Ghost Town (1988)

 

Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank (1957)

Charlie Brown would not accept that tree.

    This was an episode of ‘The Frank Sinatra Show’ filmed in color and directed by Frank Sinatra himself. As odd as it is to think of it these days this was during a resurgence of popularity for Sinatra after a precipitous career decline in the late 40’s and early 50’s, partly explained by his increasingly public mob ties and a number of disappointing albums that would eventually cause him to be dropped from the Columbia records label. A very public affair with Ava Gardner and a divorce just cemented things. This started his long-standing ties with Vegas as he became one of their first resident performers due to money troubles. The decline was such that he was eventually reduced to playing half-filled theaters and hosting county fairs.

    In 1953 he started to turn things around with a remarkable refocus on his work. He signed with Capitol records and started working with Nelson Riddle to turn out what are today considered some of his most important albums such as ‘Songs for Young Lovers,’ ‘In the Wee Small Hours,’ and ‘Come Fly with Me.’ It was during this period that his association with “The Rat Pack” and his reputation as “Chairman of the Board” would come to form.

    This was also his most celebrated period as an actor with roles in “From Here to Eternity” and “The Man with the Golden Arm” and became one of the top-grossing stars in the US. It’s hardly surprising that in 1957 ABC snapped him up into a three year contract to star in ‘The Frank Sinatra Show.’ He and frequent guest Dean Martin proved popular but were polarizing for what was seen as their ‘juvenile antics.’ Martin would continue this act for the remainder of his career.

    Released on December 20^th, 1957 as the tenth episode of the first season of ‘The Frank Sinatra Show,’ the show was broadcast in black and white but advertised as being in color as part of the ongoing campaign to sell color televisions. It was directed by Sinatra himself and written by William Morrow who wrote the bulk of ‘The Frank Sinatra Show’ and would go on to write a number of Bring Crosby specials.

Oh, hello.

    The episode opens with a be-suited Sinatra decorating a very obviously fake Christmas tree whistling along to the backing orchestra running through ‘Jingle Bells.’ He greets the audience and wastes no time in dropping the names of his sponsors, Chesterfield Cigarettes and Bulova Watches. He teases the immanent arrival of Bring Crosby then launches right into ‘Mistletoe and Holly.’ This show is only 25 minutes long and it’s not messing around.

    As the camera simply holds on Sinatra singing and vaguely not seeming to know what to do with his hands it’s pretty apparent this was shot by an amateur director. My favorite moment is when he fumbles and drops a decoration, kind of shakes his head at himself, and just keeps going with the take. This is literally the first of three things he would ever direct, the next being another episode of this very show and another being a war movie in 1965 called ‘None But the Brave’ that I am for sure going to see now.

Yes, Bing, we heard you come in.

    The picture fades out and back in to Sinatra setting a Christmas dinner table while his presumable butler goes to answer a door that has not had any noise to indicate anyone is there. The door opens on Bring Crosby clearly just standing there and waiting for his cue. He loudly announces himself to a Sinatra who is maybe ten feet away and clearly aware he’s arrived. After some indecipherable late 50’s hep cat jive talk Crosby gifts Sinatra one of his albums and there’s a harsh cut to Crosby standing in a completely different posture and speaking in a different tone of voice. If there was a continuity consultant on this episode they had clearly given up by this point. Sinatra gives him one of his albums in return and the dialogue and vocal inflections are basically lifted directly out of a ‘Real Housewives’ episode.

It's 1957, of course there's booze.

    They make for the booze at a standing bar (and pass a free-standing fireplace I would kill several people to have, it is a very nice apartment set). They reprise ‘Jingle Bells,’ singing it in that late-50’s half-sung, half-scatted way that’s super annoying to modern ears. Talk turns to boozing in olden times and then they hear some carolers outside. They go out to see a group of extras from a production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ singing ‘Deck the Halls.’ The join in and suddenly they’re strolling through ye olde English times, costume changes and all, because sure. They run through a few classics before they’re just walking back into the apartment back in modern suits.

Sure.

    They mutter some lines back and forth before Sinatra parks himself at the piano and launches into ‘It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.’ It’s an unbroken, unmoving shot for a full two minutes before it cuts to Crosby who in turn starts singing ‘Away in a Manger.’ You can tell it’s Sinatra’s special because this unbroken shot is only a minute and a half. They then join forces to take on ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem.’

Distracting horse is distracting.

    Crosby finally notices the table settings and starts to take off for the evening before Sinatra convinces him the dinner is for the two of them to a demurring Crosby. I think what’s going on is they’re making a subtle joke at Sinatra’s playboy reputation as Sinatra keeps insisting he would never have a date on a night such as this but I’m genuinely not sure what the gag is.

    As they’re waiting on the food Crosby starts singing ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ directly into camera. It’s a little off-putting with the lack of blocking or cuts. Sinatra then sings ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ directly to Crosby and not the audience. I have no idea how to read these social cues. Eventually they end up at the window, gazing wistfully out at most likely the crew, singing ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.’ Even after 15 years Crosby can’t escape that song. They go back to the table and tuck into dinner as some of the fakest snow I’ve ever seen drifts down in front of the windows.

Booze, cigarettes, and Christmas.

    This is a perfectly fine episode of a 1957 television show intended for Christmas. The set is great, the songs well arranged and well-sung when they can get out of the way of their own personas and just sing, and although the direction is stagy as hell and awkward in places it doesn’t detract all that much unless you’re looking for it. They pack in a ton of songs and the ‘comedy’ is kept to brief conversational snippets that read as garbled nonsense after 60+ years of pop culture change. It’s just two middle-aged crooners putting on a show. If that sounds good to you then by all means seek this out.