History Music / FrankSinatra

He's also generally believed to have had strong ties to TheMafia, although it's impossible to say just where the truth ends and fantasy begins. One fact most historians agree upon is that working in UsefulNotes/LasVegas and rubbing elbows with guys named "Bugsy" was a package deal in those days. Plus, he was Italian American and born in North Jersey in 1915; it would have been virtually impossible for him ''not'' to have known anyone associated with the Mob. More controversial was his liberal political activism, which got him branded a Communist in some circles. It wasn't until after he had become a registered Republican and sang for [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon President Nixon]] (largely due to the [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy Kennedy]] family snubbing him) that those rumors finally died down and his career was revitalized.

* A fictionalised version of him appeared in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5a_v0MP_Fk an episode]] of ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'', in a rap battle against [[Music/{{Queen}} Freddie Mercury]].

-->-- '''Alan King''', ''Name Dropping''

!!Notable albums:

** He did a few duets with his friend Creator/DinahShore.

* ''[[Film/TheCannonballRun Cannonball Run II]]'' (1985): A {{cameo}} appearance {{as himself}}, alongside fellow Rat Packers Creator/DeanMartin, Creator/SammyDavisJr and Creator/ShirleyMacLaine.

He's also generally believed to have had strong ties to TheMafia, although it's impossible to say just where the truth ends and fantasy begins. One fact most historians agree upon is that working in UsefulNotes/LasVegas and rubbing elbows with guys named "Bugsy" was a package deal in those days. Plus, he was Italian American and born in North Jersey in 1915; it would have been virtually impossible for him ''not'' to have known anyone associated with the Mob. More controversial was his liberal political activism, which got him branded a Communist in some circles. It wasn't until after he had become a registered Republican and sang for [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon President Nixon]] (largely due to the [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy Kennedy]] family snubbing him) that those rumors finally died down and his career revitalized.

Perhaps one of the first performers to induce [[{{Squee}} loud shrills and fainting]] in the female population--or, at least, he [[AstroTurf seemed to]]. And if some of that was hype, he definitely induced lightheadedness with his generosity -- Sinatra was a huge tipper. ''[[NiceToTheWaiter Huge]]''. His minimum tip was $100 -- back in the ''Fifties''. Today, that's like tipping somebody one thousand dollars. Creator/DonRickles once said, "If you got Sinatra's table, you were buying real estate in Paris the next day." The story goes, he asks the kid who brings his car around outside the restaurant what's the biggest tip he ever got. Kid says $100. Sinatra gives him $200, then asks who gave him the $100 tip. "You did, sir, last week."

Interestingly, serious historians of music consider Sinatra to be the true inventor of the ConceptAlbum, with [[OlderThanTheyThink 1955]]'s ''Music/InTheWeeSmallHours'' (it's about men feeling lonely and isolated in, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the wee small hours]] of the morning).[[note]]Music/WoodyGuthrie's ''Music/DustBowlBallads'' might also qualify, being as they are all around the central themes of the poverty and hardship suffered by Dust Bowl refugees. There is little debate, however, that ''In the Wee Small Hours'' was the first concept album unified by a mood or musical theme rather than a narrative one.[[/note]] He also had a successful career as an actor -- two, in fact. First, as the [[PlayingAgainstType shy, innocent, virginal]] musical performer who co-starred with Creator/GeneKelly in ''Film/OnTheTown'' and ''Film/AnchorsAweigh'', and then as the cynical, streetwise tough guy in ''Film/FromHereToEternity'' (his [[CareerResurrection comeback role]], which won him an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] for Best Supporting Actor), ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenArm'', and ''Film/TheManchurianCandidate''. Speaking of Oscars, he also took home the award for Best Original Song three times (and was nominated for two more).

He's also generally believed to have had strong ties to TheMafia, although it's impossible to say where the truth ends and fantasy begins. One fact most historians agree on is that working in UsefulNotes/LasVegas and rubbing elbows with guys named "Bugsy" was a package deal in those days. Plus, he was Italian American and born in North Jersey in 1915; it would have been virtually impossible for him ''not'' to have known anyone associated with the Mob. More controversial was his political activism, which branded him a Communist in some circles. It wasn't until he became a registered Republican and sang for [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon President Nixon]] (largely due to the Kennedy family snubbing him) that those rumors died down and his career revitalized.

** Of particular note is his 1957 recording of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", which was the first to substitute the now-standard lyric "hang a shining star above the highest bough" for the rather darker original "until then we'll have to muddle through somehow". The change came about when Sinatra told composer Hugh Martin, "The name of my album is ''A Jolly Christmas''. Do you think you could jolly up that line for me?"

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) is one of the best-known and best-loved singers in the history of American popular music. His voice is among the most recognizable in the world, and his work has been featured in numerous other media. An overview of his long and storied career would take too much space, so one should look to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra The Other Wiki's]] article on him for that. A child of Italian immigrants from UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}} and a native son of UsefulNotes/NewJersey, he's commemorated by his hometown of Hoboken with a large mural covering an entire intersection.

!!Notable albums

!!Notable appearances in film

!!Notable appearances on Television

!! Appearances in Fiction

!!Notable appearances in Film

* ''Film/FromHereToEternity'' (1953): Won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

* ''Film/PalJoey'' (1957): For which he won a Golden Globe Award.

* ''Film/{{Suddenly}}'' (1954): Featured Sinatra playing an assassin with a high-powered rifle planning to kill the president. Lots of myths surround it: Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly watched it a month prior to the assassination of Kennedy and Sinatra allegedly tried to have the film removed from circulation after the event (though this was later proven untrue). Now in the public domain.

* Perfect Cell in WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged goes out with "My Way" as his swan song.

* He and the Creator/RatPack are the inspiration for [[GangOfHats The Chairmen]] of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', especially their leader Benny. Their songs Blue Moon and Ain't That a Kick In The Head play on the radios, and the latter is the name of the very first quest.

** Creator/ArtDavis' ''Merrie Melodies'' short "Catch as Cats Can" has a Music/BingCrosby-like parrot convincing an early version of Sylvester the Cat to try to catch and eat a Sinatra-esque canary.

* Frank Sinatra was subject to many NoCelebritiesWereHarmed parodies in WesternAnimation, particularly during its [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation Golden Age]]. Such appearances include:

* Frank Sinatra was subject to many parodies in WesternAnimation during its [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation Golden Age]]. Such appearances include:

** Creator/TexAvery's "Little 'Tinker", in which a lonely skunk attempts to woo the other forest creatures by putting on a Frank Sinatra suit and singing "All Or Nothing At All". The female bunnies watching all [[LoveMakesYouCrazy go insane at the sight of him]], and while on stage (in a rather cruel parody of how skinny Sinatra was in the late '40s) falls through a knothole, has plasma being injected into him, sings from an iron lung, gets measured for a casket, and stands on a scale and gets out-weighed by a feather, among other things.

** And funnily enough, Sinatra was on the shortlist to play Vito Corleone. This would have made the whole scene between him and Fontane hilarious.