WOMEN SWOON WHEN THEY HEAR HIM

New Zealand Listener, Volume 9, Issue 229, 12 November 1943, Page 13

WOMEN SWOON WHEN THEY HEAR HIM

Frank Sinatra’s Popularity Baffles The Psychiatrists

of Auckland, has written asking us to print a photograph of Frank Sinatra, saying "I’m sure I’m not the only listener who would appreciate a photo of this artist who is so fast becoming world famous." . CORRESPONDENT, D. B. Moore, So on this page we print a photograph of Frank Sinatra, which appeared in Life not so long ago. And to Life and to Time we are indebted for some information about this self-styled "bedroom singer," who is what tired press agents call the "current singing sensation" in the United States. Neither of these magazines appears to.take him as seriously as do his admirers. oe In Manhattan theatres, night clubs and radio theatres, long-haired, roundfaced little girls in their ‘teens sat transfixed — worshippers of a gaunt young man of 25 who looked as if he could do witha square meal and considerable mothering. Time records some of the reactions of his audiences: As Sinatra intoned Night-and-day-you-are-the-one, the juvenile assemblage squealed "Ohhhhhh!" He caught the eye of one in the front row. It was too much; she shrieked: "Frankie, you're killing me!" Sinatra cocks his head, hunches up his shoulders and caresses the microphone with one hand, or else fiddles with the wedding ring on his left hand, while. he purrs his songs, his eyes moistening: He sang "She’s funny that way," and came to the line "I’m not much to look at, nothin’ to see." The audience wailed "Oh, Frankie, yes you are!" He started to leave the stage, but the girls moaned, so he gave them an encore; he sang about "The mate that fate had me created for," whereupon members of

the audience stood up and _ whined "Here I am, Frankie!" or "Frankie, look at me!" "Unabashed Public Love" According to Time, never since the days of Rudolph Valentino has American womanhood made such unabashed public love to an entertainer. All this began last December, when Sinatra’s effect on an audience was noted by the press, and his press agents pulled out all the publicity stops, and began to multiply the inevitable fan clubs. In one of these, 40 middle-aged women play mah-jong regularly to the accompaniment of Sinatra recordings. Incredulous newspapermen canvassed his followers to find what it was that Sinatra did to them, ther were told things like this: "Right now all my insides hurt me and I gota terrible pate oe from listening to him." "Once I was sitting on the arm of a seat; he looked at me, and I fell right into the seat." "Madther’s terribly worried, and wants me to see a psychiatrist. I guess TI better had." "My sister saw him twice and she’s afraid to go again, because she’s engaged." Sinetra was singing for Harry James, and then Tommy Dorsey; he has made about 100,000 dollars since leaving Dorsey a year ago, but it has not affected him very much. His success has only. slightly disturbed his home life. His wife suffers it, saying: "I'd have to be very much in love with him to take this kind of thing." She cooks his spaghetti every day, and addresses him as "You great big public figure, you." He spends most of his spare time at home, end plans to have seven more children (he has’ one now). :