MovieChat Forums > Suddenly (1954) Discussion > Sinatra's Talent truly amazes!

Sinatra's Talent truly amazes!


Overall a good film and showed Frank to be a capable actor of wide range. Pretty good for a nobody from Hoboken,NJ with no acting lessons and for that matter Singing lessons! He did quite a lot for someone who was a natural!

Think about it, has there ever been a person like Sinatra since? Name a singer(I can think of a few..Barbara Striesand..maybe Doris Day and Dean Martin)) who made the transition from singing to acting sucessfully as Frank? He won Grammys and an Oscar! He continued singing well and winning awards although his acting was never as impactful after these early successes like From Here To Eternity and Suddenly. Most of the movies were lame detective movies or Vegas stuff like Oceans 11. But Sinatra had his imprints all over the future! He started his own Record label(Reprise) so he could maintain artistic integrity and do it His Way! Yea, today, we have many who do the same but never as well. Justin Timberlake IMO is a marginal actor and singer but with decent success but nothing on par with Frank! 15 Grammys, and Oscar, Record Label Founder.

Bottom line is Frank had a huge gift for learning from the best. Many say he was EGO driven but from what I have read(8 books so far) he always had a willing and hungry desire to know how things were done by other successful people.He learned the craft of singing and performing from Tommy Dorsey. He learned how to act from being around the best actors. He noticed EVERYTHING and Soaked it up like a sponge. And he worked HARD to be good. many do not know that. He was a skinny guy and slight yet he sang in the years when AMPLIFICATION wasn't yet around! No gimmicks to make the voice SOUND better! His singing voice may not of been technically the best but they way he used his voice as an instrument,especially singing in a Jazz style and improvising the lyrics around the song were pure genius.

There probably won't be another like him and it's why he was voted the Entertainer of the 20th Century by most publications. He was multi-gifted like no other and he had a relevant career for 6 decades! (his first #1 was in 1939, last Number 1 was in the early 1990's..the Duets)!

That amazes me!

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Always loved Sinatra, and in this movie, I really loved to hate him. He did an outstanding job, his character so criminally insane.

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Frank acted in good movies all through his career and took chances with the material he was offered, or sought challenging material that was more than superficial. The Detective and None But th Brave are prime examples of this, although The Manchurian Candidate possibly tops anything Sinatra done in Hollywood. I disagree with the comment that Sinatra many not have been "technically" the best singer, when his vocal technique was beyond reproach and matched capably by his range and the feeling he could invest in a song. But there are differences to appreciate in Sinatra as a singer during the forties, fifties, sixties and latterly, in the eighties and nineties. Especially with regards to his range, tone, changing of style and employment of jazz phrasing and techniques. But the feeling he had for a lyric and understanding of a song remained paramount. Duets wasn't No. 1 incidentally, but Sinatra's music has endured for 75 years and he remains one of the foremost entertainers of all time. Many singers have made the transition from music to acting, but few have bridged both disciplines so broadly and so successful. Jolson did and Crosby certainly did, as has Streisand, whilst Elvis was very popular as a singer and an actor, he never found the same depth and credibility on screen as he did in song. Timberlake has a lot of potential, though, and although his music is terrific, as an actor, he's still growing and has made some good career choices. It will be interesting to see what he does next, whilst Jennifer Lopez has found success as an actress and a singer, but doing the former first. She's about to invest herself more in acting again after only a few roles in the past eight years, whilst Cher shouldn't be overlooked, either. Or Doris Day, who was very, very popular in the fifties and sixties. Bobby Darin also sought some challenging roles and was a capable actor in his own right, as well as being a fantastic singer. Going back to Sinatra, let's also appreciate that he was a successful producer and directed one major motion picture to good affect, with the aforementioned None But the Brave. I should also add that Sinatra was a three-time Oscar recipient.

NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!

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I should also add that Sinatra was a three-time Oscar recipient.


I know he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role in From Here to Eternity(1953) in 1954 and he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1971. What and when were his other Oscar?

"Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects". Will Rogers (1879-1935)

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He was given a special Oscar for The House I Live In in 1946. This film wasn't eligible for any particular category but was considered too significant to be overlooked.

NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!

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Thanks for the info on The House I Live In. As to the subject of singers who also made it as actors what about Judy Garland? Mark Wahlberg?

"Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects". Will Rogers (1879-1935)

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For the greatest pop singer of the 20th century - Frank Sinatra - to also be a top-notch dramatic actor always blew my mind. It's rare for a professional singer to have ability for drama.

People who worked with him in the entertainment industry often found him difficult to work with. Not surprising!



E pluribus unum

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That works both ways, though. Because there are innumerable stories from scores of singers, actors, directors and producers who heaped praise upon Sinatra through working with him. Ultimately, it's the end result that matters and Sinatra's track-record speaks volumes.

NOW TARZAN MAKE WAR!

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sinatra indeed took singing lessons as a kid.

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