Ol' Black Eyes is Back :
Sinatra's July ' 74 Australian tour was rocked by controversy.
Things became prickly as soon as he arrived in Sydney at 6.45am on Sunday, July 7 when he refused to meet the local media ,saying, via a member of his entourage, that he had been repeatedly misquoted on previous visits . In fact, he'd got so irritated at an airport get-together with Aussie journalists in the early ' 60s that he stormed off. It came out, years later, that, on that occasion, he had made the long and tiring flight from California to do four shows at the Sydney stadium ... for nothing , just as a favor to help out his pal - promoter and fellow American - Lee Gordon who was facing bankruptcy. That, of course, was the other side of Frank's complex personality - one that the tabloids simply didn't want to know about .
Sinatra arriving in Sydney in 1961 (left) (Sydney Morning Herald)
and again in ' 74 (right) (Herald Sun)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trgqMQha6zY
Sydney Morning Herald, July 8 , 1974
Anyway, in '74 there would be no interviews, not even a quick chat. The tour , however , was scheduled to start in Melbourne on Tuesday, July 9 and that's when the real trouble began .
All hell broke loose when the newshounds decided to make a pest of themselves by chasing the legendary entertainer around the wintry streets near Festival Hall; the venue where he was booked to perform .Then, rather stupidly, they tried to get up to his penthouse suite on the top floor of the Southern Cross Hotel. Sinatra's security people took a decidedly dim view of the attempted invasion. Punches were thrown and cameras were smashed. Determined to get a comment from their hero, the media scrum (Frank dropped the "r' out of the word) followed his limo to the concert hall that night where there was yet another physical confrontation. When he finally got on stage, the Chairman of the Board unleashed a tirade of abuse during which he called his pursuers a bunch of "parasites", "bums" and "hookers".
Sinatra disembarks from his private jet at Tullamarine
airport Melbourne (left) (Courier Mail).TV reporter Ann Pilmer gets the
brush off as 'Ol blue eyes makes his way to a sound check at Festival Hall (right) (The Age)
FAS with Australian television personality Graham Kennedy who was the on-stage host of
Sinatra's one and only Melbourne concert (left)(NFSA). The Southern Cross Hotel
(centre)(postcard). Frank on his way to his show with personal bodyguard
Jilly Rizzo (Getty Images)
Front cover and photo from the official souvenir program that was sold
at the venue on the night of Sinatra's Melbourne concert
Festival Hall (University of Melbourne)
Frank lets rip (Herald Sun)
Suddenly (and for no apparent reason) the unions got involved . If Sinatra didn't apologize for his outburst, the staff at his hotel would not be allowed to serve him nor any member of his group .No room service ...no service in the bars and restaurants .... no switchboard operator... no porters ...no cabs... nothing .. zero .... zilch . And that's precisely what happened when Frank told them to take a hike (or words to that affect) .
His second Melbourne performance was canceled and his attorney, Milton "Mickey" Rudin, announced that "Mr Sinatra" was leaving. The tour was off and the "union/scandal bums" were to blame. However, the black ban was quickly extended to include ground crew at Tullamarine airport. The superstar's plane would not be refueled so if he wanted to say "Tut- tah" to the 'World's most livable city" he'd have to line up with ordinary folk in order to buy himself a ticket to ride (or fly) from one of the commercial airlines . 'Ol blue eyes saw red and spat the dummy. But, somehow, he got back to Sydney and from there he was going home to the States.
However, Frank had a couple of admirers who were high up Down Under. One was the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam. The other was Bob Hawke, national head honcho of the combined trade union council. Australia's answer to the "Odd Couple", both men had been successful lawyers. The unlikely pair enjoyed an excellent working relationship but were vastly different personalities. The towering, stylish and urbane PM was a big fan (in every sense !) of Frank's pop singing. But Gough read the classics in his spare time and definitely wasn't into the some of the more earthy four-letter words like his musical idol. The diminutive, hard-drinking and hot-tempered union boss, on the other hand, had a real soft spot for "colorful language" and liked to use it as often as possible. "Haw-Kee" spent much of his time chasing "broads" (to use a Frankism - see Glossary of Terms below for more information). He also took great delight in hurling abuse at wayward journalists whenever the opportunity arose. So, needless to say, he immediately twin-souled with the controversial crooner when they finally got to shake paws (Skippy style).
But there was another slight bump coming up in the road ahead before they got to do the meet and greet . It occurred when Mr Rudin "reminded" Mr Hawke that Mr Sinatra was leaving the country and nobody was going to stop him. "Not unless he can do what Moses did 3,000 years ago" Hawke replied. However, the playful response was, in reality, merely an example of Aussie humor intended to "remind" the somewhat high-handed American lawman just who was calling the shots and running the show here in the South Pacific. The situation would (eventually) be resolved in "Island time" when and if it suited the Australian authorities which basically meant that they could still be fiddling around with it in 1987 if they felt so inclined. Messers Mickey and Frankie needed to understand that, if they tried to pour on the pressure, they could end up being stuck here on Gilligan's Isle for a very long time indeed. But Hawke's jab was just a minor power play. Behind the scenes he was, in fact, already hatching a plan that would soon bring the whole ridiculous fiasco to a swift and comparatively peaceful conclusion and see Frank winging his way back home within a matter of days.
Sydney Morning Herald, July 12, 1974
According to the yarn that got around, Whitlam put a call through to Sinatra's suite at the Boulevard Hotel in Sydney. Gough gave Frank a chuckle when he said "Mr Sinatra... I cannot allow you to upset such sensitive and easily offended people as our journalists... my information is that several of them are in tears... and the girls are just as unhappy" . Ol' blue eyes was tickled by such witty sarcasm.
Hawke and Rudin finally came up with a cleverly worded statement which made it possible for everyone to move on with their egos intact. Can't remember exactly how it went now but it was something along the lines of ....
"The Australia union movement accepts that Mr Sinatra has a unique international status and that, as an invited visitor to the country, he should be treated fairly and with respect by the media. We also accept that he has a right to express an opinion about the professional conduct of journalists (that part was an absolute scream, bearing in mind what Frank had called them). Likewise, Mr Sinatra acknowledges that he has a responsibility to extend the same level of courtesy to reporters" ..... or some such clap trap. Basically, "we've both been very naughty and we won't do it again " .
Bob Hawke answers questions when he arrives at the Boulevard with Sinatra's lawyer Milton Rudin (left) (Fairfax) Boulevard Hotel 1970s (centre)
(postcard) Sinatra with Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (right) (Sydney Morning Herald)
Still, it was certainly all for the best that they did manage to sort things out before the situation went any further. The rumor mill was positively buzzing with whispers that Sinatra was about to call Jimmy Hoffa, Hawke's counterpart in America and ask him to black ban all Qantas flights so that they could neither land nor take off in the US.
Before he left, Frank was able to do a couple of shows at Sydney's Horden Pavilion ,the second of which was broadcast live on the National Nine television network. Apparently, it was done as a "make good" / peace offering, mainly for those who had missed out on seeing him in person. It may also have been part of a settlement deal that was made in order to keep the tour going. Happily, he provided a terrific night of entertainment and the ratings were stratospheric.
The Horden Pavilion (Tammy's Turns) Sinatra's prize fight with the Australian unions and journalists was front page news in the States....
Los Angeles Times July 11, 1974
Los Angeles Times July 11, 1974
The entire silly ruckus had been a giant "pain in the ass" (as the Chairman of the Broads would have said). However, there again, it merely added to the list of similar fiery antics that had long since become an integral part of Sinatra's mystique and his quirky, some might say downright creepy, "tough guy" image. At the end of the day, all that really mattered was the man's extraordinary talent. And, on that score, he delivered the goods in grand style . As it turned out, his shows in both Melbourne and Sydney received rave reviews. Also, on another more upbeat note, he had arrived in the country with an excellent new album that was doing the rounds, titled Some Nice things I've Missed. Featuring such gems as "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "You are the Sunshine of my Life", it was a hit with the fans .
Sinatra's July, 1974 album Some Nice Things I've Missed
More memories from the concert program . At least Frank's own company was pleased to see him back in Australia !
One last and very strange footnote to this utterly bizarre, almost surreal affair ....
Some years ago, I had a look back through the original Australian newspaper reports that were published during the tour. I found the Melbourne Herald review of Sinatra's only concert in that city and..... surprise ... surprise ....to quote Gomer Pyle. There wasn't one, single mention of his inflammatory remarks.... anywhere. Indeed, the writer had nothing but positive things to say. So what does (or could) that tell us? My guess ? I reckon the news people weren't even remotely concerned about Frank's little jab. It was all just part of the fun that had been going on for years since his first visit to Australia in 1955. Although, the fact that it wasn't mentioned at all, even in passing, is very odd.
Both the news peddlers and Sinatra were perfectly capable of fighting their own battle. The unions had no business being involved in any of it. To them, Frank's comments, which many believed were entirely justified, merely provided an opportunity to flex their muscles and to show how much trouble they could cause if they wanted to. And they were causing a lot of trouble in those days. There were strikes and go-slows almost every week and the public was becoming extremely angry about it. And that's what happened. When the tour was thrown into chaos, the unions and the media were, indeed, blamed. Hawke and Whitlam realized that the tactic had backfired, badly, and had turned into a public relations disaster for "their guys" so they stepped in to repair the damage.
Many agreed with the views that this man
was expressing outside of the Boulevard (Fairfax)
Still, despite all the name-calling, it seems that, when it finally died down, Francis Albert was able to see the funny side of it. A few months later, during a performance at New York's Madison Square Garden, he quipped..."I made a mistake in Australia ... I got off the plane" !
Interesting, colorful decade... the 1970s... certainly here in Australia... or "Austria" as I could easily imagine one of Sinatra's cigar-chomping heavies calling our fair land
Although he vowed never to return, he certainly did, on two occasions, in fact. And each, highly successful, visit went off without a hitch or as much as a vaguely discourteous word being exchanged between Frank and our local "scandal bums"... oops, I mean journalists (I used to be one MEselve !!). It seemed that the passing of the years had mellowed both the man himself and his former adversaries. Like old enemy soldiers meeting on an historic battlefield, they even got together to enjoy a drink, a few laughs and ... unbelievably.. to pose for a cheery group photo when Sinatra was here as the star attraction at the opening of Queensland's Sanctuary Cove in 1988.
However, Mike Gore, owner of the ritzy resort , wasn't taking any chances. Making a determined effort to keep the mood light and breezy, Mike-ee gave Frankie a toy koala. It was stuffed and no doubt the bubbly entrepreneur was hoping, like crazy, that his press conference didn't end up exactly the same way. Watching Frank trying to be nice to the pad and pen brigade must have been about as relaxing as being circled by a tiger shark while you're standing in a sinking speed boat. Indeed, no doubt, some of those who had encountered 'Ol blue eyes on previous occasions may have felt that they would have been safer trying to interview him if they had been locked in a shark-proof cage. Mount Sinatra could erupt at any moment and spew burning lava all over the villagers of the Fifth Estate. The "enjoyable get-together" lasted fully seven minutes. But, what the hell. Everyone made an effort and it was a painless enough experience. In the papers the following day, Frank's new pals gave his show ten out of ten.
Mike Gore, owner of Sanctuary Cove soothes the
savage Sinatra with a touch of koala therapy...always a guaranteed way to tranquilize irritated international celebs -
most of whom usually arrive in an utterly foul mood after they've completed the body clock - destroying flight to Australia.
(Gold Coast Bulletin)
Sheez.... the things you have to do some times. Frank buries the hatchet. A few years earlier, he would have , happily, buried it right in the
skull of the nearest journalist (Sydney Morning Herald, January 10, 1988)
Sinatra had become the most famous person in the world not only because of his talent but also because the media had recognized, right at the beginning , that his unorthodox, contradictory and defiantly non conformist personality was always going to make him newsworthy. Witty, charming and generous one minute - arrogant, abusive and destructive the next, he was the beautiful monster of the American entertainment industry. However, above all else, he remains the most charismatic, celebrated and influential popular singer of his or any other time.
Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California (Pinterest)
Ladies and gentlemen .... Mr Frank Sinatra ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78I0wjmgE0o&list=PLL-SJmPGOb9DIIdsVwIVVih6Er2eY_jzP
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Glossary of Terms (AKA "Frankspeak"): Bums and broads - words that the Chairman of the Board used quite often...sometimes in anger. ...other times in jest . ...caused a few problems for him over the years. The word "bum" was never used in a favorable sense and it was usually (but not always) applied to males. Perhaps the best known bums were "scandal bums" (i.e journalists) and "creep bums" (anyone who could not be trusted). Certainly, there were never any nice bums. Just "lice bums" (or "louse bums" which referred to a pair or group of individual "lice bums" plural).
A "broad" (female) could be either good or bad although it was generally an insult. And, as with bums, there were different kinds of broads. They could be either "stoopid", "dopey", "stinkin'" , "ugly" or "cheap" broads. But, occasionally, a "classy broad" would "make the scene" with Frank to whom he would give a momentary nod of approval by saying something along the lines of ..."That broad's got KLASS". That was, of course, until she made the fatal mistake of stepping across the line and forgetting her place in the harem at which point she would be, immediately, reclassified as an "ugly, dopey dumb ass broad". A broad could also, sometimes (in special circumstances) be a bum as well. For example, Frank may have described an Australian female journalist as being (... and remember ... this is Frank talking ... not me...) an "ugly, stinkin', dumb ass Austrian scandal bum broad".
Judging by a television appearance that Bob Hawke made on the morning of Australia's America Cup win in 1983, it seems that he may have been influenced by the brief time that he spent with Mr Sinatra at the Boulevard Hotel in Sydney nearly ten years earlier ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8mdHO2_Zo8
But, all of that was only one small part of Frank's personality which, happily, didn't come to the surface too often. Most of the time he was, apparently, a fairly genial sort of character who had a great sense of humor, according to a veteran studio musician who worked with him (click on link below). It was just that... well ...like all of us.. he had the occasional bad day, every now and again
The Time Tunnel.... (backinthedayblogspot.blogspot.com)
I can't take credit for the title of this piece. That honor must go to the late, great Bill Green - legendary cartoonist for Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper. At the time of Sinatra's 1974 tour, Bill created a perfect cartoon that featured an obviously roughed-up Herald photographer standing at his editor's desk. The caption read: "Ol black eyes is back". Sinatra was so taken by the humorous take on the whole situation that he personally wrote to Mr Green and asked if he could have the original.
Read some newspapers reports about the 1974 tour via this link :
https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=frank+sinatra&p_country=au&dr_year=1974-1974
....and enjoy an interesting English television documentary about the tour :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXDL-zGlWr0
