His path was long. Tortuous. With ups and downs. But no matter which part of his career Frank Sinatra drove through, he had a stylish vehicle with him. Just like this Ford Thunderbird. That was in 1955, when he had himself photographed with this piece of jewelry by his friend, the Hollywood photographer Frank Worth. His right foot confidently resting on the bumper, his hands in his pockets, his hat casually slanted on his head, his gaze directed into the distance. In the next photo, he leans on the half-open driver’s door, fixing the camera. The hat, of course, still sits perfectly slanted. His gaze says something like, “Man, boy, it’s good to take pictures now, let’s get started.” And Ol’ Blue Eyes is already sitting in the car, casting another glance back at the photographer, smiling – and we can hear the V8 bubbling impatiently to finally let loose the 198 horses that slumber in this thunderbird onto the road.
And then he probably drove off, off through the streets of Los Angeles. The story began with the Thunderbird after a first trough at the end of the 1940s – and the comeback thanks to the role of Private Angelo Maggio in »Damned for All Eternity«. Sinatra won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor – despite all the rumours that the Mafia had helped with the casting. Nevertheless, Capitol Records in Los Angeles signed Sinatra and bought him the 1955 Ford Thunderbird, in which Frank Worth photographed him.
Sinatra expressed his gratitude for the trust with the album »Songs for Swingin’ Lovers«, which is still considered one of the most important recordings of the »Great American Songbook«. He was just as successful on the big screen as he was on the concert stages of Las Vegas. He was soon no longer alone in the gambling metropolis, but became the “Pack Master” of the Rat Pack, the legendary artist collective of Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford and Shirley MacLaine, who stirred up the Sands Hotel with their legendary stage shows between 1959 and 1966.
The trademark of the Rat Pack was not only their comedy and excesses, but also their attitude and elegant clothing, tailored in Los Angeles by Sy Devore, with which they defined the term coolness in a way that is still valid today. No less legendary are the visits to »La Dolce Vita«, the restaurant of his actor colleague George Raft. In 1971 he said his (first) farewell to show business, from which he would retire only two years later. The Voice continued to be a guest on stages around the world, followed by world hits such as 1979’s “New York, New York” about the cosmopolitan city that never sleeps and in which he wants to wake up – although he had been living in California since 1948, first in Palm Springs, later in the villa now for sale.
On May 14, 1998, Ol’Blue Eyes succumbed to a heart attack. In his honor, the lights were turned off for three minutes in Las Vegas. The Voice, however, lives on. In his songs. In pop music. In its incomparable style. And, who knows, maybe this guy in that sky-blue ’56 Thunderbird is the reincarnation of Frankie Boy. We, for one, wouldn’t mind.
Tips from the editors:
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ANNA: FROM THE LIFE OF A FASHION ICONSource: https://ramp.space/post/the-voice-der-donnervogel-und-la-auf-frank-sinatras-spuren
