Movie
Frank Sinatra: Early Years Collection :
Higher and Higher, Step Lively, It Happened In Brooklyn, Double Dynamite, and The Kissing Bandit
Starring
Frank Sinatra, Michele Morgan, Jack Haley, George Murphy, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria De Haven, Walter Slezak, Eugene Pallette,
Kathryn Grayson, Peter Lawford, Jimmy Durante, Jane Russell, Groucho Marx, and more.
Review
As a young child, I would literally count down to Christmas by watching one Christmas movie after another and it was easy since
television aired them nightly. One night I had the privilege of watching Frank Sinatra in the film, White Christmas, and I was hooked.
He was the complete package: actor, dancer, singer. Then one day I was introduced to another classic: Easter Parade with July Garland
and I was mesmerized. “The guy has talent!” I thought to myself.
But it wasn’t until recently that I began to truly appreciate his talent. Did you know that Frank Sinatra appeared in 58 films, recorded
over 1,800 songs, and spent many years as the main attraction for Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas? I have to be honest and say I had no
idea he was as successful as he was.
But thanks to Warner Brother’s 10th Anniversary Promotion I’ve been enjoying some rather interesting and entertaining films—all
starring Frank Sinatra.
Currently, I am enjoying Frank Sinatra, The Early Years
but plan on checking out The Rat Pack Ultimate Collector’s Edition,
The Golden Years, and
the Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly Collection.
I’ve heard a lot about the infamous Rat Pack and think it would be fun to see what all the hype was about.
There are five films in Frank Sinatra, The Early Years Collection—all of which have not been previously released on DVD so you’re in
for a real treat. The treat, however, is not in the storylines but in the actor himself. Every actor has to start off somewhere. Every
actor has to “pay his due” and that’s just what Sinatra does in these five films. So watch the films for what they are and not what
they could be.
I must warn you that all the films, but one, are in black and white so if you HATE black and white films you may want to stay clear.
If, however, you like Sinatra and want to see him in action during his formidable years, pick up the set. Personally, I think black and
white films have a certain charm that traditional colored films don’t have.
Higher and Higher
This is Sinatra’s first feature-length acting debut and it’s a doozie; not that his acting’s bad, but that the musical is bad. Higher
and Higher is about a wealthy man who loses his fortune but refuses to give up. With the help of his servants he devises a plan
to save his fortune and pay the back salaries he owes his servants. Sinatra mostly sings in the film.
Step Lively
This is Sinatra’s first top billing as he plays the lead and enjoys his first on-screen kiss. It’s a rather cute film about a Broadway
producer who doesn’t have enough money to fund what he believes to be his next “big” hit so he writes a check he can’t back and hires a
playwright whose real talent is in his singing and not his writing—Sinatra is that playwright.
It Happened In Brooklyn
Sinatra plays a soldier returning from World War II and finding it difficult to adjust to civilian life thanks to job scarcity and the
difficulty in finding a place to live.
Double Dynamite
Sinatra plays a bank clerk on a meager salary who just happens to be in love with a woman who prefers the finer things in life. Then one
day Sinatra comes into a load of cash thanks to his heroic efforts but there’s only one problem: the reward money he receives for his
heroism is the same amount of money stolen from his bank. Immediately he’s accused of theft and must now prove his innocence while
gaining the affection of his true love.
The Kissing Bandit
Sinatra plays a Mexican man who returns from hotel business school to be informed that he’s to carry on his deceased father’s wishes to
become the “Kissing Bandit” or the thief that kisses his female victims before running off with the goods. Many have said that Sinatra
appears embarrassed to be playing this role while others feel the embarrassment you see on screen is supposed to be about the
character’s disgust with having to carry on his father’s legacy as the Kissing Bandit. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
Order Frank Sinatra: Early Years Collection today!
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