Sinatra

As a big fan of Frank Sinatra and his music, I had high hopes for this program and was not disappointed. This program's epic scope and excellent period costuming and sets really create Frank Sinatra and the way he lived his life from his humble beginnings in Hoboken, New Jersey to the heights of his fame and the affairs, friendships and loneliness in between. There is some great acting here, and Casnoff really shines as Ol' Blue Eyes. There is also admirable work by Bob Gunton as hotheaded trombonist Tommy Dorsey and Gina Gershon as Sinatra's long suffering first wife Nancy. The movie effectively recreates the atmospheres, times and places that shaped Sinatra's life, such as Depression- era New Jersey, New York City during World War II, and the hot nightclubs and booze joints of Nevada and New Jersey during the 1950's and 1960's. A must-see for a history buff or any Sinatra fan.

It's far from an effective movie, and farther more from an effective mini-series because when all is said and done, I'd really rather watch a documentary...

I watched the two-video VHS packet of this, the past two nights, not knowing what to expect, and was amazed at the depth of the portrayal. I've been a low-level fan of Sinatra's ever since the screaming bobby-soxer days, and while I've never read a formal biog, the ins and outs of his career could hardly escape any observant song-lover. So I knew something of his rough spots, and was amazed by how well this film covers the complexity and nuances of Sinatra's persona.

Although the stress seems heavy on his ego, I've not much doubt it was accurate. The guy, in truth, lived a most amazing life; and I felt the honesty of the portrayal to be one of the best, for any biopic I've ever seen. It's to his family's credit that they permitted such honesty.

Casnoff not only did a superb job of the character, but he even looks amazingly like a young Sinatra. It's hard to rate the other performers on that level, but they at least are quite believable. Particularly for the two major women in his life, Nancy and Ava.

I thought this was a good bio of Sinatra. It was produced by his daughter, Tina.

The only problem I had with it was that she chose to omit the kidnapping of Frank, Jr., in 1963. I would guess that her father told her not to cover it.

Otherwise, it seemed like a true adaption of Sinatra's life and times. The film pulls no punches with his loves, either. We see that he truly was an undevoted husband.

All in all, I recommend this film to anyone who liked The Chairman of The Board. Philip Casnoff is truly delightful in the title role. And Gina Gershon is believable as Nancy, Sr.

To distill the entire expansive saga of the 83 years Old Blue Eyes shared this earth into four hours would be an impossible task without offending some corners of his latter-day devotees by virtue of omission. That said, despite being executive-produced by youngest daughter Tina Sinatra, the miniseries does a fairly comprehensive job covering many of the salacious highlights of his romantic life. I can't think of too many areas touched on in Kitty Kelley's infamous unauthorized tabloid biography that were missed by this production.

One notable inaccuracy is the over-emphasis on Sinatra's relationship with Ava Gardner. In the film, they remain together well into the presidency of John F. Kennedy; in truth, they were only married until 1957. (As an aside, I was also disappointed they did not mention the couple's drunken episode, circa 1945, when the two shot up the town of Indio, California with some pistols Sinatra happened to be carrying around.) His 22-year marriage to Barbara Marx, by far his longest-lasting of four, is not even touched on.

Personally, I would like to see a film that deals with the stories behind some of Frank's more under-appreciated works. In particular, I'd like to see a dramatization of the making of his ill-fated CBS TV show as well as some of the radio work he did during his early-50's career slump. Sinatra had a turn at DJ-ing a weekly show called "To Be Perfectly Frank" as well as starring in the mystery series "Rocky Fortune", which followed "Dragnet." Both were on NBC around 1953, between shooting and the release of his great comeback vehicle "From Here to Eternity." Also, his rescue from drowning by one-time friend Brad Dexter and the ensuing tension which doomed the production of 1967's "The Naked Runner" would make for good screen drama. Sammy Davis's expulsion from the Rat Pack due to his cocaine use in the 1970's would have been fun to watch as well. But, perhaps such anecdotes are too obtuse for a miniseries that clearly plays to the back of the house, albeit as well as one could hope.