Do you know the extent of Frank Sinatra's participation in the Oscars? How many times was he nominated for an Oscar? How many times did he win? How many times was he part of the program?
As most Sinatra fans know, he won three of them (in 1946, 1954 and 1971), but through the years he was often involved with the ceremonies as presenter or co-host, and occasionally, also as a singer.
March 3, 1946 (Los Angeles, Grauman's Chinese Theatre)
Sinatra wins his first Academy Award, a special Oscar for his short movie "The House I Live In“ (RKO 1945), presented to him by George Murphy. Also, this is the first time that a medley of songs that did not win an Oscar was performed live during the ceremonies, and Sinatra along with Kathryn Grayson, Dick Haymes and Dinah Shore took part in singing the medley. Frank's four songs were "Accentuate The Positive" (a song he almost never touched otherwise!), "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "Anywhere" and "So In Love".
March 25,1954 (Los Angeles, Pantages Theatre)
Sinatra wins his second Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor“ in "From Here To Eternity“ (Columbia 1953, directed by Fred Zinnemann). The Oscar was presented to him by Mercedes McCambridge. This was a 'night of nights' for Sinatra.
March 3,1955 (Los Angeles, Pantages Theatre)
Sinatra presents an Oscar for "Best Supporting Actress“ to actress Eva Marie Saint for her role in "On The Waterfront“ (Columbia 1954, directed by Elia Kazan). It was filmed in Frank's hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey and he reportedly had been considered for the leading male role, before eventually losing the part to newcomer Marlon Brando. They collided later in the making of "Guys and Dolls."
March 23.1956 (Los Angeles)
Sinatra (who had been nominated for the "Best Actor“ Academy Award for "The Man with the Golden Arm“ but did not win) presents Orchestra leader and conductor Alfred Newman with the Oscar for "Best Film Score“, for his music charts in "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing“ (20th Century Fox 1955). The title song of the movie also won its composers an Oscar (and would later be sung and recorded by Sinatra on Reprise).
March 26,1958 (Los Angeles)
"All The Way“ written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy van Heusen wins the Academy Award as "Best Film Song“. In the movie "he Joker Is Wild“ (Paramount 1957, directed by Charles Vidor), the song, of course, had been performed by Sinatra – however at the Oscar ceremonies, it was performed by Dean Martin. (Why?)
April 8,1963 (Santa Monica, Civic Auditorium)
For the first time, Sinatra hosts a part of the Oscar ceremonies, and he also presents the Academy Award for "Best Film Song“ to Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer for "Days Of Wine And Roses“ (from the 1962 Warner Bros. film of the same title, directed by Blake Edwards), and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Steve Broidy, the long-serving president of Monogram (later Allied Artists).
April 13,1964 (Los Angeles)
Sinatra is again part of the ceremonies and hands the "Best Movie“ Oscar to David Picker, producer of this time’s multi-Award-winning film "Tom Jones“ (United Artists 1963, directed by Tony Richardson).
April 14,.1969 (Los Angeles, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
Sinatra is once more one of the co-hosts of the evening. He presents the "Best Song“ Oscar for "The Windmills Of Your Mind“ (from "The Thomas Crown Affair“, MGM 1968, directed by Norman Jewison) to Michel Legrand and Alan & Marilyn Bergman, and the "Best Supporting Actor“ prize to Jack Albertson (for his role in "The Subject Was Roses“, MGM 1968, directed by Ulu Grosbard). Also on behalf of Cliff Robertson who is unavailable filming abroad, he accepts Cliff’s Oscar for "Best Actor“ (in "Charly“; Selmur 1968, directed by Ralph Nelson).
Frank Sinatra also performs on this show: He sings a rousing rendition of "Star“, a Sammy Cahn-Jimmy van Heusen song he had recorded with Nelson Riddle for Reprise a few months earlier, and that as title song for a 1968 movie had also been nominated for Best Song but didn’t win.
April 7,1970 (Los Angeles, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
Sinatra presents a special Academy Award (Lifetime Oscar) to Cary Grant.
April 15,1971 (Los Angeles, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
Sinatra receives his third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, presented to him by Gregory Peck.
March 27,1973 (Los Angeles, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
Sinatra presents the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Rosalind Russell.
April 8,1975 (Los Angeles, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
Frank is MC for the evening and also delivers a politely written yet sharply phrased response to the previous criticism of the ceremonies uttered by Dustin Hoffman denouncing the Academy Awards and its value.
April 9, 1984 (Los Angeles, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
Sinatra hands the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to former Columbia Pictures boss Mike Frankovich.
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