Frank Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998)

A Hollywood legend that certainly needs no introduction, Ol' Blue Eyes would have celebrated his 108th birthday on December 12th.

Frank Sinatra had a lifelong career as an award-winning singer and film actor, and had been determined to break into the music business from a young age, performing at gig after gig where, with his intense musicality, he had the girls eating out of his hand.

By December 1942, Sinatramania had well and truly begun, and there was no looking back.

As well as his success as a musician, television and movie star, Frank Sinatra also performed on many radio shows, becoming the star of various radio shows of his own during the golden age of radio, and in 1953 in particular, he starred in the NBC radio program Rocky Fortune. 

His character, Rocko Fortunato (aka Rocky Fortune) was a temp worker for the Gridley Employment Agency who stumbled into crime-solving by way of the odd jobs to which he was dispatched. 

The series aired on NBC radio Tuesday nights from October 1953 to March 1954, following the network's crime drama hit Dragnet. During the final months of the show, just before the 1954 Oscars, it became a running gag that Sinatra would manage to work the phrase "from here to eternity" into each episode, a reference to his Oscar-nominated performance.

There's a whole heap more Frank Sinatra shows on RUSC, including three musical series, Songs By Sinatra, To Be Perfectly Frank, and Light-Up Time, and other shows in which he has starred in, which you can find listed on RUSC by clicking this link or entering his name in the search to the left. Wow there are ten pages! 

We also created a special Frank Sinatra radio station for non-stop listening! 

Check it out by clicking the link below...

Frank Sinatra Radio Station

I love listening to Frank Sinatra, especially at this time of year as his voice lends itself to the festive season. Choose the shows aired in December and you'll be sure to be delighted with a merry tune of Let It Snow or Silent Night. Here's an episode of Songs By Sinatra topped and tailed with those two beautiful songs.

Frank's favorite toast was said to be, "May you live to be 100, and may the last voice you hear be mine."

Sadly, he never made it to 100 years old himself, passing away in May 1998 at the age of 82. However, thankfully his timeless voice can still be heard playing in restaurants and bars across the world.

Happy 108th Birthday Frank!