Sinatra's growing popularity led him to leave Dorsey in 1942 and starting in earnest a solo career, instantly finding fame as the number one singing star among teenage music fans of the era, especially the young women and girls known as The Bobbysoxers. Legendary appearances at the New York Paramount were sensational, namely the so-called Columbus Day Riot in 1944, when 35,000 blocked the streets outside the venue waiting to see their idol. About this time Sinatra's acting career was beginning in earnest and he struck box-office gold with a lead role in the acclaimed Anchors Aweigh (1945) alongside Gene Kelly. The following year Sinatra was awarded a special Oscar for his part in a short film against intolerance called The House I Live In (1946). His career on a high, Sinatra went from strength-to-strength, recording his first album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, at Columbia and starring in several movies, peaking in 1949 with Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) and On the Town (1949, co-starring in both with Gene Kelly.
A torrid public affair with screen siren Ava Gardner broke up Sinatra's marriage and although a second marriage - to Gardner - followed in 1951, record sales began to dwindle and live appearances were failing to sell out, Sinatra's vocal chords hemorrhaging at one point live on stage as years of playing several shows in a single night took their toll. Sinatra continued to act, however, garnering good notice if hardly strong box office in the musical drama Meet Danny Wilson (1951) before fighting for, and winning, the coveted role of Maggio in From Here to Eternity (1953). He won an Oscar for Best Supporting actor and followed this with a scintillating performance as the deranged assassin John Baron in Suddenly (1954) and arguably a career best performance, and Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, in the powerful drama The Man With the Golden Arm (1955). On record Sinatra was also back on a high having signed with Capitol records and riding high on the charts with the album In the Wee Small Hours (1953) and the single Young at Heart (1954), the latter becoming so popular that a recently made film with Doris Day had its name changed to Young at Heart. Known as "One-Take Charlie" for his approach to acting that strove for spontaneity and energy, rather than perfection, he was an instinctive actor who was best at playing parts that mirrored his own personality.
Signed in ink "For Don Good Luck Frankie" Some slight creasing and a few fine surface marks but in fine condition
Throughout the 1950s Sinatra not only recorded a slew of critically and commercially successful albums, his acting career remained on a high as he gave strong and memorable performances in such films as Guys and Dolls (1955), The Joker is Wild (1957), Kings Go Forth (1957) and Some Came Running (1958). He also dabbled with producing in the 1950s, first bringing the western Johnny Concho to the big screen and, along with Frank Capra, A Hole in the Head (1959), in which he co-starred with Edward G. Robinson. Continuing this trend into the 1960s Sinatra produced such lucrative offerings as Ocean's 11 (1960), Sergeants 3 (1963) and Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) as well as starting his own record label, Reprise Records, in 1961. Many of Sinatra's movie projects of the era were lighter offerings alongside Rat Pack pals Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., but alternating such projects with more stern offerings resulted in the stellar The Manchurian Candidate (1962), arguably Sinatra's best film. Sinatra turned 50 in 1965 and, in many ways, his career once again peaked, recording the album September of My Years which won the Grammy for album of the year and making his directorial debut with the anti-war film None but the Brave (1965). Von Ryan's Express (1965) was released the same year and was a box office sensation helping secure vast earnings for the floundering 20th Century Fox.
In 1967 Sinatra returned to familiar territory in Sidney J. Furie's The Naked Runner (1967), once again playing an assassin in his only film to be shot in the U.K. and one of the few films to be shot inside Centre Point and post-war Leipzig in Berlin. That same year he starred as private investigator Tony Rome (1967), a role he reprised in the sequel Lady in Cement (1968). He also starred with Lee Remick in The Detective (1968) a film daring for its time and a major box office success. After appearing in the comic western Dirty Dingus Magee (1970) Sinatra refrained from acting for a further seven years until producing the made-for-TV movie Contract on Cherry Street (1977), based on the novel by William J. Rosenberg. Sinatra returned to the big screen in The First Deadly Sin (1980) once again playing a New York detective with a moving, understated performance that was a fitting coda to his career as a leading man. He made only one more appearance on the big screen with a cameo in Cannonball Run II (1984).
His final acting performance in 1987 was as a retired detective seeking vengeance on the killers of his granddaughter in an episode of Magnum P.I. entitled Laura. On stage, Sinatra was as prolific as ever, playing both nationally and internationally to sold out crowds in stadiums and arenas. In 1993 Sinatra stepped back into Capitol studios to record his final albums, Duets and Duets II, both of which were highly successful, finding Sinatra an entirely new audience almost 60 years after he first tasted fame. Frank Sinatra passed away on May 14th 1998. Bio by Hugh Mckenna
"A great piece for the Sinatra fan"
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McQuire Sisters Autographs mounted with original song sheet.
For dimensions and description of this item please click here; The McQuire Sisters
It's a long way from a tiny church in Middletown, Ohio to White House appearances for five presidents, and a command performance for the Queen of England. The McGuire Sisters - Christine, Dorothy and Phyllis - have been there, done that, in a stellar 46-year career that has touched generations across America and around the world.
While most music icons point to their greatest hit - or maybe two or three - The McGuire Sisters racked up a string of billboard hits. Their classic harmony - as sharp today as it was when they burst onto the music scene in 1952 - has immortalized songs such as "Sincerely," "Picnic," "Sugartime," "He," "Something's Gotta Give," "Just for Old Times Sake," and "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight."
The sisters began singing in a church in Middletown, Ohio where their mother was an ordained minister, when Phyllis was only 4 years old. By 1949, they were performing at military bases and church functions.
In 1952, they won a spot on the "Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts" show and the rest is music history. In the years that followed, the sisters performed before the Queen of England, as well as Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George Bush. They signed, what was at that time, an unprecedented contract with Coca-Cola, appeared on top TV shows, and played venues from Las Vegas to New York's Waldorf Astoria.
At the peak of their popularity, in 1968, The McGuire Sisters decided to put a wrap on their careers, with Phyllis flying solo and Dorothy and Christine devoting time to their growing families. For the next 17 years, the only time The McGuire Sisters performed together was at family functions.
Then a unique twist of fate changed everything. When Christine and Dorothy were visiting Phyllis in New York City, they were repeatedly stopped by fans, who were asking for autographs and wondering where they would be appearing.
"Why not?" they asked themselves. Thus opened a new chapter in the lives of The McGuire Sisters.
The three retreated to Phyllis' palatial Las Vegas mansion for six months of rigorous rehearsals. The hard work paid off. The rejuvenated McGuire Sisters made international headlines. They found longtime fans waiting in line, and new ones joining them. Their music quickly bridged the generation gap and The McGuire Sisters were a hit once again.
Those hits come alive not only in stage performances, but, are also relived in a new compact disc. "The McGuire Sisters Anthology." This disc was release June 15th of 1999.
Today the sisters balance active social lives with engagements around the world, from Las Vegas to Chicago's Drury Lane Theater.
When not performing, Christine juggles a busy social life in Las Vegas, where she is an avid golfer, spending quality time with her children and grandchildren.
Dorothy lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband of 40 years, Lowell Williamson, where they are active philanthropists who are extensively involved in church and community affairs.
Dorothy stays very busy with her four children, who have given her eight wonderful grandchildren. With all these young people in her life she stays very busy with soccer, t-ball and of course music is a big part of their lives also.
Just as she became a fixture on the Las Vegas stage, Phyllis has also become an icon in the city's social scene. She is known as the city's leading hostess and unofficial ambassador, entertaining royalty, social and business elite in her 50,000-square-foot French Provincial estate. The mansion is filled with expensive artwork and priceless memorabilia spanning more than four decades at center stage in the world of entertainment.
Recently The McGuire Sisters were inducted into the Coca-Cola hall of fame, at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. They were also inducted into the Headliners Hall of Fame at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. One of their latest performances was October 1st 1999, for Former President Jimmy Carters' 75th Birthday
