Frank Sinatra: Hollywood Years/On Television

Starring:Frank Sinatra
Studio: Delta
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A cheapjack "tribute" to Frank Sinatra, this disc consists of two 45-minute programs, both stuffed with seemingly random clips. The Hollywood Years has a clueless narrator presenting an incoherent, out-of-order account of Sinatra's movie career. Much of it is made up of coming-attractions trailers (a public-domain staple in low-rent TV "biographies"), which might be kind of fun ("Sinatra Meets Lollobridgida, and the Screen Catches Fire!") if they weren't so mercilessly chopped up. The rest is hodgepodge, including parts of Sinatra's Oscar-winning 1945 short film about tolerance, The House I Live In, although even this interesting social landmark is presented without introduction or identification. There's a "making-of" documentary from the set of 1968's The Detective, and a conversation with John Frankenheimer and George Axelrod, director and screenwriter of The Manchurian Candidate, respectively. But basically The Hollywood Years resembles a bunch of stuff found in a box in somebody's basement, assembled in haphazard order.

On Television is marginally more interesting, with rare clips from Sinatra's own late-'50s TV series, including a dramatic sketch that suggests why the series was short-lived. The high points are two sequences from The Tonight Show, one with Johnny Carson (who asks Sinatra, "When you're in a romantic mood, whose records do you put on?"), one with Sinatra as guest host. Elsewhere, Frank is seen talking (from cue cards) with Eleanor Roosevelt, and hosting the return of Elvis Presley from the Army--an index of the collision of cultures that happened at the end of the Eisenhower years. There's also a great ad for Chesterfield cigarettes, which suggest how lame this collection is. --Robert Horton
Description
This one-of-a-kind collection traces Sinatra's movie career, highlighted by rarely seen theatrical trailers and extended excerpts of his very best work on screen. You'll see many of the great stars working with Sinatra, and even see rare footage of Sinatra with Elvis in the second program.

Menus: English  Spanish  Chinese  Japanese
Subtitles: Spanish  Chinese  Japanese

Amazon.com

A cheapjack "tribute" to Frank Sinatra, this disc consists of two 45-minute programs, both stuffed with seemingly random clips. The Hollywood Years has a clueless narrator presenting an incoherent, out-of-order account of Sinatra's movie career. Much of it is made up of coming-attractions trailers (a public-domain staple in low-rent TV "biographies"), which might be kind of fun ("Sinatra Meets Lollobridgida, and the Screen Catches Fire!") if they weren't so mercilessly chopped up. The rest is hodgepodge, including parts of Sinatra's Oscar-winning 1945 short film about tolerance, The House I Live In, although even this interesting social landmark is presented without introduction or identification. There's a "making-of" documentary from the set of 1968's The Detective, and a conversation with John Frankenheimer and George Axelrod, director and screenwriter of The Manchurian Candidate, respectively. But basically The Hollywood Years resembles a bunch of stuff found in a box in somebody's basement, assembled in haphazard order.

On Television is marginally more interesting, with rare clips from Sinatra's own late-'50s TV series, including a dramatic sketch that suggests why the series was short-lived. The high points are two sequences from The Tonight Show, one with Johnny Carson (who asks Sinatra, "When you're in a romantic mood, whose records do you put on?"), one with Sinatra as guest host. Elsewhere, Frank is seen talking (from cue cards) with Eleanor Roosevelt, and hosting the return of Elvis Presley from the Army--an index of the collision of cultures that happened at the end of the Eisenhower years. There's also a great ad for Chesterfield cigarettes, which suggest how lame this collection is. --Robert Horton

Description

This one-of-a-kind collection traces Sinatra's movie career, highlighted by rarely seen theatrical trailers and extended excerpts of his very best work on screen. You'll see many of the great stars working with Sinatra, and even see rare footage of Sinatra with Elvis in the second program.

Menus: English • Spanish • Chinese • Japanese
Subtitles: Spanish • Chinese • Japanese

B&W/Color
Running Time: 92 min.

Customer Reviews:

Almost Unbelievably Inept.......2001-01-28

"The Hollywood Years" is mostly a collection of trailers that have been poorly cut. They aren't chronological and they are frequently obscured by big "TRAILER FROM...." overlays.

Of marginal interest -- some documentary footage about the making of "The Detective" and a few minutes of discussion among Frank, the writer, and the director of "The Manchurian Candidate."

"On Television" is slightly less bad, if only because it's less choppy. Some of the skits and interview clips from "The Tonight Show," "The Bob Hope Show," and Frank's own shows are mildly entertaining. And unlike "The Hollywood Years," there is at least a small amount of singing from Frank.

Most disappointing -- there are clips from a TV adaptation of "Anything Goes," which actually have Frank singing live on TV, but *you can't hear him.* They've overdubbed some other Sinatra song, and as far as I can tell it's not even the same tune, let alone the same performance.

In short, there's virtually no reason to buy this DVD, no matter how cheaply you can get it.

Pretty sad..........2000-04-22

This DVD is a rip off. The quality is horrid, both audio and video. Run, don't walk, from this waste of money.

Don't bother........2000-02-26

Like the title says - don't bother, a waste of money. Cheaply done film clips...

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