Frank_ The Voice - James Kaplan [310]
She just kept smiling.
The kids shouted for him to put it on.
He hung the chain around his neck and slid the medal under his shirt collar. He patted it twice as he looked at his family.
Then he went home alone.
The next day he awoke with a headache. It was still raining; the sky was the color of slate. George brought him the Times and the Examiner and yesterday afternoon’s Herald-Express and made him coffee. Frank opened the papers and looked for his name. Louella had called late last night; she must have something. There he was in Winchell: “After being exiled too long, F. Sinatra rejoined the jukebox royalty. His balladandy, ‘Young at Heart,’ is among the Top Ten.” Good. A headline caught his eye: NEWCOMER IS HOT FAVORITE FOR ANNUAL SCREEN AWARD. Good. But then, under Aline Mosby’s byline, the piece, datelined Hollywood, March 24, began: “Audrey Hepburn, a newcomer to movies who says she’s flat-chested and homely, is the hot favorite to reign as 1953’s best actress at tomorrow night’s 26th annual academy awards.”
He read on:
This year’s race of the celluloid kings and queens was turned into a $275,000 telecast that will make it the most gala, colorful Oscar derby in 10 years. And by now the movie colonists, as eager as if this were a presidential election, have been predicting around their swimming pools who is likely to win the coveted gold statuettes.
His gaze roved restlessly down the column. Hepburn a cinch … Best Actor’s contest a photo finish between Bill Holden, star of Stalag 17, and Burt Lancaster …
There.
“ ‘Eternity’ is favored to be awarded the best picture honor by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with ‘Shane’ a close rival,” the piece continued.
Two stars of “Eternity,” Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra, are popular choices for the supporting Oscars.
Miss Hepburn, Holden, Miss Reed, Sinatra and “From Here to Eternity” won the annual straw poll of academy voters released yesterday by Daily Variety, a show business trade paper. But Lancaster was only a handful of votes behind.
As usual, only eight of the 20 globe-trotting acting nominees will be in the audience of 2500 executives, fans and stars at the Pantages Theatre on busy Hollywood Boulevard.
Not one “best actress” nominee is in town. Miss Hepburn, Maggie McNamara and Deborah Kerr will be telecast at a branch meeting of nominees in New York. Ava Gardner is in Rome and Leslie Caron in Washington.
Holden will be on hand but Richard Burton is in England, Marlon Brando in New York, Montgomery Clift in Jamaica and Lancaster in Mexico. Miss Reed and Sinatra will be among many supporting nominees who will pull up in limousines before screaming fans outside the ornate theater.
Here was Louella. “Tonight’s the night for Frank Sinatra,” she wrote.
He’ll either step up and get his Oscar for “From Here to Eternity,” or else he and the rest of the audience will be surprised numb.
[But] whether Frankie wins or not, he’s delighted with the St. Genesius medal given him by 13-year-old Nancy, Jr. and Frankie, Jr.
Was Parsons giving him the win or taking it away? He thought of the oracular pronouncement Chester had made when Frank had moaned that he didn’t think he had a chance: Anything can happen. There are a lot of upsets in these contests.
It was cold and drizzly, a night for keeping the Cadillac’s convertible top up. He pulled in to the drive at 320 North Carolwood and walked to the front door, umbrella in hand. The door opened, and there they all were in the sweet-smelling foyer: behind, Nancy holding the baby’s hand, and in front, Frank’s two dates for the evening, Nancy junior in a white fur cape and Frankie in an overcoat and bow tie. Their eyes were big.
He exclaimed: how beautiful; how handsome. Little Nancy beamed; Frankie frowned.
Big Nancy was smiling her smile. Good luck, Frank.
He kissed her on the cheek and thanked her. Then he kissed the grinning Tina and thanked her too.
He patted the pocket of his tux jacket, where the medal sat. His right