It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Meet Danny Wilson (1952) – Musical #784

Studio:
Universal International

Director:
Joseph Pevney

Starring:
Frank Sinatra, Shelley Winters, Alex Nicol, Raymond Burr, Vaughn Taylor, Tommy Farrell, Donald MacBride, Barbara Knudson, Carl Sklover
Cameo Appearance: Jeff Chandler, Tony Curtis

Plot:
Danny Wilson (Sinatra) is a down-on-his-luck singer, but his luck turns when he meets Joy Carroll (Winters), who invites Danny and his pal, Michael Francis (Nicol), to have a drink with her. Joy’s boss, racketeer and club owner Nick Driscoll (Burr) hires Danny as a singer, which launches a successful career for Danny. But as Danny’s star rises, Nick is there to take a cut in the profit.

Trivia:
• Universal sponsored a contest where the public would pick their 10 favorite Frank Sinatra songs to determine which would be included in the film, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
• Tony Curtis and Jeff Chandler appear in a cameo in the film.
• The film was re-released in 1954 after Frank Sinatra won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for “From Here to Eternity.”
• A Scottish pop group, Danny Wilson, named their band after this film.

Highlights:
• Frank Sinatra and Shelley Winters performing a duet of “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.”

Notable Songs:
• “You’re a Sweetheart” performed by Frank Sinatra
• “Lonesome Man Blues” performed by Frank Sinatra
• “She’s Funny That Way” performed by performed by Frank Sinatra
• “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” performed by performed by Frank Sinatra and Shelley Winters
• “That Old Black Magic” performed by performed by Frank Sinatra
• “When You’re Smiling” performed by performed by Frank Sinatra
• “All of Me” performed by performed by Frank Sinatra
• “I’ve Got a Crush on You” performed by performed by Frank Sinatra
• “How Deep Is the Ocean?” performed by performed by Frank Sinatra

My review:
Today, Frank Sinatra is one of the most revered singers of all time. As his fame and music continues to live on and be a favorite, even long after his death, it may be difficult to believe that even Sinatra had a rocky period in his career.

In 1952, Sinatra was in a career slump. The bobbysoxers who idolized him grew up and moved on, his talent agency and label dropped him, and the tabloids were not flattering during his affair (and eventual marriage) to actress Ava Gardner. I think people have a hard time realizing that someone so famous and revered today ever struggled.

This week’s Musical Monday, MEET DANNY WILSON (1952), was made during this period. In the film, Danny Wilson (Sinatra) plays a down-on-his-luck singer. Danny and his pal and piano player Michael (Nicol) only can get jobs in dives. One night they meet Joy Carroll (Winters), who asks them to join her for a drink so that other men don’t bother her. After that evening, Joy helps Danny and Michael to get a job in the nightclub where she works, which is run by gangster Nick Driscoll (Burr). Danny has a great first night in Nick’s nightclub and catapults to fame, playing to sold out theaters of screaming teens, selling hit records, and receiving offers from Hollywood. Though he’s famous, a 50% cut of his earnings has to be paid over to Nick, an agreement they agreed on when he was originally hired by Nick. As Danny’s fame rises, he’s rude and arrogant to everyone round him.

Going into MEET DANNY WILSON, it sounded like a lighthearted musical, in the vein of some of Sinatra’s earlier films, such as STEP LIGHTLY. The film does begin as a comedy, with Sinatra watching every girl who walks by and Winters wanting to get drunk. However, with Danny’s rise to fame, the film quickly turns into a crime drama, showing the price of fame, how fame can change people and the gangland connections. By the end of the film, it almost has a film noir feel.

If you’re a Sinatra fan, this film is for you especially as it is chockful of singing with 10 songs.
His “Old Black Magic” performance is a highlight in the film.

MEET DANNY WILSON was my first introduction to Alex Nicol. Nicol is a capable and likeable performing, but he also reminds me of a mix of Dan Dailey and Bill Williams.

Some reviews note that Sinatra and Winters have no chemistry, which is true … but I think that’s also the point. In the film, Winters isn’t in love with Sinatra, though she has to act devoted to him, because with his arrogance, he gets what he wants.

In real life, Sinatra and Winters initially didn’t get along and after one particular physical argument, Universal executives threatened to end the film with a title card that says “Mr. Sinatra and Ms. Winters aren’t speaking, so we have to end the film,” according to TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. After that, the two eventually buried the hatchet.

While MEET DANNY WILSON marked a difficult time in Sinatra’s career, it is still a snappy film with fun dialogue and great music, which also takes some unexpected but enjoyable turns.

Following this film, Sinatra was back on his feet when he performed in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (a role Gardner encouraged), which garnered him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

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