Sinatra (miniseries)

Sinatra
Promotional poster
GenreBiography
Drama
Written byWilliam Mastrosimone
Abby Mann
Directed byJames Steven Sadwith
StarringPhilip Casnoff
Olympia Dukakis
Joe Santos
Gina Gershon
Nina Siemaszko
Marcia Gay Harden
Theme music composerArtie Butler
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerTina Sinatra
ProducerRichard M. Rosenbloom
Production locationsHoboken, New Jersey
Union Station - 800 N. Alameda Street, Downtown, Los Angeles
CinematographyReynaldo Villalobos
EditorsSteve Potter
Scott Vickrey
Running time250 min; 60 min (4 episodes)
Production companiesTS Productions
Warner Bros. Television
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseNovember 8 (1992-11-08) –
November 10, 1992 (1992-11-10)

Sinatra is a 1992 CBS biographical drama miniseries about singer Frank Sinatra, developed and executive produced by Frank's youngest daughter Tina Sinatra and approved by Frank himself.[1][2][3] Directed by James Steven Sadwith, produced by Richard M. Rosenbloom, and written by William Mastrosimone and Abby Mann. It stars Philip Casnoff, Olympia Dukakis, Joe Santos, Gina Gershon, Nina Siemaszko, Bob Gunton, and Marcia Gay Harden, with some of Sinatra's vocals recreated by Tom Burlinson. It won two and was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, along with a win and two nominations for a Golden Globe Award. Released on November 8, 1992, it was re-released on a two-disc DVD Warner Home Video on May 13, 2008.[4]

Plot

Frank Sinatra (Casnoff) emerges from Hoboken, New Jersey, the son of local politician Natalie "Dolly" Sinatra (Dukakis) and fireman Anthony "Marty" Sinatra (Santos). Beginning his career as a singer for the Harry James (Posey) and Tommy Dorsey (Gunton) big bands, Sinatra struggles to keep his marriage to his teenage sweetheart Nancy Barbato (Gershon). Before long, his talent catapults him to both music and movie fame, but his personal failings place his career and marriage in danger. He endures tumultuous marriages and divorces with starlets Ava Gardner (Harden) and Mia Farrow (Siemaszko) while juggling his movie and singing careers and forming significant friendships with an ambitious young senator named John F. Kennedy (Kelly) and powerful Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana (Steiger).

Cast

Production

Filming

Filming was shot on location in Hoboken, New Jersey, and at the Los Angeles Union Station in California.

Reception

The series got a mostly positive reception but was accused of whitewashing the controversial aspects of Frank Sinatra's life.[1][5][6][7][8][9]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1993
 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Episode from a Television Mini-Series Scott Vickrey (for "Part I") Nominated [10]
American Society of Cinematographers Awards Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Miniseries Reynaldo Villalobos Nominated [11]
Artios Awards Best Casting for TV Miniseries Marcia Ross and Robert Litvak Nominated [12]
Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Won [13]
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Philip Casnoff Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Olympia Dukakis Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries Tina Sinatra and Richard M. Rosenbloom Nominated [14]
[15]
[16]
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special James Steven Sadwith Won
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special Veronica Hadfield, Richard L. Johnson,
Cindy Carr, and Robin Royce (for "Part I") 		Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special Reynaldo Villalobos (for "Part I") Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special Shelley Komarov (for "Part I") Won
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special –
Single Camera Production 		Scott Vickrey (for "Part I") Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special Bette Iverson and Adele Taylor (for "Part I") Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Direction Artie Butler (for "Part I") Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Special Maury Harris, Wayne Artman,
Robert Fernandez, and Tom E. Dahl
(for "Part I") 		Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b "COVER STORY : Is This Really His Life? : Frank Sinatra blessed a TV bio with daughter Tina as executive producer. Cynics have already cried whitewash. But the CBS miniseries script includes the heartbreaks, the fights and the Mob. The question is: Why did he allow it?". Los Angeles Times. July 26, 1992.
  2. ^ "SINATRA PORTRAIT RINGS WITH TRUTH AND CLARITY". Orlando Sentinel. 8 November 1992.
  3. ^ Strum, Charles (November 8, 1992). "TELEVISION; Sinatra: The Idol, The Institution, The Mini-Series". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  4. ^ "DVD Talk". www.dvdtalk.com.
  5. ^ "TELEVISION". Los Angeles Times. January 23, 1992.
  6. ^ O'Connor, John J. (November 6, 1992). "TV Weekend; Sinatra: The Good, the Bad, and Mostly the Music". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  7. ^ "GETTING SEMI-TOUGH WITH FRANK SINATRA". Chicago Tribune. 6 November 1992.
  8. ^ "SINATRA THE MINI-SERIES". Chicago Tribune. 27 May 1992.
  9. ^ November 06, Ken Tucker Updated; EST, 1992 at 05:00 AM. "Sinatra". EW.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "The ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography". American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on 2011-08-02.
  12. ^ "1993 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America. October 19, 1993. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "Sinatra". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  14. ^ "SINATRA". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  15. ^ "THE 45th ANNUAL EMMY AWARDS: Presenting the Prime of Primetime". Los Angeles Times. September 20, 1993.
  16. ^ "Emmy Award Nominations 1993: Nighttime Nominees: A Complete Rundown". Los Angeles Times. July 23, 1993.
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