"SUDDENLY" 1954 Sinatra/Hayden SPOILERS

[Dr Doran]

SPOILERS!!

Has anyone seen this marvelous little film?
Sterling Hayden is a cop aiming (romantically) for a young widow with a son. Sinatra plays a horrible, rather "klein-Nietzschean" sociopath sniper. The President of the USA is taking a train through the small town of Suddenly whose name provides two jokes in the film. Sinatra has been dispatched by unknown employers to assassinate the Prez. Some of his talk sounds a lot like the rich college-boy killers' junior-league Nietzsche worship in Hitchcock's masterful Rope except Sinatra is a snarling orphan veteran and not a preppie twit.

 

[Mr. 'H']

Wow! I was explaining to colleagues on Friday how this film was hushed up. What a cool movie....

"Say Officer, is this town called Suddenly?"

 

[Doctor Strange]

It's a great little movie with one of Frank's best dramatic performances - and it's still nearly unknown even now!

I always thought it would make a swell double feature with the somewhat similar "The Desperate Hours".

 

[Mr. 'H']

Sinatra apparently wanted it hushed up after JFK was shot.

 

[Dr Doran]

Hushed up? Intriguing, and who can blame Frankie?

Honestly, I could never stand the style of music of which Frankie stands emblematic. Dean Martin either. It always struck me as insincere. (NO, I do not wish to pursue this topic on the Fedora Lounge. That would be like saying I hate Thucydides to people in my field. Or telling Catholics you don't much care for the Virgin Mary.)

But Frank's acting intensity, his sincerity in this movie ... sinister, superb, frightening. Impressive.

Loved him in it.

He either must have known some people like that (understandable considering his mob connections, if I understand correctly) or he has some genius at acting. Or both.

A nasty damaged sick little creep.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

For fans of classic cartoons, you can see veteran voice actor Paul Frees in this movie in a bit part. You've heard him many times, but how often have you seen his face?

 

[Dr Doran]

For fans of classic cartoons, you can see veteran voice actor Paul Frees in this movie in a bit part. You've heard him many times, but how often have you seen his face?

(Nice closing quote, Tony. I adored the new James Bond flick.)

 

[Doctor Strange]

Frees appeared on camera occasionally. He was one of the scientists in the original 1950 version of "The Thing". When they first find the saucer under the ice and spread out to determine its size, he gets the classic line, "Why, it's *round*."

 

[Hondo]

Sir, you have the wrong film, it was "The Manchurian Candidate" 1962, with reference to JFK, which came out in 63, "SUDDENLY" produced in 1954, came out in 1955.

BTW: Doran, Thanks for bring this Sinatra film up, I have never heard of it, just read reviews, sure to be on my list, sounds great, Thanks!

Sinatra apparently wanted it hushed up after JFK was shot.

 

[Dr Doran]

Sir, you have the wrong film, it was "The Manchurian Candidate" 1962, with reference to JFK, which came out in 63, "SUDDENLY" produced in 1954, came out in 1955.

BTW: Doran, Thanks for bring this Sinatra film up, I have never heard of it, just read reviews, sure to be on my list, sounds great, Thanks!

Now that would make more sense. JFK was assassinated in 63 of course, and I had been thinking, "Hmmm, suppressing a film 8 years after it came out ... odd ... "
Speaking of JFK, I just ordered it from GreenCine (like Netflix, but more of a concentration on small movies; also, dirty movies are not forbidden). I have not seen it since it came out in the theaters and I'm looking forward to Stone's magic.

 

[Mr. 'H']

Sir, you have the wrong film, it was "The Manchurian Candidate" 1962, with reference to JFK, which came out in 63, "SUDDENLY" produced in 1954, came out in 1955.

BTW: Doran, Thanks for bring this Sinatra film up, I have never heard of it, just read reviews, sure to be on my list, sounds great, Thanks!

No, no.... I am right about this :

Read the first trivia piece here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047542/trivia

This is the film that Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly watched just a few days before assassinating President John F. Kennedy, a fact that Frank Sinatra learned years after the tragedy, prompting him to withdraw the film from circulation.

 

[Dr Doran]

No, no.... I am right about this :

Read the first trivia piece here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047542/trivia

Interesting! OK.

 

[Hondo]

Oh trick trivia huh? You may be correct now that you said the film "Lee Harvey Oswald" watched, you didn't say that in your post

Yes! Interesting!

No, no.... I am right about this :

Read the first trivia piece here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047542/trivia

 

[dhermann1]

For fans of classic cartoons, you can see veteran voice actor Paul Frees in this movie in a bit part. You've heard him many times, but how often have you seen his face?

Actually, I think I've seen him in small roles in a lot of 50's Sci Fi flicks. The voice jumps out at you.
Yes, I've seen that flick! VERY claustrophobic! I didn't quite buy the premise, but Frankie was great. My mother's instant reaction whenever Sinatra's name was mentioned was "thug!", but I learned to appreciate him when I heard his early Dorsey work. No wonder they called him "The Voice". His later post 50's work does have a certain slickness to it, but Jonathan Schwartz has completely convinced me of Frank's greatness. But anybody can feel free to disagree with me on that topic!
But, yes, very interesting flick. Visually, it's very 50's, sharper photography than a 40's noir, and the clean cut little kid is reminiscent of the Beaver. Quite odd.

 

[eniksleestack]

Actually, I think I've seen him in small roles in a lot of 50's Sci Fi flicks. The voice jumps out at you.

Yeah, Paul Frees has bit part in The Thing From Another World. (A great "commercial" for the fairly new US Air Force.) To me me he'll always be the voice of Disneyland's now defunct Adventures Through Innerspace ride -- "MAGNIFICATION!"

Suddenly is great, although the ending is a bit silly. Unfortunately the only version of this I've been able to locate is a cheap DVD transfer from the 99 Cent Store.

 

[Dr Doran]

My mother's instant reaction whenever Sinatra's name was mentioned was "thug!", but I learned to appreciate him when I heard his early Dorsey work. No wonder they called him "The Voice". His later post 50's work does have a certain slickness to it.

Please tell me what early stuff to get especially if it is available on Amazon. I am always ready to learn something new and my vintage friends look VERY VERY VERY askance (as you might guess!) if I ever mention my true feelings about Frank to them.

 

[dhermann1]

Please tell me what early stuff to get especially if it is available on Amazon. I am always ready to learn something new and my vintage friends look VERY VERY VERY askance (as you might guess!) if I ever mention my true feelings about Frank to them.

I have an old cassette that someone made for me of a triple album (vinyl, shows how old it is) of all 81 songs Sinatra recorded with Tommy Dorsey from around 1940 to 42. He also sang with Harry James before that. Beautiful light voice, and impeccable musicianship.

 

[Dr Doran]

I have an old cassette that someone made for me of a triple album (vinyl, shows how old it is) of all 81 songs Sinatra recorded with Tommy Dorsey from around 1940 to 42. He also sang with Harry James before that. Beautiful light voice, and impeccable musicianship.

Sounds like that's the thing for me to find. It's a compilation your friend made? OK, so I will look for something like that on CD. thank you. I really want to join the club, I just have never been able to.

(It's kind of like sports. I am incapable of caring about watching sports, as much as I try. The closest I ever came to liking sports is personally doing boxing and martial arts, but that's not watching them, it's hitting and getting hit, which is fun.)