Favorite Sinatra films

I like the only musical he ever did.... Guys and Dolls.

Cheesy but for some reason I just really like it. : )

I saw that when very young. I recall having a good time.

Man With the Golden Arm is my favorite, too, edgar. Haven't seen it in a long time, but I still remember the scenes of Sinatra undegoing the "cold turkey' cure for his heroin addiction. Awesome acting!

On the other hand, the dramatic role for which he gets all the conventional credit -- that of Maggio in From Here to Eternity -- seems to me not much of an achievement. Essentially, all Sinatra had to do here was to play himself.

Some Came Running is a Sinatra vehicle that works pretty well. Here to Eternity offers another good Sinatra performance - he got an Oscar for that, if I recall. Frank did a great job in Manchurian Candidate, too, IMO.


Now, if ya wanna a movie that'll make ya laugh at Frank - not his intention at all, I'm sure - ya just gotta see The Pride and The Passion. Great spectacle, improbable plotline (salvaged somewhat by a young Sophia Loren - her script lines weren't all that much, but she had some real costume-strainin' lines of her own ), and essentially pathetic, mis-cast, and indifferently played Sinatra character. Apart from Ms Lauren's uhhhhhh ... "athleticism", the most fun offered in this movie comes from Frank's attempt to render an accent.

I saw the Pride and the Passion, but don't recall Frank being in it. Thing about From Here to Eternity, I was always told he was pretty much washed up, creer-wise, and the role sparked new interest in him. I have a copy of it, which I got the same month I saw Pearl Harbor. I felt they could have adapted Eternity for Pearl Harbor and had a much better film.

The Pride and The Passion. One of the worst films with a big name cast I have ever seen.

I liked, I believe the name was hole in the head. Edward G. Robinson kept calling him a bum.

I have Hole in the Head in my collection. Sinatra wanted to build a Disneyland or something somewhere, but had no financing. He and Eddie Hodges sang High Hopes in it.

There was one in which he was a song writer, I think, the perpetual loser. He and Doris Day eloped the day she was to wed his best pal. I liked that one, but wished they had lightened up a bit.

He was in the musical Can -Can (I didn't care for him in that, but that's because I liked the stage version and thought Hollywood made a miserable movie adaptation.)

He was also in the movie musical version of the Broadway "Pal Joey" which wasn't as botched up as "Can -Can", and he did get to sing a lot of good songs.

And then, there was "High Society", musical version of "Philadelphia Story" and I thought he was just fine in that one. I thought Sinatra and Crosby were great together.

I saw "Man with the Golden Arm" so long ago, it's difficult to remember much about it except that I remember it was a very demanding role for him and I liked him in it

I liked Sinatra in The Devil at 4 O'Clock with Spencer Tracy. The usual tough guy turned softie gimmick.

As an actor I put Frank right up there with Steven Segal and Pee Wee Herman.

Although I love Steven Segal movies.

I liked him in "High Society" as well but nothing beats the old footage of his live shows. I'd watch that over any of his movies. (sorry edgar. I just had to add that)

There are certain films Sinatra made that are pure crap, such as Oceans' Eleven, Dirty Dingus McGee. Some he and the pack mugged through, such as Robin and the ASeven Hoods (which I liked anyway) and then he had some challenging roles in which he did very well.

post deleted...duplicate.

I always liked him in The Manchurian Cadidate although Angela Lansbury has the great performance in that film...and have a soft spot for High Society...What a swell party and all that.

I agree with LionTamerX about "The Manchurian Candidate". I thought that he was wonderful in it. But the best, which no one has mentioned yet, was "From Here to Eternity".

You musta been out in the kitchen gettin' snacks when this part of the program was on:

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1275857#1275857

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1275875#1275875

From Here to Eternity was his "comeback" film, proving to the world that he was a better actor than he was a crooner (heresy!!!). But I still say it was an easy role for him to play, not that much of a challenge. The Man With the Golden Arm is in a different category, I think. I liked The Manchurian Candidate but thought that he was upstaged by Lansbury and Lawrence Harvey, two first-rate professionals. Perhaps it's just that I had read Condon's book and Sinatra didn't square with my mental image of Capt. Marcos.