The Way You Wear Your Hat : Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin' (Hardcover)

by Bill Zehme (Author) "Ofella came up to me the other day with a nice story..." (more)
Key Phrases: wee small, Palm Springs, Frank Sinatra, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Narrator Brian Emerson reads this celebrity profile in a well-phrased pleasant voice, with limited emotion. This is not a formal biography of superstar powerbroker Frank Sinatra, who died in May at the age of 82. We learn his likes, dislikes, and behavior as singer, actor, and head of Hollywood's "Rat Pack." Missing are things like rumors of Mafia connections or reprisals against enemies like ex-son-in-law Tommy Sands. Friends, relatives, and Sinatra himself provided info. This man of talent was fascinating, if flawed. He craved to be the best and own the best, was generous to friends and relatives, and hated journalists who wrote unsympathetically about his public brawls and affairs with women. Although far from complete, this study provides a good deal. Recommended for popular biography collections.?Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Review
Zehme's book ... is a tongue-in-cheek riff on Sinatra's style, with photographs, anecdotes, and snippets from the author's 1996 Esquire interview.... Zehme is as starstruck as a bygone bobby-soxer. Flashing back to 1964, he writes, "The man is at his peak of power, which is power like no man has known, because he is Sinatra." -- Entertainment Weekly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 245 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (November 12, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006018289X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060182892
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #775,905 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Brought a New Kind of Book to Us, June 1, 2000

By	Jon Warshawsky "Sinatra Guru" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Zehme's book is a delight, a welcome change from the biotrash (Kitty Kelley) and a nice complement to the detailed music analyses (Will Friedwald and Charles Granata). For those of us who never met the man, you close the book feeling like you knew him. For those of us who live our lives by his music, it offers a great perspective on the man behind the songs. Even if the author writes for Esquire, this is less of style manual than a collection of anecdotes telling us how the Chairman did things with class. The world dressed better in the 1950s, and Sinatra STILL looks like the classiest guy around 50 years later (check out contemporary photos of his pals for a contrast!) You'll learn how to mix drinks, what color suit to wear at night (hint: forget about brown), how to manage your untold millions and how to date starlets.

Many of the excellent Phil Stern photographs have appeared elsewhere, but it is nicely illustrated book with some new (to me) photos.

Recommended as a fun read and the closest we'll ever come to spending an afternoon with the man.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sinatra without the warts., March 6, 2000

By	Old Fisherman "Jim" (Orange, California USA) - See all my reviews

First, you have to understand it's not a biography. Actually the book's premise is summed up very well by the Sinatra quote on the dust jacket. "I think my real amibition is to pass on to others what I know. It took me a long, long time to learn what I now know, and I don't want that to die with me." I think this book does that very well using a series of ancedotes culled from Mr. Sinatra himself as well as others. It covers things such as the Las Vegas "Rat Pack" years, his style of dress, his code of conduct, his loyalty to friends. The book succeeds in what it was meant to do, but to get a real feel for the total man I'd suggest reading one of the many fine biographies that are out there. Whether you love or hate Frank Sinatra you'll have to admit he was a very complex man who lived life on his own terms. This book will give you some insights into what drove him to be the way he was.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop Complaining, June 5, 2005

By	Artanis Frank "Natashia/Age 14" (Earth) - See all my reviews

There are obviously a lot of people out there who love hating Frank Sinatra.Kitty Kelly writes a filthy book thousands of Sinatra-haters swoon over,and Bill Zehme writes a fabulous book for the FANS that everyone complains about.Maybe Zehme's stories aren't all true.At least HE puts in the "alledgedly."
In any case-it's a beautiful book.It's an appreciation of an undeniably tremendous life and way of life,and on those grounds,it succeeds all the way.Yes,it does tend to gloss over the Mob relations and those legends of cruelty that have persisted so long.His Way glossed over the innumerable charitable acts and legends of kindness that have persisted so long.What do YOU want to believe?
Even if you're one of those idiot Sinatra haters,you gotta admit this is one entertaining book.Many of the anecdotes are hilarious(Rat Pack) and the sadder ones(Ava,ect.)are seemingly truthful and well-written.I do admit,I've heard most of these stories from a different source,and often in a different and darker light than taken here,but they're still the same facts,and VERY entertaingly recounted.
If you start this book prejudiced by that sad,monstrous image many of those dish-the-dirt biographies have painted of Sinatra,sure,you're gonna complain just like the rest-you want the TRUTH.What,may I ask,IS the truth?Like I said before,too many people love to hate their idols.Biographers have tried to tear down Marilyn Monroe,Elizabeth Taylor,the Kennedys,Rock Hudson,James Dean,Ava Gardner,Cary Grant,Joan Crawford,Judy Garland,Betty Davis, and are probably working on inventing a juicy scandal for Jimmy Stewart,but Frank Sinatra has been these rats' favorite target since he socked Lee Mortimer in 1947.There were not two Sinatras.You can either believe the scandal sheets and gossippy headlines that made the authors a ton of money and made Frank Sinatra the Monster that sells papers,or,you can belive this.A human,funny,admiring portrait of a VERY human man.The Frank Sinatra here is not the vicious loser described so cruelly by Kitty Kelly,but he's not an angel either.He's a person, who's supreme talent and famous controversy made a Legend.A generous,thoughtful,intelligent individual,who undoubtedly made more than his share of mistakes,but more than made up for them.Bill Zehme's miraculous book may not tell the WHOLE story,but it comes closer than anything I've ever read.I guess no one ever knew or will know exactly WHO Sinatra was.I suppose the only chance of that died when Sinatra did.But the world has its pick of possible Sinatras.And this is the best one of them all.A truly magnificent book.