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- This is One-On-One.

- I'm an equal American just like you are.

- The way we change presidents in this country is by voting.

- I'm hopeful that this is the beginning to accountability.

- Life without dance is boring.

- I don't care how good you are or how good you think you are, there is always something to learn.

- I did do the finale, and guess where my trailer was?

A block away from my apartment, it couldn't have been better!

- People call me 'cause they feel nobody's paying attention.

_ It's not all about memorizing and getting information, it's what you do with that information.

- (slowly) Start talking right now.

- That's a good question, high five.

(upbeat music) - Hi everyone, I'm Steve Adubato.

Yes, we are in a new set, new location, if you will, for a brand new series that is called "Remember Them".

And I'm joined by our executive producer of "Remember Them", and my co-host introducing this program, Jacqui, how we doing today?

- I'm doing great, Steve, how you doing?

- I'm great, so people are saying, "Wait a minute, we're looking here, it's one-on-one.

What am I watching here?"

And Steve is with his colleague, Jacqui Tricarico, we've been working together for many years.

For those who have no idea, which they shouldn't, unless they go on our website, SteveAdubato.org, what "Remember Them" is, what is it, and why is it so important, Jacqui?

- Well, first let me just say, Steve, I'm so honored to be joining you to co-host this new series.

And we're gonna be able to celebrate some talented and memorable people who have come out of the great state of New Jersey.

We're gonna use this platform to take a deeper look at some of the greats from all walks of life, from the incomparable Whitney Houston, to actor James Gandolfini, baseball legends, Yogi Berra and Larry Doby.

Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

Even you know, some political powerhouses like Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick, and even President Grover Cleveland.

So I'm excited to kick the show off with you today, and start talking, the one and only, Frank Sinatra up first.

- Okay, so I was gonna say, if people are wondering who we're kicking off "Remember Them" with, I have been obsessed with growing up in Newark, New Jersey, whether it's Newark, or Brooklyn, or the Bronx, or Philadelphia, or other communities, where a large number... And I'm not just saying, just Italian Americans really appreciated Frank Sinatra, because he was an iconic figure for so many.

But but growing up in the community I grew up in, in Newark, New Jersey, people had pictures of the Pope and Frank Sinatra.

That's not a joke, it's real.

And back in 2016, I sat down with James Kaplan, who's actually the author of that book called "The Chairman".

He also is the author of this book, "Extraordinary".

If you wanna check it out on our website, steveadubato.org.

We're also bringing you to books that help you remember certain people.

This is called "The Voice".

James Kaplan, the quintessential biographer, if you will, of Frank Sinatra.

I remember that interview, we did it at the WNET Tisch Studio.

Jacqui, back in 2016, what are some of the keys that really should stand out for people as they watch this interview?

- James Kaplan talks a lot.

He's a historian of Frank Sinatra.

He knows anything and everything you need to know about him.

So he goes into some of some things like his contribution, or his influence in politics, which a lot of people might not know some of those certain things about him.

And his specific relationship with the Kennedys, and you know, his- - Complicated, Jacqui.

- It is complicated.

- Complicated.

- And James Kaplan breaks it down.

- He's first with JFK in 1960, he holds a rally.

there's a birthday party at Madison Square Garden for Jack Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.

Get the connection here?

Sinatra introduced Kennedy to Marilyn Monroe, you can read about the rest.

And that event was one of many in which money was raised for Jack Kennedy's presidential campaign.

He was supportive of the Kennedys, he was close to the Kennedys.

After a while things did not turn out after that, and Kaplan talks about that extensively in this interview.

- Right, and also I found it super interesting that he kind of jumped party lines later on, and then backed Ronald Reagan, right?

- He backed Reagan, he backed a lot of Republicans, because he felt jilted by the Kennedys.

Listen, I'm not a historian, as Jacqui said about James Kaplan, he'll tell that story.

But I will tell you that Sinatra got older, he became a Republican, moved away from the progressive...

He was civil right...

He was active in the Civil Rights movement.

He was very close to... Let me tell you something, Sammy Davis Jr. was part of the so-called Rat Pack with Sinatra, and Dean Martin, and Joey Bishop.

And there was, (clears throat) excuse me, Sammy Davis, Jr. And a lot of places back at that time would not even allow Sammy Davis Jr. to perform, or to be in a hotel.

And Sinatra made a clear to everyone, if Sammy's not with us, if he can't stay in the same place, then we're not performing.

He stood up, he was progressive, he was a Democrat.

Over time, he switched parties, and then switched his affiliation.

But in this interview, a lot of this comes out, also, his relationship with the mob, Jacqui.

There's no other way to say- - There's a mafia connection, there's a mafia connection.

- (sighs) So let's just say this, in the 1960 presidential election, Jack Kennedy beats Richard Nixon.

Kennedy got a lot of votes in Illinois, more specifically in Chicago.

The boss, the mafia boss in Chicago was Sam Giancana, had a close relationship with Frank Sinatra.

Bottom line is a lot of people question how all those votes came out of Chicago.

And whether, in fact, talk about elections that people question, 1960, a lot of people questioned all those votes that came out of Chicago, and whether the mob influenced that election.

Ironically, a little bit later on when Robert Kennedy was appointed Attorney General, he went after the mob.

First victim, Sam Giancana.

Things did not work out with the Kennedys and Sinatra after that.

But also, Jacqui, before we go into this James Kaplan interview, real quick, there are a couple of people we need to thank, organizations as it relates to "Remember Them", who have been instrumental.

When you see a lot of the pictures or the video, it comes from a lot of these folks.

Please, Jacqui.

- Well, you know, we wanna thank the New Jersey Hall of Fame, because we've kind of partnered with them.

Because a lot of these folks that we're gonna be honoring, including Frank Sinatra, are New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees.

Frank Sinatra is actually in the first class of inductees in the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2008.

And just last week, Steve, the Atlantic County service area, which is actually down by my dad's house, and I saw the new sign up this past weekend when I was visiting my dad and my sister.

It is now called the Frank Sinatra service area.

And we're gonna be seeing these name changes throughout the state at ton of service areas, renaming them to honor some of these New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees.

And some of the folks we're honoring here on "Remember Them", like Larry Doby and Celia Cruz.

So these are gonna be popping up all over the state.

So we'll see that as well.

So New Jersey Hall of Fame is just an excellent resource.

You can log on to their website, and learn more about some of these New Jersey icons that they've remembered, they've been honoring, and that we're gonna be remembering here on this series.

- Yeah, the Historical Commission of Society,k the Hall of Fame, so many other folks.

So here we go.

And Jacqui, again, I would argue that, regardless of your age, regardless of where you come from, Frank Sinatra... Hoboken zone, also check out the Frank Sinatra Museum in Hoboken, came from Hoboken, came from virtually nothing.

Impacted, not just New Jersey, not just the nation, but the world, an iconic figure.

His music lives on, even though he's been gone for a long time.

So we go to this interview with James Kaplan, from 2016 at Tisch WNET Studio.

This is "Remember Them".

I'm Steve Adubato, more importantly, our Executive Producer, Jacqui Tricarico.

Frank Sinatra.

[UPLIFTING MUSIC] >>ONE OF MY FAVORITE ALL TIME AUTHORS WE HAVE IN THE HOUSE BACK AGAIN JAMES KAPLAN THE AUTHOR OF SINATRA: THE CHAIRMAN BOY, I'LL TELL YOU, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK.

AND >>THANK YOU STEVE >>SINATRA: THE VOICE, LAST TIME AROUND >>FRANK: THE VOICE SINATRA: THE CHAIRMAN >>YEAH.

SO, LET ME ASK YOU WHAT MAKES THIS ONE DIFFERENT?

IT STARTS IN 1954?

>>YES >>HE'S JUST WON THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR?

>>HE'S JUST WON THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR "FROM HERE TO ETERNITY" >>HE PLAYS...?

>>PRIVATE MAGGIO >>...MAGGIO >>YES >>TELL EVERYONE WHY MAGGIO THAT CHARACTER IS SO SIGNIFICANT, SINATRA BELIEVED HE WAS MAGGIO >>SINATRA BELIEVED HE WAS MAGGIO.

MAGGIO WAS, HE WAS FROM BROOKLYN, NOT HOBOKEN, BUT HE WAS A SKINNY, SMALL, ITALIAN AMERICAN WHO WAS DOWNTRODDEN EVERYBODY WALKED ALL OVER HIM AND IN A LOT OF WAYS ESPECIALLY AFTER WORLD WAR II WHEN HIS CAREER WENT DOWN THE TUBES, SINATRA FELT VERY DOWNTRODDEN.

SO, THE ROLE WAS NATURAL FOR HIM >>JAMES, EXPLAIN TO FOLKS MY WIFE WAS ACTUALLY ASKING ME, JENNIFER WAS ASKING ME LAST NIGHT, KNOWING THAT I WAS DOING THE INTERVIEW, SHE WENT, "WHY DID SINATRA'S CAREER QUOTE 'GO DOWN THE HILL DOWNHILL AFTER IT?'

WHY?"

>>OH BOY, A LOT OF REASONS FIRST OF ALL, HIS RECORDS STOPPED SELLING AFTER THE WAR DURING THE WAR, HE SANG THESE BALLADS OF LONGING THAT WERE PERFECT FOR WARTIME.

AFTER THE WAR, POPULAR MUSIC CHANGED EVERYTHING GOT VERY PERKY A LOT OF NOVELTY SONGS HE WASN'T GOOD AT DOING THOSE HE DIDN'T LIKE 'EM.

THAT WAS ONE THING.

THAT WAS JUST ONE THING.

BUT... >>WAS THE EVA GARDNER THING THE OTHER THING?

>>WELL, THAT WAS A BIG OTHER THING.

AND THERE WAS ALSO THE FACT THAT FRANK WAS SIGHTED AT A MAFIA CONFERENCE IN HAVANA IN 1947.

AND THERE WAS A HEARST COLUMNIST, A COLUMNIST FROM THE HEARST PAPERS THERE SIGHTED FRANK HAVING DINNER WITH LUCKY LUCIANO.

AND STARTED WRITING THESE COLUMNS ABOUT FRANK.

IT WAS A VERY CONSERVATIVE TIME, POLITICALLY FRANK WAS ALSO AN FDR LIBERAL AND THE HEARST PAPERS DIDN'T LIKE HIM FOR THAT.

THEY HATED THE FACT THAT HE WAS SIGHTED WITH LUCKY LUCIANO, THEN SUDDENLY, HE'S STEPPING OUT WITH EVA GARDNER, THIS IS A MARRIED GUY WITH THREE LITTLE KIDS AT HOME, HE BECAME LIKE A DEVIL IN THE EYES OF AMERICA >>HOW MANY YEARS?

HOW MANY YEARS WAS HE HAVING A REAL TOUGH TIME?

>>FROM ABOUT 1947 UNTIL... UNTIL HE WON THAT OSCAR >>AND... >>SEVEN YEARS BAD LUCK >>AND JAMES, DID HE HAVE TO FIGHT TO GET THE ROLE OF MAGGIO?

>>HE HAD TO FIGHT, EVA GARDNER HAD TO FIGHT FOR HIM SHE HAD GOTTEN SICK OF HIM AT THAT POINT.

HE WAS SUCH A LOSER.

HER MOVIE CAREER WAS GOING STRAIGHT UP, HIS WAS GOING DOWN, SHE WENT TO THE HEAD OF COLUMBIA PICTURES HARRY COHN, WHO WAS THE BIGGEST LECH IN HOLLYWOOD, TOLD HIM THAT SHE WOULD GIVE HIM A... SHE WOULD DO A FREE PICTURE FOR HIM.

AND HE LOOKED HER UP AND DOWN AND THOUGHT, "WHAT ELSE IS SHE GONNA GIVE ME FOR FREE?"

AND HE GAVE SINATRA THE SCREEN TEST.

IT TURNED OUT THAT THE OTHER GUY WHO DID A GOOD SCREEN TEST, ELI WALLACH WAS DOING A PLAY IN NEW YORK AND FRANK GOT THE ROLE IT WAS NO HORSE'S HEAD >>THERE WAS NOT?

>>THERE WAS NOT >>YEAH, SO EXPLAIN TO FOLKS I MADE A REFERENCE TO THE GODFATHER, AN OFFER HE COULDN'T REFUSE, ANOTHER REFERENCE THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAPPENED, BUT HERE'S THE >>YEAH >>THING.

HOW DOES WINNING THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, MAGGIO >>YES >>CHANGE FRANK SINATRA'S PROFESSIONAL LIFE?

>>IT CHANGES EVERYTHING BECAUSE BEFORE THAT, HE WAS SEEN AS A LOSER IN HOLLYWOOD WHOSE CAREER WAS OVER.

HE HAD A FRIEND, A LITERARY AGENT NAMED SWIFTY LAZAR, AND SWIFTY LAZAR SAID, "HE'S A DEAD MAN" SWIFTY LAZAR SAID, "EVEN JESUS COULDN'T GET RESURRECTED IN THIS TOWN."

WELL, SINATRA COULD, AND HE DID.

FROM THE NIGHT HE WON THAT OSCAR, HIS CAREER STARTED GOING STRAIGHT BACK UPHILL INSTEAD OF DOWNHILL >>WHAT KIND OF THINGS HAPPENED FOR HIM?

>>A BIG DEAL WAS THAT HE HAD STARTED, EVEN HIS RECORD COMPANY, COLUMBIA, DROPPED HIM DURING HIS BAD YEARS >>RIGHT >>BUT HE WAS PICKED UP BY A NEW COMPANY, CAPITOL RECORDS >>COLUMBIA TO CAPITOL?

>>COLUMBIA TO CAPITOL, AND HE WAS INTRODUCED TO A GREAT ARRANGER, A YOUNG ARRANGER HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF >>IS THAT NELSON RIDDLE?

>>THAT IS NELSON RIDDLE AND HE STARTED MAKING THESE INCREDIBLE ALBUMS WITH NELSON RIDDLE.

AND BETWEEN THE MOVIE CAREER REBORN, AND THESE INCREDIBLE CAPITOL ALBUMS WITH NELSON RIDDLE, IT WAS A CAREER THAT SHOT UP LIKE A ROCKET IN THE 50'S >>HELP ME ON THIS.

THE NIGHT THAT SINATRA WINS THE ACADEMY AWARD, DOES HE GO HOME ALONE?

>>YES >>HE GOES HOME ALONE?

>>HE GOES HOME ALONE HE GOES HOME ALONE.

HE HAD BEEN, DON'T FORGET, AT THIS POINT, THIS IS 1954, HE HAS LEFT HIS, THE MOTHER OF HIS CHILDREN, AND HIS CHILDREN HE HAD GONE TO BIG NANCY'S HOUSE BEFORE THE ACADEMY AWARDS >>BIG NANCY HIS WIFE?

>>BIG NANCY IS HIS WIFE >>IS EVA GARDNER IN SPAIN?

>>EVA GARDNER IS OVERSEAS SHE HAS TAKEN UP WITH A BULLFIGHTER IN SPAIN >>THAT IS THAT BULLFIGHTER IN SPAIN?

>>THAT IS THAT BULLFIGHTER IN SPAIN >>OKAY >>SO FRANK HAS NO WIFE, HE STOPPED BY TO SEE HIS EX-WIFE BUT HE CAN'T GO BACK TO HER >>YEAH >>HOUSE AFTER HE WINS THE OSCAR >>RIGHT >>HE'S ALONE, HE'S WALKING AROUND BEVERLY HILLS HOLDING ON TO THE STATUETTE.

HE SITS DOWN ON THE STEPS OF A CHURCH AND HE JUST HAS TO THINK, HIS >>YEAH >>LIFE HAS CHANGED, BUT HE'S GOT NOBODY TO TELL IT TO >>THE BOOK ALSO COVERS POLITICS >>YES >>SINATRA AND THE KENNEDYS.

GO >>SINATRA MET JACK KENNEDY AT A DEMOCRATIC FUNDRAISER IN L.A.

IN 1955, AND THESE WERE TWO GUYS WHO INSTANTLY FELL IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER JACK KENNEDY LOVED WOMEN HE LOVED BEAUTIFUL WOMEN HE WAS A MARRIED MAN BUT THAT DIDN'T MEAN MUCH TO HIM, AND IN THOSE DAYS POLITICIANS, ESPECIALLY ATTRACTIVE CHARISMATIC POLITICIANS, WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO WHAT THEY WANTED WITHOUT BEING OUTED BY THE PRESS HE LOVED BEAUTIFUL WOMEN SINATRA WAS THE A NUMBER ONE WORLD SOURCE OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN AND HE WAS KNOCKED OUT BY SINATRA'S STARDOM, BY HIS SINGING.

SINATRA WAS AN FDR LIBERAL, DIED IN THE WOOL DEMOCRAT, HE SAW THIS INCREDIBLY CHARISMATIC YOUNG POLITICIAN AND THOUGHT "THIS GUY'S GONNA BE PRESIDENT" AND SO, AND SINATRA WAS ALWAYS ATTRACTED TO POWER.

AND KENNEDY HAD IT IN SPADES.

SO THE TWO WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER >>KENNEDY, THE KENNEDY WHO SHAFTS SINATRA?

>>WELL, THIS IS HOW IT WORKS >>IN SINATRA'S MIND >>IN SINA... WELL, IT WAS A SHAFTING, AND IT WAS A PUBLIC HUMILIATION.

IN MARCH OF 1962 JACK KENNEDY WAS GOING WEST HE WAS GONNA DO...

SPEND SOME R AND R TIME AT SINATRA'S PALM SPRINGS HOUSE.

AND THERE WAS PROBABLY GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT OF NAUGHTINESS THAT WOULD GO ON THERE.

HIS BROTHER JACK KENNEDY'S BROTHER, BOB KENNEDY, WAS ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES.

AND BOBBY KENNEDY HAD JUST BEEN INFORMED BY J. EDGAR HOOVER THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HAD A LADY FRIEND A WOMAN NAMED JUDITH CAMPBELL >>WHO HAD THE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAM GIANCANA >>WHO HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HEAD OF THE CHICAGO MOB >>SAM G... >>SAM GIANCANA >>YEAH >>AT THE SAME TIME SHE WAS HAVING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH JACK KENNEDY.

JUDITH CAMPBELL HAD BEEN INTRODUCED TO JACK KENNEDY BY FRANK SINATRA AND BOBBY KENNEDY SAID TO HIS BROTHER, "YOU MAY NOT STAY AT HIS HOUSE" >>IS THAT HOW HE WINDS UP... KENNEDY WINDS UP STAYING AT BING CROSBY'S HOUSE?

>>STAYED AT BING CROSBY'S HOUSE INSTEAD, AND THAT WAS A HUGE PUBLIC HUMILIATION FOR SINATRA.

SINATRA TOOK IT ALL OUT, NEVER GOT MAD AT JACK KENNEDY, HE TOOK IT ALL OUT ON BOBBY KENNEDY >>YEAH >>AND ON PETER LAWFORD >>PETER LAWFORD, WHO WAS A >>WHO WAS MARRIED... >>AN IN-LAW TO THE KENNEDY FAMILY >>YEAH MARRIED TO JACK'S SISTER >>SOME OF THE OTHER MAJOR THEMES IN THE BOOK THAT REALLY MATTER.

JERRY LEWIS RELATIONSHIP MATTER HERE?

>>I THINK THEY DID A LOT OF BENEFITS TOGETHER, BUT LARGELY JERRY HAS ALWAYS SAID TO ME YOU KNOW, I DID A BOOK WITH JERRY >>YEAH >>JERRY SAID THAT HE AND FRANK REALLY MOVED IN DIFFERENT WORLDS.

THAT HAD MOSTLY TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT DEAN MARTIN AND FRANK WERE SO CLOSE >>THE DEAN MARTIN THING A BIG THEME IN THE BOOK?

>>BIG THEME IN THE BOOK >>CLOSE, BUT NOT CLOSE >>CLOSE BUT NOT CLOSE THAT'S CORRECT >>I DON'T GET IT >>YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DEAN MARTIN HE WAS A STRANGE CAT HE WAS A GUY WHO WAS HE WAS SO GIFTED, HE WAS INCREDIBLY HANDSOME.

HE WAS EVERYTHING THAT SINATRA WANTED TO BE.

HE WAS BIG TALL, STRONG, HANDSOME... >>HE COULD HAVE BEEN A BOXER IN CLEVELAND?

>>COULD HAVE BEEN A BOXER EXCEPT... >>AND HE WAS TIED TO THE MOB HE HAD MOB FRIENDS IN CLEVELAND >>WELL, I MEAN YES, HE DID AND THEY HELPED HIM A LITTLE BIT.

BUT DEAN COULD SING HE COULD SING WONDERFULLY >>YES >>ALTHOUGH HE ALWAYS MADE FUN OF HIS OWN SINGING.

AND THE MOST VALUABLE GIFT THAT DEAN MARTIN HAD WAS, HE HAD AN INCREDIBLE SENSE OF HUMOR >>YES >>INCREDIBLE SENSE OF... >>QUICK TIMING >>LIGHTNING TIMING.

AND SINATRA IDOLIZED DEAN MARTIN, AND DEAN MARTIN ALWAYS KEPT HIMSELF AT A DISTANCE FROM EVERYBODY EVEN FROM FRANK >>HE ALSO PULLED AWAY AT TIMES WHEN HE DIDN'T WANT TO PARTY ANYMORE >>YES >>AS I READ IN THE BOOK YOU KNOW, I RECENTLY SAW TONY BENNETT, MY WIFE AND I WENT TO SEE TONY BENNETT AT THE NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, 89 YEARS YOUNG >>HMM >>AND THE WAY HE'S INTRODUCED IS, AND YOU KNOW THIS HE'S INTRODUCED WITH A VOICE TRACK FROM SINATRA SAYING "I WANT TO INTRODUCE THIS YOUNG KID" >>YES.

YES >>GUY'S GOT THE GREATEST VOICE OUT THERE TODAY >>YES.

YES >>TONY BENNETT >>TONY BENNETT >>GO AHEAD >>AMAZING SINGER.

BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SINATRA AND TONY BENNETT.

TONY BENNETT BROUGHT TO HIS SINGING A QUALITY OF JOY.

YOU HEAR JOY IN HEARING TONY BENNETT SING.

SINATRA NEVER BROUGHT JOY TO HIS SINGING.

SINATRA WAS LIKE A WALKING OPERA EVERYTHING WAS DRAMATIC >>TRAGIC?

>>YOU...

TRAGIC TO A GREAT DEGREE, ALTHOUGH WHEN HE'S SINGING SONGS LIKE "YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG" "I GOT THE WORLD ON A STRING" "FLY ME TO THE MOON" YOU HEAR A GREAT DEAL OF BUOYANCY, AND POSITIVE ENERGY, BUT NOT JOY.

JOY WAS NOT SOMETHING IN SINATRA'S WHEELHOUSE >>HMM.

I NEED TO ASK YOU THIS BY THE WAY, THE BOOK >>PLEASE >>IS CALLED THE CHAIRMAN >>YES >>SINATRA >>ASK ME ANYTHING [LAUGHTER] >>THE CHAIRMAN.

HERE IS MY QUESTION.

SINATRA'S 100TH BIRTHDAY >>YES >>RIGHT?

WE CELEBRATE IT >>DECEMBER 12TH >>100 YEARS FROM NOW, JAMES >>YES >>KAPLAN, WILL WE STILL BE TALKING ABOUT FRANK SINATRA?

>>ABSOLUTELY >>BECAUSE?

>>WE WILL... BECAUSE OF THAT VOICE.

PEOPLE ARE FASCINATED WITH SINATRA TODAY, AND EVEN YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FASCINATED WITH HIM, BECAUSE OF A COMBINATION OF THE MYSTIQUE AND THE VOICE, THAT RAT PACK SWAGGER, RIGHT?

AND THE VOICE - [Narrator] To watch more One on One with Steve Adubato find us online and follow us on Social media.

So there you have it, James Kaplan from 2016, over in New York at Lincoln Center, more specifically the Tisch WNET Studio.

Jacqui, okay, switching gears.

Sinatra songs, his voice, if you will.

I mentioned Kaplan's "The Voice".

Is there a song for you that resonates and connects with you, or your family in any way, a Sinatra song?

- Well, it's funny, I have a story back when I was in high school.

I started my introduction into television broadcasting.

My high school had a really cool TV studio, and we would broadcast the news every morning.

So I took some editing classes in high school as well.

And our assignment was to edit together a new movie trailer, for a movie that we loved at the time.

And the movie that I decided to pick was "Finding Nemo".

And the song "Beyond the Sea", it is a song that you hear in "Finding Nemo", and that song just resonates with me, because I use that as the backdrop of this editing project that I created.

And that just brings me back to the memory of falling in with television broadcasting, knowing that that's what I wanted to do with the rest of my career.

And then fast forward to today, look where we are.

And that song plays in my head pretty often, "Beyond the Sea", and that connection for me.

So I love that song.

And it was funny this morning, I was talking to my young daughters about Frank Sinatra, and that's who I was gonna be talking to you about today.

And my daughter said, "Who's Frank Sinatra?"

And I said, "Oh, geez, no, I have to make sure you know his songs."

And they will eventually know them, even if I don't introduce them to them.

Because like you said, it's just... the songs will live on forever, his voice will live on forever.

What about for you?

- Well, for me, it's not that song.

Check this movie out.

It didn't get a lot of play, but it was one of my favorites.

There's a genre, if you will, that I was obsessed with in my formative years in 1984.

The movie, "The Pope of Greenwich Village".

And it's Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, it opens up on West 4th Street, New York City, in a playground there that I know well.

A lot of people in New York know well.

And the song that's playing, while they're playing stickball, is Frank Sinatra's "Summer Wind".

And it is an incredibly powerful song.

Every summer down at the Jersey Shore, that song plays in my head.

It reminds me of that movie, it connects me to so many things in my childhood.

But that was Sinatra, "Summer Wind".

But also Jacqui, did I ever tell you that I never liked it.

I'm a long-time Yankee fan, right?

- I know the song that plays at the end of every game, right?

"New York, New York"?

- I don't love it.

- You don't love "New York, New York"?

- I don't know what it is.

I get it, I understand why it's iconic.

It's important, it's "New York, New York", but that's not...

I get it, not my favorite.

Nothing against it.

- I understand.

But man, that song, just when I hear it, it just resonates with me so much.

It just gives me the feels, it makes me wanna get into the city again.

I haven't been there in so long, and walk the streets of New York, and there's nothing like that New York vibe.

But bringing it back over the river into Hoboken, that is where Frank Sinatra was born and raised.

And Hoboken really is a place where you can learn more about Frank Sinatra, right?

There's still these walking tours that you can get through the Hoboken Museum.

You can go on these walking tours, and learn more about Frank Sinatra's past and living there.

And just last year they put up a brand new statue of Frank Sinatra in Hoboken on the water.

Our friend, Joe Piscopo, on the radio at AM 970, I think he hosted that event.

He has a Sinatra show he does every week on the radio, he was there.

it was a big gathering.

And that just shows that Hoboken, it is, it's the home of Frank Sinatra, and you feel it there.

And there's so many really cool places that you can take a look at, and learn more about him there.

And Steve, I do wanna ask you, before we wrap all this up, I know your family has a certain history, Uncle Mikey?

- Don't go there, Jacqui.

- Frank Sinatra?

- Jacqui, don't go there.

- Atlantic City?

(Steve laughs) I think we need to hear this story.

- This is real quick, got two minutes left.

So Frank Sinatra, big star at the time, you know, he's in Atlantic City, he's gambling.

And I didn't wanna say what hotel he was at, Casino was at.

He's there, and he wants the dealer, who happens to be a woman, who happens to be Asian American.

And this is not one of Sinatra's best moments.

His temper got the best of him.

He was terrible.

He wanted her to deal out of the shoe, which you have to deal in the shoe, it comes out of the shoe.

He said... And she said, "No, Mr. Sinatra I have to."

And he started calling her all kinds of names, including making reference to her ethnicity.

And he then said... And they threw him out of the hotel.

And he said, "I'm not performing here anymore."

And my uncle, the late Mike Adubato, who was in the state legislature, and I was a very young legislator, 25 at the time.

My uncle put a resolution up, having the state officially apologize to Frank Sinatra for what happened in Atlantic City.

And I was against it, 'cause I thought Sinatra acted terribly.

There was a big brouhaha, an old-school word, down in the legislature.

Virtually no one voted for my uncle's legislation, or my uncle's resolution, because Sinatra acted like a jerk.

I hate ending the show like this, but it's true.

And he didn't perform in New Jersey forever.

- Well, listen, I grew up down by Atlantic City, that just shows it doesn't matter who you are, Frank Sinatra or anyone, you don't mess around, and try to change the rules in Atlantic City.

You just don't do that.

- And you don't abuse people who work hard for a living, whether they're dealers or waiters, waitresses, people who work hard.

Listen, Frank Sinatra is a complex figure, great voice, iconic figure, but there was another side to him as well.

And that's the case with a lot of the people that, virtually all the people, in "Remember Them".

So I'm gonna say this, to Jacqui Tricarico, and the team, to Georgette and the entire team, at "Remember Them", who've done so much to make this series possible.

We kick off "Remember Them" with Frank Sinatra.

Again, I made that call, whether you like it or not, that's on me.

So you can see our website, you can give that to me.

Jacqui's our Executive Producer, she opens and closes the show, co-anchors the series with me.

Jacqui, it's my honor, my pleasure.

A brand new series, it's called, "Remember Them".

I hope they remember us, Jacqui.

- Yeah, thanks for watching, and we'll see you next week.

More fun and amazing people we'll be honoring on the series.

- That's what Jacqui said, see you then.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by PSE&G, NJM Insurance Group.

Hackensack Meridian Health.

The New Jersey Education Association.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

Prudential Financial.

Kean University.

And by New Jersey Sharing Network.

Promotional support provided by New Jersey Globe.

And by New Jersey Monthly.

- Many of New Jersey's children have been affected by Covid-19, but now that there's a safe and effective vaccine available for children ages twelve and older you can help make COVID-19 history by getting yourself and your child vaccinated.

Let's end this pandemic together and help all children get back to being kids.

Visit HackensackMeridianHealth.org/ covid19 to learn more, or to schedule a vaccine appointment today.