Ol’ Blue Eyes Stamp Part I Of II

On May 13, 2008, the new Frank Sinatra commemorative stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service. It was released one day before the 10th anniversary of his death. There were ceremonies in Las Vegas, New York and Hoboken, NJ, where Sinatra was born. This stamp is the latest stamp released in the Legends of Hollywood series. The color stamp image was based on a photo of Sinatra originally taken in the 1950’s. It shows his trademark hat, smile and twinkling blue eyes.

Frank Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915. He was an extremely popular singer and actor who began his singing career in the 1930’s. Beginning in 1939, he spent two plus years singing with The Tommy Dorsey Band. In his first year, he recorded and released more than forty songs. Up until Frank Sinatra, most music was recorded mainly for adult listening. With his appeal to young teenage girls, the music audience was forever changed.

In 1945, Sinatra co-starred with Gene Kelly in the wildly popular film Anchors Aweigh. He went on to do two more films with Kelly, Take Me Out To The Ball Game and On The Town. Sinatra experienced a brief decline in his popularity throughout the remainder of the 1940’s. In 1953, his career was back in full swing after starring in From Here To Eternity. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film and was once again one of the top recording artists in the world.

Please check back on Wednesday for the conclusion to this post.