An orgy with 12 women, mob boss Lucky Luciano, a troop of Girl Scouts and a nun: The Frank Sinatra his family DON’T want you to know about in feud with Martin Scorcese over biopic
Reflecting upon the enigmatic life of Frank Sinatra, a man whose career and persona were as complex and captivating as the melodies he crooned, I find myself both intrigued and slightly apprehensive. His allure was undeniably magnetic, drawing admirers like moths to a flame, yet his association with the underworld casts a long shadow over his legacy.
In February of 1947, Frank Sinatra was undoubtedly living life on his own terms during a four-day visit to Havana. He reserved a suite at the Hotel Nacional in a city that was buzzing with energy, even before Castro’s reign, and where the festivities lasted around the clock. During this time, he organized an extravagant event, which included 12 women and several American crime bosses, all of whom were partaking in ample amounts of alcohol, in a rather lavish gathering.
In an unusual turn of events, after allegedly bringing in $2 million for his exiled friend, Charles ‘Lucky’ Luciano, a crooner found himself surrounded by a group of Cuban Girl Scouts, led by a nun, during a wild celebration. Remarkably, he was presented with a token of their respect while the festivities were ongoing. It is said that he quickly ushered the partygoers into two separate rooms and graciously received the Scouts, attired in a silk bathrobe and scarf.
Later, Sinatra claimed he wasn’t aware that his trip to Havana happened at the same time as a high-ranking American mafia meeting was taking place there.
In a substantial, yet uncompromisingly critical two-part biography, James Kaplan portrayed an unflattering account of the life of Frank Sinatra. The author offers numerous instances that painted Sinatra as significantly different from the warm, endearing persona of ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’. From his self-indulgent melodrama and harsh dealings with women, to his associations with the Mafia and displays of violent temperament.
Kaplan explicitly pointed out that the glamorous image portrayed by Hollywood and the romanticized legend surrounding an adored American icon, Frank Sinatra, masked the fact that he was actually quite unpleasant in his behavior.
however, Martin Scorsese finds himself in a predicament due to the straightforwardness in Kaplan’s book, which appears to be serving as inspiration for the script of a film biography that Scorsese has been attempting to produce for fifteen years.
Despite the attempts, the project seems to have hit a roadblock due to Sinatra’s family, particularly his daughter Tina, who manages his estate and owns the rights to his songs, likeness, and other intellectual properties. Initially scheduled for filming next month, the production featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as Sinatra and Jennifer Lawrence portraying his passionate second wife, Ava Gardner, has reportedly been called off without a new release date, according to Variety.
Previously, Scorsese mentioned that the main challenge was obtaining the family’s consent, as they envisioned a more idealized, rosy depiction of Sinatra compared to what he intended.
One approach that ensures classics like “New York, New York,” “Fly Me To The Moon,” and “My Way” continue to sell well without diminishing their timeless appeal – with the latter song being identified by a UK survey as the top choice for the dying when they want a song played in their last moments.
Instead of softening the portrayal, it’s worth noting that Scorsese plans to delve into a challenging era of Sinatra’s life during the 1950s and 1960s, when he was involved in multiple romantic entanglements, including an affair with Ava Gardner while still married to Nancy Barbato, Tina’s mother. This union ultimately led to his marriage with Ava, a tumultuous relationship that caused quite a stir in Hollywood.
Initially, there was opposition from the Sinatra family towards a director well-known for gritty gangster movies regarding the portrayal of Frank Sinatra. According to a report from 2009, “Marty aims to create a raw and intense depiction of Frank, highlighting his violent, sexually charged, heavy drinking persona, but Tina desires to present the tender aspects of her father’s character and emphasize the music.
The 1960s were an especially lively period for Frank; he was involved with numerous glamorous women and solidified his position within the Rat Pack. This era is crucial to his legend, but an insider noted that Tina aims to present a cleaned-up image of Frank, ensuring it’s not overly critical.
Scorsese made this clear when he told the Toronto Sun, “Family life can be tough, and I completely empathize. However, if they want me involved, they can’t withhold certain aspects. The challenge lies in the fact that Sinatra was exceptionally complex – more so than most.
He isn’t off base. Few entertainment icons have deviated so significantly from their public persona as Sinatra has. Unlike other stars who have been subtly edited in recent biopics, considering everything that has come to light about Sinatra’s troubled side, it would appear absurd, even by Hollywood’s overly complimentary standards, to soften his portrayal in the same manner.
1998 saw the death of Sinatra at the age of 82, a figure who accumulated fortunes amounting to hundreds of millions and was mourned globally as one of the highest-selling music artists in history. However, his beginnings were humble, born in Hoboken, New Jersey, under much less privileged circumstances.
Born to Italian immigrant parents, he had a unique upbringing. His father, once a boxer, later became a firefighter, while his mother, Dolly, was a midwife who also secretly performed illegal abortions on the side. This clandestine activity earned her an unflattering moniker – ‘Hatpin Dolly’.
According to biographer James Kaplan, Sinatra confessed that she was so terrifying to him. He described her as abusive, aggressive, and vengeful, leaving an indelible mark on him. This experience seemed to influence his romantic preferences in later life, as he became drawn to women who were similar, such as the captivating Ava Gardner.
Frank Sinatra left high school to pursue his musical career, gaining initial fame while performing with fiery bandleader Tommy Dorsey during the big band era. However, it’s been debated, without substantiation, that Kaplan suggested Sinatra held a sexual attraction towards Dorsey and exhibited masochistic tendencies.
In his late twenties, Sinatra struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse, as well as an intense compulsion to frequently wash his hands and change his underwear every twenty minutes, according to some reports.
He might display traits similar to a pampered daddy’s boy. As his third wife, Mia Farrow, noted, Sinatra was known for having “a childlike indignation over any perceived injustice and a lack of capacity to negotiate or make concessions.
It was a strong sense of honor or duty that was characteristic of Sicily, as she described it, which often led to confrontations for him – not just with journalists, publicists, and photographers, but also with others. Some attributed these conflicts to his unpredictable mood changes. Barbara Blakeley, his fourth wife and former model, referred to him as a husband who embodied both Jekyll and Hyde.
As a devoted admirer, I can’t help but shed light on a less glamorous aspect of the legend that was Sinatra. In moments of uncontrollable fury, he often made chilling threats to end lives, including those closest to him. Considering his notorious ties with the Mafia, such threats were far from idle whispers to the ears that heard them.
He faced allegations of ordering physical attacks on individuals who confronted him, and occasionally carrying out such acts himself. On one occasion, he reportedly shattered a hotel guest’s skull in Beverly Hills, following an incident where he threw a phone at the person.
Kitty Kelly, the author of Sinatra’s biography, mentioned that she faced a lot of apprehension while conducting research for her book on him.
Addressing both men and women, she expressed that many of the individuals she interviewed shared a common fear: the potential physical harm they could face simply for conversing with her.
In the year 1950, I found myself parting ways with my partner, after a heart-wrenching confession that he had been involved with Ava Gardner – the undeniably captivating star of Hollywood. The moment I first laid eyes on her in a magazine, I vowed to make her my wife someday.
At first, Gardner found Sinatra off-putting, perceiving him as boastful, haughty, and dominating. However, they shared several similarities; they both enjoyed heavy drinking, had explosive tempers, and were avid fans of boxing.
In 1951, they got married, and as expected, their relationship was full of ups and downs. Sinatra’s intense jealousy didn’t make things easier: when Peter Lawford, later a part of his group known as the Rat Pack, was seen having a drink with Gardner and others, Sinatra called Lawford and threatened him, saying he was as good as dead, shouting that he would send someone to break his legs.
During this era, a detail that seems unlikely to have been approved by the Sinatra family for public display is Gardner’s account of what drew her to the 5 feet 7 inches tall singer – apparently, it was the size of his masculinity, according to her statements.
Nevertheless, as per Kaplan, the demanding actress allegedly began voicing discontent to her friends about insufficient sexual satisfaction from him. Meanwhile, captivated by Gardner, Sinatra attempted to win her back through dramatic acts of feigning suicide on multiple occasions.
He stormed out of one of their heated arguments, angrily declaring, “I’m departing! As for my whereabouts, I’m in Palm Springs, associated with Lana Turner.” Following two terminated pregnancies, Gardner chose to end the marriage in 1954, opting instead for a Spanish matador. The singer was distraught, transforming his Los Angeles residence into what his servant referred to as a “shrine dedicated to Ava,” adorning it with numerous pictures of her.
He was married four times throughout his life, yet he engaged in numerous extramarital relationships – among them Turner, Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall, and Marilyn Monroe. Kaplan criticized that the most beneficial choice for a woman’s emotional well-being was either to refuse him or to realize that any genuine relationship with him was akin to joining a unique harem. Some were certainly drawn by Sinatra’s allure of risk, which in his instance was not mere Hollywood glamour.
As a devoted admirer looking back on Sinatra’s life, I can’t help but be captivated by his family history rooted in the crime-infested region of Sicily, a place later known as the Mafia stronghold. His grandfather, like many others from that era, made the journey to New York, where Sinatra’s story unfolded.
Additionally, he acknowledged his acquaintance with several infamous Mafia figures like Lucky Luciano and Bugsy Siegel during a 1950 US Senate hearing on organized crime. However, no concrete evidence emerged to suggest he played a significant role in their criminal endeavors beyond mere association.
Yet, it was later revealed that Luciano, who hailed from the same Sicilian neighborhood as Sinatra, claimed he and other mobsters supported Sinatra financially during his initial career years, contributing to his rise to stardom.
From his early years, he had grown up among gangsters because they often visited the family-run bar where illegal alcohol was sold during Prohibition. Given the rise of Sinatra’s career, it was only natural that his former mob associates would start to show an ownership-like interest in it as it progressed.
When bandleader Tommy Dorsey hesitated to let Sinatra out of his contract, three men associated with the mafia, waving a firearm, came to see him. According to Dorsey’s own words, “I understood the message.
In the 1950s, a document from the Federal Bureau of Narcotics suggested that Sinatra was among entertainers who worked together with organized crime groups, specifically the Big Mob. Comedian Jerry Lewis alleged that on multiple occasions, Sinatra assisted in moving funds for his criminal associates.
The FBI Director, J Edgar Hoover, who had over 2,000 pages of files on Sinatra, labeled him as someone with a ‘tendency towards criminal behavior.’ It’s clear that Sinatra enjoyed associating with the mob and reveled in their infamy.
He apparently expressed a preference for being a powerful figure in the Mafia over holding the presidency of the United States to actor Eddie Fisher. A close friend from Hollywood remembered him proudly discussing the number of killings attributed to Bugsy Siegel.
In simpler terms, Sinatra was fond of the mobsters who visited his performances at their casinos in Las Vegas, and he gifted the notorious Chicago crime boss Sam Giancana a large sapphire ring to show camaraderie.
In 1993, Mia Farrow confided in her longtime friend Frank Sinatra that her boyfriend, Woody Allen, was involved in an affair with their adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, according to a 2015 biography by David Evanier. The biography also alleges that Sinatra was approached by the Mafia on behalf of the star, who requested them to carry out a murder against Allen.
Based on Evanier’s reports, Sinatra’s former Mafia associates claimed he was demanding too high a price. In the same year, Farrow testified in court that she informed a therapist about an ex-spouse threatening to injure Allen, but her attorney prevented her from disclosing which husband it was.
She eased the court with the remark, “It was merely a jest.” However, Martin Scorsese and others advocating for an in-depth examination of Sinatra’s life, seemingly opposed by his family, might hold a different perspective.
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2024-10-13 00:26