Movies 'Til Dawn Blog

JERRY AND FRANK AND COFFEE!

Here’s a terrific sampling of the 1975 Jerry Lewis MDA telethon, featuring a good deal of Sinatra, some Totie Fields, a little Harry James and some of Jerry’s greasiest, most self-serving moments. This extended highlights reel is best played in the background while you do something better with your time,

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THE GOOFY SINATRA

Let’s close this weeks Sinatra-bashing extravaganza with another goofy clip from his shaggy television variety series of the early 1950s, the boringly named ‘The Frank Sinatra Show’. In this clip he introduces the singer/comedienne Dagmar–somebody once said car bumpers were styled after Dagmar’s figure. Sinatra’s intro is embarrassing. He was

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THE COLLAPSE OF FRANK SINATRA

On March 7, 1994, Frank Sinatra was performing in Richmond, Virginia to an adoring crowd. Unfortunately in the middle of ‘My Way’ he collapsed on the stage, dehydrated from a combination of a diuretic he was taking and late night drinking in the hotel bar. Here’s local news coverage of

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SINATRA? OR CHARLIE McCARTHY?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMGASlOu028 Continuing our shallow dive into the slump years of Frank Sinatra’s career (roughly 1949-53) here’s a clip from Sinatra’s TV show that he somehow maintained during the period, the daringly titled ‘The Frank Sinatra Show’. Frank sings ‘These Foolish Things’, one of the loveliest ballads of the era accompanied

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SINATRA AND GROUCHO–THE SLUMP YEARS PT.2

In the late 1940s both Frank Sinatra and Groucho Marx were in their slump years–the Marx Brothers were essentially over and Groucho’s attempts at movie-star solo work were met mostly with a shrug. He made two movies–‘Copacabana’ and ‘A Girl In Every Port’–that were disappointments and the final Marx Brothers

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SINATRA–THE SLUMP YEARS

The word on the street (not my street but somebody’s street) is that the Scorcese/DiCaprio Sinatra biopic now in the planning stages is set during the legendary singer/actor/prick’s slump years–basically 1948-53. This is when he deserted his family for Ava Gardner, pissed off most of the world’s press and melted

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MEL BROOKS ON FRANK SINATRA ON JIMMY KIMMEL

Here’s a great appearance by Mel Brooks on Jimmy Kimmel done a few years ago (ten maybe?)to promote the HBO special of his one man show at the Geffen Theater in Westwood. This is a man who knows how to work an audience and is fearlessly, ferociously engaging. I interviewed

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MID-CENTURY POST-MODERN: ‘THE TENDER TRAP’ END CREDITS

Yesterday I posted the opening title sequence of ‘The Tender Trap’ (1955). Today I offer up the ending of the film and its adjacent ‘The End’ sequence. (Spoiler: everyone falls in love and is happy). Perhaps tomorrow I’ll begin posting the reel changes. I like the idea of posting the

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MID-CENTURY MODERN: ‘THE TENDER TRAP’ CREDIT SEQUENCE

Last week I played a trio gig in Temecula, California which featured a number of title tracks from post-war movies–‘Days Of Wine And Roses’, ‘Sunday In New York’ etc. (I posted original title sequences of several of them last week). Our opening number was ‘The Tender Trap’, by Sammy Cahn

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DINO & FRANKIE PROMO REEL

This is a terrific four minute ‘blooper’ reel of Dean Martin and Frank What’s-his-name stumbling through a promo for the premiere of Dean’s soon-to-be smash TV variety show in 1965. Filmed prior to the taping–hence the live audience who are delighted with the hijinks–it shows the two at both their

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