Reviews (5)

The Age of Sinatra
We know Frank Sinatra - we don't know Summers and wife.

"They buried a man in California on May 14, 1998, but they didn't bury Frank Sinatra. Rock 'n' roll couldn't bury him, disco and rap couldn't. Elvis and the Beatles couldn't." What makes you feel you can, Summers?

Great Book on Ole Blue Eyes
Frank Sinatra was a Man of many faces,but He had a Persona about Him that you would never soon forget.I've read so many books about him&this One truly captures another side of him.nothing changes my mind of Him as a Artist because I always say that you have to seperate the person from there craft they are two totally different beings.Sinatra is One of the Music Worlds Greatest Treasures period. Sinatra did His thing as He wanted to.like He sang"My Way"&He never strayed from that&You can always respect a stand up Cat.very interesting reading&Details.

This Latest Sinatra Book is a Winner
This new book on Sinatra is a great read and most people reading the book will find it difficult to put the book down. It deserves to be a best seller. In short, it is a highly entertaining page turner with many photographs that show Sinatra at most stages of his life, and has an excellent free flowing writing style like a magazine article. Furthermore, the authors did a good job and it eclipses prior books - it is a substantial book about 590 pages long with 200 pages of notes.

Most people, especilally older ones, know the Frank Sinatra success story. The present book gives the rest of the story, the not so pleasant but possibly more fascinating hidden side of the Sinatra story - what was going on behind the scenes. Since many parts will be controversial, the authors have been very cautious and very conservative with the details of their story. In any case, I suspect it is probably close to 100% correct - that is my guess. Out of the total of about 590 pages, the authors have an impressive 200 pages dedicated to backing up the facts of their story including many sources, references, public information, etc. and they give much detail on where they got all their information. Fortunately for the reader, all those 200 pages of notes are neatly placed at the back of the book, and the text itself, just under 400 pages, is a free flowing and easy read with many photographs.

The story starts with the family immigration from Italy to America, and then continues with his youth and his parents living in Hoboken, NJ, right across the river from New York city. It is one of a number of New Jersey ocean port towns in the area that had strong mob ties- and Hoboken was made famous by the 1954 Marlon Brando movie On The Waterfront. The story continues through his start as a singer, his breaks in show business, the movies, his wives including first wife Nancy and their children then on to Ava Gardner and the other marriages. Ava Gardner was an obsession that lasted until her death according to the book. Then it is on to the numerous girlfriends including Bogart's wife Lauren Bacall. The authors take us through the criminal charges for assault on a reporter, assault against a 20 years old actress, the days in Las Vegas, his connections with Marilyn Monroe, his numerous contacts with politicians including the Kennedy family and more.

The reason that some will not like this book is that some of the details are not pretty, and they are linked to organized crime. This can be traced to Sinatra's father who comes from the same small town in Sicily as some of the most famous mob leaders of his time; the mob link was previously widely known and it is not new to this present book. Frank had ongoing and continuous contacts with these people as did his father. His parents ran an illegal bar during prohibition using mob supplied liquor, supplied by their Sicilian connections.

It is claimed that he got his singing start with these connections, and later in his career he got his part in the movie From Here to Eternity, in a style similar to that depicted in the Godfather movie, i.e.: serious and credible death threats aimed at the movie producers if they failed to hire Sinatra. However, once he became famous he continued a strong interaction with many mob figures including Sam Giancana in Chicago. According to the book, Sam Giancana was not an isolated incident - there were many. One or a few incidents like Giancana might have been considered an error of judgement, but the authors detail perhaps dozens of other crime figures, many with photographs and notes and other information. They even claim that Sinatra transported cash for the mob. Sinatra would deny all of this in public, even years later after many of the other people were dead, but there are too many references to come to any conclusion other than what is described in the book.

The other not so pretty part of the story involves his famous temper, impatience, and similar behaviour with women and associates, and even beating a reporter. With his fame and success came sex appeal and power. He was diverted from his first marriage to Nancy by many women including Ava Gardner and others, many being the most famous and most beautiful of the day, and sometimes many decades younger than himself such as Mia Farrow. But he was unable to maintain the relationships and marriages, due largely to his temper, his expectations, and his manner or life style.

This is a fascinating read, and I highly recommend the book. It is similar to some prior biographies on Sinatra but refined and expanded. It has a lot of back up material and an excellent collection of photographs. My opinion of him did not change from reading the book. I already new he was a fairly independent and strong headed guy who did things his own way oblivious to the social norms - as per his song "My Way". Maybe this tough guy connection percolated through to his public image and that is one reason why he was famous?

Fascinating book, this is a buy: 5 stars.

The Best Book on Sinatra So Far
We have had the records. We have the CDs and Videos.And finally we have THE BOOK! The most carefully researched and factually presented document on Sinatra the man. It tells the complete story, for the first time, of the twentieth century legend who thrilled us with his wonderful gift of story telling in music. It is simply the best book on Sinatra so far.

Whose "Life" Is It Anyway
Frank Sinatra is generally regarded as the finest popular singer of his time so it seems logical that any book entitled "Sinatra-The Life" would have to take off from the music.

Without the music there would be no "Mob", no starlets, no movie roles,no bodyguards...none of the egocentric trivia the Sinatra biographers generally like to focus on.

Kitty Kelley in her 1986 hatchet job spent so little time on Sinatra's artistry one would be hard put to realize she was writing about a musician.

Anthony Summers and Robin Swann, authors of "Sinatra The Life" are not quite as mean spirited in their tone as Kelley was, but they spend so much time dwelling in the gutter, it's almost as if it was an inconvenience for them to touch upon the music (some of which they get wrong--there was no "recitation" on the "Watertown" album


Summers and Swan devote a huge portion of the book trying to finally cement Sinatra's connection to the Mob....

Does anyone really care at this point if the "Mob" helped get Sinatra the role of Private Maggio?....did the "Mob" give Sinatra's terrific Oscar winning performance--did the "Mob" record a body of musical work that remains unparalled in the history of American popular culture?Did the "Mob" make worldwide standards out of obscure showtunes such as "Lady Is A Tramp" and "I've Got You Under My Skin?"...Is the "Mob" responsible for the fact that millions can date the events of their lives by what Sinatra album was in release at the time.

An artist of Sinatra's stature and longevity deserves at least the same sort of 2 volume treatment that Elvis received from the excellent Peter Guralnick.


Suffice it to say that amazingly enough the definitive biography of Frank Sinatra has yet to be written...

"Sinatra-The Life" ain't it........................


... Read more

Book Description

As products of the same urban landscape, Pete Hamill and Frank Sinatra have both been credited with giving the American city a voice. In this widely acclaimed and bestselling appreciation--now available in paperback for the first time--Hamill draws on his intimate experience of the man and the music to evoke the essence of Sinatra, illuminating the singer's art and his legend from the point of view of a confidant and a fan. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

A wonderful read--like an old song
Pete Hamill, beyond a doubt, is an excellent writer. He does a wonderful job here. The book is part bio, part history of immigrants in America, and part memoir. It works on all levels. Hamill treats Frank with the respect he deserves. The book is not a gossipy memoir--Kitty Kelly fans should look elsewhere. Instead, he makes the important arguement that Sinatra gave voice to first, a generation, and then an entire country. His artisty is what matters. The myth of the man is fun and gets most the attention, but that is besides the point for Hamill. And he is right. We all talk about the "Sinatra in a hat" (as Hamill dubs him) and the Rat Pack--but the music endures. It is, argues Hamill, what matters in the Wee Small Hours of the Morning. It is what will stand the test of time and give voice to a thousand broken dreams, hearts, and help us--like Frank after the Fall--get back up and start all over again. Thanks, Pete Hamill for getting it right.

There will never be another...
I only saw my hero, Frank Sinatra, perform once. It was at the end of his career - and his life. It was a strange evening; he was obviously at the end - he couldn't remember the words to his songs or read the teleprompter. Few people left however - the evening soon became about us - his fans - letting him know that we still loved him. "I LOVE YOU FRANK!" a huge, middle-aged, rough-looking man yelled out during a pause. Sinatra, taken aback by the violence of the outburst, chuckled and replied, "I love you too, pal." As Pete Hamill once pointed out, "Seeing Sinatra in ruins is like seeing the Coliseum in ruins - it's still magnificent."

Why Sinatra Matters is a must-read for any Sinatra-phile. In the Overture, Hamill cites Sinatra's death as the impetus for writing this book. He saw all these young reporters from MTV and VH1 doing stories on Sinatra (obviously prepared in advance) telling the world Sinatra was important, without really understanding why. It certainly wasn't just because he did it "his way."

This is a very short book. As Hamill points out it is not a "definitive biography" - although once he was in talks with Sinatra to write just that. It is, as the title plainly states, an explanation of why Sinatra matters - artistically and culturally - and why he always will. In terms of Culture, Hamill reminds the reader of a time when America felt it was morally obligated to persecute Italians - Sinatra helped change all that. Musically, the reasons are more complex. To put it succinctly, no one ever sounded like Sinatra before.

The book is great because it also sheds light on Sinatra the man, who is often lost in the obscurity of his own public image. He was not just some gruff tough guy - a kind of idiot savant who could churn out a great recording in one take. He was a fiercely intelligent, well-read, well-cultured, self-educated man who worked hard at his craft. The most enjoyable parts of the book are the conversations Hamill recounts between himself and Sinatra. Most shocking of all - to me at least - was to imagine Sinatra using the F-word!

Great book, horrible book-on-tape
Do not buy the book on tape! Get it in hardcover or paperback.

This is a fine little book, but it's the first book on tape I have had to turn off because the narrator's voice was too grating (and I've listened to tons of books on tape). Had it been read by the author himself, certainly allowances could be made. Instead, the publisher went out to find a professional reader and chose someone who speaks in an harsh, barking monotone, one part Howard Cosell, one part Rain Man, one part the guy who does the Moviephone listings. When the voice first came on, reading the copyright information and other technical details, I assumed that, well, that's just the preliminaries, surely someone else will narrate the rest of the tape. Nope. Amazing.
I have switched to the print version, which is excellent.

"It's a quarter to three and there' s no one in the place...
I've read several books on Sinatra;But this one is really different.Hamill is an excellent writer and shows us why Sinatra matters;this was not done in other books.He has also shown what made Sinatra so popular,what influenced the changes in his audiences and without coming right out and saying so;why there won't nor can't ever be another one like him.He also reveals the art form that Sinatra perfected in his voice.
As great as Sinatra's music was;it was Sinatra as a man,and all that he represented, as well as the use of the microphone like a painter uses a brush;that made him so great.
Read this book;it will give you a deeper appreciation of Sinatra.

Why Sinatra Matters is a fine book.
Pete Hamill is a fine reporter who knew Frank Sinatra as a friend. Sinatra was an enigmatic, charismatic and complex singer of the American soul. Perhaps no singer in 20th century America popular song could get inside a lyric and make it his own like the great "ole blue eyes."
Hamill's opening chapter in which we sit beside Sinatra and his cronies in a Brooklyn bar in 1970 is like something out of Hemingway in its description of a man, era and city.
Hamill points out that it was Sinatra in music, Laguardia in politics and Joe Dimaggio in sports who raised the immigrant Italian ethnic group to greatness in insular, xenophobic America of the 1940s.
Sinatrta could be obnoxious and cruel but he could also be
generous and kind,
This book reminds me of the Penguin Lives series as it is a good starting place for anyone who wants to learn more about Sinatra, his women, his era and most importantly his music. The music will live forever in the American soul.
Sinatra did it his way and Hamill does a fine job of writing in this interesting little book. A good read to take on vacation or a long flight. I recommend it. ... Read more

Book Description

'A thrilling reading experience! One of the greatest adventure stories of our times' - New York Times Book Review. In 1914 Ernest Shackleton and a crew of 27 men, sailed for the South Atlantic on the 'Endurance' with the object of crossing the Antarctic over land. In October 1915, still half a continent away from their intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in ice. For five months Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the world's most savage regions. This gripping book based on firsthand accounts of crew members, describes how the men survived, living together in camps on the ice for 17 months, how they were attacked by sea leopards, had to kill their beloved dogs whom they could no longer feed, and suffered disease with no medicines (an operation to amputate the foot of one member of the crew was carried out on the ice). Their extraordinary indefatigability and their lasting civility towards one another in the most adverse conditions shines through. ... Read more

Reviews (332)

An Antidote for the Age of Whining and Self-Absorption
Everything that defines courage and leadership for our age and any other is within the 280 pages of this wonderful book. For nearly two years, in conditions of constant zero and below cold, freezing wet, and often hunger, Ernest Shackleton kept all 27 men who sailed with him on the Endurance alive to eventually return to the England they left on the verge of World War I. That single-minded devotion to his men should make this book required reading for every would-be politician and corporate executive before he dares ask for the faith, trust and respect of those he would lead.

Lansing dedicated the book "In appreciation for whatever it is that makes men accomplish the impossible." He wisely and without flourish often lets the men's own words -- through the journals that many of them kept at the time and in interviews forty years later -- tell their extraordinary story, each stage of which reads more harrowing than the last. On an expedition that would have attempted to cross the Antarctic on foot (a feat not accomplished until four decades later), the Endurance is trapped in pack ice before it can reach shore. Shackleton's perhaps foolhardy original goal thus turns to keeping his men alive until they can be rescued. After ten months locked in the drifting pack, the Endurance is crushed and the men forced to abandon her for an ice floe, then several weeks later a smaller floe still. Eventually they take to three boats to reach forlorn Elephant Island from which Shackleton takes a skeleton crew of five and in a 22 foot open boat navigates the enormous seas of Drake's Passage to South Ascension Island. Once there he only (only!) has uncharted glaciers to cross to reach the whaling station on the other side of the island from which rescue of the Elephant Island castaways is eventually launched. The only other crossing of South Georgian Island by foot at the time Lansing wrote in 1959 occurred on a "easier" route with equipment and time. Shackleton had neither, only a fifty foot piece of rope, a carpenter's adze, and the knowledge that to stop moving was to invite death by freezing. At journey's end, to the astonished manager of the whaling factory, he says simply, "My name is Shackleton." I would have liked to have known him and all his men.

An Amazing True Life Adventure Story
I purchased this book for my husband, never intending on reading it myself, but after his raves and recommendations I finally picked it up, and read it with great relish from page 1 to the end. This is surely one of the greatest true life adventure stories of all time. Even though I knew the eventual outcome of this survival tale, I was kept completely captivated by the events as they unfolded, and the almost unbelievable conditions that these men faced. Lansing's well written book presents the facts in a story form that flows easily from event to event. I purchased the illustrated edition, and the wonderful photos were well worth the extra cost. Hurley's photos illustrated the book in a way that no words could, and I found myself frequently turning back to review them.

Even knowing the ending, it's a page turner
I'm a fan of survivalist accounts such as "Seven Years in Tibet," and "In the Heart of the Sea." And I loved this true account of the voyage/survival of Shackleton's crew in the Antarctic.

Asking friends and relatives if they've read it, I've heard, "I started it, but I didn't want to see everyone die!" So here's the *spoiler...nobody dies! *

The capacity of the human body to survive and of the human brain to figure out how to do it never ceases to amaze me.

Lansing's account ingeniously pieces together journals of the men involved and includes riveting details without ever being too gory. Even knowing the ending, it's a page turner. I've heard that this is the most involving of all the accounts published...coming across more like a story and less a documentary.

The images of the men on the ice have completely captivated me...the sounds and the movement. Be prepared to grab a blanket and a snack as you read (something not made of penguin)...you'll feel like you're there.

ICY Adventure
this book is about how you SHOULD live!
Go for it!

Warning: You will not be able to put it down.
I agree with many others this must be one of the greatest survival stories ever told. If you have read the The Longest Walk and found it to be a page turner you will not go wrong buying Endurance. And we know for sure that Endurance is all true. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Chairman of the Board has inspired a great many emotions--from hero-worship to withering contempt--and you'll find most of them documented in this intelligent compendium. The editors have dredged up some wonderful relics, like Bruce Bliven's 1944 rumination on what makes the Voice so magical in the first place ("Undoubtedly, just plain sex has a great deal to do with the whole matter"). But the essays, reviews, and memoirs cover every segment of Sinatra's career, including the end-game triumph (or travesty) of the best-selling "Duets." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Inside View of the #1 Megastar of them all!!
From Bobby Sox fave to Sultan of Swoon to the Fall and Great Comeback, it is just about all here, except for the very last years from the mid-1990's to the end. This volume is a collection of essays surveying the vast realm of an incredible career. The clear links between his peerless Capitol recordings,and his own life are explained,as are the demanding sessions themselves, his always being in charge with a lot of help from his friends. Every piece here is worthwhile, my favorite being Gay Talese's FRANK SINATRA HAS A COLD (1966)To quote:"Sinatra with a cold is Picasso without paint,Ferrari without fuel..A Sinatra with a cold can, in a small way,send vibrations through the entertainment industry and beyond as surely as a President can, suddenly sick, shake the national economy." A great fun of a read! Not for Frank fanatics only.

A must for anyone who loves Ole Blue Eyes
This book is like an almanac of information on Frankie. I had the pleasure of reading it at a friends house, and it was just great. I highly recommend it. Another good one, is "Why Sinatra Matters." Both give a glimpse into a man that we all love. ... Read more

Book Description

The first-ever collection from the archives of the legendary Chairman of the Board, filled with never-before-seen photos, letters, mementos, and more.

What is a legend? A legend is a man who, more than 65 years after stepping on stage for the first time, is still larger than life. A man who changed the way we wear our hats. A man possessed not of a voice, but The Voice. Frank Sinatra is a legend.

Created in conjunction with the Frank Sinatra Estate, THE SINATRA TREASURES tells the story of Sinatras life with rare and never-before-published quotes from those he loved and those he worked with--and from the Chairman of the Board himself. More than 200 black-and-white and full-color images from several Sinatra archives, as well as 30 removable facsimile reproductions of items, such as a script from one of his radio shows and a Sinatra family photo album, provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Sinatras world and talent. Also included is a new compilation CD of rare interviews, early radio appearances, and songs.

This celebration of the many elements of Frank Sinatra--as singer, as actor, as humanitarian, as friend--brings to life as never before the man who made the standards standard. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Not surprisingly, most of Frank Sinatra's biographers have raked through the muck of the singer's marriages, divorces, mob connections, and outbursts of foul-mouthed misogyny. Will Friedwald takes a different tack. Oh, the biographical facts are there, but Friedwald is mostly interested in the Voice--that irresistible, inimitable instrument, the absence of which would punch a major hole in the soundtrack of life. This is certainly the best book ever written on Sinatra's music, which means that it sheds a great deal of light on American pop music in general. And while Friedwald gets downright rhapsodic when it comes to the career highlights, he's not afraid to tweak Ol' Blue Eyes when he comes up with a dud. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

THE book for Sinatra fans and those who are discovering him
What better testimonial can you give to a book than saying it makes you so fired about about its subject that you want to discover more of his/her work? Will Friedwald's Sinatra! The Song is You will delight Sinatra fans and "turn on" anyone even REMOTELY interested in finding out why Sinatra was named the 20th century's Best Singer. It is without question the best book EVER written on Sinatra's music due to its style, details and because Friedwald does not pull any punches: he praises Sinatra for good work and criticizes him for work that falls short. All this is done without pretension, cutesy-ness or padding. The usual personal and professional biographical info is there, but mostly for historical context. Friedwald's interest is in Sinatra the singer -- and in Sinatra's VOICE as an instrument that developed, matured and eventually (and sadly) deteriorated. Going through each performing and recording stage of Sinatra's long career, Friedwald analyzes particular songs, explains Sinatra's trailblazing role in creating thematic "concept" albums, and gives fascinating details on how and why certain classic arrangements and songs were cut in the studio. He praises and blasts Sinatra's various arrangers. What's unquestionable is that Sinatra took this kind of music to an entirely new level. This book successfully conveys the ARTISTRY of Sinatra's music so you WANT to hear MORE. Reading this book took me from a mild to fanatical Sinatra fan as I started listening to the albums, remembering what I had read and appreciating what Sinatra was doing with his voice. Sinatra! The Song is You heightens an appreciation of a musical genre that is either on it's way out as we move into the 21st century --or waiting for a new innovative artist to come along to revive its popularity and take it to the next level.

The music comes first
A century from now, nobody will care about the controversies of Sinatra's life. But the music will live on, as sure as the sun will rise and set. With the possible exception of Louis Armstrong, the twentieth century produced no greater interpreter of song than Frank Sinatra. When I was a teenager, Sinatra was this old guy who sang about New York. I didn't pay attention; I was ignorant of the amazing career. As an adult, I happened upon a copy of "Songs for Swinging Lovers" in a used cd bin -- and that was all it took. I have been a Sinatra fanatic ever since, particularly of the music he produced from the mid-fifties to early sixties. Will Friedwald is quickly emerging as the foremost writer on jazz singing; his book "The Jazz Singers" opened up whole new vistas of music for me. But "Sinatra!" is his masterpiece. He goes through the entire musical career, from start to finish, and quite simply, puts down on paper every single relevant fact, from the composition to the recording to the reception. It's a tour-de-force of writing which I have read cover-to-cover at least four times since I bought it when it came out. My only complaint? Mr. Friedwald, when are you going to do the same for Satchmo himself, Louis Armstrong? Until then, I'll just have to read this book -- again. Buy "Sinatra!" immediately -- you won't regret it.

Monumental Study of Frank's Music: As Timeless as Frank
Anyone with even a mild interest in Frank's legacy should buy this book. It makes well researched and amusing reading,and is to me the finest book on popular music ever written.It helps to read an obviously great book when you agree with about 95% of his own editorializing. Every era of Mr.Sinatra's recording career,even past Duets II,and going into his last ,sometimes awkward,concerts is covered.If you want gossip,go elsewhere.Mr. Friedwald covers the personalities,from Stordahl,Riddle,May,Jenkins, and all the rest,and when you finish this book you'll feel the incredible energy, fun,and friendship that made these recordings. The fact is that Frank's canon is so great that some of my favorite recordings are not even mentioned in the index. Even Mr. Friedwald can't cover everything I guess.It's true that there are some snide comments that Mr Friedwald has for other performers,and his general contempt for rock and roll is obvious.I usually chuckled reading them since it was nice to read that the author and I agreed on the obvious. The fact is that anyone who actually knows Frank's best, and has made such an effort,must in general agree with Mr. Friedwald. For no one from the the rock era has anywhere near the oeuvre that Frank has.And in truth, the general quality of popular culture,especially music,has been in an abysmal decline for about 40 years, hopefully bottoming in the "Rap" era...This work is also a great reference,and will provide cultural enlightenment for many years to come.

Essential reading for Sinatra fans.
How many wives did Sinatra have? How many people did he punch? Was he a member of the Mafia? These, and the stupid questions about Marilyn, the Kennedys, and Sinatra's toupee, won't be answered in this book. Here we have what really matters: the music. The song was Sinatra, indeed. In these fascinating pages, we learn that Sinatra was a committed, respected artist, a man who would rather hang out with musicians than presidents, sex queens, and mobsters. The best feature of this book? Will Friedwald's writing style, which is often humorous, never heavy, and always informative. Every great artist needs a great critic, and Sinatra has his in Friedwald. For one thing, the author went to stunning lengths to obtain interviews with the people who worked by Sinatra's side. I often feel like I'm in the studio with them. We learn about Sinatra's fabulous arrangers-- the angelic Stordahl, the unassuming Riddle, the clowning May. We learn about Sinatra's formative years with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey (unfortunately, the chapter on the Dorsey years seems to be a reprint of Friedwald's essay in the RCA box set of the same name). Friedwald understands what made Sinatra great, but pulls no punches when it comes to dissing bad songs. We get more insights into Frank's musical career than we ever thought imaginable. And it's all done without a hint of stuffiness or pretension. Why did Sinatra record the goofy "Watertown"? How did the 1956 Riddle/Porter classic "I've Got You Under My Skin" come about? And what the heck was going on in those "Duets" albums? To learn this, and thousands of other things, buy the greatest book about Sinatra ever written.

This Book Needed To Be Written
Will Friedwald, we Sinatra fans thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for writing this book. Before this, all we had was utter garbage, such as Kitty Kelly's lurid biography that found his singing not only incidental to his life but not even worth covering in her book! Friedwald's book, however, is solely interested in Sinara the singer, the musician and the artist. The fellow musicians who knew him in that world also knew an entirely different person from the one who was tabloid fodder. Since I own 38 of his CD albums, this book answered many questions I'd had about those albums being created. If this is the Sinatra you want to know, this is the book to read. If you want to read the tabloid seamy one about his personal life by Kelly, which I'm ashamed to admit that I did, buy it instead but don't say you weren't warned. And hers even partially ruins listening to his recordings for you for awhile. But not long since great art always rises above the garbage. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A mixed bag
Kitty Kelley's book about Frank Sinatra made countless headlines when it was released and shot to the top of the best seller list. Unfortunately, the book is very tabloidy. If you read this book without knowing anything about Sinatra, you will come away with the impression that he was a monster. True, he did have his share of fights and problems with the press, but Kelley makes it sound as if all he did his life was yell at people. The few times she mentions all of the charity work he did, its in passing and never very respectful.
There is no doubt that the book is readable. I found myself not wanting to put it down, but at the same time wishing Kelley was more unbiased.
It is one of the longer Sinatra bios, but I feel that the definitive biography of the man as a human being with both good points and bad points has yet to be written. Read this book with an open mind and don't take everything as fact. I suggest that to get "the other side of the story", you read Nancy Sinatra's "An American Legend" as well.

Don't waste your money on this garbage!!!!
Don't buy this garbage, if you want to read about Frank Sinatra and want to know what he was really like pick up "Frank Sinatra: An American Legend: by Nancy Sinatra" and "My Father's Daughter :by Tina Sinatra" =-)

Ol' Red Eyes
This book is very readable. Pick it up at any page and go. A lot of Sinatras wild exploits are written about. Many are of a negative nature (as many interesting wild exploits are), but there are many references supporting them.

The long length of this book, combined with its interesting items, and its ease of reading, make this book great.

Truth or not? Who knows to what degree. Certainly there have been enough well documented incidents with Sinatra that the content of this book is not unreasonable to believe.

It does focus on his behavior, and life, more than his actual music activities. If that makes this book "tabloid" then fine, it also makes it interesting and readable.

For in depth Sinatra music related biographical information, there must be a better book than this.

This book is great if you are intersted in the wild exploits of his life. And oh they were wild.

The book keeps moving. Its fast (though long). Nothing in the book is uninteresting.

Fun Fiction
I didn't know Frank was in the mob and was required to bed down every new star in Hollywood, oh yea an then there was the part about him and Jack Ruby... If you have ever read one of her books then this is the same thing, an easy to read book full of juicy rumors and assumptions that are fun to read. My only complaint is that I think her legal team probably goes over the test better then the editors, some cuts here and there would have made it moves a bit faster. This book is like a 350 page Start Tabloid issue devoted to Frank, if that is your type of thing this is a good book for you. IF you are after an unbiased story I would keep looking.

"If Adolph Hitler Could Sing....."
When her meat cleaver of a 'biography', "His Way," was first published in 1986, Kitty Kelley appeared on the Larry King show and claimed it was a "balanced" book.

Had King read the book and if he had some guts as an interviewer,
he would have laughed her off the show.

Claiming "His Way" is "balanced" is like the Grand Dragon of the KKK stating his group is racially mixed.

With a certain amount of glee, Kelley recounts every seamy story of Sinatra's personal life...the women, the brawls, the fits of temper, the mistreatment of employees (Frank allegedly dumped a plate of spaghetti over his valet's head, because the man didn't cook it 'al dente').

Nowhere, however, in this litany of horrors, real or rumored, does Sinatra, the musician,emerge.

"His Way" paints the man who many regard as the finest pop singer of our time,as a psychotic egomaniac, who sang a song from time to time.

Kelley completely misses the point of what made Sinatra so alluring to the public...the dichotomy of the public man and the private artist...that a man so capable of violence and ugliness could also produce such continually beautiful music through the years (Example: Kelley recounts the year 1965 without once mentioning Sinatra's record breaking tour with the Basie band).

By almost ignoring the music, Kelley has produced a book with the mentality of the worst of the supermarket tabloids...no Sinatra epitaph would ever use the phrase "Frank was a nice guy," but'His Way' portrays a man who was Adolph Hitler with a tuxedo and hand mike.

It's like writing a biogprahy of Picasso and adding as a footnote at the end.."oh, by the way, he could ALSO paint!" ... Read more

Book Description

The fascinating life of an Italian American icon.

The mob couldn't live with Jimmy Roselli and it couldn't live without him. Roselli is Hoboken's other great singer, and to a greater degree than Frank Sinatra, Roselli maintained his ties to his old neighborhood and its people--indeed, he made a career of those ties. He's their link to their cultural heritage and Italy, and continues to sing a good half of his repertoire in Italian. But this didn't stop his wiseguy following from getting angry at him from time to time.

"When I started singing big," Roselli told biographer David Evanier, "the tough guys were in the front row with the big cigars. They loved me so much they wanted to kill me. But their mothers and sisters and their wives wouldn't allow it." Roselli sang his best-loved song, "Little Pal," at John Gotti, Jr.'s wedding reception. Mobster Larry Gallo was buried with a Roselli record in his hands. "Hell of a guy," Roselli says of Gallo. "Nice, warm individual."

Hoboken's unsung singer feuded with Sinatra, stood up to shakedown artists, befriended godfathers, and now has thirty-six recordings in print. A captivating story of a brilliant entertainer, Making the Wiseguys Weep is also a colorful portrait of Italian American culture from the 240 saloons that lined Hoboken's streets to the bright lights of New York City. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

The author speaks
I am the author of "Making the Wiseguys Weep." The reactions to my book have been extremely gratifying. Probably the most moving tribute came from the reader who called me the "Dante of the Italian-American community." I think that anyone interested in the Mafia or who loves "The Sopranos" would want to read my accounts of Gyp de Carlo, Carlo Gambino, Sam Giancana and John Gotti, among many others. Jimmy Roselli is not only the "sweetheart of the mob" but an amazing singer who is considered the soul of the Italian-American community. Martin Scorsese featured his voice in "Mean Streets." After writing the book I was told by a disc jockey in New Oreleans that Norjo's, the Italian grocery in New Orleans, features behind its counter pictures of the Pope, Sinatra and Jimmy, and CD's of Roselli and Sinatra. In addition, it's important to note that Frank Sinatra had only one true rival in terms of a great voice, and that was--and is--Jimmy Roselli. It was a joy to discover a great singer, someone who deserved far greater recognition, and who, thanks to my book and the movie planned about it, is finally receiving it. There are many great Italian-American singers: Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Louis Prima, Bobby Darin and Jerry Vale among them. No one is more unique than Jimmy Roselli. No one has more passion. Check out "Making the Wiseguys Weep" and some of Roselli's truly great albums: "3 A.M.," "The Best of Neapolitan Songs," "The Italian Album," "Jimmy Roselli," "When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New," and "What is A Song." You will never, ever, forget them. Vincent Patrick, critic of the book for the "New York Times," Sammy Cahn, Joe Pesci, who loves Roselli and wants to play him, Chazz Palmintieri, and John Gotti, among others, will attest to that.

I am the author of "Making the Wiseguys Weep"
I'm the author of "Making the Wiseguys Weep." The reactions to my book have been extremely gratifying. Probably the most moving tribute came from the reader who called me the "Dante of the Italian-American community." I think that anyone interested in the Mafia and loves "The Sopranos" would want to read my accounts of Gyp the Collar, Carlo Gambino, Sam Giancana and John Gotti. Jimmy Roselli is not only the "sweetheart of the mob" but an amazing singer who is considered the soul of the Italian-American community. After writing the book, I was told by a disc jockey in New Orleans that Norjo's, the Italian grocery in that city, features behind its counter pictures of the Pope, Sinatra and Jimmy, and, beside the olive oil from Italy, CD's of Roselli and Sinatra. In addition, it is important to note that Frank Sinatra had only one true rival in terms of a great voice, and that was--and is--Jimmy Roselli. It was a joy to discover a great singer, someone who deserved a far greater recognition, and who, thanks to my book and the movie planned about it, is finally receiving it. CNN's "Newstand" and ABC's "Good Morning America" have featured the book with profiles of Jimmy. Check out "Making the Wiseguys Weep" and some of Roselli's great albums: "3 A.M.," "Best of Neapolitan Songs," "The Italian Album," "Jimmy Roselli," "When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New," and "What Is A Song." You will never, ever, forget them. Sammy Cahn, Joe Pesci, who loves Jimmy and wants to play him in the movie, Chazz Palminteri, and John Gotti, among others, will attest to that.

Where's the movie?!
I read Making The Wiseguys Weep 4 times. It had me captivated from beginning to end. I was not aware of Jimmy Roselli's music before reading it, but picked it because I am Italian-American and wanted a compelling mafia story. This book paints a picture so vivid of Italian-American culture, the life and times of the "good ol' days" and the amazing experiences of Jimmy Roselli. It made me track down some Roselli albums for his talent is amazing.
I read that this would be adapted into a movie starring John Travolta called Standing Room Only directed by Gus Van Sant. As of now, it has not been made, and I read an interview with Mr. Van Sant from mid-2003 saying that it is a possibility that the film will indeed be made. I want to know any information about this movie! I am unaware of it being in production and if it is, I absoloutly cannot wait to see it! Travolta would be terrific as Mr. Roselli.

like casino profits, best used by skimming
This book has much to recommend it. It provides insight into the aftermath of the profliferation of rock in the '60s---the virtual banishing to the wilderness of talented performers committed to, in my opinion, songs on a much higher level than those penned and sung by many of the musically less-than-literate '60s icons. Both songs crafted by Berlin, Porter, et al and the performers who delivered them with depth of feeling and well-honed craft were suddenly visciously shunted aside by both kids caught up in rebellion (somewhat understandable given the times, hell, I was one of them) and profit-driven record companies (sickening and unforgiveable). Gifted singers like Tony Bennett, Roselli, and many others were pretty much hung out to dry as American culture took a nose dive it has yet to recover from ... . This phenomenom, the steamrolling of America's great song book and its interpreters, is well documented in chapter 6 here.

Evanier also casts the light well on Roselli's sentimentality toward wiseguys as family that supplanted that of his biological family, and does a good job of explaining why Roselli kept coming back for more punishment, exposing and analyzing his frailties and rationalizations. He also does manage to take us into the Copa or other saloons and relive the excitement, the raw emotional power, the connection with his audience which made Roselli special. All commendable.

But I must confess disappointment. ... In the book ... the reminiscences of his wife and running buddies get repetitive and old awful fast. The key points are made, and made well early in the book, and after that there's some coasting and page filling. It goes on longer than it has to. As for Roselli himself, what at first reads like admirable [bravery] in standing up to the "boys", blowing off Ed Sullivan, etc., soon turns into tiresome tirades of self-justification and egotism. Ironically, he comes off as petty, mean, and self-important at times as his purported hated arch-rival, Sinatra. (This is not, of course, Evanier's fault) ... I have to hear Roselli sing (which the book did make me want to, a definite plus).

Pay close attention up to chapter 6, then skim like you were a boss controlling the slots in a classy joint in Atlantic City.

Great Book
Five more stars to David Evanier for writing a great story on Jimmy Roselli. After reading the reviews, some people feel that Jimmy is not the greatest person in the world, but I think we can all agree that he is one of the best singers who's story is a story of interest and it was superbly told by David Evanier. ... Read more

Book Description

He had many names: Ol' Blue Eyes, the Chairman of the Board, the Sultan of Swoon, the Voice.Ultimately, we will all remember Frank Sinatra as the World's Greatest Entertainer.The Voice lives on in this commemorative pictorial tribute to the life and 50-year career of the man who changed the face of music and movies from a humble beginning in Hoboken, New Jersey to his death on May 14, 1998 at age 82.In addition to being written by Nancy Sinatra, Frank's first-born daughter, this is the ONLY book done with the full cooperation of the Sinatra family.Reviewers rave "priceless," "a visual knockout," "a must-have for any Sinatra fan."Rare or previously unpublished photos and dozens of private stories told by his most intimate friends separate myth from the real deal and make this an extremely revealing--and truly poignant--testament to the legend who did it his way.Also features a complete discography and filmography. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Excellent portrait of the 'real' Sinatra, 'warts and all' .
Bernard Barton (BBarton@worldnet.att.net) An excellent portrait by Frank's beloved daughter Nancy;( A bit of trivia, in honor of Nancy, Phil Silvers of Sgt. Bilko fame wrote a song in Nancy's honor called 'Nancy'. One of the best lines in the song is "Picture A Tomboy In Lace, That's Nancy, with the laughing face"; which Frank performed and recorded several times in his career.) My uncle Ben Barton was partners with Frank in a music publishing venture. I met Frank several times. My uncle and I had many conversations over the years about Mr. Sinatra. Nancy presents an accurate, compelling portrait of an American Idol. Nancy does, of course project her Fathers views on how Frank was treated over the years by the congress and particularly the "media". But she also acknowledges Franks personality traits that serve as a counterpoint or explanation of why certain elements of the United States Congress and the media have treated Frank over the years. An excellent value for such a detailed, well illustrated book full of family pictures that we generally never get to see of one so famous as Frank Sinatra. A solid 9 out of ten.

Everything you want to know about Frank is in this Book
I had to get this book after seeing how low the price came down.The original price was 40 dollars. Nancy Sinatra's book on her Father has everything in here.I couldn't believe Frank weighted 13and a half pounds when he was born on December 12,1915.The Doctor ripped and scarred his ear,check,and neck,plus puncturing his eardrum.Frank wasn't breathing,so his grandmother Rose held the baby under cold running water until he gasped his first breath and cried.This book is like a Diary.It goes from year to year,sometimes month to month.All of Franks movies,records,concerts,TV shows,songs,and the name of the songwriters are in here,plus hundreds of pictures,starting with Frank's baby photo, ending with a touching family photo taken in 1996.There's a wonderfull picture of Marilyn Monroe taken with Dean Martin sitting ringside at the Sands..All of the stars are in here,and family pictures we've never seen before.If you are a Frank Sinatra fan,you have to get this Book.Its huge,and the pictures are fantastic.

The ideal family album
No wonder this book is so thick- it's filled with numerous photos of Frank Sinatra, his family, and friends over the years. I love looking at these pics, and so will any other Sinatra fan. There is detailed info throughout the book as well. This is one worth having in your collection.

Sinatra-Viewed Naked & Still Beautiful
Here is Sinatra stripped of everything who leaves me knowing he has deserved my love and admiration all these years. With Sinatra, he drove himself through life going after whatever he wanted and risking the consequences. We get to look at his ups and downs and his prides and his falls. We see him suffer at love and sing about it. We see him finally, after all the aborted tries, finally sink himself into a relationship with his last wife that kept him happy until he died.

Life for Sinatra was all or nothing at all and he did life his way and fell into lots of tender traps and led some into his own tender traps, like one famous movie star I will let you discover on your own.

What so special about Nancy's book is that she is amazingly organized and objective in her account of her father's life. And the CD, well the CD is everything. You get to hear Sinatra on Sinatra, unabashed.

Everyone on the planet needs to buy and read this book to learn what life can be when you go for it all every day!

Kudos to Nancy for a biography well, well done.

The Review
This book has excellent pictures with the most vital information for a biography project. A great buy and great read for interested fans of Ol' Blue Eyes. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For Sinatra fans, 2000 was a very good year. First came the discographyPut Your Dreams Away;then, the newsy exposé of the Chairman's FBI dossier,The Sinatra Files; andnow, his life story as seen by his younger daughter Tina. Besides inside familystuff, Tina knows about Frank's life from having produced the CBS miniseriesabout him. The most publicized item in the book concerns Frank's kind words withthe Mafia on behalf of JFK's campaign. But, beware the common belief that theMafia stole the election for JFK--this is dubious--and don't miss out on all ofthe more interesting stories in the book. There's irony: JFK personallypersuaded United Artists to make Sinatra's best film, that classic ofPresidential-assassination conspiracy, The Manchurian Candidate. There'ssqualor: Before the Mafia helped him through his career slump, Frank walked pastan Eddie Fisher movie marquee and promptly attempted suicide. There's poignance:"I'm not home much, but I'm a pretty damned good father," Frank unconvincinglyclaimed. Nancy Barbato Sinatra--the mother of Tina, Nancy, and Frank Jr.--comesoff as saintly. Ava Gardner was nice to the kids, but a comparably neuroticbrawler with Frank. Mia Farrow, Tina's schoolmate, was delightful, inclined tointense relationships with father figures (Salvador Dalì, Yul Brynner),eccentric, and not as frail and malleable as she looked and Frank probablyhoped: "She was just as career-driven as Ava, and probably more independent,"writes Tina. "Mia was more of a day person, while the only dawns my father sawwere on the back end of a hard day's night." Barbara Marx Sinatra, according toembittered Tina, made Frank's last 12 years a living hell. (Barbara has declinedto comment on Tina's charges.)

In straightforward prose that's studded with interesting facts (did you knowFrank would tip $200 if you parked his car?) and 86 photos, Tina Sinatra paintsa lively portrait of her inconsolably lonely pop-star pop. And she did it herway. Deal with it. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Tina Tanks Stepmother
Frank Sinatras youngest delivers lots of interesting tidbits about her father that most of the public was probably unaware of. For instance...what brought the physical side of love her mother dished out to old dad to a halt? Okay, so maybe she told more then we really wanted to know, but just goes to show she was pretty open about her fathers life. I found it surprising that she downplays her own personal life so much although she deals openly with her feelings toward her father. One thing she doesn't downplay even one iota is the rather venomous feelings she harbored for her stepmother, Barbara Sinatra. If her accounting of Barbaras behavior is accurate, she definitely had plenty of reason to dislike & distrust the woman. I personally tend to believe the wicked stepmom is just as she portrayed her because Tina is very kind in her recollections of her other 2 stepmothers, Ava and Mia. Somehow I came away with the feeling this book was written not only as a tribute to her father, but also as a means of publicly debunking the image Barbara Sinatra had carefully projected throughout her marriage to Frank. Her written treatment of her father is probably a little biased and too gentle considering what is generally known about the man. But, it is her father so what can one expect? Overall, a very good read that I would recommend.

An Excellent Book
I have been exposed to Frank Sinatra's music all my life, and been a fan of his since I was 9. However, after reading this book, I feel I know him in a way like never before, in a more detailed, intimate way. I truly understand the kind of man and person he was. Tina does an outstanding and thorough job explaining the man her father was, from all points. She describes what he was like as a father, husband, friend, performer, etc. She leaves nothing out, nor does she sugar-coat the story. She tells the truth, in an honest, loving, respectful way. I am proud to say I own this book, and have enjoyed it very much. It's a must for all fellow Sinatra fans. My hats off to her- great job, Tina!

Interesting & fast read!
Good Read!!!

I have read several other books about Frank Sinatra which chronicle his childhood, the bobbysox years, the Rat Pack years, the Mia years, etc. However, this is the first book I have come across that goes into detail regarding his years of marriage to Barbara Marx & the last years of his life. That alone makes the book fascinating as it fills in missing gaps.

Furthermore, the fact that the book is written from an insider's perspective helps in making it a riveting read. The book flows smoothly and quickly and I don't feel like Tina tries to sugarcoat her father' life (which is how I felt when I read a book written by Nancy Sinatra Jr.). Tina mentions both his good and bad sides and she is very candid in her feelings and emotions regarding her family and father.

The only thing I really wonder is why did Frank stay married to a money-grubbing, social climber for so long? He could have had his pick of beautiful woman, so why her? I would love to know what was really going on in his mind regarding his last marriage, but as he is dead and gone we may never know.

Great job, Tina!
The reason I enjoyed reading this book so much is that I appreciate the expression of Tina's honest and true feelings, even if sometimes painful. I applaud her courage in telling her story as she saw it. Being her "Father's Daughter", she had a definite vantage view as an insider who could shed some light on her beloved father's life. This book was difficult to put down once I picked it up. I enjoyed learning more about Frank Sinatra as the world famous Icon as well as a family man and by the time that I finished the book, I felt he was also a remarkedly loving, passionate and generous man during his best times. This book also was truthful enough to point out the temptations of living in the spotlight as a celebrity and the pitfalls that exist for anyone living that type of lifestyle. Thank you Tina! This was definitely an enlightening book worth reading!

A review of the very good(and bad) years
I picked this book up a week ago, and really enjoyed reading it. While it doesn't give the reader a good idea of his childhood or pre 1950's career(that's the only reason it doesn't get 5 stars), it is a great portrayal of Frank Sinatra as a father, a husband and a friend. It's sad t read how full of life and vigor he was up until the last 20 years of his life. By the 1980's, his wife and her cronies had him him doped up, and made him flying around the world like a dancing bear for far too many years(You must take the last 150 pages with a grain of salt. Frank's daughter is the author of this book, and she was never a fan of her father's fourth and final wife). If you want to learn about swinging singer, read something else. However, if you want to learn about the person behind all the glitz, read this. ... Read more

Book Description

"Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra, by former valet-aide George Jacobs with an oh-so-able assist by William Stadiem, has at least five quotable and shocking remarks about the famous on every page. The fifteen years Jacobs toiled for Frank produces a classic of its genre -- a gold-star gossip-lover's dream....

"The rest is showbiz history as it was, and only Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, and Betty Bacall are spared. Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Juliet Prowse, Noel Coward, Cole Porter, Mia Farrow, Elvis Presley, Swifty Lazar, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Jimmy van Heusen, Edie Goetz, Peter Lawford, and all of the Kennedys come in for heaping portions of 'deep dish,' served hot. Sordid, trashy, funny, and so rat-a-tat with its smart inside info and hip instant analysis that some of it seems too good to be true....

Reviews (1)

redundant
i expected a man that spent virtually 20 hours a day for 15 years with fs to have a little more insight than recounting how many broads he a)slept with b)wanted to sleep with c)could've slept with but didn't (not many) or d) compared to ava gardner. oh, and don't forget about how much he loved being "connected"...it's stated here about a thousand times. if you're a big fan of mr.s there's not much here you didn't already know...he was egotistic, shallow, insecure, rude, childish...and had a great voice. basically every trait needed to become a huge star. not that the author didn't love him..he did. this book won't make you feel any different about francis albert...i just expected less foolish, redundant gossip and a little more insight on things we didn't know about the man. by page 50 i was hoping for more than just mr.s' conquests....it never happened. do yourself a favor and stick to listening to the voice, instead of reading about him. ... Read more

Book Description

An odyssey of celebrity, extravagance, and genius, Mr. S provides the deepest understanding yet of one of our greatest entertainers

As the right hand of Frank Sinatra from 1953 to 1968, George Jacobs arguably had one of the coolest jobs in the world at the time when Sinatra was the undisputed master of the entertainment universe. Jacobs rose from his humble beginnings in New Orleans to join Sinatra in the mansions of Beverly Hills, the penthouses of Manhattan, the palaces of Europe, the pinnacles of world power. George Jacobs saw it all, did it all.

Sinatra took Jacobs with him on the ride of the century, from blacklist Hollywood to gangland Chicago to an emerging Vegas to Camelot, not to mention dolce vita Rome and swinging London. As a member of Sinatra's inner circle, Jacobs drank with Ava Gardner, danced with Marilyn Monroe, massaged John F. Kennedy, golfed with Sam Giancana, and played jazz with the Prince of Monaco while his boss secretly pursued Princess Grace. He also partied with Mia Farrow, but that one cost him his job of a lifetime.

Through the ring-a-ding-ding and the stars, royals, politicians, moguls, and mobsters emerged a warm and intimate relationship that reveals a complex Sinatra: vulnerable and arrogant, charismatic and violent, loving and disdainful, confident and painfully self-conscious. Jacobs is no sycophant, but rather a sharp-eyed observer of the highs and lows of his boss's turbulent life. And Mr. S is perhaps the most complete, honest, and intimate portrait of Sinatra ever written.

It is an unforgettable trip, and George Jacobs provides a front-and-center seat at the life of an American icon.

Reviews (34)

Thank you George
I knew this book would be good and I was right. George Jacobs was Frank Sinatra's valet (cook, gofer, butler, girlfriend baby-sitter, you name it) from 1953 to 1968. If you can name famous people who Frank Sinatra knew or associated with, they are probably mentioned in this book. Jacobs grew to love Sinatra and he thought Sinatra cared about him too. Then he had the curtain dropped on him just like many others before him. Its obvious that Jacobs did have affection for his boss and was very loyal to him.

I saw Mr. Jacobs on "Hannity & Cohms" a while back and I thought they were too hard on him. This is not a "trash Frank Sinatra" book. Its told with great affection but Jacobs is honest about what he saw and experienced. Lauren Bacall, Old Joe Kennedy, "Jack" Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Sam Giancana, Juliet Prowse, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Ava Gardner, Mia Farrow and more, more, more.

I felt sorry for George as he tells how lost he felt after Sinatra fired him and shut him out. He didn't deserve to be done that way.

Riveting!
People magazine gave this book a weak review and I cannot for the life of me figure out why. Mr. Jacob's book painted such a vivid picture of "Mr. S" I feel like I know him personally. Plus if anyone is enamored with old Hollywood, this book names people and places which makes it even more fascinating. I could not wait to get back to these pages each day. And as other reviewers said, its amazing how George Jacobs still speaks of Frank Sinantra with such affection, yet telling these stories as they were, whether it was flattering or not to the subjects. A lot of the information was already known (i.e. Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, and the stories about poor Marilyn Monroe), but its interesting to have these legendary tales confirmed by a "third party". Don't let any negative reviews keep you from this book, if you like this era in Hollywood or Frank Sinatra, I guarantee you will love this book. When it was over I wanted to write Mr. Jacobs and just tell him how much I loved his stories.

Weak
This book is not very well written. It reads as a stream of consciousness list of memories in only the most perfunctory of order. The accuracy of some of the memories must be called into question as they don't accord with the more reliable biographies out there. Also, there's the important point that the author is not an impartial observer but someone who worshipped Sinatra and then was suddenly and unceremoniously ejected from the magical Sinatra circle. He would not be human if this did not impinge upon his attitude towards Sinatra and his rather unsympathetic portrait of Sinatra suggests that he has something of an axe to grind. All in all, a weak book in many respects and a poor buy compared to the other Sinatra books out there (most of which are available on Amazon).

a trip out Book
George Jacobs talks about Frank Sinatra&there is alot of trip out Material.you get the Rat pack stories&Other stories about the Kennedys&also Other folks.you wouldn't expect anything differently when you talking about Frank Sinatra.He Lived Life to the Fullest&didn't care what anyone thought.a Good Read&a Trip.

Gossipy and filled with love and admiration
George Jacobs is a good man. He dearly loved his job and "Mr.S" His account of his 15 years with Sinatra give you a glimpse of the Chairman that no one else ever has. It was really cool to read about the mob, the kennedys, Marilyn Monroe, Sammy, Dean, Peter Lawford, from an entirely new perspective. Sure, there is a ton of information about Sinatra's love life, but it is all fascinating. Mia Farrow, as usual, comes across as a nut. Jacobs' feelings about the later years' Sinatra is sad but moving. A fun read. ... Read more

Book Description

From poverty to power, Hoboken to Hollywood, this story is the embodiment of the American Dream. For over 50 years Frank Sinatra was at the epicenter of American life - on the radio, in the movie theaters, on TV, and in newspapers and magazines. Includes over 800 photographs, some rare and unseen, capture each moment of the legend's seven-decade career. ... Read more

Book Description

Frank Sinatra famously shunned the press, yet in 1964, at the height of his career, he gave Life photographer John Dominis unprecedented access to his personal and professional life. Dominis shadowed Sinatra across the country for three months, generating more than 4,000 images of Ol' Blue Eyes, but only a few were used for the Life cover story. Featuring 150 of the most revealing of those pictures, almost all unpublished, this book creates a deeply personal portrait of the man behind the icon. Startling in their intimacy, these mesmerizing photographs offer a compelling portrait of America's greatest popular singer. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

SINATRA FANS THIS IS A MUST!
I LOVE this book. It's a collectors item no doubt. Pics of Frank that you've never seen before. Classics with Frank and Jackie Gleason and Sammy Davis jr. Frank at his house, on the massage table, in private places never seen. You can tell he wasn't posing for these pics. All naturally which is why it is so unique. And the texts keeps you wanting to roll thru the book without putting it down. What a life he had! What a book this is!!

Michael Brandmeier ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Hero, not explainer or planner
Not as concise, powerful as Worsley's "Endurance". With all the verbiage, the question remains, why did he choose this route when he had failed the Amundsen route via the Ross shelf? Surely the Wedell sea approach was fraught with too many unknowns. And why didn't he try to land when he first approached the "harbor" in the shelf? More time exploring these issues would have been better than all the daily details of the drift through the icepack. Oh well, too late now, and his brave efforts to rescue his men were grand indeed. Clearly a greater hero than a planner.

Whatever happened to people like this?
We've had so few recently.

I Could Not Put This Book Down....
I took the book to work with me and found every possible moment to read it and totally absorb it's contents. Twenty-eight men survived the most horrendous situation imaginable by any human being...it makes the normal hardships that we live with seem trivial to say the least. In 1914, there were no cell phones, satelite systems for communication....these men were left with their resourcefulness...of which Sir Shackleton praised highly throughout the book. The leadership qualities of Sir Ernest Shackleton made it possible for them to survive, not months, but YEARS under these extremely trying circumstances. I couldn't help but wonder why a movie has not been made to depict this most amazing part of history.

Well written, as much a story of community as courage
What is even more interesting than the astonishing day to day labor of mere survival in hostile elements, is the way in which these men kept up their morale, how they faced those chanllenges. Fascinating reading, every page describes hardships you can't imagine not being fatal, and yet it's written in humble and straightforward narrative. At one point when clearly they were near death from starvation, thirst, cold and exhaustion, and floundering through unmarked wilderness a last bid to reach civilization or die, he remarks merely, "We were very tired". Interestingly, at one point when he and three others are crossing a mountain pass in jeopardy of their lives on a 3 day trek trying to find a camp, each of them had the lingering feeling that there was a fourth person with them, but they only realized this when they compared notes after they reached safety. Again Shackleton refuses to sentimentalize the moment, even though he clearly believes God was literally guiding them, saying only that thanks must be given to the appropriate parties. This is dry English manliness of the type you rarely see except in parody anymore. What speaks best of these explorers qualities is that immediately after returning to civilization, after months of being in literal despair for their lives in unimaginable hardship, they rushed to enlist in the war. You'd think they would feel themselves entitled never to rise from a featherbed again. You would at least expect that their struggle for life in the rawest elements would have given them an aloof distance from mere human conflicts, or made them reluctant to kill other men. This book definitely has what The Perfect Storm lacked in excellent, tight, compelling narrative.

Shackleton's own story of his famous expedition
Although there have been a number of new books and reprints recently focusing on the Endurance expedition, this is the one book everyone should read, Sir Ernest Shackleton's own story of the tragedy he turned into a triumph. Shackleton fully covers the expedition from its inception, through the loss of the Endurance, the stranding of the men on desolate Elephant Island, the majestic small-boat journey in search of rescue to South Georgia, the many attempts to evacuate the men from Elephant Island, and the little-known story of the Ross Sea Party of the expedition, who established a base on the opposite side of the Antarctic continent to lay depots for the planned Antarctic crossing and in spite of horrible deprivation caused when their ship was swept out to sea in a storm, managed to complete all their work laying the groundwork for a trip that never happened. After rescuing his men on Elephant Island, Shackleton had to rescue this party as well, something pretty much ignored in most modern books about the expedition. Very much worth reading; also read "Heart of the Antarctic," Shackleton's book about his earlier expedition. ... Read more