Everyone wants to be Frank Sinatra (CDs). Robbie Williams (CDs), the cast of Ocean’s Eleven (DVDs), even Westlife (CDs) want to copy Ol’ Blue Eyes in some way or another. Beats us why. It’s perfectly obvious that Sammy Davis Jnr (CDs) was the coolest member of the Ratpack.
But still, the man could sing like nobody else, even if he did have a tasty little part-time job as a Mafia bagman.
It’s long been rumoured that Sinatra had a mafia connection, though most thought that Frank simply hung out with mobsters to give his career a bit of a leg-up.
However, it’s been revealed that Sinatra did have some deeper connections, and although they didn’t run so deep as to involve Frank battering a rival mob member’s head with a golf club and burying him in the Nevada desert, he did carry some money for them, from time to time.
Tiny, strange, British Queen-loving comedian Jerry Lewis (DVDs) was interviewed for a forthcoming Sinatra biography, and he offered the following snippet:
"He volunteered to be a messenger for them. And he almost got caught once … in New York"
The story goes that in 1946, Frank was carrying a suitcase containing three and a half million dollars through an airport, when customs officials stopped he in order to look inside his bag. They were put off, however, by the crowds of fans trying to get to Sinatra, so they let him go.
Jerry Lewis was apparently not a witness to this, but he recounts it as a fact of which he had knowledge.
It’s a very feasible story. Sinatra was known to be very good friends with organised criminals such as Lucky Luciano and Charles ‘Trigger Happy’ Fischetti, and a lot of his business activities were taken in partnership with mob bosses.
Hopefully, this new information will make the Sinatra copyists think again. hecklerspray would love to see some of the Westlfe monkeys tape up the owner of a Chinese restaurant and dangle him from a balcony because he didn’t keep up to date with protection money.
Or Simon Cowell (books) still riding high on the Pop Idol big band special, holding court at the back of a small Italian restaurant, ordering Gareth Gates (CDs) to put a bomb under Dr Fox‘s car.
How about you? What mob-related activities would you like to see today’s pop muppets involve themselves in? Leave your comments below.
Pre-order Sinatra: The Life from Amazon.co.uk and save a massive 40%
[story by Stuart Heritage]
Tobias says
If only I could be half as cool as one of Frank or Sammy’s toes.
Francine says
This may not be applicable, but I would like to see one of the muppets replace George Bush, I think Elmo would be a great candidate.
Anonymous says
Totally applicable Francine. Maybe we could get The Count from Sesame Street into office too?
RJJ says
Frank was a great singer………..but a total waste of skin as a person. He was a bully and particularly abusive to women.