Phil Hartman as Sinatra in the Saturday Night Live parody of the Duets album (here's the transcript):While Sinatra was well known for allowing his film directors only one take, he was a bit more of a perfectionist when it came to recording music. But by '93, he was probably a bit like he's portrayed: "Okay, cut it, print it and ship it - I'm buying that one!" I know he was reported to have said out loud in the studio while recording Duets: "Why are we doing this one (any of the songs, which he had already recorded and sung for years) again?"
Obviously, the meeting between Frank and Becca's favorite guy went a whole lot better than portrayed:
Previously: "The Sinatra Group"
That SNL skit is too funny. I haven't see it in years and I still get a chuckle every time I see it.
ReplyDeleteAs to the Duets video , I thought at the time it was quite clever as Frank was in such poor health and dementia was taking over his mind. I loved the way they used older footage with Bono and an older Sinatra.
I just wish Barbara Sinatra hadn't insisted on that awful toupee.
One of the U2 biographies (I'm blanking at the moment) had several passages detailing the Bono-Sinatra relationship. Including the moment when Sinatra was informed Bono was to be a duet partner--and he exploded in rage, thinking they'd embarassed him by putting him in a duet with Sonny Bono. Seriously. Anyway, the book says that at their first meeting at the shoot (that scene where Bono gives Sinatra the booze was taken from that--the shoot fell apart later when Sinatra became confused about its purpose) and a subsequent meeting that Sinatra and Bono hit it off, with Bono being invited to Sinatra's house for late night booze and movie sessions. To be a fly on THAT wall.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree about the toupee, cheryl! It just never looked right, but they never do.
ReplyDeleteDoug, might it be U2 At the End of the World? That's one I've read, and what you mention sounds familiar. It's quite amazing Sinatra would have agreed to duet with Bono - it shows how flexible he could be. And you are so right! To have been privy to that meeting...