Introduction & First Out of the Box: Frank Sinatra's 77th Birthday Party, Las Vegas

Throughout the 1980s and early 90s I was a production assistant/manager and, later, director at the BBC. Mostly in the Music & Arts Department in Kensington House, London W12. 

These were the high-days of documentary film-making. 

We travelled the world light, not, with 35 large silver cases of film equipment, big square maroon boxes of precious film stock strapped down every which way, and a clapperboard. 

Our crews were usually made up of a director, a cameraman, an assistant cameraman (very occasionally, a woman), a sound recordist (never a woman) and the production assistant (moi, & always a woman). Sometimes there'd be a sparks (lighting man), sometimes a researcher. Sometimes we'd hire local film crews.

My job covered budgeting, contracts, copyright, paying contributors, booking visas, permits, flights, hotels, local transport; logging the shots, watching for continuity and, yes, getting the coffees. I really wanted to be a camerawoman, but that wasn't even thinkable in those days. 

So next best, I got myself a Nikon and a selection of lenses. Still photography was always on 35mm Kodakchrome, annoyingly. So my pictures have remained hidden away.

But now I've discovered the KODAK MOBILE FILM SCANNER App.

My travels can finally be resurrected from the 100s of little yellow boxes that have been packed away for decades.

Hurry up and wait is a film crew expression, self-explanatory... it happened a lot. 

By gradually posting a few pictures here as I sort, I'll at least have them all in one place online. I can throw away the duds as I go, and the originals can be labelled.

I'm picking out boxes at random. Here we go, first up:

December 12th 1992

Here I am in the loos at the Sands, Desert Inn, Las Vegas.

We were making a programme for Arena about Frank Sinatra. It was his 77th birthday... 

I remember feeling rather frumpy in the midst of all of the glittery glamour. Now I'm envious of my hair. I used to have it cut once a year by Charlie Chan at MichaelJohn... 

Frank's wife, Barbara and pals

Esther Williams, Jane Russell and ?

Esther Williams was the Million Dollar Mermaid  aquamovie swimming star of the 1940s & 50s... Jane Russell is probably best-remembered for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. 

Oh the ? man! 

He was so miffed that we didn't recognise him. He told me who he was. Not in a grand 'Don't you know who I am?' way. In a quiet nudge and whisper, 'I'm famous too' way... 

Coincidentally, after writing the first draft of this blog, I discovered who he was. He's in Rupert Everett's fantastic memoir To The End of the World, Travels With Oscar Wilde. He has a whole chapter named after him.

Roddy McDowall! - The Planet of the Apes, Lassie (LASSIE!)... 

To The End of the World: Travels With Oscar Wilde by Rupert Everett

And Rupert says no story is complete without Roddy McDowall, so it must be true. Let's hope this bodes well for my story. 

We didn't meet Frank, but I did get to hear him sing My Way... He was very drunk. The huge fantastic brass sections were conducted by his son, Frank Jr. 

Frank Sinatra singing My Way

We interviewed quite a few of his guests - including the great songwriters Henry Mancini (Moon River) & Cy Coleman (Witchcraft). Spiro Agnew, Nixon's Vice-President, and The Golden Girls were there. Steve Martin was in the lift. 

Spiro Agnew and Mrs Agnew

Sands, Desert Inn

In true Hollywood fake style, everybody was already staying at the hotel. But, for Frank's Gala Birthday Evening, the stars patiently stood in line at the back of the hotel like they were queueing for Asda. A limo picked them up, one at a time, and drove them to the front entrance for their red carpet moment. And there was I thinking how amazing it was that they were all coming in from the airport at just the right intervals.