This is in response my personal expierence with Frank Sanatra.

It was between 1940 and 1941. Tommy Dorsey was playing Hotel Lexington, New York at the "Coconut Grove" with the singer Jack Leonard.
Since my friend and myself were staying at the hotel, we had visted the orchstra that was entertaining that night. A new talent was going to perfrom that night called Frank Sanatra from Rustic Cabins in New Jersey. He was about 5'7", weighed about 140 lbs with a double breasted jacket with shoulder pads. He looked like a football player. To my dismay, the audience sat at round tables that were for two back to back. Frank Sanatra's chair and mine were back to back. Tommy Dorsey had the spot light focused on Frank only it shinned on me and he almost knocked me on the floor with his chair when he went to get up to sing. He sang "I'll never smile again" and then he sang "Marie". The audience was screaming and could not get enough of him. A new star was born that night. It was something that was breath taking to say the least.

I was not a friend of Frank Sinatra, but I have a vivid memory of him from long ago.
In the summer of 1941, when he was young and I was young, our paths crossed. The early 1940s were the years the big bands covered the country, bringing their wonderful up close. They frequently came to Virginia Beach, Virginia, which was my home.
When we heard that the Tommy Dorsey band was planning an engagement at the Cavalier Beach Club, my girlfriends and I caught the excitement.
Alas, we were too young to go with dates to the beach clubs, but our parents did allow us to attend the afternoon tea dances on weekends.
I remember well a lot of girl talk and giggling that Saturday afternoon as we located a table at the edge of the dance floor. We were early enough to watch the band members take their places.
Tommy Dorsey's drummer was the great Buddy Rich. I can still see Buddy's grin and hear his playful paradiddle that directed everyone's attention to the band. The singers were the Pied Pipers with Jo Stafford. The featured male singer was--of course Frank Sinatra. To say we were thrilled beyond words is putting it mildly! This was before Frank's earth-shaking appearance at the Paramount Theater in New York City when the "bobby soxers" went crazy over him. By comparison, my friends and I were quite subdued, but we had listened to his records for some time and new a really good voice when we heard it.
Sipping Cokes in tall glasses, we sat enthralled through one great number after another, including Frank's latest hit, "This Love of Mine." When the band left for intermission, we excitedly drew straws to see who would ask Frank to sign his autograph nine times. I was the one to go! I don't remember getting there, but suddenly Frank was sitting at a tiny table for two on the other side of the bandstand. With my heart pounding like the surf, I asked him to sign his name nine times--please. He flashed his handsome smile and asked me to join him, which of course, I did. He asked if I would like a chocolate sundae and then obligingly signed his name over and over for the girls. I must have answered his question, for the next thing I remember was a waiter bringing us sundaes.
We had a lively conversation. Looking back, I don't know how I managed to talk at all. He told me about his little girl Nancy, for whom the song "Nancy With the Laughing Face" was to come later. We discussed many things, including his mastoid operation and I told him how I narrowly missed having the same operation when I was seven. We discussed the fact that his birthday was December 12th and mine was December 14th. This was heady stuff for a 15-year old girl!
After thanking him profusely for the autographs, the sundae and his time, I somehow returned to the table of wide-eyed girls. It was hard for I was walking about six inches off the floor.
Frank couldn't have been more cordial and pleasant to me. He was 25 at the time, just starting his spectacular career. I was 15, unworldly and thrilled to meet him. It is a memory I have treasured from a time of innocence and truly memorable music.

When Frank Sinatra broke upon the scene in the early 1940's & was performing at the Paramount in NYC,I was a pre-teen living in Utica, NY. On a Family trip to NYC we walked out of our hotel & were confronted by a screaming mass of teen-agers surrounding a young man & clamoring for his autograph. I didn't even know who he was but I pushed through & did get his autograph. News was late getting to Utica! However, when I returned home all my friends were ga-ga over Frank Sinatra & they were astonished that I had met him & secured his autograph. During one of those WW II days, my Junior High School had an auction, the proceeds going towards the War Effort. I donated my autograph & it was gobbled up for an amount I don't remember. I was so sorry to sacrifice
Frank's autograph but proud that I had done something to enhance our War Effort.

It was way back in the 1940's, whin I was a youngster in Quincy, Ma, that I was blest with kind cousins, who let me tag along with them to the big city of Boston, to see the new singing sensation Frank Sinatra IN PERSON. At first, when Frank came on stage, I was annoyed at girls standing up in fromt of me so I cound not see him, and screaming so I could not hear him. But oh --- when he started to sing, everyone quieted down! Soon I was swaying with the rest of the girls, enthralled with the dreamy music of OLE
Blue Eyes whom I will never ever forget.