Singer and film star Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) grew up poor and lower class in Hoboken, New Jersey. Once he made it big in showbiz (thanks to help from his Mafia cronies), he obsessed about fitting in with the upper class. He wormed his way into politics, using his Hollywood star power to campaign and fundraise for Democratic heavyweights such as Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. In attaching himself to men of honor, Sinatra hoped to achieve the respectability he craved.
Sinatra had cultivated a relationship with President Kennedy through movie star Peter Lawford, who was married to the president’s sister, Pat.
In March 1962, the president was scheduled to fly to Southern California. Peter Lawford asked Sinatra to be the president’s host at his Palm Springs estate. Sinatra was thrilled. He went straight to work. At his own expense, Sinatra installed a helicopter pad, cottages for the Secret Service, and even a flagpole for the presidential flag.
But the president’s brother Bobby Kennedy wasn’t having it. He was the Attorney General of the United States at the time. When he heard about his brother Jack’s proposed stay at Sinatra’s, he went ballistic. Bobby was making the “most single-minded attack on organized crime in American history” and could not abide Jack associating with someone with mob connections. (1) Peter was the one chosen to tell Sinatra that the president would not be staying with him.
Sinatra did not take the news well. He had a notoriously explosive temper:
“Sinatra vented his spleen by destroying the concrete landing pad with a sledgehammer. He applied a different kind of sledgehammer to his friendship with Peter and Pat [Lawford], banning them from his company….Jack ended up staying at the home of Bing Crosby. Marilyn Monroe flew down to be with the president, spending the night in his bedroom….”
…and Frank Sinatra became a Republican.
(1) Leamer, Laurence. The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family. New York: Fawcett Books, 1994.
For more on Sinatra, check out “Sinatra: Pants on Fire!”
That is not why or when Sinatra began to support Republicans. The story you write about–JFK not staying at Frank’s house–happened in 1963. Sinatra remained a highly committed Democrat until at least 1970 and, at the Presidential level, until 1972. Indeed, Sinatra campaigned actively for Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and Humbert Humphrey in 1968,even performing at a massive final Humphrey rally at the Huston Astrodome in November 1968.
Of course, by the early 70’s, Sinatra’s wild rat-pack days were coming to an end and he was increasingly hanging with a more sedate and wealthier crowd, so he might have become a Republican anyway. But the immediate reason he swithched was his growing disagreement with the Democrats on cultural issues and the war in Vietnam.
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Sinatra’s move away from the Democrats began after the 1963 snub by JFK and firmed up when he supported Republican California gubernatorial candidate R. Reagan in 1970.
Thank you for your comments.
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I just finished watching the Kennedy’s miniseries from Reelz. They painted Sinatra as making promises to Sam G (Chicago mob) behind Joe Kennedy’s back before the 1960 election. Then when Bobby went after them this really made Sam G/mob mad. Is this a factual depiction in your opinion?
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Absolutely. Many if not most people believe the mob is responsible for RFK’s murder and maybe also JFK’s.
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Sorry, certainly did not mean to have an unfriendly tone. From the information available, it appears that Sinatra relationship with the Kennedy’s was not the same after 1963 and he certainly did not care for RFK. However, Frank remained a very committed Democrat until 1970, when, as you mentioned, he supported Reagan. He was thouroughly committed to LBJ and HHH. Frank’s support of Reagan in that year’s Governor’s race came as a suprise to many. He was very critical of Nixon and Reagan all through 1969 and even into 1970. It appears, from the tesitmony of those who knew Frank, that his changing view of cultural issues and his dislike of the “new left” and its attitude toward Vietnam resulted in his switch away from the Democrats, as these issues did for so many of his generation.
As to the Kennedy assasinations, Oliver Stone’s movie JFK and the recent mini-series may make good entertainment for many, but we have to also remember that (as yet) no credible evidence has come to light that anyone was involved in the two Kennedy assasinations beyond Oswald and Sirhan themselves.
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Hey, Larry, good to hear from you again and I appreciate your comments. As for the 2 K assassinations, there is much speculation about Bobby’s being arranged by the Mafia.
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Your blog is disgustingly good. Nice work. I love how you named exactly the moment Sinatra switched teams because of JFK’s paranoia.
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Dear FBF, thanks for the kind words.
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I’m not sure if u mean Sinatra went behind Joe Kennedy’s back maybe so, but Joe kennedy asked for Sinatra’s help in the first place. He may have made promises he couldn’t keep. But the kennedys used Sinatra, then when the didn’t need him any more they dropped him. I loved FRank & the Kennedy’s but they gave him a raw deal
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The fact that Joe was the most connected with the mob is funny that he would have been upset with anyone going behind his back regarding the mob. My guess is that he knew Sam better and longer than Frank since they came up at the same time from prohibition when he made his money.
And of course Jack upset so many different groups. From wanting to break up the C.I.A., end the Vietnam War, to calling off the invasion to overthrow Castro and leaving gurillas unsupported in the field, lots of different groups wanted him dead. They probably all had a hand in his and Bobby’s death. And Bobby went after the mob relentlessly. There is no way that he could become president with so many powerful people with so much to loose.
And of course the CIA recently disallowed 1000 documents from being declassified after 50 years. What do they still need to keep from the American public? And why?
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