His Way_ The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra - Kitty Kelley [139]
The next day, he screamed about the program’s summary of his career. “Where do they get that stuff—‘He was reputedly washed up.’ ‘My career zoomed downward.’ ‘My second career.’ Maybe I didn’t make movies for a couple of years, but I bet I made more money on TV, in nightclubs, and making records than half the stars in Hollywood.”
Still, Frank couldn’t ignore his meager record sales in the bad years, and he was embarrassed by some of the recordings he had made at Columbia Records. “Nowadays I hear records I made three or four years ago and I wish I could destroy the master records,” he said. “It was all because of emotion. No doubt about it.”
When Columbia reissued those records to cash in on his new success, Frank retaliated by denouncing the company, saying that he had been forced to record music licensed by Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), in which Columbia’s parent company, CBS, had an interest. He gave scathing interviews to the press and sent telegrams to senators and congressmen, demanding antitrust action against Columbia to bar broadcasters from owning music publishing and recording firms.
The focus of his anger was Mitch Miller, director of artists and repertoire, whom he accused of ruining his career by selecting inferior songs with cheap musical gimmicks such as barking dogs and washboards for accompaniment.
“Before Mr. Miller’s advent on the scene, I had a successful recording career which quickly went into decline,” said Frank. “It is now a matter of record that since I have associated myself with Capitol Records, a company free of broadcasting affiliations, my career is again financially, creatively, and artistically healthy.”
Mitch Miller was outraged by Frank’s attack. “His career went down the drain because of his emotional turmoil over Ava Gardner,” he said. “I had nothing to do with him losing his movie contract, losing his television show, losing his radio show. I had nothing to do with him losing his voice. He should look to himself as the cause of his own failure and stop trying to blame others. Besides, his contract gave him total control over all his material. He didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to do. And as far as gimmicks go, let me tell you that the microphone is the greatest gimmick of all. Take away the microphone and Sinatra and most other pop singers would be slicing salami in a delicatessen.”
Despite the angry telegrams, no congressional action was taken against Columbia Records or Mitch Miller, but Frank became obsessed with hating Miller and refused all entreaties by friends to make up. When Erroll Garner recorded “On the Street Where You Live,” he called Frank in Las Vegas and played the recording for him.
“Wonderful, wonderful,” said Frank. “Whose orchestra is that with you?”
“Mitch Miller,” said Garner.
Frank hung up the phone.
Years later, Miller was in Las Vegas staying at the Sands, and Jack Entratter dragged him over to Frank to shake hands. “It’s time you two became friends again.” he said. Miller very agreeably extended his hand and said, “Hi, Frank, how are you.” Frank, who was sitting with a large table of friends, looked up and said, “Fuck off.”
“It was very embarrassing,” recalled Miller, “and it’s kind of crazy because I never really did anything to him except record some great records.”
Columnist Dorothy Kilgallen experienced the same kind of rage after her 1956 newspaper series entitled “The Real Frank Sinatra Story” appeared in the New York Journal-American, detailing,