Saturday 9: All the Way

Saturday 9: All the Way (1957)

 ... because The Gal Herself is into Sinatra
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Frank sings, "who knows where the road will lead us?" Which leads Sam to ask, does your vehicle have GPS?

A. Yes, it does, and it tells me to turn into the cattle gate and not my driveway every time I have it on headed for home. My driveway is about 100 more feet down the road. It has yet to give me the proper way to anywhere.

2) Sinatra introduced "All the Way" in the movie, The Joker Is Wild. During that film he also sang "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)." A few years later, in the movie Robin and The Seven Hoods, he declared Chicago as his "kind of town." Besides Chicago, can you think of another city Frank immortalized in song?

A. New York.

3) When Frank was 19, he saw a pretty girl sitting on her front porch, giving herself a manicure. He went and got his ukulele and serenaded her. That girl became his first wife, Nancy. Tell us how one of your romances began.

A. My girlfriend and I were standing around under the goal post at the high school football game (which they no longer allow). She edged me towards this fellow she'd been wanting me to meet. She introduced us and then he stood there not saying much. I asked stupid questions about the game, even though I know football and didn't have to ask what was going on.

He asked me out for the next night, but I was going out with my parents for their anniversary. After the ballgame, I ran into him again at Mike's Market, where I'd stopped for a soda. My girlfriend coyly told me she had another way home and I should go with the fellow to the local dance spot, which at the time was a bar in the Ramada Inn off the interstate. I went (I was 19 and too young to be in there). We danced. We kissed. I drove him home.

He called the next day and on Sunday he went with me to take the Sunday school children to Waldron Park, and one of the kids puked in the backseat of my mother's station wagon. He helped me clean it up. We've been married for 32 years. 

4) Both Frank and Nancy grew up in New Jersey. When you think of NJ, what else comes to mind?

A. Atlantic City. Shores. East Coast.


5) Sinatra made Las Vegas as famous for entertainment as for gambling. He was so identified with the Strip, that when he played Caesar's Palace the marquee simply said, "He's Here." Have you ever been to Vegas?

A. I passed through it when I was 12. We had a cross-country drive with my mother, father, brother, grandmother, two young uncles, and myself, all crammed into a huge van. By the time we hit Nevada, my mother was screaming, "Let me out! I want a divorce now! I can get one here quick!" 

 6) Thin for most of his life, Frank was blessed with a metabolism that allowed him to whatever he wanted without gaining weight. He especially enjoyed clams posillipo. What's your favorite Italian dish?

A. I am afraid I don't know the difference between Italian or anything else. I will say spaghetti even though I don't know if that is really Italian. It has tomato sauce in it, so maybe.

7) Perhaps because of his hardscrabble childhood, Sinatra was a soft touch for charities devoted to kids. One of his favorites was Variety, which sends disadvantaged children on day trips to museums, zoos and sporting events. Here's your chance to tell us about a cause that's near and dear to your heart.

A. Volunteer fire and rescue squads are very important to rural communities. Most communities would not have emergency services if people didn't volunteer their time and money to train and learn how to put out fires. I have been to and helped out at many barbeques and other fundraisers for the local fire departments as they tried to earn enough money to buy equipment, including vehicles, or build new structures. I remember one Saturday all I did for hours was wash potatoes, slap Crisco on them, and wrap them in foil. Hundreds and hundreds of baked potatoes.

Our area now has a combined emergency services department that is a mix of paid people and volunteers (and yes, it creates problems), but the volunteers remain the heart of the service. That is changing and eventually I imagine it will all be paid, but that means raising taxes, and unfortunately people would rather watch their neighbor die of a heart attack than part with an extra penny.

If you receive a solicitation from your local volunteer fire department or rescue squad, please make a donation.

8) Sinatra was a neat freak who couldn't stand dust or clutter and showered at least twice a day. He got this from his mother Dolly, who was compulsive about housecleaning and hygiene. Can you think of a time when you caught yourself doing something and thought, "I'm just like Mom/Dad!"

A. When I play guitar, sometimes I think about my father.

9) In 1998, Sinatra was buried with the things he always had in tow: a bottle of Jack Daniels, a pack of Camels, a Zippo lighter and 10 dimes. Why the dimes? According to his daughter, "He never wanted to be caught not able to make a call." Of course, 17 years later cell phones have replaced pay phones. Anyway, tell us what you always carry.

A. My asthma inhaler, my car keys, a hair brush, a credit card, and dental floss.