Posts from Hawkswill in thread „Frank Sinatra“

Hi Mark,

Yep, just print the legend, although after saying that, Ford made certain that twice, the legend was corrected although printed!

Same Henry. He is one of the nicest most unassuming people you will ever meet....not at all like The Fonz, LOL. That really took acting ability for him to play that role! He directed a little pic called Cop and a Half with Burt Reynolds and a great little black kid...funny little movie. Anyway, his production manager, Don West, came to Tampa early as usual and got the boats he needed from me. I talked him into a membership since he would be using so many. We got to be good friends and had some meetings with Henry and Burt. They filmed a lot off my two pontoon boats and I gave them two captains that knew the areas and could help them find places to shoot.....didn't see my guys for three weeks, LOL,. They loved it, of course and got to go to all the staff parties. After all the film folks left, Don and his family stayed at the house he had rented on the water. They took out a pontoon boat one day, and I FINALLY heard from them via the Coast Guard......they were high and dry....forgot all about the tides, ran the batteries down with music so couldn't call in on the VHF radio. Long story, but in one of Tampa's tremendous rain and lightning storms, I rescued their whole group....took two trips in my boat, the What Next, which is in my album. There was a Russian director's wife on the boat, and her derreier was so large, we couldn't get it between my 200 Yamaha motor and the side of the boat. We pulled and pushed and she laughed the whole time! Long story. So, yep it is Henry, and I will say Hello for yall. If I can find Don, he may be able to help me with my book a lot. He has directed, acted and done production. Sit Tall in the Saddle, Mark, KPKEITH

Doesn't sound real, but who knows.....all of my friends that could tell me for sure are dead. Will be talking to Henry Winkler soon and will ask him if he knows anyone still alive with an unpickled brain if they know about it. Pretty sure it wasn't Jilly....he wasn't as big as Duke. Now, it COULD have been Brad Dexter. He was big and barrel chested. He considerably advanced his acting and directing career when he saved Sinatra from drowning. And he had been known to put himself between Frank and any threatening fans...his size usually scared them off. Don't believe it would have with Duke, LOL! I knew Brad and his wife Mary who was very rich and extremely nice. We had dinner at their home in Holmby Hills, and Mary and I went out back to her beautiful herb garden for fresh herbs. Then, when my Mom and her friend flew out for the Dinah Shore Golf Classic at my club, Mission Hills, Brad and Mary let them use their ground floor condo right on the eighteenth hole. They stayed there 10 days. Brad and Mary met us there, handed over the keys, showed them everything all around the house and then showed us how they had stocked the fridge with delicacies if we decided to cook at home instead of going out....unreal. Anyone who is a golfer would know how nice that is to have! Uh Oh. Again, LOL. KPKEITH

Glad we got it all cleared up. In case some of you don't know, Gorch is a really cool guy who knows a whole lot more about some of this stuff than most of us do, LOL. KP KEITH Sit Tall in the Saddle

A possibility, but, well if it WAS Jilly, he was a funny kind of guy. Don't believe he would let that get out about him. I don't mean "funny" being the Ha Ha kind, LOL. KPKEITH

Well, Sue and Jim, I really can't say much about the incident with Frank's loud party and Duke's sucker punching anyone. Except....Frank before he got older ALWAYS had loud parties and never cared who they bothered. Duke, Ward and friends always had loud parties and never cared who they bothered. I am fairly certain that a lot of punches got thrown in a lot of places.....I mean, that was their fun. Jilly may have been the one to go down under Duke's punch, but I would be very surprised. As much as I love Duke and his legend, Jilly punched for real, LOL. Not too many people ever put Jilly down....in fact, I don't remember a story of that. I can't even imagine Duke trying.....Ward maybe, but Duke was smarter than Ward, LOL.......remember Ward is my favorite still!
Talked to Ethan about the cottage and all because he sent me a message saying yall were already doing it, but still haven't gotten a message to Colorado Bob. Having a hard time getting to him. Still haven't learned it all yet, LOL. Oh, my friend Gorch, I have found that I have scared the "Billy BiJeesus" out of him! Dang, and he used to answer my posts, LOL!
KP KEITH

Dang Gorch, and I thought we were almost friends. Chester7777 is the first one who friended me. I can't ask you big guys.....yall have to ask me. But then, I have to earn that, don't I. Well, as you say, I have been here about a week, only have about thirty some odd posts and most of them rambling ones at that, (some probably have 3 or 4 posts in one, LOL). But, they are all true......check out my albums on my profile and read the text for the pics. Had a super life, that is why the books. Everyone has always told me I should write about my life. I have always loved to write since I could, so........doing two. One on the Western slant, and the other on MY Gibbons for now. Dang, still wish Gibbons loved Westerns........I would have met them all! Instead, I got Sinatra, Bob Hope, and well, that is for another day.
I really am a nice old lady, Gorch. So funny...scare the Billy Bejeesus...sounds like something Ward would say in the Searchers....Hmmm,it was wasn't it...on the way to the river to escape the Indians!? Well, it was something similar anyway. Answer me please Gorch...I did you! KP KEITH

When they were younger, I imagine they didn't gel at all....ESPECIALLY with Ward to influence Duke. I believe that, as they got a good bit older, not only did Frank mellow out some, but they both appreciated the other's art form. Frank really DID become a much nicer person even in just the short three years that I knew him. I think I scared him a bit, but then, that is for the MY Gibbons book, LOL! KPKEITH

Oh Frank most definitely had mob ties. He was a very good friend of my boyfriend's, Harold Gibbons, the second vice president of the Teamsters Union. We had dinner together, usually at Jack London's in The Springs about once a month or so, and "attempted" golf once in a while at Tamarisk CC or my club, Mission Hills, (he was terrible, LOL). He was also a good friend of Peter Epstein who was involved too. I believe they met when Peter still had car dealerships in Chicago and one of the (we called them guys, not mob), got Frank to do some commercials for Peter.
Peter moved his dealerships to LA, San Bernadino and The Springs.
Frank's bodyguard, Jilly, lived next door to us. Pat Henry, his warm up guy, was next to Jilly. I loved Pat, he was so funny and a great guy. He and Frank played in a movie, (not so great), called LADY IN CEMENT, I think. Lots more to that, but it will be in the other book I am writing called MY Gibbons. Pretty sure Frank is mentioned in the Nixon tapes. He and Gibbons broke up for a while because of Nixon....Gibbons absolutely would not make the Teamster Executive Board unanimous behind Nixon for president. Sinatra thought Gibbons should support whomever he did. And yes, he was a brawler when he was drinking...that is what Jilly was for....getting him home before trouble started. Gibbon's chauffer was a GREAT friend of Mom Sinatra's. When we pulled into the Springs before I moved there, we always took George straight to Frank's compound and dropped him off....didn't see him until we were leaving and picked him up. The days before Frank's try at a comeback were very tense as he was greatly afraid he wouldn't be able to pull it off. We all chartered a plane to Vegas for it.....think it was at Caesar's. Anyway, it was obvious throughout the show that he was nervous, and he didn't do well. Back stage was NOT fun that night. But, later, he did MUCH better.
Guess who Frank always said had "the best pipes in the business"? Vic Damone! Yep, but he had no stage presence. Sorry, did it again. KP KEITH