Frank Sinatra on the Big Screen

Frank Sinatra is an iconic figure in music, but his film career is often overlooked. His innate talent as an actor is proven in many serious dramatic roles, including films like Man with the Golden Arm, The Manchurian Candidate, and From Here to Eternity, for which he received an Oscar. From romantic musical comedies to Rat Pack films, Frank Sinatra achieved a great deal of success in motion pictures. He even took a stab at directing.

This book examines each of Frank Sinatra’s movies, from his early years as a bobby soxer idol, to more serious roles that exhibited the depth of his talent. Provided are background stories, production information, critical assessments, and an explanation of how his career as a recording artist connected to the movie. Discover through 60 photographs, interviews, and more, this underappreciated aspect of Sinatra’s career.

James L. Neibaur is a film historian and scholar with more than 30 books and hundreds of articles appearing in Cineaste, Classic Images, Film Quarterly, Films in Review, Filmfax, and Encyclopædia Britannica.
Gary Schneeberger is a former journalist and president of the public-relations firm ROAR where he has advised Hollywood studios and international nonprofits. He lives in Camp Lake, Wisconsin.

James L. Neibaur and Gary Schneeberger
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 264
Bibliographic Info: 60 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8450-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4458-5
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments  vi
Introduction  1
Sinatra Before the Movies  5
The Films  8
Higher and Higher (1943)  8
Step Lively (1944)  12
Anchors Aweigh (1945)  16
It Happened in Brooklyn (1947)  21
The Miracle of the Bells (1948)  25
The Kissing Bandit (1948)  29
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)  32
On the Town (1949)  37
Double Dynamite (1951)  42
Meet Danny Wilson (1952)  46
From Here to Eternity (1953)  51
Suddenly (1954)  56
Young at Heart (1954)  61
Not as a Stranger (1955)  66
Guys and Dolls (1955)  70
The Tender Trap (1955)  79
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)  84
High Society (1956)  94
Johnny Concho (1956)  99
The Pride and the Passion (1957)  103
The Joker Is Wild (1957)  107
Pal Joey (1957)  113
Kings Go Forth (1958)  122
Some Came Running (1958)  127
A Hole in the Head (1959)  134
Never So Few (1959)  141
­Can-Can (1960)  148
Ocean’s 11 (1960)  153
The Devil at 4 O’Clock (1961)  159
Sergeants 3 (1962)  163
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)  168
Come Blow Your Horn (1963)  172
4 for Texas (1963)  175
Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)  180
None But the Brave (1965)  185
Von Ryan’s Express (1965)  189
Marriage on the Rocks (1965)  194
Assault on a Queen (1966)  200
The Naked Runner (1967)  205
Tony Rome (1967)  207
The Detective (1968)  211
Lady in Cement (1968)  216
Dirty Dingus Magee (1970)  220
Sinatra in the ’70s  224
The First Deadly Sin (1980)  227
Sinatra After the Movies  234
Chapter Notes  237
Bibliography  245
Index  251

“A thoughtful and informative book which enriched my understanding of the film career of my favorite singer and is a valuable addition to my reference library.”—Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings