Here’s a look back at some of the things that might have been, but never were, in the world of Frank Sinatra.
November 1953
Frank Sinatra will return to MGM in the spring of 1954. Sinatra’s first film for his former studio will be the musical ”St. Louis Woman” with Ava Gardner and Gene Kelly. Later in the year, Frank and Gene will join forces in another musical, ”It Is Always Fair Weather.” Kelly and Stanley Donen will co-direct.
March 1954
Frank Sinatra has agreed to make six independently produced films over the next five years. United Artist will finance the films. They plan to invest $15 million and hope to reap a profit of $50 million from the films. Sinatra will direct one of the films and eventually move into the director’s chair full-time.
April 1954
Frank Sinatra will star in “One Way Out.” He will film it through his own independent Oxford Productions. Story is a human drama about a little man caught in the turmoil of a big city. Filming gets underway in the fall. It will be shot in New York City. Jerry Bresler will produce. U.A. will finance the production
note: Sinatra would later put this project on the backburner in order to film “The Loud Law” (retitled “Johnny Concho”). Sinatra and Doris Day were filming “Young At Heart,” at WB, in the summerof 1954. The original title was “Someone To Watch Over Me.”
December 1954
Sinatra has signed to appear in Jesse L. Lasky’s “The Big Brass Band.” Lasky has been working on his musical tribute to young Americans for three years. Film will feature big band music. Theshoot will get underway in July of 1955. It is an independent production.
July 1955
Barbara Bel Geddes has agreed to play Frank Sinatra’s invalid wife in Otto Preminger’s film “The Man With The Golden Arm.” Currently Bel Geddes is playing Maggie in Tennessee William’s
hit Broadway play “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.” She will take a six week hiatus this fall for the film project.
August 1957
Frank Sinatra and Garson Kanin have formed a partnership and plan to film Kanin’s original screenplay “Devil May Care.” Comedy story about good and evil will star Sinatra as the evil figure. Kanin has asked Audrey Hepburn to play the main figure representing good in the story. Sinatra will also play multiple small roles beyond the
main character. Film will be shot in the summer of 1958 on location in Boston . Kanin will direct and produce.
January 1958
This year Frank Sinatra plans to co-star with Sammy Davis Jr in the musical “Jazz Train” and also wants to star in Budd Schulberg’s “What Makes Sammy Run.”
February 1958
Raoul Levy, French producer, plans to co-star Frank Sinatra and Brigitte Bardot in Roger Vadim’s “Paris By Night.” Sinatra will play a hustler who has been conned into a European trip. While in Paris, he meets Bardot and they fall in love. Levy is awaiting Sinatra’s arrival in Paris on March 10. They will discuss the project and shooting schedule. Vadim will direct.
December 1958
Dean Martin has dropped out of “Ocean’s 11.” Due to a prior commitment Martin will be unavailable when the film begins shooting on 3-15-59. Jack Lemmon has been signed to replace him.
Note: Film was postponed again and shooting got underway in January of 1960. Lemmon moved on to “Some Like It Hot” withTony Curtis ( Billy Wilder had cast Sinatra in this role, but Frank had second thoughts. He was uncomfortable with the idea ofwearing women’s clothes all day on the set) and “The Apartment.” Obviously, Martin was recast in “Ocean’s 11.”
March 1961
Twentieth-Century Fox will film a song and dance version of the 1945 drama “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.” Film will be titled “Pink Tights.” Frank Sinatra will play the father ( James Dunn won an Oscar in this role). Tammy Grimes and Hayley Mills will portray the mother and daughter respectively. Cahn and Styne will compose the score. Jerry Wald will produce and Philip Dunne is set to direct. Filming will get underway later this year.
August 1961
Sinatra has purchased the rights to “Subways Are For Sleeping,” including the rights to the Broadway cast album. Sinatra has paid an initial outlay of $300,000. In all the cost to the singer will be $1 million. Comden & Green have written the score with music by Jule Styne. Play will open on Broadway, 12-26-61. Film will also star Dean Martin. Release date will be three years after Broadway premiere. Sinatra will record songs from the play and they will be issued on his Reprise label.
March 1963
Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin will star in and produce “Two For Texas,” for Warner Brothers. The western adventure will be directed by Richard Aldrich. Anita Ekberg has been added to the cast. Film will be shot this May on location in Texas.
July 1970
Otto Preminger and Frank Sinatra plan to film “Where The Dark Streets Go,” based on a novel by Dorothy Salisbury Davis. Sinatra will play a New York City priest, trying to solve a murder of a young artist, and reach a satisfactory understanding of the motivations for the killing. Sinatra’s character also falls in love with a young woman. The filming will begin shooting early next year on location in New York.
November 1970
Frank Sinatra has dropped out of “Dead Right.” Recent hand surgery on the star prevents him from taking on a rather strenuous role.
note: Sinatra did do some work on this film. Originally slated for a New York shoot, Frank had it moved to San Francisco. John Wayne and Paul Newman turned down the role. Clint Eastwood agreed to make it and it was retitled “Dirty Harry.” Working title during the summer of 1970 was “Callahan.”
