The film introduced the song "High Hopes" by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, a Sinatra standard used as a campaign song by John F. Kennedy during the presidential election the following year.[4] Sinatra portrays a lowlife dreamer named Tony whose old friend Jerry Marks, now a rich man, expresses interest in his plan to build a Disneyland in Florida (the film predates Walt Disney World by 12 years)—until Jerry notices that Tony seems too desperate when the latter cheers for a dog upon which he's bet heavily. The movie ends with Tony, his lady friend Eloise, and his son Ally singing "High Hopes" on the beach. Sinatra sings "All My Tomorrows," another Cahn/Van Heusen song, under the opening titles.
Tony Manetta moved from the shabby area of the Bronx, New York to Miami, Florida with two friends, searching for wealth and success. One friend became prosperous over the next 20 years (owning luxury hotels) and is a promoter, while his younger friend drives a local taxi. Tony manages a small hotel called Garden of Eden. He grew up poor but spoiled, spending money on expensive suits and a Cadillac despite always being in debt and refusing to become more responsible. He is also a widowed father of an 11-year-old son named Alvin (nicknamed Ally).
In debt, the rent five months in arrears, Tony is given 48 hours by his landlord, Abe Diamond, to raise $5,300 or else lose the hotel. In desperation, Tony calls his older brother Mario, who owns and operates a clothing store and has already loaned Tony money multiple times. Tony lies and says he needs a loan because Ally is ill. Mario and wife Sophie promptly fly from New York City to Miami and discover the truth.
In Mario's eyes, Tony is a bum who wastes money on fanciful dreams rather than honest, hard work. He agrees to stake Tony the funds but only for a sensible small business, not dreams of fancy hotels or casinos. Mario also sets him up with Eloise Rogers, a widow and an acquaintance of Sophie, who is considered a more appropriate companion for Tony than his current girlfriend, Shirl.
To his surprise, Tony is impressed with Eloise. Ally also takes an immediate liking to her. Mario offends her, however, with prying questions about her late husband's will and finances, causing Tony to confess why they were introduced. Eloise reveals to Tony that, having lost both her husband and son, she appreciates the notion of being with someone who needs her.
The old childhood pal, Jerry Marks, now a wealthy promoter, invites Tony to a party. Pretending to be prosperous, Tony explains his scheme to buy land in Florida and open a second Disneyland there. Jerry seems interested in being his partner again.
He takes Tony to a greyhound racing track, where Tony uses the $500 he earned from selling his Cadillac to match Jerry's large bet. His dog wins, but he lets it ride in the next race on a dog called Lucky Ally. The obvious desperation in Tony's voice as he roots for the dog to win indicates to Jerry that he is not a man of means. Jerry chastises him afterwards and tries to brush him off by insultingly handing him some cash. When Tony throws the cash handout back in Jerry's face, Tony is punched by one of Jerry's bodyguards.
Literally a beaten man, Tony decides it would be best if Ally lived in New York with Mario and Sophie, telling the unconvinced boy that he is unwanted. Tony goes off to the beach by himself, but Ally finds him, and soon Eloise happily joins them. Mario and Sophie decide to take a long overdue vacation.
The film was based on the Broadway play of the same name by Arnold Schulman.[5] It debuted at the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway on February 28, 1957, and featured actor Paul Douglas in the lead role. The play earned a Tony Award for Boris Aronson in 1958 for Best Scenic Design. On July 13, 1957, the show closed after a total of 156 performances.[6][7] Sinatra's agent, Bert Allenberg, bought the film rights for $200,000 plus 5% of the profits.[5][8]
The play had originated as a one-act play titled "The Dragon's Head", written by Schulman during Robert Anderson's playwriting course of the American Theatre Wing in 1949. It was expanded and staged by the Theatre Guild in Westport, Connecticut under the name My Fiddle Has Three Strings. Schulman wrote a new version titled The Hearts of Forgotten Hotel and shortened it to a one-hour version, which was broadcast as part of the Playwrights '56 anthology television series in 1955. The show drew the attention of Garson Kanin, who asked Schulman to convert it for Broadway.[9][8]
Production
The screenplay was adapted by Schulman, whose father was the operator of a hotel in Miami, Florida, like the protagonist of A Hole in the Head. The actual hotel used for the exterior shots was the Cardozo Hotel, located on Miami Beach's Ocean Drive. Shot over 40 days from 10 November 1958 to 9 January 1959, the film did not enjoy a smooth production, particularly during the location filming at Miami Beach. Sinatra's relations with the press were problematic, with the media concentrating on anti-Sinatra rumors.[5]
Aided by William Daniels, Capra completed the film 80 days ahead of schedule, partly the result of his shooting very long takes, knowing of Sinatra's famed antipathy for doing a scene more than once. Its final production cost of $1.89 million was under the allotted budget.
Release
The film opened on June 17, 1959. Although having some positive reviews, the film was a modest box-office success, earning theatrical rentals of $5.2 million in the United States and Canada.[5][1]
Schulman wrote a novel based on the film containing additional material.[8]
Jule Styne was an English-American songwriter and composer widely known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became successful films: Gypsy,Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Funny Girl.
Samuel Cohen, known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area. He and his collaborators had a series of hit recordings with Frank Sinatra during the singer's tenure at Capitol Records, but also enjoyed hits with Dean Martin, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin, and won an Oscar four times for his songs, including the popular hit "Three Coins in the Fountain".
James Van Heusen was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song.
Come Dance with Me! is the sixteenth studio album by American vocalist Frank Sinatra, released on January 5, 1959.
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"High Hopes" is a popular song first popularized by Frank Sinatra, with music written by James Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was introduced by Sinatra and child actor Eddie Hodges in the 1959 film A Hole in the Head, was nominated for a Grammy, and won an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 32nd Academy Awards.
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The Fontainebleau Miami Beach is a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Designed by Morris Lapidus, the luxury hotel opened in 1954. In 2007, the Fontainebleau Hotel was ranked ninety-third in the American Institute of Architects list of "America's Favorite Architecture". On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter ranked the Fontainebleau first on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.
Screen Sinatra is an album featuring songs by Frank Sinatra from various movies to which he has contributed. The tracks were recorded between 1953 and 1960, though the final track—"Dream", recorded in 1960 —comes from the 1971 film Carnal Knowledge. The compilation was released in 1980 on LP and cassette by EMI, on CD in 1989 by EMI and was released in the United States by Capitol Records in 1996.
Frank Sinatra in Hollywood 1940–1964 is a 2002 compilation album by the American singer Frank Sinatra.
"Come Dance with Me" is a popular song and jazz standard written by 1959 by Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Sammy Cahn (words) that debuted in 1959 as the title track on Frank Sinatra's album, Come Dance with Me!
Golden Rainbow is a Broadway musical that opened in 1968. It starred Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé until it closed in early 1969.
Sinatra at the Movies is a 2008 compilation album by Frank Sinatra. Published by Capitol Records on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Sinatra's death, it contains 20 movie songs performed by the artist during his Capitol years in the 1950s.
"The Second Time Around" is a song with words by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. It was introduced in the 1960 film High Time, sung by Bing Crosby with Henry Mancini conducting his orchestra, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It lost out to "Never on Sunday".
Sinatra: World On a String is a 2016 box set album of live performances by the American singer Frank Sinatra, recorded in Italy in 1953, Monaco in 1958, Sydney in 1961, Cairo in 1979, and the Dominican Republic in 1982. The performances are chronicled on four compact discs with a further DVD of a 1962 concert in Tokyo with short films and Italian chocolate adverts featuring Sinatra during his world tour of 1962.
"All My Tomorrows" is a 1959 ballad with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy van Heusen. The song was written for Frank Sinatra. It was introduced in the film A Hole in the Head where Sinatra sings it in the opening credits.
Johnny Rotella was an American woodwind player, session player, and songwriter. In a career spanning more than six decades, he wrote over 200 songs, including the Frank Sinatra standard “Nothing but the Best”.
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