SHIP AHOY

[Dothery]

I recorded this, but I couldn't remember why until I watched it last night. There was my Frankie, as he was with Tommy Dorsey, square hair and all, singing "Last Call for Love," one of my favorites, and "Poor You," another, and the Pied Pipers with Jo Stafford singing with him. I think he was about 24 then, or 25.

 

He was pretty much owned by TD, who refused to release him from his contract when he started to hit it big, and sewed up all his money for a long, long time to let him go. Finally Sinatra managed to buy himself out of it. But at this point, when he made this movie, the feud was a way off and they were fairly civil. I remember those years and those songs, outside the movie as well. And "I'll Never Smile Again," again with Frank and the Pied Pipers.

 

His vibrato was really pretty good at that point, though all the smoking he did later did it in, and style was more his forte than the quality of the voice. I saw him live in New York in 1952, and he was really going downhill vocally. A shame. He had a beautiful voice to begin with but abused it. Mitch Miller said it was a fragile voice.

 

Anyway it was nice to see him so young and so good and hear those great old songs.