NOTE: Sinatra's final
films saw him develop the role of a gritty, tough-talking Detective role
that heakened back to his early radio character 'Rocky Fortune.' But
where his earlier private eye roles were straightforward adventures, the
new characters were bleak, hard-edged anti-heroes who tackled modern
social problems and prejudices. The violence escalates as well, and
these final films are the darkest, grimmest films he ever
made. Cast A Giant
Shadow (1966) MGM/UA; Screenplay by
Melville Shavelson, based on a novel by Ted Berkman; Directed by Melville
Shavelson, 146 min.
Cast:
Kirk Douglas .... Col. David
'Mickey' Marcus Senta Berger .... Magda Simon Angie
Dickinson .... Emma Marcus James Donald .... Maj.
Safir Stathis Giallelis .... Ram Oren Luther Adler
.... Jacob Zion Topol .... Abou Ibn Kader Ruth
White .... Mrs. Chaison Gordon Jackson .... James
MacAfee Michael Hordern .... British ambassador Allan
Cuthbertson .... Immigration officer Jeremy Kemp
.... British Immigration senior Sean Barrett ....
British Immigration junior Michael Shillo .... Andre Simon
Rina Ganor .... Rona Roland Bartrop .... Bert
Harrison Robert Gardett .... Gen. Walsh Michael
Balston .... Sentry #1 Claude Aliotti .... Sentry #2
Samra Dedes .... Belly dancer Michael Shagrir
.... Truck driver Frank Latimore .... UN officer
Ken Buckle .... UN officer Rod Dana .... Aide to
Gen. Randolph (as Rodd Dana) Robert Ross .... Aide to
Chief of Staff Arthur Hansel .... Officer Dan Sturkie
.... Parachute sergeant (as Don Sturkie) Hillel Rave
.... Yaakov Shlomo Hermon .... Yussuf Frank
Sinatra .... Vince Talmadge Yul Brynner .... Asher
Gonen John Wayne .... Gen. Mike
Randolph
Cast A Giant Shadow, based on Ted
Berkman's biography of Colonel Mickey Marcus, the American soldier who served as
an adviser in the fight to establish the state of Israel in 1948,
thinks it's a bigger movie than it is, but is an interesting film
to watch today, since it portrays the dillema of an American soldier,
Colonel David "Micky" Marcus, played by flinty Kirk Douglas, who's
struggling to decide whether to stay and help the fledgling country of
Israel fight their battles against the Arab nations, or return home to the
United States. Based on true events (although with a liberal dose of
fiction thrown in), it's fascinating to see the spin that's taken on these
events in 1966. The black and white portrayals between the warring
factions are incredibly naive, but for the purposes of this film, it
works. Also on the plus side of this movie are the extended cameos
that pop up, of which Frank is one as the very funny pilot 'Vince
Talmadge' - but other walk-ons include Yul Brynner and a never-crustier
John Wayne as General Mike Randolph. The rousing score by Elmer
Bernstein is a classic, and the battle scenes continue to amaze, but
the film is often confusing, or slips into a stop-everything rut
when it focuses on Douglas's agonizing over being faithful to his
wife who remains in the U.S., or pursue a heated relationship with sexy
freedom-fighter Senta Berger. What is so surprising about this film
is how the topic still elicits such ferocious response from
Arab/Israeli apologists who want to spin the events their own way.
If you have a clear head, you can watch this film and enjoy it as it was
meant to be enjoyed: as a solid period film with amazing action
sequences, improbable romance, and more stars than you can shake a
stick at. Assault On A
Queen (1966) Paramount
Picttures/Seven Arts Productions/Sinatra Productions; Screenplay by Rod
Serling, from the novel by Jack Finney; Directed by Jack Donohue, 106
min.
Cast: Frank Sinatra .... Mark Brittain Virna Lisi ....
Rosa Lucchesi Val Avery .... Trench Leslie
Bradley .... Officer #3 Lawrence Conroy .... Junior
officer Richard Conte .... Tony Moreno Reginald Denny
.... Master-at-Arms Anthony Franciosa .... Vic
Rossiter Arthur Gould-Porter .... Officer #4 Errol
John .... Linc Langley Alf Kjellin .... Eric
Lauffnauer Ronald Long .... Officer #2 Murray Matheson
.... Captain Lester Matthews .... Doctor Barbara
Morrison Gilchrist Stuart .... Officer #1
John Warburton .... Bank
manager
Considering the talent that was behind the concept, with
a knockout book by "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" author Jack Finney,
and the screenplay by Twilight Zone alum Rod Serling, I would
have expected this high-concept film to be a lot more thrilling than it
turned out, something along the lines of Indiana Jones, but somewhere the
transfer from book to film went awry. The idea is a smash: a motley mix of
five men are hired by sexy, shady Italian entrepreneur Virna Lisi to
refubish a World War II submarine, and become modern-day pirates! Their
first target: the super ocean liner Queen Mary, which they'll hold hostage
with the submarine while the theft takes place. With a setup like that,
even I could've penned a plot that winds up more suspense than this film
does. But saddled with an interminable build up, not unlike the
yawn-inducing opening stretch in Ocean's Eleven, and Sinatra as
lead brigand 'Mark Brittain' just walking through the picture with no real
connection to either the character or plot, the interest leaks right out
of the film. By the time the actual attack is set into motion, which picks
things up for a few minutes, the audience could probably care less.
Several veteran character actors get to shine, which helps a lot, as
Richard Conte and Reginald Denny both nicely delineated in their roles,
and the musical score, by Duke Ellington is nicely jazzy, but still
the whole feels flabby, and could've used some punching up in the first
reel. Still, there's enough entertainment here in the scenery and the
supporting cast to make it worth a look. You also might want to track down
the snappy original
novel for an idea of how the film could've played out. VHS
only.
The Naked
Runner (1967) Artanis
Productions/Warner Brothers; Screenplay by Stanley Mann, based on the
novel by Francis Clifford; Directed by Sidney J. Furie, 101 min.
Cast: Frank Sinatra .... Sam Laker
Peter Vaughan .... Slattery Derren Nesbitt ....
Colonel Hartmann Nadia Gray .... Karen Toby Robins
.... Ruth Inger Stratton .... Anna Cyril Luckham
.... Cabinet minister Edward Fox .... Ritchie
Jackson J.A.B. Dubin-Behrmann .... Joseph Michael
Newport .... Patrick
Laker
A shamefully undervalued picture, this European cold-war
spy thriller is certainly a change of pace for Sinatra, who turns in a
nicely-tuned performance as industrial designer Sam Laker, who is in
England with his 10-year-old son Patrick. While there he is contacted by
an old World War II buddy Slattery, who is part of the British Secret
Service, and believes that Sam, with his blank dossier and low profile is
the perfect choice to assasinate some escaped Communist spies. While it's
not as sharp a film as say, The Icarus Agenda, and the editing is
choppy (reportedly due to Frank walking off the set of the film to be with
his new bride Mia Farrow), there is a minimilist leanness to the
production that lends itself to the story, as this ex-GI, who thought his
life with a gun was over, finds himself falling into old patterns in his
pursuit of the Russians. Peter Vaughan is nicely caustic in his featured
role as instigator 'Slattery' and the European settings give the film a
cold, old-world look that feels just right. Unfortunately, due to the
aforementioned difficulties on-set with Frank, some obvious stand-ins were
hired to take Frank's place in a few shots, and the plot can be baffling
due to the sometimes questionable editing choices made by the producers.
Rarely shown on TV, and not yet released on DVD, you might want to wait
before purchasing this title, but if it's available for rent, give it a
try. VHS only.
Tony
Rome (1967) Twentieth Century
Fox; Screenplay by Richard L. Breen, from the novel by Marvin H. Albert;
Directed by Gordon Douglas, 110 min.
Cast:
Frank Sinatra .... Tony Rome Jill St. John
.... Ann Archer Richard Conte .... Lt. Dave Santini
(Miami Beach Police Dept.) Gena Rowlands .... Rita
Kosterman Simon Oakland .... Rudolph 'Rudy' Kosterman
Jeffrey Lynn .... Adam Boyd Lloyd Bochner ....
Vic Rood (drug pusher) Robert J. Wilke .... Ralph Turpin
(hotel house detective) Virginia Vincent .... Sally
Bullock Joan Shawlee .... Fat Candy Richard Krisher
.... Donald Pines Lloyd Gough .... Jules Langley
(thug) Babe Hart .... Oscar (thug) Elisabeth Fraser
.... Irma Rocky Graziano .... Packy (necktie vendor
outside restaurant) Shecky Greene .... Catleg, a.k.a. John
Fields Jeanne Cooper .... Lorna Boyd Harry Davis
.... Ruyter (Dutch jeweler) Stanley Ross .... Sam
Boyd Sue Lyon .... Diana
Pines
A great little detective role for Frank, which he
would reprise in 1968's Lady In Cement, Tony Rome has
Frank cast as the title character who is a private dick in Miami. He lives
and works from a houseboat, and when his former partner Ralph Turpin
(who's now a hotel detective) shows up, the case he's given turns out to
be much more personal than he would have guessed. What starts out to be a
kidnapping, turns into a showcase for several characters pulled right out
of the gutter, and mix in a cocktail of blackmail, jewel robbery, forgery,
and murder. Frank brings his old Rat Pack ethos to the character, making
Tony a hard-talking, tough-nosed man who, in the best From Here To
Eternity tradition, get the daylights beat out of him several times
over the course of the film. At first Tony is baffled by the escalation of
violence involved in the case, but when his friend is murdered, Tony gets
personal, enlisting the help of divorcee Jill St. John.. Frank of course
has a history of playing detectives from his earliest radio days when he
took the role of 'Rocky Fortune', but Tony Rome is far grittier, the humor
more oddball, and the violence here is several notches up from earlier
films. It's an enjoyable diversion and a memorable role for Frank.
The Detective (1968)
Twentieth Century Fox;
Screenplay by Abby Mann, from the novel by Roderick Thorp; Directed by
Gordon Douglas, 114 min.
Cast:
Frank Sinatra .... Det. Joe Leland Lee Remick
.... Karen Leland Ralph Meeker .... Curran Jack
Klugman .... Dave Schoenstein Horace McMahon ....
Capt. Tom Farrell Lloyd Bochner .... Dr. Wendell Roberts
William Windom .... Colin MacIver Tony Musante
.... Felix Tesla Al Freeman Jr. .... Robbie Loughlin
Robert Duvall .... Nestor Pat Henry ....
Mercidis Patrick McVey .... Tanner Dixie Marquis
.... Carol Linjack Sugar Ray Robinson .... Kelly
Renée Taylor .... Rachael Schoenstein James Inman
.... Teddy Leikman Tom Atkins .... Harmon
Jacqueline Bisset .... Norma
MacIver
The Detective, much like Tony Rome, takes an
ever-grittier look at modern life in this seedy mystery involving the
murder of the homosexual son of a wealthy department-store magnate.
Sinatra plays Detective Joe Leland, who, with his partner Robbie Loughlin
(a steady Al Freeman), investigate the crime and soon arrest the
murdered man's ex-roomate Tony Musante (playing the psychotic 'Felix
Tesla'), the trial is a success, Felix is exectued, and Sinatra's
character is promoted. But not long after, Jacueline Bisset, playing the
widow of a rich accountant whom she believes was murdered at a racetrack
hires Joe to investigate, but when Joe seeks information, he's blocked by
the police. When he pushes back, an attempt is made on his life, and he
discovers that there may be more to this case, and the one that preceded
it, than meets the eye, involving cheating spouses, and a corrupt land
deal. During all this, Joe also has to deal with his hot-and-bothered
wife, played with sultry abandon by Lee Remick, and who serves no purpose
other than to bring young teenage boys into the theater, as well as dive
into the dark and hidden world of homosexuality in the late 60s. The
subject matter is treated with typical Hollywood sterotypes, with dark
nightclubs and lots of disparaging comments by Sinatra's character about
"queers". Jack Klugman makes an apearance as a family man who's on
Sinatra's team, and look also for appearances by Robert Duvall and "Sugar
Ray" Robinson. While this film has interest for it's decidedly dated
point-of-view and subject matter, its bleak, relentlessly off-putting mood
and unblinking subject matter will be hard for many to swallow.
Lady In Cement (1968) Twentieth Century
Fox; Screenplay by Marvin H. Albert and
Jack Guss, based on the novel by Marvin H. Albert; Directed by Gordon
Douglas, 93 min.
Cast: Frank Sinatra .... Tony Rome
Raquel Welch .... Kit Forrest Richard Conte ....
Lt. Dave Santini Martin Gabel .... Al Munger Lainie
Kazan .... Maria Baretto Pat Henry .... Rubin
Steve Peck .... Paul Mungar Virginia Wood ....
Audrey Richard Deacon .... Arnie Sherwin Frank Raiter
.... Danny Yale Peter Hock .... Frenchy Alex
Stevens .... Shev Christine Todd .... Sandra Lomax
Mac Robbins .... Sidney the organizer Tommy Uhlar
.... The Kid, Tighe Santini Rey Baumel .... Paco
Pauly Dash .... MaComb Andrew Jarrell .... Pool
Boy Dan Blocker .... Waldo
Gronsky
Sinatra's second and final Tony Rome
picture is a step down from the first, with Sinatra seemingly less
involved in the role, and the R-rated elements increased. More of a
whodunnit than the first film, the caper involves Tony coming upon
a murder victim encased in cement while scuba diving. Hired by
Gronsky (in a marvellous performance by Dan Blocker) to find out if
the body is of his missing girlfriend, he discovers that the girl was
at a party earlier, and begins to interview different party-goes,
including hot socialite 'Kit Forest' (played by the oh-so-lovely
Raquel Welch), and her neighbor, former racketeer Al Munger, who threatens
Tony to stay away from Kit. Tony begins to suspect that there's more
to the murder than meets the eye, especially when Gronsky reveals that he
and Al's son have been skimming money from Al's accounts. While the
first Tony Rome picture had a odd sense of fun to it, this film, perhaps
due to the intricate, winding plot, has less, and suffers because of it.
Frank has always had a gift for throw-away one-liners, always delivered
with smirk or a wink, but here, he just seems to throw them away, making
Tony less of a character this time around, and more of a cut-out.
These hard-edged detective films by Frank are not my favorite in his
ouvre, but for those who like bleak mystery/action flicks, you might want
to check this out.
Dirty Dingus Magee (1970)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Screenplay by
Tom Waldman, Frank Waldman, and Joseph Heller, based on "The Ballad
Of Dingus Magee" by David Markson; Directed by Burt Kennedy, 91
min.
Cast: Frank Sinatra .... Dingus Billy Magee George Kennedy
.... Herkimer 'Hoke' Birdsill Anne Jackson ....
Belle Nops (mayor of Yerkey's Hole) Lois Nettleton ....
Prudence Frost (schoolteacher) Jack Elam .... John Wesley
Hardin Michele Carey .... Anna Hot Water John Dehner
.... Brig. Gen. George Henry Jones .... Rev. Green
Harry Carey Jr. .... Charles Stuart Paul Fix
.... Crazy Blanket (Anna's father) Marya Christen
.... China Poppy (Belle's maid) Terry Wilson ....
Sergeant Willis Bouchey .... Ira Teasdale Tom Fadden
....
Trooper
Sinatra's last feature film for a decade, Dirty
Dingus Magee was orignally planned to have a nineteen-year-old actor
in the title role, but was rewritten when the 55-year-old Sinatra took the
part. So what does Frank do is this picture? He plays a
theiving, wenching, ne'er-do-well charmer who has the power to awaken the
feelings of a sexually-repressed schoolmarm (Louis Nettleton),
drive Indian maidens wild with passion (Michele Carey) and start a
war between the army and some local indians! On the way he robs
'Hoke' Birdsill (played by the always-reliable George Kennedy), a
stagecoach (which leads to a series of comic scenes where Frank
repeately fails to break oven the coach's strongbox), and riles the
Mayor (played by Anne Jackson) who's afraid that all these whoop-ups
will harm her profitable side-business of running the town brothel.
Essentially, what we have here is a ninety-minute film of what appears to
be Frank finally having a mid-life crisis. If you can sit through
this cheap excuse for loads of curse words and sexual innuendo, you
have more stamina than I do. The humor is scattershot and broad, the
acting is as subtle as an avalanche, and Sinatra is simply too old to be
playing this part. (Sorry, Frank). Add to that the denigrating
attitudes towards women, Native Americans, and anyone else that's in
this film's sights, and you have a truly low point in the careers of
Sinatra, and writer Joseph Heller (who also penned Catch 22
- go figure!) VHS only.
Contract On Cherry
Street (TV) (1977) Artanis
Productions/Columbia Pictures Television; Screenplay by Edward Anhalt,
based on the novel by Philip Rosenberg; Directed by William A Graham, 145
min.
Cast: Frank Sinatra .... Dep. Insp. Frank Hovannes, Organized
Crime Unit (OCU) Martin Balsam .... Capt. Ernie Weinberg,
OCU Jay Black .... Tommy Sindardos, Greek Highjacker
Verna Bloom .... Emily Hovannes Joe De Santis
.... Vincenzo Seruto, Crime Lord Martin Gabel ....
Baruch 'Bob' Waldman, Crime Boss Harry Guardino .... Ron
Polito, OCU James Luisi .... Al Palmini/Arnold Palmer
Michael Nouri .... Lou Savage, OCU Marco St. John
.... Eddie Manzaro, Crime Boss/Son of Salvatore Manzaro
Henry Silva .... Roberto Obregon, OCU Richard Ward
.... Jack Kittens, Police informant who works for Waldman
Addison Powell .... Bob Halloran, Head Of OCU Steve
Inwood .... Fran Marks, Junkie Stoolie Johnny Barnes
.... Otis Washington, Manzaro's
Enforcer
After a seven year break from acting, Sinatra,
then 62 years old, chose to play the part of Deputy Inspector Frank
Hovannes in a television movie - his first ever - and had his
company team with Columbia Television to produce it. Contract On
Cherry Street (also known as Stakeout On
Cherry Street), is similar to other cop shows that were
popular during the 70's, such as Kojak, and the film
Serpico, which dealt with policemen who are apart from the
mainstream, often breaking the rules to take matters into their own
hands. Frank's character is shattered when his best friend
and partner is brutally murdered by members of New York's mafia.
Frustrated by what he perceives as the slow wheels of justice, Frank forms
a shadow task force that takes on the mob by planning a
calculated 'hit' on known mobster in the hopes of starting a gang war
and wiping out the major crime factions (led by Martin Gabel, Joe De
Santis, and Marco St. John). Members of this fringe team include
Harry Guardino as the bitter, enraged vengeance-seeker, Michael Nouri as
the new kid on the force who's not sure what he's getting into, and Henry
Silva as the voice of conscience and reason. Even for 1977, this
film reeks with violence, with Frank casually brutalizing suspects, and
pushing the envelope of television standards. The script, which
ping-pongs between portraying the mob in true The
Godfather fashion, and showing the police force as generally
ineffectual, is OK for it's purpose, but doesn't dig beneath the surface
of the characters, as each one sticks with the stock options they're
written with. Occasionally shown on cable TV, you'll want to
keep your eyes peeled for this rarity.
The First Deadly
Sin (1980) Artanis Productions/Cinema VII;
Screenplay by Mann Ruben, based on
the novel by Lawrence Sanders; Directed by Brian G. Hutton, 112
min.
Cast: Frank Sinatra ....
Edward Delaney Faye Dunaway .... Barbara Delaney David
Dukes .... Daniel Blank George Coe .... Dr. Bernardi
Brenda Vaccaro .... Monica Gilbert Martin Gabel
.... Christopher Langley Anthony Zerbe .... Captain
Broughton James Whitmore .... Dr. Sanford Ferguson Joe
Spinell .... Charles Lipsky Anna Navarro .... Sunny
Jordeen Jeffrey DeMunn .... Sergeant Fernandez Correlli
John Devaney .... John Rogers Robert Weil ....
Sol Appel Hugh Hurd .... Ben Johnson Jon DeVries
.... Calvin
Samtell
Sinatra's final dramatic film, made 39 years after
Las Vegas Nights, is a fine, character driven thriller which pits
policeman Edward Delaney against a cunning psychopath who's main modus
operandi is murdering people with an icepick. Against this horrific
tableau Delaney also struggles against the deteriorating condition of his
dying wife, played with all-too-brief screen time by the wonderful Faye
Dunaway. The film unwinds slowly, with Delaney having to piece together
the clues his quarry leaves for him, and having to try and convince his
superiors that the killer will strike again, while at the same time loathe
to leave his wife's hospital bedside; in the original novel, the
characters are fleshed out much more, with Barbara Delaney becoming
Edward's sounding board, confidant, and only friend, but in the film,
these intimate moments are pared back to the bare minimum, which is a
shame, since their dramatic weight is what gives the film its heart. Frank
especially is in fine form here, with his scenes a triumph of
barely-contained grief. The scene where he verbally tears into his wife's
physician (George Coe), is a brilliant piece of acting, where Frank allows
his character's flood of emotions burst thorugh. David Dukes is also
suitably chilling as the deranged killer whose horrific motives are
revealed at the very end, and James Whitmore is good as the ascerbic
coroner who backs Sinatra's beliefs about a serial killer. Unfortunately,
the film settles for shock value over compelling drama, and the film as a
whole suffers for it. But still, this film is historically interesting as
Sinatra's last leading role in a feature film.
Cannonball
Run II (1984) Arcafin B.V/Golden Harvest Company
Ltd./Warner Brothers; Screenplay by Harvey Miller, Hal Needham, Albert S. Ruddy and Brock
Yates; Directed by Hal Needham, 96 min.
Cast: Burt
Reynolds .... J.J. McClure Dom DeLuise .... Victor
Prinzim/Captain Chaos/Don Canneloni Dean Martin .... Jamie
Blake Sammy Davis Jr. .... Morris Fenderbaum Jamie
Farr .... The Sheik Telly Savalas .... Hymie Kaplan
Marilu Henner .... Betty Shirley MacLaine ....
Veronica Susan Anton .... Jill, Lamborghini Babe
Catherine Bach .... Marcie, Lamborghini Babe Foster
Brooks .... Fisherman Sid Caesar .... Fisherman
Jackie Chan .... Jackie Chan, Mitsubishi Engineer Tim
Conway .... CHP Officer Tony Danza .... Terry
Jack Elam .... Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing Michael V.
Gazzo .... Sonny Richard Kiel .... Arnold,
Mitsubishi Driver Don Knotts .... CHP Officer Ricardo
Montalban .... King Jim Nabors .... Pvt. Homer Lyle
Louis Nye .... Fisherman Molly Picon .... Mrs.
Goldfarb Charles Nelson Reilly .... Don Don Canneloni
Alex Rocco .... Tony Henry Silva .... Slim
Frank Sinatra .... Frank Sinatra Joe Theismann
.... Mack Mel Tillis .... Mel Shawn Weatherly
.... Blake's Girl in Bed Abe Vigoda .... Caesar
Dale Ishimoto .... Japanese Businessman Arte Johnson
.... Pilot Chris Lemmon .... Young CHP Officer
George Lindsey .... Uncle Cal Doug McClure ....
The Slapper Jilly Rizzo .... Jilly Dub Taylor
....
Sheriff
Frank's final on-screen appearance is nothing more
than another face in the flood of high-profile cameos which are the only
reason for this film to exist. How the first film in the
Cannonball series succeeded and spawned numerous sequels (and
spurred the creation of other brainless car chase shows like The Dukes
Of Hazzard) is one of the great mysteries of the Twentieth Century.
In that sense, this film hearkens back to other Frank films like Till
The Clouds Roll By, which was nothing more than an excuse to parade
name stars on the silver screen. But back then there was real talent to be
shown - this film has such 'stars' as Arte Johnson, Charles Nelson Reilly,
Jamie Farr, and Dom Deluise. What made so many members of the Rat Pack
agree to appear in the otherwise wasted excuse for film? Who knows, but
Frank appears as himself for the first time since the previously mentioned
1946 film, and everyone appears to be having a grand time, at the expense
of the audience. In that sense, this may be the ultimate Rat Pack film - a
lot of friends getting together to have some drinks and act silly in front
of a crowd. Of course, out of sheer curiousity, how can you pass up a
chance to see the Rat Pack together in the same film for the very last
time? Or to marvel at how far the mighty have fallen. Not the film I would
have chosen to be Frank's last, but it's what it is, and revels in its own
stupidity, which I suppose is a kind of charm.
