''Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra'' (or ''Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back'') was an

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

musical

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

starring

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

broadcast on November 18, 1973. The special was written by

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Ri ...

, directed by

Marty Pasetta Martin Allen Pasetta (June 16, 1932 – May 21, 2015) was an American television producer and director, best known for his work on the telecasts for multiple awards shows, including the Oscars, the Grammys, and the AFI Life Achievement Awards. H ...

, and produced by

Howard W. Koch Howard Winchel Koch (April 11, 1916 – February 16, 2001) was an American producer and director of film and television. Life and career Koch was born in New York City, the son of Beatrice (Winchel) and William Jacob Koch. His family was Jewish. ...

. The announcer for the special was

Hank Simms Hank Simms (May 25, 1923 – August 7, 2013) was a voice actor and announcer, best known for narrating the opening credits of Quinn Martin TV shows, including ''The F.B.I.'', ''Barnaby Jones'', ''Cannon'' and ''The Streets of San Francisco''. ...

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

, the

guest star In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

on the special, had last worked with Sinatra on the 1949 film '' On the Town''. The television special and subsequent album, ''

Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back ''Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back'' is a 1973 album by the American singer Frank Sinatra. Sinatra returned from his brief retirement with the appropriately titled ''Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back''. Released amidst a whirlwind of publicity, the album was a comm ...

'', represented a return to performing for Sinatra, who had retired in June 1971. The special was seen by an estimated audience of 40 million. The special was sponsored by

Magnavox Magnavox (Latin for "great voice", stylized as MAGNAVOX) is an American electronics company that since 1974 has been a subsidiary of the Dutch electronics corporation Philips. The predecessor to Magnavox was founded in 1911 by Edwin Pridham and ...

as part of a $9 million advertising campaign for their 1974 products, with the special representing the largest single amount that the company had spent on advertising in its history. Commercials during the special marketed Magnavox products, including

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

, the first

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...

. The song "Can't Do That Anymore" had originally been written by Ebb for his abandoned musical with

John Kander John Harold Kander (born March 18, 1927) is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb (with lyricist Fred Ebb), Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including ''Ca ...

and

Dale Wasserman Dale Wasserman (November 2, 1914 – December 21, 2008) was an American playwright, perhaps best known for his book for Man of La Mancha. Early life Dale Wasserman was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, the child of Russian immigrants Samuel W ...

, ''Wait for Me, World!''. Ebb found making the special a disheartening experience, and was upset by Sinatra's treatment of his employees and Kelly. Ebb has said that Sinatra had originally wanted the comedian

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...

to be his guest on the special, but Ebb, not knowing how to write for Foxx, had persuaded Sinatra to choose Kelly. Sinatra had been unhappy with the decision to choose Kelly and nicknamed him "Shanty". Ebb described Kelly as "humble and gracious". Sinatra's changes to the script left the special with holes that remained unresolved due to Sinatra's refusal to read the script until the day of filming. Ebb also said that Sinatra had not wanted to record the scenes with Kelly on the day, though he changed his mind when Kelly appeared for filming. The special was nominated for two

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

s at the

26th Primetime Emmy Awards The 26th Emmy Awards, later known as the 26th Primetime Emmy Awards, were handed out on May 28, 1974. The ceremony was hosted by Johnny Carson. Winners are listed in bold and networks are in parentheses. The top shows of the night were ''M*A*S*H' ...

. Pasetta was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Directing in Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music and Koch and Sinatra were nominated for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) is a category at the Primetime Emmy Awards. It is awarded annually to the singularly best pre-recorded varietal, musical or comedic special of the year. It was previously pres ...

Song list

# "

My Way "My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...

" (Instrumental) # "You Will Be My Music" # "

I Get a Kick Out of You "I Get a Kick Out of You" is a song by Cole Porter, which was first sung in the 1934 Broadway musical ''Anything Goes'', and then in the 1936 film version. Originally sung by Ethel Merman, it has been covered by dozens of prominent performers, in ...

" # " Street of Dreams" # "

I've Got You Under My Skin "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by American composer Cole Porter in 1936. It was introduced that year in the Eleanor Powell musical film ''Born to Dance'' in which it was performed by Virginia Bruce. It was nominated for the Acad ...

" # "

I've Got the World on a String "I've Got The World on a String" is a 1932 popular jazz song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was written for the twenty-first edition of the Cotton Club series which opened on October 23, 1932, the first of the Co ...

" # Saloon trilogy: "

Last Night When We Were Young "Last Night When We Were Young" is a 1935 popular song about nostalgia and young love composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Yip Harburg. Arlen regarded it as the favourite of the songs that he had written.Jablonski, Edward (1998). Harold Arle ...

"/"

Violets for Your Furs "Violets for Your Furs" is a 1941 song written by Matt Dennis with words by Tom Adair, and first recorded in that year by Tommy Dorsey's orchestra with vocals by Frank Sinatra. The song describes the wearing of violets with furs on an evening in M ...

"/"

Here's That Rainy Day "Here's That Rainy Day" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke that was published in 1953. It was introduced by Dolores Gray in the Broadway musical '' Carnival in Flanders''. Frank Sinatra Frank Sinatra ...

" # "

Take Me Out to the Ball Game "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of North American baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song ...

" (Instrumental) # "I Begged Her" (Instrumental) # Medley with

: "Can't Do That Anymore"/"

"/" For Me and My Gal"/"

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

" # "Nice 'n' Easy" # "Let Me Try Again" # " Send in the Clowns" # "You Will Be My Music" (Reprise)

References

External links

{{IMDb title, tt0365247 1973 in American television 1973 television specials Films produced by Howard W. Koch Frank Sinatra television specials NBC television specials Television shows directed by Marty Pasetta