Born On This Day- December 11th... Francis Albert Sinatra

My favorite sound in the world is a baritone in song & my favorite baritone voice of all time is Frank Sinatra. I understand that he was a lout & a bit of a thug, but no matter what he was like as a human being, I find his pitch, cadence, phrasing & musicality to be the best of all time. I stand by my choice of his 1967 collaborative album- Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim, to be a perfect album, in a league with Dusty in Memphis & Revolver. I am willing to put his Columbia “concept” albums with the Nelson Riddle arrangements: In the Wee Small Hours, Songs for Swingin' Lovers, Come Fly with Me, Only the Lonely, Nice 'n' Easy in the same category.





I think that he was talented &a nimble dancer, holding his own with Gene Kelly. He was an underestimated actor & screen presence, winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in From Here to Eternity, a nomination for Best Actor for The Man with the Golden Arm, & critical acclaim for his work in The Manchurian Candidate. I still find his work to be engaging in the musicals as High Society, Pal Joey. Guys & Dolls & On the Town.


I was living in L.A. in the early 1970s & was fortunate enough to be an acquaintance of actress/singer Betty Garrett. She told me that because of their past affiliations with the Communist Party, thanks to Parks' involvement with people from the Group Theatre, Garrett & her husband- Larry Parks became embroiled with the House Un-American Activities Committee, although only Parks was forced to testify. While Parks willingly admitted he had been a member of the party, he had refused to name others, although it was widely assumed that he had, & he found himself on the Hollywood blacklist.

My friend Betty Garrett & the Chairman of the Board

Garrett also had trouble finding work, although as the mother of 2 young sons, she did not mind being unemployed as much as her husband did. Betty related to me that the only person that would see them socially in Hollywood was Frank Sinatra, who defied Hollywood convention & was open in his support of the couple with friendship & money.


After hearing his recordings for the past 50+ years, I am still moved when I listen to that voice. I think about how well he treated The Parks & his outrage at the racism faced by Lena Horne, Sammy Davis Jr. & other black entertainers. When I consider his difficult personality, I frame my feelings by his own words: "Being an 18-karat manic-depressive, & having lived a life of violent emotional contradictions, I have an over-acute capacity for sadness as well as elation.”




He recorded & toured well into his 70s. Sinatra died at 82 years old in 1998. Sinatra's last words: “I’m losing…”, not a phrase he needed much while he was working in show biz.