Buy Used
Used - Good See details
$3.92 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra [Hardcover]

George Jacobs (Author), William Stadiem (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  

Book Description

June 3, 2003

An odyssey of celebrity, extravagance, and genius, Mr. S provides the deepest understanding yet of one of our greatest entertainers

As the right hand of Frank Sinatra from 1953 to 1968, George Jacobs arguably had one of the coolest jobs in the world at the time when Sinatra was the undisputed master of the entertainment universe. Jacobs rose from his humble beginnings in New Orleans to join Sinatra in the mansions of Beverly Hills, the penthouses of Manhattan, the palaces of Europe, the pinnacles of world power. George Jacobs saw it all, did it all.

Sinatra took Jacobs with him on the ride of the century, from blacklist Hollywood to gangland Chicago to an emerging Vegas to Camelot, not to mention dolce vita Rome and swinging London. As a member of Sinatra's inner circle, Jacobs drank with Ava Gardner, danced with Marilyn Monroe, massaged John F. Kennedy, golfed with Sam Giancana, and played jazz with the Prince of Monaco while his boss secretly pursued Princess Grace. He also partied with Mia Farrow, but that one cost him his job of a lifetime.

Through the ring-a-ding-ding and the stars, royals, politicians, moguls, and mobsters emerged a warm and intimate relationship that reveals a complex Sinatra: vulnerable and arrogant, charismatic and violent, loving and disdainful, confident and painfully self-conscious. Jacobs is no sycophant, but rather a sharp-eyed observer of the highs and lows of his boss's turbulent life. And Mr. S is perhaps the most complete, honest, and intimate portrait of Sinatra ever written.

It is an unforgettable trip, and George Jacobs provides a front-and-center seat at the life of an American icon.


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this insider celebrity bio, Jacobs, who served as Sinatra's valet for more than 13 years, recalls the time when Sinatra (or "Mr. S," as he called him) first hired him, then fired him in a jealous rage in 1968. Jacobs, who grew up in New Orleans, offers glimpses of Sinatra's private life-his obsession with cleanliness, his professional and personal relationships, as well as his many sexual conquests (which Jacobs sometimes recounts with too much detail). Jacobs (writing with Stadiem, author of Marilyn Monroe Confidential), in sometimes overwritten prose, dishes out the dirt on everyone from Hollywood stars (he catches Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo in Sinatra's pool, swimming naked and kissing) to the Kennedy clan (future president JFK doing lines of coke with Rat Pack member Peter Lawford). The authors spare only Ava Gardner from the dirtiest gossip. Sinatra entrusted his valet with his most private affairs-Jacobs kept his various girlfriends and wives entertained while Sinatra was busy. (It was a paparazzo's photo of Jacobs dancing with Mia Farrow at a nightclub that ignited Sinatra's rage.) Despite Sinatra's temper tantrums, Jacobs maintains that Sinatra always treated him well; and despite Sinatra's off-color jokes, he insists that the star was not a racist. (Sammy Davis Jr. "was the only person in Mr. S's world who made me aware of being black, and made me feel second-class for it.") In the end this is a mostly respectful portrait of Sinatra by a man still stung by the singer's unforgiving temper. One only wishes the book included more of Jacobs.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The Chairman of the Board's erstwhile valet purports to reveal, with Jacobs' help, Ol' Blue Eyes' private life. Jacobs didn't have to score heroin for Frank like Spanish Tony did for Keith Richards (see Sanchez's Up and Down with the Rolling Stones, 1980), but he was in a position to know of Sinatra's dealings with the Kennedys, Sam Giancana and associates, and Mia Farrow. Fine, fine, but does he endorse the oft-promulgated view of Ava Gardner as crazed, libidinous vixen? Well, no. Instead, he recalls cooking with her (both reveled in southern cuisine) and calls her "a cross between Miss Universe, a kick-ass girl-next-door, and a fairy godmother." In gently dishing tones, he relates insider tidbits on other Hollywood notables, too, and his main man comes off much better than in many other biographies. Jacobs doesn't so much ignore negatives as state them sympathetically. If his revelations won't be entirely new to avid Sinatraphile readers, his perspective provides fuller understanding of the object of their fascination. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: HarperEntertainment; First Edition edition (June 3, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060515163
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060515164
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #915,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

45 Reviews
5 star:
 (29)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (45 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Today's Stars must have learned it all from Frank Sinatra, June 6, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra (Hardcover)
I found this book to be totally riveting and interesting to the point that Frank hated the modernization of the entertainment business but is apparently guilty of everything he hated in today's entertainers with the exception of drugs. George Jacobs rats on Frank but in a loving way. It is clear that Jacobs loved the man and his style but hated what the 60's and future were and did do to his boss.

I find the contents of the book to be open and honest. There's enough written here about the usual incidents, lots of confirmation of events but from a totally different perspective. It looks like Jacobs saw the world in a similar vain to Frank. And while I cannot imagine his children enjoying this book, at least the author is alligned with them on his feelings about Frank's 4th wife.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves Frank Sinatra, the whole person. I am a true fan. This book made me revere him more, although the womanizing would have killed a mere mortal long before Frank passed on. What a life! If it all weren't so true, it would be a great fairytale.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Gossipy and filled with love and admiration, January 3, 2004
By 
Robert Wellen (CHICAGO, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra (Hardcover)
George Jacobs is a good man. He dearly loved his job and "Mr.S" His account of his 15 years with Sinatra give you a glimpse of the Chairman that no one else ever has. It was really cool to read about the mob, the kennedys, Marilyn Monroe, Sammy, Dean, Peter Lawford, from an entirely new perspective. Sure, there is a ton of information about Sinatra's love life, but it is all fascinating. Mia Farrow, as usual, comes across as a nut. Jacobs' feelings about the later years' Sinatra is sad but moving. A fun read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood Hijinks and Debauchery with th e Chairman, June 11, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra (Hardcover)
I am reading this book now and cannot seem to put it down. I saw George Jacobs on "The Today Show" and he was fascinating. I immediately went out and bought this book which has had me shocked, intrigued and laughing out loud at some points. The way in which this book is written is downright hilarious sometimes as are the descriptions Jacobs uses to describe certain people in Sinatra's life. Aside from being funny, it also let's the reader in on the different side of Frank Sinatra. The human side.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
The only man in America who was less interested than me in sleeping with Mia Farrow was her husband and my boss, Frank Sinatra. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Frank Sinatra, Palm Springs, Sam Giancana, New York, Beverly Hills, Big Nancy, Ava Gardner, Peter Lawford, Jimmy Van Heusen, Joe Kennedy, Rat Pack, New Orleans, Swifty Lazar, Marilyn Monroe, Sam Spiegel, Bobby Kennedy, Courtesy of George Jacobs, Little Nancy, Jack Daniel, Dean Martin, Humphrey Bogart, Sammy Davis, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Jack Entratter
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:


What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...



Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject