Hollywood Song Book of Frank Sinatra

There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it—Frank Sinatra was the greatest singer to ever set foot in Hollywood. His 100 musical performances in motion pictures reveal a vocalist who almost from the start recognized how the camera could enhance his artistry as much as the microphone.  

Sinatra came to Hollywood, from the East Coast, right before he began his solo career and within a few years would be just as big at the box office as he was on stage and record. Though he would have his ups and downs, both professionally and personally, his ability to magically convey the inner heart of whatever he sang remained undiminished on film.  

This talk will survey Sinatra’s extraordinary Hollywood musical career, which began with uncredited appearances with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and continued through his celebrated days with the Rat Pack.

Brian Rose is a professor emeritus at Fordham University, where he taught for 38 years in the Department of Communication and Media Studies. He’s written several books on television history and cultural programming and conducted more than a hundred Q&A’s with leading directors, actors, and writers for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Screen Actors Guild, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and the Directors Guild of America.

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