Frank Sinatra slept on the sofa at a Manchester, England policeman's home after a late-night drinking session!?!
According the book "A Few Coppers More - True Tales of Policing In Manchester" Ol' Blue Eyes went on a boozing session with the beat bobby after they met at Manchester's Palace theatre.
Frank Sinatra, who was at a low point in his life, having performed in front of a half-empty theatre during a tour of Britain in 1952, spotted the officer having his regular pint at the stage door and asked if he could join.
A member of staff got the policeman a second pint and provided one for Sinatra.
The bobby briefly returned to Bootle Street police station to clock off, then came back and the drinking continued in the theatre bar until 2am.
Sinatra, by now sozzled, couldn't remember where he was staying, so the officer took pity on him and invited him to his home on Scotland Hall Road, Newton Heath, where the singer crashed out on the sofa.
The officer staggered into bed, accidentally woke his wife and told her who was downstairs. She thought it was a bad joke and went back to sleep.
The bobby woke early the next morning for his shift and roused a snoring Sinatra. The pair then headed into Manchester in a taxi, where Frank found his hotel keys, said thanks and disappeared.
Sinatra's career took a dramatic turn for the better and the story became an anecdote that the officer - who has since died and whose name has never been revealed - regularly told disbelieving colleagues.
Now one of them, Dennis Wood, has made the story public for the first time in a book, A Few Coppers More - True Tales of Policing In Manchester.
Dennis, 79, a retired sergeant from New Moston, said: "Frank was a non-entity then, playing to sparse crowds. In those days, it was common for bobbies to have a drink. The Palace Theatre was on this bobby's beat and he would call at the stage door for a pint.
"Frank saw him and says `I sure could do with one of those' and there's a drinking session. It gets to about 2am and Frank is legless and can't remember where his hotel is and the officer puts him up.
"When the officer tells his wife who is on the sofa she thinks it's one of his drinking pals.
"Of course, she didn't see him the next day and didn't believe the story, but it was true.
"As far as I'm aware, she is still alive. Maybe she will read this and change her mind."
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