Star Wars Episode XIV: Frank Sinatra Through 1945

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Old Blue Eyes was once a young, skinny kid from Hoboken, and his rise to fame coincided almost exactly with the end of the Depression and the run up to and fighting of World War II. Unlike so many young men, famous or otherwise, Sinatra didn't enlist, and the controversy over whether or not he was a "draft dodger" hung over his head, even as he suited up in films like Anchors Aweigh.

Show Notes:

This episode is one of a miniseries within the Star Wars series: Three Who Didn't Go. The original idea was to make these mini-episodes, but With Frank there's always a lot to say; the next two might end up be shorter than usual, though.

The primary source this week was Frank: The Voice, by James Kaplan, a beautifully written biography on the first half of Sinatra's career. There are many other sources out there arguing the details of Sinatra's draft status. but Kaplan's seems to be the best researched and most up-to-date by far. That said, you can look at excerpts from Frank's FBI file on their site.

This Paley Center article on Sinatra's impact on teenagers was also useful.

This episode includes a clip of Sinatra singing 'I Fall In Love Too Easily" in the film Anchors Aweigh.

Discography:

What Time Does the Next Miracle Leave? by FrankSinatra

Preludes for Piano No. 2 by George Gershwin

Preludes for Piano No. 1 by George Gershwin

Misty performed by FrankSinatra

Stardust performed by FrankSinatra

Dances and Dames by Kevin MacLeod

Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus by Serge Gainsbourg

The Operation by Morrissey

I Had the Craziest Dream by FrankSinatra