laureatedvd.com

[Ron Clive]

I've been an admirer of Sinatra the singer for many years but I never thought that he was much of an actor until somebody told me about The Man With the Golden Arm. Having only recently bought a DVD player, I decided to buy the new DVD of this film and it's terrific. I never knew Sinatra was capable of such great acting.

Also the DVD itself is loaded with extras that increased my enjoyment. Are there any more great Sinatra acting performances that I should know about ?

[Ken Barnes]

Dear Ron Clive,

Glad you liked the DVD of MWTGA. It seems to be meeting with approval from all quarters and looks like its headed for respectable commercial results.

You asked if there were any further films that showed off Frank Sinatra's acting ability. Yes, there are several films that offer good examples of Sinatra the actor.The one that I would recommend unhesitatingly is "The Manchurian Candidate." This was Sinatra's own personal favourite of all the films he made. Happily it's on DVD and it's an excellent film in every way. Great script, top notch direction ( from the late John Frankenheimer - who also delivers a great audio commentary ). "From Here to Eternity" is another fine film that's on DVD and this is the one for which Sinatra won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. There are one or two other films that you should look out for - not all of them are available on video or DVD " The Detective " is one to look out for.And I wouldn't be much of a DVD producer if I didn't mention our other Sinatra film "Suddenly" ( available on Laureate with some interesting extras ).

Hope this is of some help. Thanks for getting in touch.

Ken

[Jim Patterson]

Talking of Sinatra the actor, how about a film that shows his acting ability AND his singing. I'm talking about "Meet Danny Wilson." This 1952 gem has been ignored for years. It's never shown on TV and it's never had a VHS release in the U.K. Considering Sinatra's wide popularity, I find this hard to understand.

Is there any chance that Universal would release this as a DVD - with Ken Barnes adding all those fabulous Laureate extras ? I know that every Sinatra fan would snap this up without a moment of hesitation.

Jim Patterson

[Paul Bristow]

I was surprised that Ron Clive was unaware of Sinatra's acting ability - and I fully endorse Jim Patterson's view that "Meet Danny Wilson" is a great example of Sinatra the actor and the singer. But let's not forget the great Crosby. Bing's 1954 film "The Country Girl" is just as impressive. He should have won the Academy Award as Best Actor for that year because, in my opinion, it was an even better performance than the winner (Brando for "On The Waterfront").

Both "Meet Danny Wilson" and "The Country Girl" deserve to be on DVD. Can you people at Laureate do anything about it?

[Dominic McHugh]

I agree. I think that 'On the Waterfront' is slightly charmless; it has dated rather badly and is not perhaps worth quite the fuss that's made about it. On the other hand, and with my musician's hat on, it does have that superb score by Bernstein, which is perhaps its attractive quality nowadays.

So many films gain the status of being great because of their music - it's a shame the contents don't always live up to the talented composers which serve them.

Dominic

[Ron Philips]

While "The Manchurian Candidate" is probably Frank Sinatra's best acting performance ( along with "The Man With The Golden Arm" ), I've often wondered why we see so little of "Meet Danny Wilson." This 1952 film may not be an acknowledged masterpiece but it holds up extremely well as a Sinatra vehicle. It was really the first truly dramatic part that he played and his singing in this film is really outstanding. I can't understand why Universal haven't rushed this much underrated little film onto DVD. Sinatra fans - and there are certainly plenty of them out there - would snap this up without a moment's hesitation.

[James LM]

As well as Kim Novak and Eleanor Parker, cast members Darren McGavin, Arnold Stang and John Conte are still with us. As are asst editor Tony de Zarraga, make-up artist Ben Lane and possibly asst director James Engle. Could not some of these people be persuaded to record an audio commentary as this film is considred quite important in film history.

As for Meet Danny Wilson, if a studio was to concentrate on SEs of its back catalogue, they could not do better than start with the work of a director who is still alive such as Joseph Pevney, to record an audio commentary (with Sheely Winters in this case?), health pending.

[Jon Clements]

Dear Ken Barnes,

Having bought your terrific DVDs of Holiday Inn and Citizen Kane, I spotted this "50th Anniversary" DVD of Young At Heart and wrongly assumed it to be your work. Unfortunately, it was a big disappointment.

What was meant by the "50th Anniversary" tag, I just don't know because nowhere in this expensive DVD was there any further mention of a 50th anniversary. The chaptering was clumsy and unhelpful and it look like it was thrown together by people who couldn't care less.

If it wasn't such a good film I would be tempted to return it - but I still feel as though Universal have cheated me. I will certainly be wary of their product in the future.

[James LM]

Arnold Stang has 'retired' and now lives in good health in New York if you were still looking for people to record am audio commentary with.

[Ken Barnes]

Thanks, James. I'll pass this news on to Hart Sharp Video in New York.

We are still working on the DVD - which will be a 50th Anniversary 2-disc edition. Tentative release date is March,2005. So there may be time to add another interview or commentary.

Watch this space.

Ken

[James LM]

Well if Harp Sharp Video are based in New york, it would be adoddle. I can get a contact address if you want one.

[Ken Barnes]

Thanks, James. If you have a contact address and/or telephone number, please e-mail it to me at info@laureatedvd.com - and I'll pass it on to Hart Sharp.

Regards
Ken

[Margaret Worth]

One of Frank Sinatra's best films - never shown on TV and never issued on VHS - would make a wonderful DVD is MEET DANNY WILSON. Any chance of a Laureate edition of this one ?

[James LM]

I agree about MEET DANNY WILSON, especially as the film's director (JOSEPH PEVNEY) is still with us and could be persuaded to record an audio commentary.

[Ken Barnes]

I mentioned this film several times to Universal and they have done nothing about it. However, I will put it to Sinatra Enterprises and see if they can exert any influence. I fully agree that this is an important Sinatra film that should be available on DVD.