Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra | |
---|---|
Genre | Musical special |
Written by | Fred Ebb |
Directed by | Marty Pasetta |
Starring | Frank Sinatra Gene Kelly |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 1 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Alfred di Scipio |
Producer | Howard W. Koch |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | 13 November 1973 |
Related | |
Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra (or Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back) was an NBC musical television special starring Frank Sinatra broadcast on November 18, 1973. The special was written by Fred Ebb, directed by Marty Pasetta, and produced by Howard W. Koch. [1] [2] The announcer for the special was Hank Simms. [2] Gene Kelly, the guest star on the special, had last worked with Sinatra on the 1949 film On the Town . [3]
The television special and subsequent album, Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back , represented a return to performing for Sinatra, who had retired in June 1971. [4] The special was seen by an estimated audience of 40 million. [5]
The special was sponsored by Magnavox as part of a $9 million advertising campaign for their 1974 products, with the special representing the largest single amount that the company had spent on advertising in its history. [5] [6] Commercials during the special marketed Magnavox products, including Odyssey, the first video game console. [7]
The song "Can't Do That Anymore" had originally been written by Ebb for his abandoned musical with John Kander and Dale Wasserman, Wait for Me, World!. [8] Ebb found making the special a disheartening experience, and was upset by Sinatra's treatment of his employees and Kelly. [9] Ebb has said that Sinatra had originally wanted the comedian Redd Foxx to be his guest on the special, but Ebb, not knowing how to write for Foxx, had persuaded Sinatra to choose Kelly. [9] Sinatra had been unhappy with the decision to choose Kelly and nicknamed him "Shanty". [9] Ebb described Kelly as "humble and gracious". [9] Sinatra's changes to the script left the special with holes that remained unresolved due to Sinatra's refusal to read the script until the day of filming. [9] Ebb also said that Sinatra had not wanted to record the scenes with Kelly on the day, though he changed his mind when Kelly appeared for filming. [10]
The special was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards at the 26th Primetime Emmy Awards. [11] Pasetta was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Directing in Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music and Koch and Sinatra were nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special. [11]
Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. He is among the world's best-selling music artists with an estimated 150 million record sales.
Eugene Curran Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, director, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessible to the general public, which he called "dance for the common man". He starred in, choreographed, and co-directed with Stanley Donen some of the most well-regarded musical films of the 1940s and 1950s.
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is one of the very few performers awarded a non-competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour.
Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb. Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include Cabaret and Chicago, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies, including Martin Scorsese's New York, New York. Their most famous song is the theme song of that movie. Recorded by many artists, "New York, New York" became a signature song for Frank Sinatra. The team also became associated with two actresses, Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, for whom they wrote a considerable amount of material for the stage, concerts and television.
John Harold Kander is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb, Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including Cabaret (1966) and Chicago (1975), both of which were later adapted into acclaimed films. He and Ebb also wrote the standard "New York, New York".
Fred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera.
"Theme from New York, New York", often abbreviated to just "New York, New York", is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. It remains one of the best-known songs about New York City. In 2004 it ranked #31 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back is a 1973 studio album by American singer Frank Sinatra.
Bolton Swings Sinatra: The Second Time Around is an album by Michael Bolton. Bolton records songs originally made notable by Frank Sinatra.
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"Here's That Rainy Day" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke that was published in 1953. It was introduced by Dolores Gray in the Broadway musical Carnival in Flanders.
Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years is a single disc compilation taken from the four disc box set The Reprise Collection, a 1990 box set by the American singer Frank Sinatra. For many years, this was the only collection of Sinatra's Reprise work on one disc until 2008's collection Nothing But The Best. The Very Good Years reached #98 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts in 1991.
My Way: The Best of Frank Sinatra is a compilation album by Frank Sinatra.
Sinatra Saga is a live album by Frank Sinatra, containing 2 discs of him performing live on stage from the 1950s to the 1980s.
"Here We Go Again" is a country music standard written by Don Lanier and Red Steagall that first became notable as a rhythm and blues single by Ray Charles from his 1967 album Ray Charles Invites You to Listen. It was produced by Joe Adams for ABC Records/Tangerine Records. To date, this version of the song has been the biggest commercial success, spending twelve consecutive weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 15.
Minnelli on Minnelli: Live at the Palace was a concert presented by Liza Minnelli at the Palace Theatre on Broadway from December 8, 1999 through January 2, 2000. The show consisted of songs featured in films directed by her father, Vincente Minnelli (1903-1986).
Martin Allen Pasetta was an American television producer and director, best known for his work on the telecasts for multiple awards shows, including the Oscars, the Grammys, and the AFI Life Achievement Awards. He also directed The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour along with the game shows Wheel of Fortune and Love Connection. He also produced the game show Catchphrase, which, while short-lived in the US, went on to a long run in the UK, where their adaptation ran from 1986 until 2002 and was revived again in 2013; Pasetta also co-produced a pilot for an American revival in 2006 that didn't sell. He also produced two pilots in 1990; a revival of Name That Tune with Orion Television with Peter Allen as host, and a card game titled Suit Yourself with Jim Peck at the helm. 1992 saw him produce a short-lived primetime game show for CBS called The Hollywood Game, with Bob Goen.
Alan Bergman and Marilyn Keith Bergman were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated television, film, and stage productions. The Bergmans enjoyed a successful career, honored with four Emmys, three Oscars, and two Grammys. They are in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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