Dolly started out as a poor Italian immigrant but that didn’t stop her. She quickly rose up as a leader in the world of politics. She was a Democratic ward boss for most of her life and guaranteed the “party machine” 500 votes every election. (Lahr 5) When Frank was born, Dolly had little or no time to be a mother, most of the time Frank was sent to live with his grandmother. In the Sinatra household, Dolly was queen; “She was very strong and judgmental, she also scared everybody”, says Shirley MacLaine. Frank also feared his mother, but he tried to be like her as well. They were fiery, determined, strong willed, and both refused to be pushed around. He inherited all her of her ambition as well, the best example of this was when she got her son’s godfath

Frank’s power and talent weren’t ruined by his outrageous behavior, his antics made him legendary. The Rat Pack dealt with his behavior by denying it and saying that the “King” could do no wrong and they did everything not to set off his temper. Frank’s actions were like night and day, on stage he was soft and gentle but in real life he was very violent. While hanging out in with the Rat Pack at parties, he punched out a few girls, broke a few cameras and photographers, and made one of his “goons” bury a six-inch ashtray in a fellow customers head. (Lahr 71)

Many books have been written about Frank and his women, they were his “trophies” to success; but his fiery and determined mother had more to do with his success than any of the many babes that Frank came in contact with. Frank also had this way about him; he could hold an audience from the beginning of a show all the way to the very end. “To Sinatra, a microphone is as real as a girl waiting to be kissed” says E.B White of the New Yorker. The emotion he could sing with was unreal; every girl that left his concert would swear that he was only singing to her that night. That is what made him famous, the way he could capture an audience and hold their attention till the end of his show. Women started and ended his career and they also played and overwhelming part in his life. “trophies” to success; but his fiery and determined mother had more to do with his success than any of the many babes that Frank came in contact with.

Frank wanted Dolly to love, trust, appreciate him, and acknowledge him, so he would do everything for her. (Lahr 11) He would do the same with his friends, he earned the nickname “The Innkeeper” because he would “feed” them to get what he wanted and needed. Frank first realized that he could sing at his parents’ barroom when one of the men put him up on the piano so he could sing along with the roll. Years later, at a lecture Frank gave at Yale University, Frank said that he once got and nickel for his “racket”. (Lahr 9) He never forgot that moment. Dolly was a singer and sang in the choir and at local democratic parties, but she didn’t want Frank to sing at all. Dolly didn’t think that a singer was a respectable job and she didn’t have any faith in it. (Lahr 9) When she saw a picture of Bing Crosby on the wall in Frank’s room, she threw a shoe at him and called him a bum. Frank moved out to further his singing career away from his mother shortly after the Bing Crosby inci

Some topics in this essay:
Ava Gardner, Bing Crosby, Frank Ava, Las Vegas, Rat Pack, White Yorker, Garrick Frank, Hoboken Frank’s, Theater Frank, University Frank, bing crosby, lahr 9, fiery determined, dolly frank, determined mother success, babes frank, middle depression, “trophies” success, frank sinatra, frank married, lahr 49, fiery determined mother, success babes frank, mother success babes, “trophies” success fiery,