Sinatra and Me: In the Wee Small Hours by Tony Oppedisano

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Web ID: 13393819

An intimate, revealing portrait of Frank Sinatra-from the man closest to the famous singer during the last decade of his life.More than a hundred books have been written about legendary crooner and actor Frank Sinatra. Every detail of his life seems to captivate: his career, his romantic relationships, his personality, his businesses, his style. But a hard-to-pin-down quality has always clung to him-a certain elusiveness that emerges again and again in retrospective depictions. Until now. From Sinatra's closest confidant and an eventual member of his management team, Tony Oppedisano, comes an extraordinarily intimate look at the singing idol. Deep into the night, for more than two thousand nights, Frank and Tony would converse-about music, family, friends, great loves, achievements and successes, failures and disappointments, the lives they'd led, the lives they wished they'd led. In these full-disclosure conversations, Sinatra spoke of his close yet complex relationship with his father, his conflicts with record companies, his carousing in Vegas, his love affairs with some of the most beautiful women of his era, his triumphs on some of the world's biggest stages, his complicated relationships with his talented children, and, most important, his dedication to his craft.

  • Product Features

    • Author - Tony Oppedisano
    • Publisher - Scribner
    • Publication date - 06-08-2021
    • Page count - 320
    • Hardcover
    • Adult
    • Music
    • Product dimensions - 6.1 W x 9.1 H x 1.2 D
    • ISBN-13 - 9781982151782
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2 reviews
*TUDOR^QUEEN*
4 years ago
from New Jersey

Tony was as close as you could get to Sinatra!

4 Stars My love for entertainment biographies drew me to this tome, especially since I had only a generic knowledge of ole "Blue Eyes". I was first lured in by Sinatra's music when I saw the delightful sleeper film "Once Around" in the early 90's. The movie was about a close knit Italian family. Their daughter Renata (Holly Hunter) met much older, wildly successful entrepreneur Sam (Richard Dreyfuss) and their unlikely romance was a whirlwind that led to marriage. At that highbrow wedding, Renata's father (played by Danny Aiello) took the microphone from the wedding band to address the couple, summing it all up by singing the song that was swirling around them since their relationship's inception: "Fly me to the Moon". I was swept away by this very romantic song, and later downloaded/purchased Sinatra's infectious live performance of this track. Author Tony Oppedisano aka "Tony O" met Sinatra at the age of 21 and ultimately became his best friend and work colleague by the time of Sinatra's death. Tony was so trusted by the Sinatra family that he was with him at the moment of death, accompanied him to the hospital morgue and was the last person to lay eyes on him when his casket was closed. Oppedisano was born in Brooklyn to an Italian family, although his reddish hair was an irony. He was like an old soul and loved to sing music like Sinatra's. Performing in clubs, he eventually met and befriended NY club owner Jilly Rizzo. Up until that point Jilly was Sinatra's very best friend and right hand man when Sinatra toured in concert. On December 8, 1972 Tony was at Jilly's and finally met Sinatra. Eventually Jilly, Tony and Sinatra became a trio of best friends, but Tony's ultimate loyalty was to Jilly. Tony moved to California to live and work with his new friends. When Jilly unexpectedly died in a grizzly car accident one night, Tony assumed the role of Sinatra's closest friend and confidant. Sinatra's ultimate happy place was a compound he owned in the California desert, and he and Tony would sit around the pool with Jack Daniels talking into the wee hours of the morning. Sinatra's normal time to get up to start his day was 3pm, so that shows just how long they would jaw into the dawn. They talked about so many things like Frank's enduring love for his first wife Nancy Sr., his view of just how Marilyn Monroe died, his relationship with the mob and his secret charity donations. This book also confirmed a surprising story that was recently revealed in author Bill O'Reilly's new book "Killing the Mob" about the mob contract out on actor/producer Desi Arnaz. I also enjoyed reading about Sinatra and Tony's friendships with other iconic entertainment stars of the time, particularly Don Rickles (Tony worked with him before and after Sinatra's death) and Dean Martin. It also was very interesting learning of the dynamic of Sinatra's final marriage to Barbara Marx, and her tumultuous relationship with the children from Sinatra's first marriage to Nancy Sr. It was very obvious that Tony was as close as you could get as a friend to Sinatra, which led to a very enjoyable and meaningful first read about this Italian American entertainment icon. Thank you to the publisher Scribner for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

Susan D
4 years ago
from New Haven, CT

Great memories of Tony and the Chairman

Tony Oppedisano writes affectionately and effectively about his years as Frank Sinatra’s friend, manager and confidante. Much has been written about Sinatra but this intimate look focuses on the many discussions and revelations made ‘in the wee hours’. From his early days as a teenage idol crooner to his reign as the Chairman of the Board, Sinatra’s journey was peppered with lovers, wives, friends, successes and failures. Tony Oppedisano knew the man and describes the people, places and moments with such flair that I felt as if I was there. His words are atmospheric, his respect and love for Sinatra is palpable. Tony was with Sinatra until the day he died. He was there through it all and his memories make us see the man in a light as vibrant as his career. I highly recommend this book and thank NetGalley, Tony Oppedisano and Scribner for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com