With songs like “New York, New York” and “My Way” Frank Sinatra became a world star – and he was also successful in Hollywood. He will never be forgotten in his home town of Hoboken.
Leaning casually against a lamppost, one hand in his pocket and the other on the brim of his hat, stands Frank Sinatra in bronze on the Hudson River. Behind him, on the other side of the river, stretches the panorama of the metropolis of New York, for which Sinatra once wrote the ultimate soundtrack with the song “New York, New York”.
At its feet is Hoboken, New Jersey, where the legendary singer and actor was born in 1915. On the occasion of Sinatra’s 106th birthday, his hometown honored him with a statue by artist Carolyn Palmer in 2021 – in Frank Sinatra Park on Frank Sinatra Street next to the Frank Sinatra Theater and directly opposite the “Blue Eyes” restaurant, named after the entertainer’s legendary eyes. Sinatra died on May 14, 1998 exactly a quarter of a century ago – but not only in Hoboken does he remain unforgotten.
A musical about Sinatra
A musical about Sinatra is scheduled to premiere in Birmingham, UK this fall and will later be shown on Broadway in New York. “We hope it brings viewers new perspectives and insights into my father’s beloved music and his enduring legacy,” said Sinatra’s daughter Tina, who is involved with the project.
With songs like “New York, New York”, “Fly Me To the Moon”, “Strangers In The Night” and “My Way” her father had become a world star in the 1930s. In total, “Ol’ Blue Eyes” sold around 800 million records and acted in almost 60 films. Mic in hand, cord tugging nonchalantly behind him, Sinatra strode down glowing stage stairs, in the golden age of show business he was “The Voice”.
It all began in December 1915 in Hoboken with a difficult birth. During the operation, an eardrum ruptured and the newborn suffered injuries that would remain visible as scars on her face for the rest of her life. The house in which he initially lived with his family, in a modest residential area of the former industrial town of Hoboken, has now been demolished.
The modern new building in the same place is called “Frank’s Place”, as it says above the entrance and also on a garbage can in front of it. “Francis Albert Sinatra. The Voice” was born here, says a star plaque next to the front door.
The singing waiter
Sinatra later dropped out of school a few blocks away, made a living as a singing waiter, and his first records sold poorly – but he eventually broke through with gigs on bigger and bigger stages. Sinatra was able to stage himself, the boy from Hoboken became a world star.
When rock ‘n’ roll came up, Sinatra’s music was initially canceled, he stayed with swing and jazz, went to Las Vegas – and to Hollywood. Sinatra, who was friends with various US presidents and who was also repeatedly accused of mafia connections, received an Oscar for his supporting role in the Pearl Harbor drama “To Eternity”.
Nevertheless, he kept coming back to Hoboken and eventually bought his parents a larger house there. One of the family’s favorite restaurants, the Italian “Leo’s Grandevous,” still exists; the restaurant now advertises with a Sinatra mural and the slogan “Come eat with me.”
Sinatra was married four times, three children emerged from the relationship, of which only Tina and Nancy, who became famous as a singer with the hit “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'”, are still alive. In addition, Sinatra is said to have had numerous headline-grabbing affairs – including with German actress Marlene Dietrich. “Frank Sinatra,” she is said to have said about him afterwards, “is the Mercedes-Benz among men.”
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
