Frank Sinatra - the Early Years Showcases Ol' Blue Eyes First Silver Screen Exploits

Warner Home Video is commemorating the 10th anniversary the passing of Frank Sinatra's death by the release of five new DVD collections. Frank Sinatra - The Early Years focuses on his early acting work in film.

Sinatra's acting debut came in Higher and Higher (1943), based on the musical play of the same name. It opens with the rich Mr. Drake finding out the bank is going to foreclose on his house in 30 days. His servants come up with a plan only found in the movies: they plan on marrying off a pretty young maid, Millie, to a wealthy husband, which would inexplicably infuse Drake with money and allow everyone to keep their jobs. The cast includes Jack Haley, Dooley Wilson, Mary Wickes, Victor Borge and Mel Torme is in his film debut. It's a standard romantic comedy of the time. RKO obviously didn't know how to use Sinatra yet because he feels forced into the story. He plays "Frank Sinatra" and though he sings four songs is a secondary character in the plot.

Step Lively (1944) is a remake of the Broadway play Room Service, which was previously made into a film for The Marx Brothers in 1938. The story is about Broadway producer Gordon Miller who juggles his debtors with his fast-talking ways and questionable tactics while trying to put on a show from his hotel room. Sinatra plays Glenn Russell, a playwright hoping to get Miller to produce a show he wrote. Miller has already cashed Russell's check and is looking for a way to get rid of him until he discovers what a great singer Russell is. Although not as funny as Room Service, an admittedly low bar as that's one of the weaker Marx Bros. movies, it's a mildly amusing musical with songs by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn.