vincentlynch-moonoi I had little or no respect for Frank Sinatra as a man. I did, however, have a great deal of respect for his recording career from 1954 - 1965, and occasionally after that; many of those recordings are, quit simply, the best recordings of those songs ever made. And, at least from time to time, I greatly respected Frank Sinatra's acting. And this is one example of that.Sinatra could do on film what he could rarely do on television -- reach out and grab the audience, particularly when the role called for the character to be ingratiating...as this film does. Few could match his talent at doing that. We see it in a number of his films, particularly including "The Joker Is Wild". Sinatra was, quite simply, perfect for his role in this film. I can't imagine another actor doing it half as well.It's interesting also that this is directed by Frank Capra. So, yes, Capra Corn...but really good corn! I'd go so far as to say that this was Capra's last great film, and perhaps his only great film of the 1950s.Aside from Sinatra's excellence here, the performance of Edward G. Robinson as Sinatra's brother is terrific...funny as heck. And Robinson's wife is played by Thelma Ritter...again, just tremendous. Eleanor Parker was great as the eventual love interest. And wonderful little Eddie Hodges as the son...remarkable (go online and look for a pic of him as an older adult...quite a change!). I wasn't as thrilled with the performance of Carolyn Jones as the the sort of hippie first love interest...and now that I think of it, I'm not sure I was ever very impressed with Jones. Keenan Wynn plays a not very sympathetic character, but he is good in the part. Dub Taylor as the desk clerk at the hotel was, I thought, just a little over the top.If you want to see Sinatra at his best in film, this is ONE of the films I'd recommend. And, it's fun!

treeline1 The story is set in Miami, where down-on-his-luck Tony (Frank Sinatra) is struggling to keep his shabby hotel in the black. He's also got his hands full raising his precocious son Ally (Eddie Hodges) and romancing a free-spirit (Carolyn Jones). His wealthy brother (Edward G. Robinson) agrees to support Tony but in exchange, Ally must come to live with him.This is a wonderful, feel-good comedy/drama with excellent acting all around. Sinatra's Tony is a handsome and cool dreamer who can't seem to catch a break but he's a loving father and has many tender scenes with young Eddie (who mugs a bit too much but is very talented). Robinson and Thelma Ritter as the rich relatives provide a lot of dry, Brooklyn humor and are wonderful as is Eleanor Powell in a small but endearing role.This 1959 movie is a bit dated but still quite enjoyable. I had a smile on my face and a little tear as well. Sweet and wholesome; highly recommended.

handyoaka This movie is a classic case of how a good storyline (about a loser who can not or will not overcome his personal flaws) is ruined by an "everything will work out if you let it" ending.You get the feeling the producers did not feel the audience had the maturity to accept a less-than-pleasant finale'.This is disappointing, but not unusual. During the time period, "feel good" family movies were the rule rather than the exception. It was very rare to see a family film that didn't have some sort of sugary-sweet happy ending. It was that mentality the nearly ruined the Disney industry.You make sense of it!

MatBrewster Read all my reviews at www.midnitcafe.blogspot.comI received A Hole in the Head for my birthday in a Frank Sinatra double pack with the original Manchurian Candidate. I had put off watching it because it did not seem like a movie I would particularly enjoy. But in my quest to watch and review all of my movies, I had no choice but to put it in the player. Of course the fact that my wife wanted to watch it prompted me a little further even to the point of watching it out of alphabetical order.Frank Capra is the great godfather of sentimental movies. Many of these are deservedly hailed by fans and critics. From Mr Smith Goes to Washington to It's a Wonderful Life Capra made movies about the little guys fighting the system and coming out on top. These movies are sentimental enough to be dubbed "Capracorn" by the system, but are handled with masterful hands that rise above the schmaltz created by so many others. Besides little guys he also flooded his movies with eccentric characters standing out in a world full or normal folk. Arsenic and Old Lace and You Can't Take it With You are standouts of this form. Sadly, A Hole in the Head tries to mix both of these Capra types and fails on both accounts.The film is the second to last picture ever made by Capra and was the beginning of an attempted comeback from a few years break from making Hollywood pictures. But instead of a comeback this film serves only to remind us of what Capra used to be. Frank Sinatra plays a down on his luck big dreamer who is about to be evicted from his hotel business in Miami, Florida. He calls up his brother, Edward G Robinson and sister-in-law Thelma Ritter for help pretending his son is sick. Robinson and wife quickly head down from New York to see what's going on. Hilarity and sentimentality ensue. Swinging Sinatra butts heads with button down Robinson until a quick ending and easy solution are found.The performances of the stars are fine. At this point in their careers Sinatra and Robinson are essentially playing themselves. Although Sinatra is more up and coming to the declining Robinson. There are some good jokes and the simple story is fair enough as it is. Capra fills Sinatra's hotel with an odd collection of eccentrics that seem to have no other purpose but to fill up some time and tell a few jokes. The ending of the movie seems tied on and creates changes to some characters without any real provocation. The cheese factor is high even for a Capra film and it's not subdued by any superb performances. The drama is not elevated above the schlock you would see in a made for TV movie.The stand out of the film is Sinatra and son singing the classic "High Hopes." Being a fan of Sinatra more as a singer than actor this amusing break in the middle of the picture helped keep my hopes up for a decent picture. Those hopes were not shattered, nor were they completely fulfilled. For beginners of "Capracorn" you should pick out some of his earlier, superior films. But for a lonely night in need of some corny sentiment, this is some fluffy candy that just might fill.More reviews at www.midnitcafe.blogspot.com