#frank-sinatra

The year 1962 had the UK abuzz with excitement for something fab besides the Fab Four — Frank Sinatra was rumored that season to be traveling to London to make some sweet music across the pond. 

Indeed, he did end up in London that June, where he captured Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain.  Recorded over three consecutive nights at London’s CTS Studios, Great Songs From Great Britain would be the only album Sinatra would ever record outside of the United States.

These performances will be re-mastered and re-released December 16 as Sinatra: London, a boxed collection which will also include a host of rare gems from the iconic star’s time in Britain. Yahoo Music is excited to premiere one of these performances, the classic “You Make Me Feel So Young,” to get you in the holiday mood! 

October 13: “The Edsel Show” with Crosby and Sinatra airs on this date in 1957

No car ever received — or likely will ever get again — the introduction that the Edsel did. Henry Ford II was determined to make the Edsel a pillar of the company, and his marketing team used every weapon they had. Ford called the Edsel’s debut “E Day,” and had the windows of the new Edsel dealers covered until the car could be revealed in September 1957. On this date in 1957, Ford took over Ed Sullivan’s time slot on CBS with a live one-hour special: “The Edsel Show,” starring Bing Crosby and featuring Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Rosemary Clooney and Bob Hope.

Photo courtesy of William Morris

Jack Carter, one of the last of the great multi-talented performers — a comedian, singer, dancer, and actor who performed in theater, movies, and especially television — has died. He was 93. 

In his prime in the 1950s and ‘60s, Carter exuded confidence and a well-earned swagger; he took command of any stage he was on. He had a gravelly voice that made him seem like a tough guy, an image undercut nicely by his impish smile. Thin and loose-limbed, Carter gestured with long arms and big hands — you couldn’t help but notice the way he’d shoot his tuxedo cuffs and waggle his cuff-links. 

Carter was an aggressive stand-up comic, releasing punchlines like bullets; he was a fixture on variety shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Judy Garland, Jackie Gleason, and Perry Como. While he never got the big break of overseeing a TV variety show for any significant length of time — the kind of showcase that made other comics of his generation like Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, and Gleason stars — Carter was a superb guest everywhere he appeared. Check out his stand-up act on The Judy Garland Show: 

Carter began his career in the theater, appearing mostly in musicals. He had a lengthy career in Las Vegas as both an opening act for singers such as Frank Sinatra, and was a headliner himself. He appeared in scores of TV shows and movies, but never caught that one role that would establish him as a bigger star. (One TV history footnote: Carter appeared as Arthur Spooner in the King of Queens pilot, but was replaced by Jerry Stiller, with Carter’s scenes re-shot.)

Carter was a great guest, on game shows as well as talk shows. Watch the way he charms the hell out of an audience in 1962, with Jerry Lewis hosting The Tonight Show: