FRANK SINATRA

He was this skinny kid with the big Adam’s apple and the big voice. He and Bing and Rudy Vallee were crooners. But it was Frank Sinatra that made the girls swoon, and his golden voice stayed with him until he died. December 12 marked the 100th anniversary of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ birth. The only problem with writing an article about his movie career is trying to pick the best from a very good film resume. I was frankly astonished to note that he had been in over 60 movies. I tried to limit it to one article- can’t be done. So there will be two and this is the first one.
On The Town (1949) is a joyous musical comedy making limited use of Frank’s singing. It is a romp about three sailors on a one-day pass in New York City and the story and the dancing are first-rate. The cast includes three of the best dancers ever: Gene Kelly, Vera-Ellen and Ann Miller. This one is just plain fun.
If there were doubts about Sinatra’s acting ability, they were forever shut down by his performance in the iconic From Here To Eternity (1953). He plays Angelo Maggio, a charming victim of the heinous Judson (Ernest Borgnine). This film won eight Oscars, including Best Movie and a statue for Frank as Best Supporting Actor. It also features Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed as ladies of questionable moral standing. Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift and Jack Warden also have big parts in this big movie, set in Hawaii just before the Pearl Harbor attack. 
Frank Sinatra’s singing is stage front in Damon Runyon’s Guys And Dolls (1955). He plays small-time hood Nathan Detroit, whose main talent seems to be arranging illegal crap games. This film also stars Marlon Brando as Skye Masterson, Jean Simmons as his unsuspecting target, and Vivian Blaine as Nathan’s long-suffering girl friend. Could Brando sing and dance? Well, check it out for yourself...
1955 also was the year of The Man With The Golden Arm which features Frank as a heroin addict, Frankie Machine.  At that time little was said, or known, about drug addiction and this film was a real eye-opener. The scenes where Frankie has to go cold turkey are still intense and troubling. Frankie’s struggles to get off the stuff and make something of himself echo the problems of too many junkies. 
The Sinatra playbook is back on the lighter side with High Society (1956). The principles are Bing Crosby and the legendary princess, Grace Kelly. These two are divorced socialites. Frank Sinatra plays a reporter for a sleazy magazine, and Celeste Holm is his photographer. The plot is a little dopey but the people and costumes are beautiful. And who can resist the wonderful song True Love?
All of the movies in this article are available on DVD and for streaming. The musicals are fine for all audiences; the others are for adults only. Watch this space for the second installment of Frank Sinatra movies.