I was reading just before about Bela Lugosi's funeral and it came up more then once that Frank Sinatra "very quietly paid for the services".
I read it 1st online--my mother who is a huge Sinatra buff said she hadn't heard of that particular instance--but it was pretty well known among fans that Mr. Sinatra was actually a pretty generous guy and this didn't seem too far fetched.
So...does anyone know if this is true? And if it is true--why? Were they friends? Was Sinatra a fan?--Generous or not, it seems kind of random unless there was a prior history with the two.
Anyone?
I've heard different versions of this story over the years. In a Sinatra bio I read once (written by Kitty Kelley) there was a paragraph about how Sinatra paid for some of Lugosi's hospital/rehab expenses even though the two did not know each other.
That is pretty interesting--I would love to know the truth. All these years later, just bits and pieces are surfacing.
I forget where I fist heard this, but heard it I did. I had heard that he was actually a fan of the 1931 Dracula and was sympathetic to how Lugosi ended up in the years prior to his death so he paid the bill.
I checked on a discussion at the CHFB about this very topic and it seems to have started with a mix-up by Sinatra friend Joey Bishop, who, two or three decades after the event, announced on a talk show that Frank had paid for Bela's funeral. Bishop misremembered. Frank DID give Bela money--"quietly" is the word used to describe the event--to help pay Bela's hospital bills after he was treated for his addiction. But the funeral story mistake--especially as it was broadcast on national tv--took legs and ran. And still runs today. The facts regarding Sinatra's kindness during Lugosi's post-hospital time of need were set forth at CHFB by Bill Warren and Ted Newsom, both gents with impeccably accurate behind-the-scenes knowledge. And both agree that Sinatra WAS, indeed, a fan!
Quote from: typhooforme on April 30, 2010, 08:33:22 PM
I checked on a discussion at the CHFB about this very topic and it seems to have started with a mix-up by Sinatra friend Joey Bishop, who, two or three decades after the event, announced on a talk show that Frank had paid for Bela's funeral. Bishop misremembered. Frank DID give Bela money--"quietly" is the word used to describe the event--to help pay Bela's hospital bills after he was treated for his addiction. But the funeral story mistake--especially as it was broadcast on national tv--took legs and ran. And still runs today. The facts regarding Sinatra's kindness during Lugosi's post-hospital time of need were set forth at CHFB by Bill Warren and Ted Newsom, both gents with impeccably accurate behind-the-scenes knowledge. And both agree that Sinatra WAS, indeed, a fan!
Thank you so much for that informative post! The facts I've been craving!
Leave it to Elder Robert to clarify things.
Thanks Bobbo.
Good to know I read/remembered this story correctly.
Leave it to Joey Bishop to muddy the waters.
Quote from: Gillman-Fan on May 01, 2010, 11:53:47 AM
Leave it to Joey Bishop to muddy the waters.
Haha--Joey Bishop is def
that guy.
How did he get into the "boys club" anyway?