Frank Sinatra, Jr.

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Sheesh! It seems you can't please anyone anymore!

After all we've already mentioned that we've had three drawings of Frank Sinatra on the website.

And we've had a picture of Nancy.

So where, the curmudgeonly generalized Sinatra fans ask, is

Frank Sinatra

JR.?

After all they point out, Frank, Jr., had a distinguished and lengthy career. And if not quite as long as his dad, then it was pretty close. Frank, Jr., also appeared in motion pictures and television shows where mostly he sang songs on programs like The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jack Benny Show, The Red Skelton Show, The Joey Bishop Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Hollywood Palace, The Mike Douglas Show, and of course, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Although Frank, Jr., never had his own show, in 1968 he acted as the summer host on ten episodes of Dean Martin's variety show, Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers, nine of which were co-hosted with Joey Heatherton.

Frank., Jr., like his dad and sister, was also an actor. He was in the movie A Man Called Adam but most of his appearances were on television. He was a guest star on staple series like The Patty Duke Show, Alias Smith and Jones, Marcus Welby, M. D., Adam-12, and The Love Boat. He was even on The Sopranos where he played - Frank Sinatra, Jr.

It was inevitable that Frank, Jr., would be compared to his dad. Because both men sang in a similar timbre and preferred the type of songs that were popular in the Big Band Era, it was hard for Frank, Jr., to step out from his dad's shadow. So Frank, Jr., never became a 60's pop star as did his sister. Then in the 1990's when his dad began having issues with his health, Frank, Jr., took over the job as the musical director and conductor for Frank, Sr.'s, tours. Then after his dad died in 1998, Frank, Jr., continued to sing and tour.

Frank, Jr., did have one truly unique experience that was something few people ever encounter - which is a good thing. On December 8, 1963, and just as he was starting out his career, he was performing at Harrah’s Club in Lake Tahoe with the Tommy Dorsey Band. After the show he and trumpet player John Foss were having a snack in his room when two men knocked on the door. Room service, they called.

But instead of room service with additional comestibles, the men barged in with guns at the ready. They bound and gagged John and hustled Frank, Jr., away.

John quickly freed himself and called the police. Roadblocks were set up on the snowy roads but the kidnappers budged their way through and took Frank to Los Angeles where a third conspirator was waiting at a hideout.

Communications with Frank, Sr., were by designated pay-phones¹ to prevent the FBI from tracing the calls. The kidnappers demanded $240,000 and it was delivered by an undercover FBI agent. Frank, Jr., was held a total of three days and had actually been released before the ransom had been paid.

The case was soon cracked, particularly after one of the kidnappers spilled the beans to his brother who immediately called the FBI. All but about $6000 of the money was recovered.

The defense that the kidnapping was a hoax and publicity stunt staged by Frank, Sr., was demonstrably bogus. All three men were found guilty and received long sentences, the reported durations differing depending on the source. Some accounts say it was more than 75 years for each of them; others that one of the kidnappers got 12 years. In any case, the men appealed their convictions and the sentences were reduced to three to four years. One of the kidnappers later went into the real estate business and became a multimillionaire.