Film Reference

Sinatra: Hollywood His Way

Name: Sinatra: Hollywood His Way
Author: Timothy Knight
ISBN: 9780762441747

by Timothy Knight

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Overview

In the scores of posthumous tributes paid to Frank Sinatra after his death in 1998, most focused on his extraordinary reign as “The Voice” of twentieth-century pop music.

But Sinatra was much more than a music icon. He was also one of the most popular movie stars of the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s—an Academy-Award winning actor with some sixty film credits to his name. He starred in some of the most iconic films of the twentieth century and with some of the biggest names of the day. There were his dancing days with Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh and On the Town; his acclaimed dramatic turns in From Here to Eternity and The Manchurian Candidate; and his signature Rat Pack movies such as Ocean’s Eleven.

Sinatra: Hollywood His Way is a complete, film by film exploration of this true Hollywood legend. His screen history is vividly brought to life through illuminating reviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and hundreds of rare color and black-and-white photographs, making this the ultimate guide to the films of Frank Sinatra and an essential in the library of any fan.

Synopsis

In the scores of posthumous tributes paid to Frank Sinatra after his death in 1998, most focused on his extraordinary reign as "The Voice" of twentieth-century pop music. But Sinatra was much more than a music icon. He was also one of the most popular movie stars of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s -- an Academy-Award winning actor with some sixty film credits to his name. He starred in some of the most iconic films of the twentieth century and with some of the biggest names of the day. There were his dancing days with Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh and On the Town; his acclaimed dramatic turns in From Here to Eternity and The Manchurian Candidate; and his signature Rat Pack movies such as Ocean's Eleven. Sinatra: Hollywood His Way is a complete, film by film exploration of this true Hollywood legend. His screen history is vividly brought to life through illuminating reviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and hundreds of rare color and black-and-white photographs, making this the ultimate guide to the films of Frank Sinatra and an essential in the library of any fan.

About the Author, Timothy Knight

Timothy Knight is a film critic, scriptwriter, and contributor to many publications and websites about movies. He has written/collaborated on books such as Great Kisses and Famous Lines Right Out of the Movies. He also co-wrote the documentary Their First Time in the Movies. Timothy lives in Los Angeles.

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Editorials

Library Journal

In 2008, Tom Santopietro published Sinatra in Hollywood, a fantastic, extensively researched study of Sinatra's work in film. Film critic Knight's new book is like a visual counterpart to that, both in quality and in quantity. Offering hundreds of photographs and a more fan-based approach, this coffee-table book is filled with quotations, snippets from reviews, and trivia, and it features a lighter tone overall. This is not a criticism but a commendation for blending behind-the-scenes details with classic images to add to the experience of looking back at Sinatra's films. The volume's greatest asset—aside from the copious photographs—is Knight's coverage of almost all of Sinatra's 59 films in equal measure, creating a true compendium of his movie career; the commentary on and five pictures of Sinatra in what is probably his most forgettable film, The Kissing Bandit, are alone worth the purchase price. VERDICT This highly enjoyable, well-written visual treat belongs in any library and in the hands of all fans of Frank Sinatra.—Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA