"FLY ME to The MOON"
Frank's Monologue
In July 1966 Frank Sinatra released his first live album: the classic Sinatra At The Sands. He was accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones.
Frank Sinatra and Las Vegas
On September 13, 1951 Frank Sinatra debuted in Las Vegas. He performed at the Painted Desert Showroom of the Desert Inn hotel. By that time Sinatra’s star had fallen and the only place he could perform were the hotels on The Strip in Las Vegas. In 1951 Las Vegas housed only 7 hotels, which were all owned by the mafia.
One of the reasons Sinatra had lost the public’s affection was the way he had handled his marriage. He had eloped (and left his children) with actress Ava Gardner whom he married in 1951 (the marriage lasted 6 years). After Gardner’s advise and Frank Sinatra’s offer to forfeit any salary, Sinatra was cast for the movie From Here to Eternity. The movie was released in 1953 and brought Sinatra back into the limelights. In 1954 he received a Golden Globe and an Oscar for ‘best supporting actor’.
In the 1972 movie The Godfather the character Johnny Fontane begs the head of a New York crime organization to secure him a role in a movie in order to further his career, resulting in the (in)famous ‘horse head in bed’ scene. Fontane gets the part. The story goes that the Fontane character was based on Frank Sinatra. However, this was never confirmed and is probably untrue.
The movie’s success ensured a bigger audience for Sinatra’s shows. Sinatra was a big and important name for Las Vegas, that expanded in a rapid pace. It’s no exaggeration to conclude that Frank Sinatra played a pivotal part in this. Billy Wilder stated: “When Frank Sinatra was in Las Vegas, there is a certain electricity permeating the air. It’s like Mack the Knife is in town, and the action is starting.” Almost single handedly Sinatra turned Las Vegas into, not only, the biggest gambling town in the world, but also the Entertainment Capital of the World, as the town liked to call itself.
The renewed success also translated to music. He released a number of beautiful albums, including the impressive In The Wee Small Hours in 1955 and Songs For Swingin’ Lovers! in 1956.
Sinatra At The Sands
Frank Sinatra released his first live album Sinatra At The Sands in July 1966. The recordings had taken place in January and February of 1966 when Sinatra performed twice a day. It’s a perfect impression of Sinatra in 1966. Vocally he was at the top of his game and the band had genuine swing. A number of the performances are even part of the very best he ever recorded.
Come Fly With me, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, The Shadow Of Your Smile, but also the new The September Of My Years and It Was a Very Good Year show Sinatra’s perfect timing and show that Sinatra thoroughly enjoyed his cooperation with Count Basie. On top of that, Sinatra looks impeccable on the album cover, charismatic, oozing ‘cool’ and ‘in control’.
But, the album also harbors an elephant in the room, the monologue called “The Tea Break”. It’s basically an intermezzo in which Sinatra tries his luck at a sort of stand-up comedy. In itself it’s not too bad, but Sinatra was not a comedian. However, some of his ‘jokes’ and remarks are downright racist and distasteful. It was the same criticism The Rat Pack had received earlier: misogynist, discriminating attempts at humor, that shows that civilization was nothing more than a thin layer of varnish. But, the (white) audience loved it, and Sinatra knew it.
Review
Despite the monologue, Sinatra At The Sands is a great time document that captures Frank Sinatra in the 1960s, warts and all. Sinatra combined with Count Basie and Quincy Jones is an unstoppable force of nature, that provided an intimate look into the world of entertainment in that moment of time at that specific place in the American desert. The beauty, which is breathtaking at times, is unbelievable and impressive.
