Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra (Hardcover)

~ (Author), William Stadiem (Author) "The only man in America who was less interested than me in sleeping with Mia Farrow was her husband and my boss, Frank Sinatra..." (more)
Key Phrases: Frank Sinatra, Palm Springs, Sam Giancana (more...)

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

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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 (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #274,630 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 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

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.

14 of 14 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)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood Hijinks and Debauchery with th e Chairman, June 12, 2003

By A Customer

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.