Suddenly

[Ron Ecker]

This 1954 Sinatra film about a presidential assassination attempt is on Turner Classic Movies today (March 8) at 6:30 PM EST.

Edited March 8, 2013 by Ron Ecker

[David Andrews]

Suddenly is interesting in that it seems to connect organized crime, or at least hired guns, to a political assassination by rifle shot.

[J. Raymond Carroll]

The movie features another fine performance by

the late great Frank Sinatra, as the main assassin.

A number of anti-Oswald books have suggested

that the movie inspired him to become an assassin himself.

Once you see the movie, you will realize

that this suggestion is laughable.

The assassins come to a very nasty end

[Pat Speer]

Several years ago, I did some research on the movie, and found some interesting connections. There's an old thread on it somewhere. Anyway, as I remember it, the screenwriter was married to the niece of screenwriter Anita Loos. Loos was close with Joseph Schenk, the film executive responsible for putting Johnny Rosselli away...if only temporarily. Rosselli had served in WW@, and was proud of his service. The hit man played by Sinatra in the movie was noticeably Italian-American, and also proud of his service. His name was Johnny Barron, if I recall. Well, the FBI agent responsible for nailing Rossell was named Jack Barron, or something similar.

It seemed logical from this that the screenwriter had based this character on Rosselli, and that Sinatra had done the film in part to mess with Rosselli, a man whom he knew well, but apparently didn't like all that much. There's a tape transcript somewhere of Giancana complaining about Kennedy, and how Sinatra had promised him that if they helped Kennedy get elected the Justice Dept. would lay off, where Rosselli recommends they do something to Frank.

Sam said no, because he liked Frankie's singing.

[J. Raymond Carroll]

There's a tape transcript somewhere of Giancana complaining about Kennedy, and how Sinatra had promised him that if they helped Kennedy get elected the Justice Dept. would lay off, where Rosselli recommends they do something to Frank.

Sam said no, because he liked Frankie's singing.

I defy you to produce that tape Pat

because a study from Northeastern University

a few years ago showed that voting patterns in Chicago in 1960

were identical to 1956.

Sounds like you are swallowing and disseminating

misinformation.

Edited March 9, 2013 by J. Raymond Carroll

[Ron Ecker]

Watched it again. Sinatra does give a great performance. (This was right after he won an Oscar for From Here to Eternity.) There's a couple of shots where he looks directly into camera while talking to the others. Creepy, and I wonder if it was his idea.

I've read that there's a colorized version of the movie, in which Ol' Blue Eyes has brown eyes.

[Pat Speer]

There's a tape transcript somewhere of Giancana complaining about Kennedy, and how Sinatra had promised him that if they helped Kennedy get elected the Justice Dept. would lay off, where Rosselli recommends they do something to Frank.

Sam said no, because he liked Frankie's singing.

I defy you to produce that tape Pat

because a study from Northeastern University

a few years ago showed that voting patterns in Chicago in 1960

were identical to 1956.

Sounds like you are swallowing and disseminating

misinformation.

I went back and found the tape transcript. It was in Kitty Kelly's book on Sinatra. From what I can tell, you were right. The tape does not refer to Giancana's helping in the election, but to Sinatra's helping in the election, and Kennedy's unwillingness to repay this debt by cutting off Bobby's prosecution of Giancana. Rosselli advises Giancana to show them the "other side" of himself. In a separate tape, Johnny Formose, NOT Johnny Rosselli, tells Giancana they should hit Frank.

So I was wrong on two points. The tape does not specify that Giancana helped in the election, and it was someone else, not Rosselli, who said they should hit Frank.

The sloppiness of memory.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Pat Speer

[David Von Pein]

A very good film (IMO):

http://classic--movies.blogspot.com/2011/04/suddenly.html

http://dvp-video-audio-archive.blogspot.com/2012/03/suddenly-1954-movie.html

[J. Raymond Carroll]

The sloppiness of memory.

THank you for that response, Pat.

I have long respected your integrity as a researcher

so I was a bit shocked when I saw your post.

As for memory, I could write a book about the sloppiness of my own memory

but it would probably be totally inaccurate.

[J. Raymond Carroll]

I am a big Sinatra fan, and saw him once in concert.

He was 77 years old at the time, and he was a great advertisement

for old age.

My favorite Christmas gift last year

was a new biography by a guy named Kaplan.

It was only volume one, and I am looking forward to volume two.

Sinatra was born with a great gift

but Kaplan's biography makes it clear

that he worked like a demon

to perfect his craft.

JFK won the 1960 election by a narrow margin

and I credit Sinatra and Ella Fitgerald

for putting him over the top.