Some Came Running

Once again we see another film where Sinatra plays the soldier returning home. However, unlike in The Manchurian Candidate, here Sinatra's character isn't primarily traumatized by his wartime experiences. Instead his problems involve his big brother and women. The obvious hostility and resentment Dave Hirsch holds for his older brother Frank is apparent from his appearance in town. He invests his money in the other bank and passive agressively gives Frank a check for the years he spent growing up in an all boys orphanage.
Frank at this time is the living the supposed American dream. He has his own business, a beautiful house, and a picture-perfect wife and daughter. Dave (Sinatra) on the other hand leads a wandering life, writing and working from place to place. He rents the nicest hotel room in a town and never seems to worry about money, emulating a playboy lifestyle in the beginning of the film in stark opposition to the mainstream form of masculinity portrayed by his brother.
As the film progresses Dave attempts to slide away from the bachelor lifestyle. He genuinely wishes to marry Gwen, but he can't because she is unwilling to look past his drunken, single lifestyle filled with gamblers and escorts. Dave ends up marrying Ginny out of anger against Gwen and a desire for companionship. But once again traditional domesticity is impossible for a Sinatra character when Ginny is killed minutes after their wedding.

Manchurian Candidate

Sinatra's presence in the army in The Manchurian Candidate is a greater force than in From Here to Eternity or Kings go Forth. In From Here to Eternity Maggio is at the bottom of the army totem pole, receiving scut work and racial slurs from his superiors. In Kings go Forth Sinatra plays a higher ranking officer, but the plot focuses less about the army and more on the relationships between Sinatra, Natalie Wood, and Tony Curtis. In the Manchurian Candidate Sinatra is taken seriously by the army and it plays an enormous part in his life. Once the army determines he isn't having insane dreams he becomes a leader in the investigation of Raymond Shaw. Sinatra provides the key needed to crack the Shaw mystery because he was brainwashed as well, but refuses to accept his thoughts as truth. Without Sinatra Raymond would not have been able to break the mind control.
I have a hard time deciding what direction the politics of this film move towards. On the one hand the evil comes from the outside from the communist Russians and Chinese. In this sense the film defends American patriotism, lauding our country as the righteous and moral center. But the ultimate evil comes from Angela Lansbury's character of the senator's wife who spreads insipid rumors of communism but actually works for the enemy to promote her own selfish interests. This suggests that evil comes from within the American system a more leftist take on politics.
Overall Sinatra's character is far more mature than any of his army characters in his earlier musicals. He isn't awkward or shy around women, he coolly tells Janet Leigh that she's sexy. The romantic relationship really isn't the focal point of the story at all, unlike his musicals. The plot focuses more on solving the mystery than any petty relationship.

High Society

The ongoing "battle" between Sinatra and Crosby is pretty lackluster in this film. The two singers seem like they're having a fine old time and are perfectly content listen to the other while maybe throwing in a few playful jabs here and there (that's not my kind of singing). Crosby here is a cool, wealthy bachelor from the upper class, while Sinatra plays a working class reporter with a big chip on his shoulder over the wealthy and their frivilous lives. These differences aren't used to create any real tension between the two characters, however. They are very amiable with one another throughout the whole movie; even when a drunken Sinatra carries an even drunker Grace Kelly, Crosby's former wife, back from the pool clothed in bathrobes Crosby still likes Sinatra.

In terms of music Crosby is supposed to be the jazz afficionado in this film, but in reality he's still a crooner. His songs are mostly lilting and soft, and it always seems like he's about to fall asleep. Even during Crosby's upbeat numbers with Louis Armstrong and Sinatra he seems to slow the tempo and slide from note to note. Sinatra's songs feel like they really belong in a musical. Who Wants to be a Millionaire takes the place of the conversation he and the reporter would otherwise have. His love songs to Kelly sound like they're character driven rather than a generic love song. His character is often the comic relief and the songs reflect that. Overall my impression was that Bing Crosby was playing Bing Crosby while Sinatra played a character with just a little Sinatra thrown in.

The Guys of Guys and Dolls

Neither of the leading men in Guys and Dolls represent the traditional model of masculinity in the 50s. Nathan runs a floating crap game and has been engaged to Adelaide for fourteen years, denying her the domestic bliss she desperately yearns for. Sky is a master gambler, a high risk taker, who travels from hotel to hotel and thinks all dolls are the same "like cough-drops." Both of these characters suggest a different masculinity then the typical white-collar, suburban males, because there's no denying the fact these are MEN.
Sinatra has graduated from the effimenate roles of his earlier musicals. He knows how to handle a doll (even if Adelaide is his weakness), he's the leader not the follower, and there's no trace of a form-fitting sailor suit! For the majority of the movie Sinatra seems comfortably cool and confident. He walks at a slower tempo holding his arms behind his back. His words are accentuated and contain none of the earnest whine Clarence had. The only moments when Sinatra's acting felt forced was when he is nervously awaiting the outcome of his bet with Nathan. The chewing and spitting of his fingernails seemed cliche, only done for a laugh.
Marlon Brando's performance as Sky Masterson the gambler with a heart of gold who knows the Bible better than the missionaries draws upon his method acting, but falls far from his performances in films like A Streetcar Named Desire or On the Waterfront. He injects Sky with subtle nuances like the way he points his hat to emphasize his points, and his penetrating gaze into Miss Sarah Brown's soul. These don't make up for his mediocre singing though. When he broke into song I felt like saying, "Shhh . . . Just keep talking please. Leave it to Sinatra." Sinata performs his songs with ease and grace. Overall I give Brando points for his acting, and Sinatra points for his singing. (A groundbreaking statement I'm sure.)

From Here to Eternity

Sinatra grew up in From Here to Eternity. No longer is his character a wide-eyed youth with a velvet voice following Gene Kelly trying to figure out how to get a girl. Now he plays a man with deep, heart wrenching emotions. Maggio is an ordinary guy. He works hard, but he likes to get drunk. He sticks up for his friends and family. He enjoys the company of a girl, and he's the instigator of the affair. His ordinariness is what drew me in this film. Prewitt and Sergeant Warden both have special abilities that make them stand out; Prewitt has boxing and bugling talents, and Sergeant Warden his imposing persona and uber-masculine aura. Maggio is just an average private (who never breaks into the crooner persona).
All of the previous Sinatra films we have viewed featured him as part of the military, but in the previous three that element of his character acted as a minor backstory detail. Now the military is THE STORY. The rigid setting of this film and the fact that it isn't a musical gives Sinatra real credit as an actor. He can't fall back on "The Voice," he has to prove that he has the acting chops. And he does. Sinatra delicately balances between comic relief and authentic anger, sadness, and fear. His face when he is brought to the stockade and looks at Fatso's bully club filled me with terror and the urge to smite Fatso myself.
Sinatra's Italian identity is brought to the forefront of this film. His character actually has an Italian name (Angelo Maggio) and he exhibits many of the qualities associated with Italian Americans. He is loyal to his friends, devoted to his family, and he drinks . . . . a lot. He is also quick to anger, throwing a chair at the obviously dangerous Fatso because he calls him a "little wop." The film may promote sterotypes about Italians, but I think the focus on Maggio's loyalty and his sincerity overpower the negative aspects of his character.

On the Town and on the prowl (sort of)

When the dock worker asks Kelly, Sinatra and Munshin, "What do you think can happen in a day?" Sinatra howls and wolf whistles along with the other two, leading me to think, "Okay, now a Sinatra character is going to actively pursue a woman." But once again my clairvoyant abilities are not up to par. Sinatra's character, Chip, has site-seeing not girls on the brain. Woo-woo! When the boys happen upon Hildy the agressive, take-charage female cab driver who "Never gives up anything she likes" she falls for Chip because of his open face and makes her desire painfully obvious with her "come up to my place" line. Chip understands all her signals, but remains dedicated first to his tour of the city and second to helping Kelly's character find "Miss Turnstile." Chip does represent a more standard form of masculinity than Clarence from Anchors Aweigh. He doesn't depend on Kelly's character to talk to girls for him, nor does he fail to take the initiative once he actually comes up to Hildy's place. They start kissing passionately the moment he sits down. And he kisses her first! One thing which helps give Sinatra a more masculine image is the fact that no one steals his girl in this movie. Hildy has eyes for Chip alone.

Sinatra's characters continue to be the ones who are pursued by women as compared to Kelly who is firmly committed to the hunt. Sinatra's charm draws women in without him being aware while Kelly uses romantic lines, dancing and other foolproof techniques to reel in his loves. Munshin's character is pure comic relief. Of the three men he is the first to get a girl and it's through his caveman face.

What Happened in Brooklyn?

Frank Sinatra was the man who could get any girl . . . . . . . except Kathryn Grayson. Once again the doe-eyed opera singer with high notes only dogs can hear chooses Sinatra's costar over him. And this time Sinatra's character is actually more confident and manly then Peter Lawford's character. AND he sings with Grayson. Apparently she is just not the girl for Sinatra. This film is similar to Anchors Aweigh not only with the romantic plot. Sinatra once more plays a military man from Brooklyn who doesn't possess the toughness and grit associated with the area. He withdraws inside himself while away from his beloved neighborhood, and only expresses real devotion for Brooklyn itself.

Sinatra is the leading man in this movie, however, where in Anchors Aweigh he was the sidekick. Lawford's character idolizes Sinatra, and it's only with Sinatra's permission that Lawford finally confesses his love for Grayson. Kelly's character in Anchors Aweigh felt sorry when he took Sinatra's girl, but he took her before talking to Sinatra. Sinatra also plays the paternal role in It Happened in Brooklyn, assuring the young boys that they'll grow to be strong, and can continue to study music.

The comparisons between It Happend in Brooklyn and Sinatra's recording image are numerous. An entire song is devoted to the importance of singing from the heart, Sinatra''s continuous mantra. His character plays and sings for the bobby-soxers in the recording studio, inciting their squeals just as in real life. I see his operatic duet with Grayson as a sign that says, "I can sing the technically difficult music too."