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Frank Sinatra The Life Of A Legend Essay, Research Paper

Many people in show business are viewed as role models in our society. Many of these people are just regular men and women that are placed high on a pedestal simply because they can sing or act, hence, becoming all the more famous. Although he was famous and popular in the entertainment world for almost four decades, Frank Sinatra was a singer and actor that had a side to him that not everyone knew. He hid behind the facade of an entirely happy, successful performer, when, in reality, he had many problems that the public was not even aware of. Some of these problems are the same that the average person faces day to day, but many went far deeper than trivial troubles. Some of these specific quandaries had to do with hidden aspects of his personal relationships, hidden connections with criminal elements, and other unknown aspects of his life.

Before even attempting to understand any of this, however, some background information on Sinatra and his family would be helpful. Sinatra came from a family of orthodox Italian heritage. His mother and father were the first of his family to move from Sicily to America and settle down in the land of the free . After arriving in the United States, they ended up making their home in Hoboken, New Jersey, a very poor area where people resided with those of their own ethnic background. Their history was very important to the Sinatra family, and good moral values, as well as the importance of a good education, were instilled in all their children. Frank s parents could barely read or write; that s why good schooling was a priority to them. Sinatra s parents looked down on the entertainment business, and with little success, did everything to lure Frank away from his attraction to the glitz and glamour of show business (Sinatra 15).

Sinatra s early years were spent in Hoboken, dreaming of a better life . Francis A. Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey. Being members of the Catholic faith, he was not baptized until April 2, 1916. He faced adversity as soon as he was born, nearly dying of birth complications that left him scarred for three months after he was conceived. As, a result of this, he was often bantered by members of his class and children of his neighborhood, who called him Scarface (Sinatra 16)

Since both of his parents worked full time to support the family, Frank was in the care of his grandmother most of his childhood. Even at the age of twelve, he began showing signs of stardom, entertaining the class with his comedic wit. He was extremely popular with his classmates. Though all the students adored him, the teachers did not; his grades were less than satisfactory, causing him to drop out of A.J. Demarest High School in the middle of his senior year. By his mother s request, he finished his education with one year at Drake Business School (Sinatra 21). According to Sinatra, school was very uninteresting, and homework was something we never bothered with (qtd. in Sinatra 18). We were referring to his gang of friends, who he spent most of his time with. This is when his love of music became more than a hobby, and he set his mind on becoming a star.

After finishing school, Sinatra realized that singing, as an amateur could not totally support him. To make ends meet, and to please his mother and father, Sinatra took other jobs that his uncle helped him acquire. In early 1932, he accepted a job in a shipyard, finding out quickly that that job was not exactly right for him. He then took on another task, unloading crates of books, but that ended almost as quickly as it started. Frank was not patient enough to be satisfied with an ordinary profession of manual labor. By that time, his father was growing weary, and somewhat angry, of him quitting various stable jobs, and insisted that Frank move out of the house. Being as stubborn as he was, Frank agreed and set off to New York City. He soon found out that it was not easy to survive on his own, and at the age of eighteen, moved back in with his parents (Sinatra 22-24).

By early 1933, Frank knew that all he wanted to be was a performer. He borrowed a small sum of money from his parents, and purchased a very small sound system, which he took with him when he performed. He found several miscellaneous jobs at nightclubs, roadhouses, amateur shows, and even democratic meetings in the city (Sinatra 24). After much effort, he developed his own unique style; one that people took notice of. During this time, the war had just begun, and Frank, who was a tremendous patriot, was infuriated that he was denied enlistment. The birth defect that he had as an infant was the cause of his rejection, burdening him once again (Sinatra 25).

In spite his rage of not being able to enlist, Sinatra s big break soon came. He won the audition to appear on Major Bowes and His Original Amateur Hour . He was paired with three other singers who had also won, and they were renamed together as The Hoboken Four . Not long after their discovery, The Hoboken Four were re-hired multiple times to appear on the program. They toured the country soon afterward, at $50a week. After word of their talent spread, Frank received all the attention and praise for the success of the group. He was the most handsome, and his partners grew increasingly jealous and spiteful of Sinatra s ability to wow the audience. Due mainly to this, Frank left the group to perform as a solo act once again (Sinatra 30-32).

In the early 40 s, things began to look better for the bright new star. It was then that Frank cut his first record deal as a solo artist. He caught the eye of famous bandleader, Tommy Dorsey, and joined up with him touring the country at $100 a week. He made regular appearances on Fame and Fortune , a popular show of that time. As usual, his colleagues grew invidious of his rising fame and

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