy Garland dreaming about rainbows, or elegant Audrey Hepburn nibbling on a pastry outside Tiffany's window, Sinatra's moment from The Tender Trap is simple.
And for him, it is a quintessential image from his career, too. In 1955, after experiencing vast fame, vocal problems, and professional decline, he had turned it all around. He came back, winning an Oscar, revitalizing his throat, and redefining his music. The Tender Trap scene, to me, represents Sinatra the Icon walking from his past, onward across the horizon, confidently pushing forward, on top of the world.
Certainly, to my ears, Frank Sinatra the Singer is the finest, purest vocal instrument contemporary music ever produced. And, with the possible exception of Bob Hope, he must be credited with the most impressive show business career ever. His immense popularity for nearly sixty years earns him the title of Entertainer of the Twentieth Century. Period.
I would say these things were I not a fan of Mr. Sinatra.
But, what about his motion pictures?
In dramatic parts, he was quite good. His Oscar for From Here to Eternity (1953) was well-earned and The Manchurian Candidate (1962), my pick for his best film, shows him in firm control.
In the area of humor, 40 percent of his approximately 50 features -- not including a big batch of special appearances -- are full or partial comedies. It saddens me to say these pictures are, on average, mediocre; however, while watching a stack of his output this week, I made a surprising discovery. It's the pictures, the directors, the scripts, the studios, or other factors at fault for the mediocrity. Young Sinatra is usually quite remarkable -- energetic, imaginative, and eager to please.
Browsing through his filmography, Sinatra fared very well, of course, in the musical comedies. We can excuse the lack of laughs in High Society or Guys and Dolls, because -- oh, boy! -- here comes The Voice. And in his strongest, Take Me Out to the Ball Game and On the Town, the humor evolves out of the story situations and joys from the ensemble casts, rather than one-liners and innuendoes.
One element, which I find jaw-dropping, is Sinatra the Dancer! Yes, the dancer! Take Ball Game, On the Town, and Anchors Aweigh, his trilogy with Gene Kelly. Only one word comes to mind, wow! They are phenomenal together, even quite funny. These guys' opening knock-about, in-the-floor, vaudeville number from Ball Game is miraculous. He matches Kelly step for step in an incredibly athletic novelty piece. Their musical interludes in these works are, at times, witty and thrilling to see.
Sinatra's most successfully executed pure comedy would have to be The Tender Trap. While the swinging bachelor plot might seem a bit old and politically incorrect today, four decades ago, I bet it was a scream. There's no doubt Sinatra is gunning for laughs in this one; and he succeeds. Over the weekend, I found myself hooting as he plays smart off Debbie Reynolds and, especially, David Wayne and Celeste Holm.
Sinatra had the clout to collaborate with the finest writing and/or directing talents in the industry; but, starting around 1960, sloth may have set in. There is a growing sense of arrogance, as if The Big Star is doing the audience a favor by making another movie for the little people. His comedies (with the exception of Come Blow Your Horn) became increasingly bald and slapdash. He seems disinterested, appearing to toss off his (ad-libbed?) lines sprinkled with self-satisfied smirks.
I am still reeling and befuddled by an astoundingly awful Sinatra western comedy, Dirty Dingus Magee, which ended the main phase of his Hollywood reign. I often wonder about Magee, which I saw in original release 28 years ago. It is a textbook bad movie. I was shocked and embarrassed for Sinatra from start to finish. What was he thinking? Probably, "They'll watch me in anything. Where's my check?"
Unfortunately, Dirty Dingus Magee will forever be part of the Frank Sinatra legacy, along with -- and let's admit it -- the comedically barren Rat Pack smugfests, Ocean's Eleven, Sergeants 3, 4 for Texas, and Robin and the Seven Hoods.
Nevertheless -- and this is the odd part, a testament to his allure -- I've seen many of Old Blue Eyes' disappointing movies more than once. There's a certain pull -- magic, if you will -- emanating from his films. Hey, it's Frank Sinatra! He's a star. I'll watch him in anything.
Even Dirty Dingus Magee, but give me another 28 years.
About Your Guide: Inspired by the acrobatics of Frank Sinatra, Mike Durrett plans to enroll in dancing lessons -- as soon as he grasps that confusing left foot - right foot - repeat, left foot - right foot - repeat walking pattern all the kids are doing. Let's see, was that left - left - right - left - left - repeat, right, repeat - left - right - right - left - twirl - left - left - left...
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