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Readers’ memories of Frank Sinatra
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VOL. 15 NO. 10 DECEMBER 2015
It’s Still a Wonderful Life Washingtonian has ties to classic 1946 Christmas movie
Frank Sinatra at 100
F
rank Sinatra was born 100 years ago on December 12, 1915.
“Throughout Frank’s life, no one even resembled him,” writes Charles Pignone, author of the newly released Sinatra 100 – the official centenary book. “Time only increases his importance and stature. Frank Sinatra’s music is still relevant,” adds Pignone. “He conquered every medium— television, recording, films,” Tony Bennett said after Sinatra’s death. “He was just born for what he did.” Francis Albert “Frank” Sinatra almost died during childbirth – the doctor had trouble removing the 13½ pound baby from his mother, scarring him with forceps and puncturing his eardrum. Frank’s grandmother noticed the baby wasn’t breathing and held him under cold running water until he finally began to cry. Frank Sinatra left high school during his senior year, worked as a newspaper delivery boy and then as a riveter at a shipyard. But he knew he wanted to be a singer after seeing Bing Crosby at Loew’s Journal Square in New Jersey. Earlier this year, The Washington Post published an article by Geoff Edgers entitled Why Frank Sinatra Still Matters. Edgers writes, “What’s most startling, when you focus on Frank, is how everpresent he is 17½ years after his death. He came from a different world. He was born before TV, before radio to a pair of Italian immigrants. He grew up in Hoboken, dropped out of high school and then, after working an odd job or two, scored a recording contract with bandleader Harry James. That led to the Tommy Dorsey band, fame and the first stage of his career as the baby-faced big-band crooner.” Frank’s first U.S. Billboard #1 came in 1940 when he left Harry James to join with Tommy Dorsey. The song, I’ll Never Smile Again, held the #1 spot for 12 weeks. His first high-profile solo performance was a run of shows at New York’s Paramount Theater in 1942, opening for Benny Goodman (this was the first time he was labeled as “The Voice”). The audience of teenaged bobbysoxers went wild – an early sign of the fan hysteria that would follow him. In fact, Frank Sinatra caused what is known as the Columbus Day Riots in 1944, a mass hysteria by tens of thousands of bobbysoxers in New York that had to be broken up by the NYPD. But soon enough things began to come apart, including his first marriage and his singing career; Columbia Records cut him loose in 1952. There were no more screaming bobby-soxers following his every move. Frank Sinatra’s luck changed again after he won
…by Mike Johnston
K
atherine Karns of Ellensburg will politely decline when asked if she’d like to join others to watch the classic Christmas holiday movie from 1946, It’s a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.
“I don’t talk a lot about my background…I just say nicely, ‘no, thank you, I’ve seen it,’ ” Karns, 94, said recently from her room at Dry Creek Assisted Living Community in Ellensburg, Wash. Karns’ late husband, actor Todd Karns, had a key part in the movie, playing Stewart’s younger brother, Harry Bailey. Stewart, as George Bailey, saves Harry’s life as a child in the movie. Harry, coming back a hero from World War II, toasts his beleaguered brother, George, at the end of the film: “To my big brother, George. The richest man in town!” Katherine Karns said her husband’s role didn’t make them rich, but it created lasting memories. Karns moved from her home near Guadalajara, Mexico, to the Kittitas Valley in early 2013 to live near one of her daughters, Julie Karns of Ellensburg, and son Scott Karns of Roslyn. She said sometimes in her quieter moments, as the Christmas holiday season nears, she often thinks about her life with Todd and the wonderful life they’ve had. Karns said Todd’s brief role in It’s a Wonderful Life was a fairly good-paying part in 1946, although the movie was only mildly well received at the time. Although the film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, movie historians would say the film was a flop when it first continued on page 8 came out. It has since then has been recognized by
Katherine Karns, photo by Mike Johnson, courtesy Daily Record
the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made. “We were a Hollywood married couple, deeply in love, trying to make a go with Todd’s acting career,” Karns said with a laugh. “We were young, hungry actors.” The couple was surprised many years later that It’s a Wonderful Life took off in popularity beginning in the late 1970s and through the 1980s, primarily through numerous television showings and VCR availability. It’s now considered one of the nation’s top holiday movies of all time. “Who would have thought that would happen? At that time we sure didn’t,” she said. They met while both were serving in the U.S. Army Air Force at a base at Hobbs, N.M. She was a corporal in the Women’s Army Corps and Todd was a lieutenant in charge of directing the medical rehabilitation of war-wounded B-17 bomber crews. Todd, the son of well-know Hollywood character actor Roscoe Karns, caught Katherine’s eye while he was working to put on a camp entertainment show at Hobbs for service personnel. He was “terribly, I mean terribly handsome,” and known as an aspiring actor before the war, she continued on page 14