Connie Francis
Encyclopedia
Connie Francis is an American
pop singer
of Italian
heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw. Despite several severe interruptions in her career, Francis is still active as a recording and performing artist (as of November 2011).
, neighborhood of Newark
, New Jersey
, as first child to George Franconero, sr, and Ida Franconero née Ferrari-di Vito, spending her first years in a Brooklyn neighborhood on Utica Avenue/St. Marks Avenue before the family moved to New Jersey.
In her autobiography Who's sorry now?, published in 1984, Francis recalls that she was encouraged by her father, George Franconero, Sr., to appear regularly at talent contests, pageants and other neighborhood festivities from the age of 4 as a singer and accordion player.
Francis attended Newark Arts High School
in 1951 and 1952. She and her family moved to Belleville, New Jersey
, where she graduated Salutatorian
from Belleville High School
Class of 1955.
During this time, Francis continued to perform at neighborhood festivities and talent shows (some of which were broadcasted on television), appearing alternately as Concetta Franconero and Connie Franconero. Under the latter name she also appeared on NBC's
variety show "Startime Kids" between 1953 and 1955.
During the rehearsals for her appearance on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
", Francis was advised by Arthur Godfrey
himself to change her stage name to Connie Francis for the sake of an easier pronunciation. Godfrey also told her to drop the accordion – advice she gladly followed, for she had begun to hate the large and heavy instrument. Around the same time, Francis took a job as a singer for Demonstration Records
. These records were brought to the attention of established singers and/or their management who would subsequently chose or decline to record the song for a professional commercial record.
or Kay Starr
but had not yet developed a distinctive sound of her own.
Finally, even when MGM Records
decided to sign a contract with her, it was basically because one track she had recorded, "Freddy", happened to be the name of the son of a company executive, Harry A. Myerson, who thought of this song as a nice birthday gift. Hence, "Freddy" was released as Francis' first single, which would turn out as a commercial failure just as her following eight solo singles.
Despite these failures, Francis was hired to recorded the vocals for Tuesday Weld
"singing" scenes in the 1956 movie "Rock, Rock, Rock"
, and for Freda Holloway in the 1957 Warner Brothers rock and roll movie "Jamboree"
.
In the fall of 1957, Francis enjoyed her first chart success with a duet single she had recorded with Marvin Rainwater
: "The Majesty of Love", b/w "You, My Darlin' You", peaked at # 93 on Billboard's Hot 100
.
Francis considered a career in medicine and was about to accept a four-year scholarship offered at New York University
. At what was to have been her final recording session for MGM on October 2, 1957, she recorded a cover version
of the 1923 song "Who's Sorry Now?
", written by Bert Kalmar
and Harry Ruby
. Francis has said that she recorded it at the persistence of her father, who was convinced it stood a chance of becoming a hit because it was a song adults already knew and that teenagers would dance to if it had a contemporary arrangement
.
Francis, who didn't like the song at all and had been arguing about it with her father heatedly, delayed the recording of the three other songs during session so much that in her opinion there was no time left on the continuously running recording tape. But her father insisted, and when the recording "Who's Sorry Now?" was finished, there were only a few seconds left on the tape.
The single seemed to go unnoticed like all previous releases – just as Francis had predicted. But on January 1, 1958, the song debuted on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand
". By mid-year, over a million copies had been sold, and Francis was suddenly launched into worldwide stardom. In April 1958, "Who's Sorry Now" reached # 1 on the UK Singles Chart
and # 4 in the US. For the next four years, Francis was voted the "Best Female Vocalist" by "American Bandstand" viewers.
As Connie Francis explains at each of her concerts, she began searching for a new hit immediately after the success of "Who's Sorry Now?", since MGM Records had renewed her contract. After the relative failure of the follow-up singles "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry" (which stalled at #36) and "Heartaches"
(failing to chart at all), Francis met with Neil Sedaka
and Howard Greenfield
who sang a number of ballads they had written for her. After a few hours, Francis began writing in her diary
while the songwriters played the last of their ballads. Afterwards, Francis told them that she considered their ballads too intellectual and sophisticated for the young generation and requested a more lively song. Greenfield urged Sedaka to sing a song they had written that morning with The Shepherd Sisters
in mind. Sedaka protested that Francis would be insulted, but Greenfield said that since she hated all the other songs they had performed, they had nothing to lose. Sedaka played "Stupid Cupid
". When he finished, Francis announced that he had just played her new hit record. The song reached # 14 on the Billboard chart and was her second # 1 in the UK.
The success of "Stupid Cupid" restored momentum to Francis' chart career, and she reached the U.S. top 40 an additional seven times during the remainder of the '50s. She managed to churn out more hits by covering several older songs, such as "My Happiness" (# 2 on the Hot 100) and "Among My Souvenirs
" (# 7), as well as performing her own original songs. In 1959, she gained two gold records for a double-sided hit: on the A-side, "Lipstick on Your Collar
" (# 5); on the B-side, "Frankie" (# 9).
in August 1959 to record an Italian
album at E.M.I.'s famous Abbey Road Studios
, entitled "Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites
".
The album was released in November 1959. Soon afterwards it entered the album charts where it remained for 81 weeks, peaking at # 4. It remains to this day as Francis' most successful album release. The subsequent single culled from this album, "Mama", reached # 8 in the United States and # 2 in the United Kingdom.
Following this success, Francis recorded seven more albums of "Favorites" between 1960 and 1964, including Jewish
, German
and Irish
Favorites, among others. These albums would mark Francis' transition from the youth-oriented Rock 'n' Roll music
to adult contemporary music
, which George Franconero, sr had realized to be necessary if his daughter wanted to pursue a successful longtime career in music.
Nevertheless, Francis would continue to record singles which aimed at the youth-oriented market. Among her Top Ten hits on the Hot 100 were "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart
" (1961, # 7), "When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)"
(1961, # 10), "Second Hand Love" (1962, # 9), and "Where the Boys Are" (1961, # 4). The latter became her signature tune and was also the theme song of Francis first motion picture of the same name
. The movie also introduced the concept of spring break
as the once sleepy town of Fort Lauderdale became the hotspot for college students on their spring vacation in the wake of the movie's success. Although she appeared in three further motion pictures on the silver screen, Francis was never satisfied with herself as an actress, and after appearing in a made-for-television movie in 1966, she declined further offers.
The success of "Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites" in late 1959/early 1960 led to the fact that Francis was one of the first American artists to record in other languages regularly. She was to be followed by other major British and American recording stars including Wanda Jackson
, Cliff Richard
, Petula Clark
, Brenda Lee
, The Supremes
, Peggy March
, Pat Boone
, Lesley Gore
, The Beatles
and even Johnny Cash
, among many others. In her autobiography, Franis mentioned that in the early years of her career the language barrier in certain European countries made it difficult for her songs to get airplay, especially in Germany. She explained that Germany's most popular singer, Freddy Quinn
, often sold two to three million records per song, equivalent to about twelve million in the United States.
Francis used these reflections as the basis for her April 1960 recording, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool
". Although this single became her first # 1 on the US charts (immediately followed by her second # 1, "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
"), and its B-side "Jealous of you (Tango della Gelosia)" became a huge hit in Italy, it failed to make any impression on the German charts.
Veteran lyricist Ralph Maria Siegel penned a set of German lyrics, named "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel", which, after some friction between Francis herself and her MGM executives, was recorded and released. The song peaked at #1 in Germany for two weeks, as it did in many other countries and Francis would have six more # 1 hits on the German charts.
Contrary to popular belief, Francis did not record any further foreign language versions of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool". The German version is the only one recorded by herself although other artists recorded further cover versions in various languages such as Portuguese
, Swedish
, or even Finnish
.
It wasn't until her # 7 on the US charts, "Many Tears Ago", later in 1960 when Francis began to record cover versions of her own songs in foreign languages besides German. Over the following years, she would eventually expand her recording portfolio up to 15 languages in total:
She also sang in Romanian
during a live performance at the 1970 edition of the Cerbul de Aur
in Braşov
, Romania
.
Obviously, Francis was not fluent in all of these languages and she had to learn her foreign language songs phonetically
. Francis explained in a 1961 television interview that she was fluent in Spanish and Italian, but always had a translator nearby to make sure her translated lyrics and especially her pronunciation were as grammatically correct as possible.
In the wake of "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel", Francis enjoyed her greatest successes outside the United States. During the 1960s, her songs not only topped the charts in numerous countries around the world, but she was also voted the # 1 singer in over ten countries. In 1960, she was named the most popular artist in Europe, the first time a non-European received this honor.
Francis' enduring popularity overseas led to her having television specials in numerous countries around the world, such as England
, Germany
, Spain
, and Italy
. Even at the height of the Cold War
, Francis' music was well-received in Iron Curtain
countries, although it was common knowledge that rock n' roll was highly looked down upon in Soviet countries.
In the US, Connie Francis had a third number one hit in 1962: "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You
", and her immense success led MGM to give her complete freedom to choose whichever songs she wanted to record.
Francis' first autobiographical book, For Every Young Heart, was published in 1963. On July 3 that same year, she played a Royal Command Performance
for Queen Elizabeth II
at the Alhambra Theatre
in Glasgow, Scotland. During the height of the Vietnam War
in 1967, Connie Francis performed for U.S. troops. Francis recalls this story frequently during the intro to God Bless America
at her live concerts.
Due to changing trends in the early and mid-1960s, namely the British Invasion
, Francis' chart success on Billboard's Hot 100 began to wane after 1963. She had her final top-ten hit, "Vacation", in 1962. A number of Francis singles continued to reach the top 40 in the U.S. Hot 100 through the mid-60s, with her last top 40 entry being 1964's "Be Anything (but Be Mine)
". Despite her declining success on the Hot 100, Francis remained a top concert draw, and her singles – now following a more mature style – were charting on the top quarter of Billboard's Adult Contemporary (AC) Charts and sometimes even reached Billboard's Country Charts. Therefore, Francis enjoyed lasting chart success in the US until her contract with MGM Records ran out in 1969.
In 1965, Connie Francis participated in that year's edition of the annual San Remo Festival, where she and her team partner Gigliola Cinquetti
presented "Ho bisgono di vederti", which finished on # 5 of the final ranking.
Francis returned to San Remo in 1967 to present "Canta Ragazzina" with her team partner Bobby Solo
, but didn't reach the finals. In the US, however, "Time Alone Will Tell", Francis' cover version of San Remo's 1967 winning entry "Non pensare a me" which had been presented by Iva Zanicchi
and Gino Paoli
, peaked at # 94 on Billboard's Hot 100 and at # 14 on Billboard's AC charts.
Francis' popularity outside of the United States helped to maintain her career, even when her hits were struggling on Billboard's Hot 100 in her home country. She continued to have chart hits into the 1970s in some countries and, even to this day, she remains very popular in European countries, even though she no longer records or appears as frequently as she used to do.
In late 1969, Francis' contract with MGM Records ran out and she decided not to commit herself any further to her longtime record company, weary from almost fifteen years of uninterrupted recording, live appearances, television and motion picture work, and travelling. From 1970 until 1973, Francis lived in semi-retirement, appearing only occasionally as a special guest on TV shows.
In 1973, Francis returned to the recording studio, cutting "(Should I) Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree?", b/w "Paint the Rain" on GSF Records. This answer song
to "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree"
by Tony Orlando & Dawn would "bubble"
under the charts. The project of recording a German version, though, remained unfinished. Another 1973 single, "I Don't Want to Walk Without You", b/w "Don't Turn Around", on Ivanhoe Records, failed to chart.
in New York
, on November 8, 1974, Francis was raped
at the Jericho Turnpike Howard Johnson's
Lodge and nearly suffocated to death under the weight of a heavy mattress the culprit had thrown upon her. She subsequently sued
the motel chain for failing to provide adequate security. She reportedly won a $2.5 million judgment, at the time one of the largest such judgments in history, leading to a reform in hotel security. Her rapist was never found.
In 1977, Francis underwent nasal surgery and completely lost her voice. She had to go through several more operations and even when she got her voice back, she was forced to take vocal lessons, something she had never used before.
In 1978, Francis returned to the recording studio to cut an album entitled "Who's Happy Now?". The leading recording on this album was a disco version
of "Where the Boys Are". She would record this song also in Japanese, Italian, and Spanish as she had done before with her original 1960 version. Several songs from the "Who's Happy Now?" sessions were subusequently recorded in Spanish, Japanese and German. The Spanish and German recordings became albums of their own in as "Connie Francis en Español" in Spain and as "Was ich bin" in Germany. All three albums and the singles culled from them were released on United Artists Records
.
Francis returned to the recording studio in 1981 to cut "Comme çi, comme ça", and "I'm Me Again". The latter became the title track of a subsequent album which featured the afore-mentioned new songs as well as previously unreleased material from the 1950s and 1960s. "I'm Me Again" became Francis last single to chart on the AC charts. Both the single and the album were Francis last original releases ever on MGM Records before Polydor – which had bought the label in 1976 – put MGM into defunction in 1982.
hitmen in 1981.
Despite this new tragedy she took up live performing again, even appearing in the town where she had been raped. But Francis' new found success was short-lived as she was diagnosed with mental illness which brought her career to a stop for further four years during which she was committed to a total of seventeen hospitals. Francis admitted that she nearly committed suicide because these hospitals were extremely depressing.
Nevertheless, Connie Francis was able to write and present her published autobiography
, Who's Sorry Now?, in 1984 which became was a New York Times bestseller. However, despite the fact that her 1982 recording "There's Still a Few Good Love Songs Left in Me" brought Francis her last notation on the country charts, several songs never made it beyond the status of being recorded. Many songs from that time – such as Francis' versions of classics such as "Speak Softly, Love"
, "Break It to Me Gently
" or original songs (e. g. "Blue Orleans") are still awaiting their official first time ever release.
, Francis recorded a double album entitled "Where the Hits Are", containing re-recordings of eighteen of her biggest hits as well as six classics of yesteryear
Francis had always wanted to record, such as "Are You Lonesome Tonight", or "Torn Between Two Lovers
".
In 1992, a medley of remixed versions of her biggest German hits charted in Germany. This single, entitled "Jive, Connie", ended up among the Top Ten Best Selling Singles of the year, which brought Connie Francis the prestigious R.SH-Gold award for the "Best Comeback of the Year" from R.SH (short for "Radio Schleswig-Holstein"), back then one of Germany's most important private radio stations. A subsequent compilation album
of her biggest German hits in their original versions was also released successfully. In the wake of this, Francis recorded two duets for the German Herzklang label (a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment
) with Peter Kraus
with whom she had already worked several times in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A German language solo album was supposed to follow on Herzklang but despite all songs being recorded and mixed, the album remains unreleased to this day.
In 1995, Francis recorded "The Return Concert", a live album which was released on Legacy Recordings
.
1996 saw the release of "With Love To Buddy", a tribute album
of songs made famous by the late Buddy Holly
. Although this album continues to be re-released under various names on countless low budget labels, "With Love To Buddy" remains as Francis' last original release as of October 2011. At infrequent intervals, though, Francis releases Compact disc
albums and EPs
in limited quantities on her own label Concetta Records, containing previously unreleased material from her private archives.
In late December 2004, Francis headlined in Las Vegas
for the first time since 1989. In March and October 2007, Francis performed to sold-out crowds at the Castro Theatre
in San Francisco. She appeared in concert in Manila
, the Philippines, on Valentine's Day
2008.
In 2010, she also appeared at the Las Vegas Hilton
with Dionne Warwick
, a show billed as "Eric Floyd's Grand Divas of Stage".
Francis continues to appear live on stage to this day (as of November 2011).
, the Twist
, torch ballads
, or the Girl Group Sound
created by Brill Building
alumni Ellie Greenwich
and Jeff Barry
, Francis' albums represented her in a variety of styles, ranging in everything from R&B, vocal jazz
and country
to Broadway standards
, children's music, waltzes, spiritual music, Schlager music, Traditionals from various ethnic groups represented in the US and select songs from popular songwriters of the day, such as Burt Bacharach
& Hal David
, or Les Reed
.
, then an up-and-coming singer and songwriter. Darin's manager arranged for him to help write several songs for her. Despite some disagreement about material, after several weeks Darin and Francis developed a romantic relationship. Francis' strict Italian father would separate the couple whenever possible. When her father learned that Bobby Darin had suggested the two lovers would elope after one of her shows, he ran Darin out of the building at gunpoint, telling Bobby to never see his daughter again. Francis saw Darin only two more times – once when the two were scheduled to sing together for a television show, and again when Francis was spotlighted on the TV series This Is Your Life
. By the latter's taping, Bobby Darin had married actress Sandra Dee
. In her autobiography Francis stated she and her father were driving into the Lincoln Tunnel
when the radio DJ announced Darin's and Dee's marriage. Her father made a negative comment about Bobby finally being out of their lives. Angered, Francis wrote, she hoped the Hudson River
would fill the Lincoln Tunnel, killing both her and her father; she later wrote that not marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life.
Against her father's wishes, on August 15, 1964, she married Dick Kanellis. She divorced
him three months later, citing domestic violence
.
She married hairdresser Izadore "Izzy" Marion on January 16, 1971. They divorced the following year.
In September 1973, she married Joseph Garzilli; together they adopted a son, Joseph Garzilli Jr., also known as Joey, born in 1974.
After the marriage ended, she married television producer Bob Parkinson, on June 27, 1985. Like the others, this marriage ended in divorce in 1986.
completed a screenplay for a movie based on Francis' life titled Who's Sorry Now?. Estefan has announced that she would produce and play the lead. She said, "[Connie Francis] isn't even in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
, and yet she was the first female pop star worldwide, and has recorded in nine languages. She has done a lot of things for victims' rights since her rape in the '70s .... There's a major story there."
In December 2009 the film project was dropped. According to Connie Francis, "They chose to use amateur writers to write the screenplay. I wanted the writer Robert Freeman
who wrote that miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows
, which won I don’t know how many Emmy Award
s, but Gloria and company were unwilling to hire that writer. I absolutely adored his screenplay of Judy
’s life ... he was so eager to do my life story for film, but she [Gloria] wouldn’t agree to hire him and that was the end of that. And I’m sorry I wasted ten years with those people [i.e. the Estefans]." In the same article, Francis revealed that entertainer Dolly Parton
had been contacting her for years trying to produce her life story, but due to her previous commitment to Estefan's organization, she was not able to accept Parton's offer. She noted in the article that both she and Parton had considered, independently of one another, actress Valerie Bertinelli
to play Francis.
took advantage of her condition and stopped paying royalties. The suit was dismissed. On November 27, 2002, she filed a second suit against UMG alleging the label had synchronized several of her songs into movies without her permission: the 1994 film Post Cards from America, the 1996 film The Craft
, and the 1999 film Jawbreaker
. This suit was also dismissed.
Francis also sued the producers of Jawbreaker
for using her song "Lollipop Lips," which is heard during a sex scene.
– May 1958
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop singer
Pop Singer
"Pop Singer" is the début single from London-based glam rockers Rachel Stamp. It was released in February, 1996 through WEA. The single was released as a 2 track CD Single and limited edition pink 7" vinyl of 1000 copies...
of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw. Despite several severe interruptions in her career, Francis is still active as a recording and performing artist (as of November 2011).
1938 – 1955: Early life and first appearances
Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero was born in the Italian Down Neck, or IronboundIronbound
The Ironbound is a large working-class neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. This close-knit, multi-ethnic community covers approximately four square miles . Historically, the area was called "Dutch Neck," "Down Neck," or simply "the Neck," because of the way the Passaic River curved to form what...
, neighborhood of Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, as first child to George Franconero, sr, and Ida Franconero née Ferrari-di Vito, spending her first years in a Brooklyn neighborhood on Utica Avenue/St. Marks Avenue before the family moved to New Jersey.
In her autobiography Who's sorry now?, published in 1984, Francis recalls that she was encouraged by her father, George Franconero, Sr., to appear regularly at talent contests, pageants and other neighborhood festivities from the age of 4 as a singer and accordion player.
Francis attended Newark Arts High School
Newark Arts High School
Newark Arts High School is a four-year magnet public high school, serving students in grades 9 through 12 in Newark, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Newark Public Schools. In 2010, the 6th graders of William Brown Academy is housed there as its venue is currently being built...
in 1951 and 1952. She and her family moved to Belleville, New Jersey
Belleville, New Jersey
Belleville is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 35,926.-History:...
, where she graduated Salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
from Belleville High School
Belleville High School (New Jersey)
Belleville High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Belleville, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Belleville School District...
Class of 1955.
During this time, Francis continued to perform at neighborhood festivities and talent shows (some of which were broadcasted on television), appearing alternately as Concetta Franconero and Connie Franconero. Under the latter name she also appeared on NBC's
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
variety show "Startime Kids" between 1953 and 1955.
During the rehearsals for her appearance on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts is an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958...
", Francis was advised by Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
himself to change her stage name to Connie Francis for the sake of an easier pronunciation. Godfrey also told her to drop the accordion – advice she gladly followed, for she had begun to hate the large and heavy instrument. Around the same time, Francis took a job as a singer for Demonstration Records
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
. These records were brought to the attention of established singers and/or their management who would subsequently chose or decline to record the song for a professional commercial record.
1955 – 1957: Recording contract and commercial failure
In 1955, the "Startime Kids" went off air. In May that same year, George Franconero Sr. and Francis' manager George Scheck brought up the cash for a recording session of four songs which they would try to sell to a major record label as Francis' own act. The story goes that every record label she had tried had turned her down, mainly because owing to her job as a demo singer, Francis merely sounded like a copy of other singers of the day like Kitty KallenKitty Kallen
Kitty Kallen is an American popular singer who sang with a number of big bands in the 1940s, coming back in the 1950s to score her biggest hit, "Little Things Mean a Lot" in 1954.-Career:...
or Kay Starr
Kay Starr
Kay Starr is an American pop and jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1940s and 50s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz"....
but had not yet developed a distinctive sound of her own.
Finally, even when MGM Records
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
decided to sign a contract with her, it was basically because one track she had recorded, "Freddy", happened to be the name of the son of a company executive, Harry A. Myerson, who thought of this song as a nice birthday gift. Hence, "Freddy" was released as Francis' first single, which would turn out as a commercial failure just as her following eight solo singles.
Despite these failures, Francis was hired to recorded the vocals for Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld is an American actress.Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960...
"singing" scenes in the 1956 movie "Rock, Rock, Rock"
Rock, Rock, Rock (film)
Rock, Rock, Rock is a 1956 black-and-white motion picture featuring performances from a number of early rock 'n' roll stars, such as Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker, Teddy Randazzo, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, and The Teenagers with Frankie Lymon as lead singer. Future West Side Story cast member David...
, and for Freda Holloway in the 1957 Warner Brothers rock and roll movie "Jamboree"
Jamboree (1957 film)
Jamboree is the name of a black and white 1957 rock 'n' roll motion picture directed by Roy Lockwood that runs for 71 minutes in mono RCA sound...
.
In the fall of 1957, Francis enjoyed her first chart success with a duet single she had recorded with Marvin Rainwater
Marvin Rainwater
Marvin Karlton Rainwater , better known as Marvin Rainwater, is an American country and rockabilly singer and songwriter who had several hits during the late 1950s, including "Gonna Find Me a Bluebird" and "Whole Lotta Woman"...
: "The Majesty of Love", b/w "You, My Darlin' You", peaked at # 93 on Billboard's Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
1957 – 1959: Last chance and breakthrough
But her minor chart success came too late – Francis' recording contract consisted of ten solo singles and one duet single. Even though success finally had seemed to come with "The Majesty of Love", Francis was informed by MGM Records that her contract would be discontinued after her last solo single.Francis considered a career in medicine and was about to accept a four-year scholarship offered at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. At what was to have been her final recording session for MGM on October 2, 1957, she recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the 1923 song "Who's Sorry Now?
Who's Sorry Now?
"Who's Sorry Now?" is a popular song with music written by Ted Snyder and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. It was published in 1923."Who's Sorry Now?" was featured in the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca , directed by Archie Mayo and released by United Artists.The song has been...
", written by Bert Kalmar
Bert Kalmar
Bert Kalmar was a Jewish American lyricist.He was born in New York, New York. He ran away from home at the age of 10 to become a magician at a tent show, and retained an interest in magic all his life. He never got much of an education, but decided to make a career in show business...
and Harry Ruby
Harry Ruby
Harry Ruby was a Jewish American songwriter and screenwriter.After failing in his early ambition to become a professional baseball player,...
. Francis has said that she recorded it at the persistence of her father, who was convinced it stood a chance of becoming a hit because it was a song adults already knew and that teenagers would dance to if it had a contemporary arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
.
Francis, who didn't like the song at all and had been arguing about it with her father heatedly, delayed the recording of the three other songs during session so much that in her opinion there was no time left on the continuously running recording tape. But her father insisted, and when the recording "Who's Sorry Now?" was finished, there were only a few seconds left on the tape.
The single seemed to go unnoticed like all previous releases – just as Francis had predicted. But on January 1, 1958, the song debuted on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
". By mid-year, over a million copies had been sold, and Francis was suddenly launched into worldwide stardom. In April 1958, "Who's Sorry Now" reached # 1 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and # 4 in the US. For the next four years, Francis was voted the "Best Female Vocalist" by "American Bandstand" viewers.
As Connie Francis explains at each of her concerts, she began searching for a new hit immediately after the success of "Who's Sorry Now?", since MGM Records had renewed her contract. After the relative failure of the follow-up singles "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry" (which stalled at #36) and "Heartaches"
Heartaches (song)
"Heartaches" is a popular song with music by Al Hoffman and lyrics by John Klenner. The song was published in 1931.-Ted Weems cover:The biggest recorded version of the song was by the Ted Weems Orchestra, with Elmo Tanner whistling...
(failing to chart at all), Francis met with Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...
and Howard Greenfield
Howard Greenfield
Howard Greenfield was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building...
who sang a number of ballads they had written for her. After a few hours, Francis began writing in her diary
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
while the songwriters played the last of their ballads. Afterwards, Francis told them that she considered their ballads too intellectual and sophisticated for the young generation and requested a more lively song. Greenfield urged Sedaka to sing a song they had written that morning with The Shepherd Sisters
The Shepherd Sisters
The Shepherd Sisters were a vocal quartet from Middletown, Ohio. All four members were indeed sisters: Martha, Gayle, Judy and Mary Lou Shepherd....
in mind. Sedaka protested that Francis would be insulted, but Greenfield said that since she hated all the other songs they had performed, they had nothing to lose. Sedaka played "Stupid Cupid
Stupid Cupid
"Stupid Cupid" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Neil Sedaka which became a hit for Connie Francis in 1958.In the spring of 1958 Francis had hit #4 with her breakout hit, a rock ballad version of the standard "Who's Sorry Now?"...
". When he finished, Francis announced that he had just played her new hit record. The song reached # 14 on the Billboard chart and was her second # 1 in the UK.
The success of "Stupid Cupid" restored momentum to Francis' chart career, and she reached the U.S. top 40 an additional seven times during the remainder of the '50s. She managed to churn out more hits by covering several older songs, such as "My Happiness" (# 2 on the Hot 100) and "Among My Souvenirs
Among My Souvenirs
"Among My Souvenirs" is a 1927 song with words written by Edgar Leslie and lyrics by Lawrence Wright.-Original version:"Among My Souvenirs" was first a number one hit for Paul Whiteman in 1928...
" (# 7), as well as performing her own original songs. In 1959, she gained two gold records for a double-sided hit: on the A-side, "Lipstick on Your Collar
Lipstick on Your Collar
Lipstick on Your Collar is a 1993 British television serial written by Dennis Potter, originally broadcast on Channel 4 expanded from Potter's earlier play Lay Down Your Arms...
" (# 5); on the B-side, "Frankie" (# 9).
1959 – 1973: International recording star
Following another idea of her father, Francis traveled to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in August 1959 to record an Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
album at E.M.I.'s famous Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
, entitled "Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites
Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites
Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites is a studio album recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.The album consists of traditional Italian and Neapolitan songs Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites is a studio album recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.The album consists of...
".
The album was released in November 1959. Soon afterwards it entered the album charts where it remained for 81 weeks, peaking at # 4. It remains to this day as Francis' most successful album release. The subsequent single culled from this album, "Mama", reached # 8 in the United States and # 2 in the United Kingdom.
Following this success, Francis recorded seven more albums of "Favorites" between 1960 and 1964, including Jewish
Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites
Connie Francis sings Jewish Favorites is a studio album of Jewish Songs recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.After the success of her 1959 album Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites , Francis decided to release more albums which appealed to immigrants in the United States.In July 1960,...
, German
Connie Francis Sings German Favorites
Connie Francis sings German Favorites is a studio album of German songs recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.Unlike the other installments in Francis' series of "Favorites"-albums, Connie Francis sings German Favorites does not focus on the traditional songs of a certain country or ethnical...
and Irish
Connie Francis Sings Irish Favorites
Connie Francis sings Irish Favorites is a studio album recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.After the success of her 1959 album Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites , Francis decided to release more albums which appealed to immigrants in the United States...
Favorites, among others. These albums would mark Francis' transition from the youth-oriented Rock 'n' Roll music
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
to adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
, which George Franconero, sr had realized to be necessary if his daughter wanted to pursue a successful longtime career in music.
Nevertheless, Francis would continue to record singles which aimed at the youth-oriented market. Among her Top Ten hits on the Hot 100 were "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart
Breakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart
"Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" is a popular song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller recorded by Connie Francis in a 18 October 1960 New York City session conducted and arranged by Stan Applebaum; the same session produced "Where the Boys Are" to which "Breakin' in a Brand New...
" (1961, # 7), "When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)"
When the Girl in Your Arms Is the Girl in Your Heart
"When the Girl in Your Arms Is the Girl in Your Heart" is a 1961 hit by Cliff Richard written by the songwriting team of Sid Tepper and Roy Bennett who would contribute fifteen songs to the Cliff Richard canon including his career record "The Young Ones"...
(1961, # 10), "Second Hand Love" (1962, # 9), and "Where the Boys Are" (1961, # 4). The latter became her signature tune and was also the theme song of Francis first motion picture of the same name
Where the Boys Are
The kind of cool modern jazz popularized by such acts as Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, and Chico Hamilton, then in the vanguard of the college music market, features in a number of scenes with Basil...
. The movie also introduced the concept of spring break
Spring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
as the once sleepy town of Fort Lauderdale became the hotspot for college students on their spring vacation in the wake of the movie's success. Although she appeared in three further motion pictures on the silver screen, Francis was never satisfied with herself as an actress, and after appearing in a made-for-television movie in 1966, she declined further offers.
The success of "Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites" in late 1959/early 1960 led to the fact that Francis was one of the first American artists to record in other languages regularly. She was to be followed by other major British and American recording stars including Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson
Wanda Lavonne Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 60s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist...
, Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
, Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
, The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, Peggy March
Peggy March
Peggy March is an American pop singer. She is primarily remembered for her 1963 million-selling song "I Will Follow Him".-Career:...
, Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
, Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s.- Biography :Gore was born in New York City, New York. She was raised in...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and even Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, among many others. In her autobiography, Franis mentioned that in the early years of her career the language barrier in certain European countries made it difficult for her songs to get airplay, especially in Germany. She explained that Germany's most popular singer, Freddy Quinn
Freddy Quinn
Freddy Quinn is an Austrian singer and actor whose popularity within the German-speaking world soared in the late 1950s and 1960s. Similar to Hans Albers two generations before him, Quinn adopted the persona of the rootless wanderer who goes to sea but longs for a home, family and friends...
, often sold two to three million records per song, equivalent to about twelve million in the United States.
Francis used these reflections as the basis for her April 1960 recording, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool
Everybody's Somebody's Fool
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" is a song written by Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield which was a #1 hit for Connie Francis in mid 1960....
". Although this single became her first # 1 on the US charts (immediately followed by her second # 1, "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own
"My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" is a song written by Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller which was a #1 hit for Connie Francis in 1960.-1960 hit:...
"), and its B-side "Jealous of you (Tango della Gelosia)" became a huge hit in Italy, it failed to make any impression on the German charts.
Veteran lyricist Ralph Maria Siegel penned a set of German lyrics, named "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel", which, after some friction between Francis herself and her MGM executives, was recorded and released. The song peaked at #1 in Germany for two weeks, as it did in many other countries and Francis would have six more # 1 hits on the German charts.
Contrary to popular belief, Francis did not record any further foreign language versions of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool". The German version is the only one recorded by herself although other artists recorded further cover versions in various languages such as Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, or even Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
It wasn't until her # 7 on the US charts, "Many Tears Ago", later in 1960 when Francis began to record cover versions of her own songs in foreign languages besides German. Over the following years, she would eventually expand her recording portfolio up to 15 languages in total:
- DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
- EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
- FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
- GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
- GreekGreek languageGreek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
- HawaiianHawaiian languageThe Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
- HebrewHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
- ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
- JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
- LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
- NeapolitanNeapolitan languageNeapolitan is the language of the city and region of Naples , and Campania. On October 14, 2008 a law by the Region of Campania stated that the Neapolitan language had to be protected....
- PortugesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
- SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
- SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
- Yiddish
She also sang in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
during a live performance at the 1970 edition of the Cerbul de Aur
Golden Stag Festival
The Golden Stag Festival is an annual international music festival held in Braşov, Romania. The main organiser is Televiziunea Română, Romania's state-run television network. The festival has two main components: an international contest and guest performances by both Romanian and foreign stars...
in Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
Obviously, Francis was not fluent in all of these languages and she had to learn her foreign language songs phonetically
Phonetical singing
Phonetical singing is when a singer learns and performs, the lyrics of a song by the words' phonetic sounds without necessarily understanding of the content of the lyrics....
. Francis explained in a 1961 television interview that she was fluent in Spanish and Italian, but always had a translator nearby to make sure her translated lyrics and especially her pronunciation were as grammatically correct as possible.
In the wake of "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel", Francis enjoyed her greatest successes outside the United States. During the 1960s, her songs not only topped the charts in numerous countries around the world, but she was also voted the # 1 singer in over ten countries. In 1960, she was named the most popular artist in Europe, the first time a non-European received this honor.
Francis' enduring popularity overseas led to her having television specials in numerous countries around the world, such as England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Even at the height of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Francis' music was well-received in Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
countries, although it was common knowledge that rock n' roll was highly looked down upon in Soviet countries.
In the US, Connie Francis had a third number one hit in 1962: "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You
Don't Break the Heart That Loves You
"Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" is an American song written by Benny Davis and Ted Murry. The song would become a success for two artists in two different genres: Connie Francis in the pop field in 1962, and Margo Smith as a country version in 1978....
", and her immense success led MGM to give her complete freedom to choose whichever songs she wanted to record.
Francis' first autobiographical book, For Every Young Heart, was published in 1963. On July 3 that same year, she played a Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
for Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
at the Alhambra Theatre
Alhambra Theatre
The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as The Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two years and reopened as the Alhambra. The building was...
in Glasgow, Scotland. During the height of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
in 1967, Connie Francis performed for U.S. troops. Francis recalls this story frequently during the intro to God Bless America
God Bless America
"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....
at her live concerts.
Due to changing trends in the early and mid-1960s, namely the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
, Francis' chart success on Billboard's Hot 100 began to wane after 1963. She had her final top-ten hit, "Vacation", in 1962. A number of Francis singles continued to reach the top 40 in the U.S. Hot 100 through the mid-60s, with her last top 40 entry being 1964's "Be Anything (but Be Mine)
Be Anything (but Be Mine)
"Be Anything " is a popular song. It was written by Irving Gordon and was published in 1952.The recording by Eddy Howard was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 5815...
". Despite her declining success on the Hot 100, Francis remained a top concert draw, and her singles – now following a more mature style – were charting on the top quarter of Billboard's Adult Contemporary (AC) Charts and sometimes even reached Billboard's Country Charts. Therefore, Francis enjoyed lasting chart success in the US until her contract with MGM Records ran out in 1969.
In 1965, Connie Francis participated in that year's edition of the annual San Remo Festival, where she and her team partner Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti
Gigliola Cinquetti is an Italian singer, TV presenter and journalist.-Biography:At the age of 16 she won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1964 singing "Non ho l'età" , with music composed by Nicola Salerno and lyrics by Mario Panzeri...
presented "Ho bisgono di vederti", which finished on # 5 of the final ranking.
Francis returned to San Remo in 1967 to present "Canta Ragazzina" with her team partner Bobby Solo
Bobby Solo
Bobby Solo is an Italian singer and musician.Solo was born in Rome.In 1964, he participated in the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Una lacrima sul viso" , but he was disqualified for singing with playback which was contrary to the festival regulations. The song, however, became a global hit...
, but didn't reach the finals. In the US, however, "Time Alone Will Tell", Francis' cover version of San Remo's 1967 winning entry "Non pensare a me" which had been presented by Iva Zanicchi
Iva Zanicchi
Iva Zanicchi is an Italian pop singer.Iva Zanicchi's career began in 1962 at the Castrocaro Festival of New Voices, where she gained third place. She won the Sanremo song festival in 1967 with Non pensare a me, in 1969 with Zingara and again in 1974 with Ciao cara, come stai?...
and Gino Paoli
Gino Paoli
Gino Paoli is an Italian singer-songwriter. He wrote four masterpieces of Italian popular music: "Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cosa c'è", "Senza fine" and "Sapore di sale".- Biography :...
, peaked at # 94 on Billboard's Hot 100 and at # 14 on Billboard's AC charts.
Francis' popularity outside of the United States helped to maintain her career, even when her hits were struggling on Billboard's Hot 100 in her home country. She continued to have chart hits into the 1970s in some countries and, even to this day, she remains very popular in European countries, even though she no longer records or appears as frequently as she used to do.
In late 1969, Francis' contract with MGM Records ran out and she decided not to commit herself any further to her longtime record company, weary from almost fifteen years of uninterrupted recording, live appearances, television and motion picture work, and travelling. From 1970 until 1973, Francis lived in semi-retirement, appearing only occasionally as a special guest on TV shows.
In 1973, Francis returned to the recording studio, cutting "(Should I) Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree?", b/w "Paint the Rain" on GSF Records. This answer song
Answer song
An answer song is, as the name suggests, a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. It is also known as a response song. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s through 1950s...
to "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree"
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973....
by Tony Orlando & Dawn would "bubble"
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
under the charts. The project of recording a German version, though, remained unfinished. Another 1973 single, "I Don't Want to Walk Without You", b/w "Don't Turn Around", on Ivanhoe Records, failed to chart.
1974 – 1981: Tragedy and return
After her modest success with "(Should I) Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree?", Connie Francis began performing regularly again. While appearing at the Westbury Music FairWestbury Music Fair
The NYCB Theater at Westbury is an entertainment venue located in Westbury, New York constructed in theater in the round style with seating for 3,000 that was originally developed as a means to present top performers and productions of popular theatrical musicals at a series of venues located in...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on November 8, 1974, Francis was raped
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
at the Jericho Turnpike Howard Johnson's
Howard Johnson's
Howard Johnson's is a chain of hotels and restaurants, located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Howard Johnson's was the largest restaurant chain in the United States, with over 1,000 restaurants...
Lodge and nearly suffocated to death under the weight of a heavy mattress the culprit had thrown upon her. She subsequently sued
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
the motel chain for failing to provide adequate security. She reportedly won a $2.5 million judgment, at the time one of the largest such judgments in history, leading to a reform in hotel security. Her rapist was never found.
In 1977, Francis underwent nasal surgery and completely lost her voice. She had to go through several more operations and even when she got her voice back, she was forced to take vocal lessons, something she had never used before.
In 1978, Francis returned to the recording studio to cut an album entitled "Who's Happy Now?". The leading recording on this album was a disco version
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
of "Where the Boys Are". She would record this song also in Japanese, Italian, and Spanish as she had done before with her original 1960 version. Several songs from the "Who's Happy Now?" sessions were subusequently recorded in Spanish, Japanese and German. The Spanish and German recordings became albums of their own in as "Connie Francis en Español" in Spain and as "Was ich bin" in Germany. All three albums and the singles culled from them were released on United Artists Records
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
.
Francis returned to the recording studio in 1981 to cut "Comme çi, comme ça", and "I'm Me Again". The latter became the title track of a subsequent album which featured the afore-mentioned new songs as well as previously unreleased material from the 1950s and 1960s. "I'm Me Again" became Francis last single to chart on the AC charts. Both the single and the album were Francis last original releases ever on MGM Records before Polydor – which had bought the label in 1976 – put MGM into defunction in 1982.
1981 – 1988: More tragedy
Another tragedy in Francis' life was the killing of her brother George Franconero, Jr. (with whom she was very close) by MafiaMafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
hitmen in 1981.
Despite this new tragedy she took up live performing again, even appearing in the town where she had been raped. But Francis' new found success was short-lived as she was diagnosed with mental illness which brought her career to a stop for further four years during which she was committed to a total of seventeen hospitals. Francis admitted that she nearly committed suicide because these hospitals were extremely depressing.
Nevertheless, Connie Francis was able to write and present her published autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Who's Sorry Now?, in 1984 which became was a New York Times bestseller. However, despite the fact that her 1982 recording "There's Still a Few Good Love Songs Left in Me" brought Francis her last notation on the country charts, several songs never made it beyond the status of being recorded. Many songs from that time – such as Francis' versions of classics such as "Speak Softly, Love"
Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather)
"Speak Softly Love " is a song written for The Godfather , the first film in the Godfather trilogy. While its instrumental version is simply known as "The Godfather Love Theme", "Speak Softly Love" is the vocal version. The words are by Larry Kusik but the music itself is by Nino Rota...
, "Break It to Me Gently
Break It to Me Gently
"Break It to Me Gently" is a pop song written by blues musician Joe Seneca with lyrics by Diane Lampert. Both Brenda Lee and Juice Newton met with considerable success with their versions of the song....
" or original songs (e. g. "Blue Orleans") are still awaiting their official first time ever release.
1989 – present: Later career
In 1989, Connie Francis resumed her recording performing career again. For Malaco RecordsMalaco Records
Malaco Records is an independent record label based in Jackson, Mississippi. Malaco is and has been the home of various major soul, blues and gospel acts, such as Johnnie Taylor, Bobby Bland, ZZ Hill, Denise LaSalle, Benny Latimore, Dorothy Moore, Little Milton, Shirley Brown, Marvin Sease, and the...
, Francis recorded a double album entitled "Where the Hits Are", containing re-recordings of eighteen of her biggest hits as well as six classics of yesteryear
Yesteryear
Yesteryear may refer to:* nostalgia* Yesteryear , a quartet that won the 1997 SPEBSQSA international competition* "Yesteryear" , an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series...
Francis had always wanted to record, such as "Are You Lonesome Tonight", or "Torn Between Two Lovers
Torn Between Two Lovers
"Torn Between Two Lovers" is the title of a pop song written by Peter Yarrow and Phillip Jarrell. It was inspired by Boris Pasternak's 1957 novel, Dr. Zhivago, which featured a man in love with two women. Yarrow originally intended the song to be sung by a man...
".
In 1992, a medley of remixed versions of her biggest German hits charted in Germany. This single, entitled "Jive, Connie", ended up among the Top Ten Best Selling Singles of the year, which brought Connie Francis the prestigious R.SH-Gold award for the "Best Comeback of the Year" from R.SH (short for "Radio Schleswig-Holstein"), back then one of Germany's most important private radio stations. A subsequent compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of her biggest German hits in their original versions was also released successfully. In the wake of this, Francis recorded two duets for the German Herzklang label (a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
) with Peter Kraus
Peter Kraus
Peter Kraus is a German singer and actor.Born Peter Siegfried Krausenecker in Munich, Kraus was popular especially in the 1950s, notably in those musical comedy films where he played opposite Cornelia Froboess.- Youth :...
with whom she had already worked several times in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A German language solo album was supposed to follow on Herzklang but despite all songs being recorded and mixed, the album remains unreleased to this day.
In 1995, Francis recorded "The Return Concert", a live album which was released on Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated...
.
1996 saw the release of "With Love To Buddy", a tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
of songs made famous by the late Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
. Although this album continues to be re-released under various names on countless low budget labels, "With Love To Buddy" remains as Francis' last original release as of October 2011. At infrequent intervals, though, Francis releases Compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
albums and EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in limited quantities on her own label Concetta Records, containing previously unreleased material from her private archives.
In late December 2004, Francis headlined in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
for the first time since 1989. In March and October 2007, Francis performed to sold-out crowds at the Castro Theatre
Castro Theatre
The Castro Theatre is a popular San Francisco movie palace which became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street, in the Castro district, it was built in 1922 with a Spanish Colonial Baroque façade that pays homage—in its great arched central window...
in San Francisco. She appeared in concert in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, the Philippines, on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
2008.
In 2010, she also appeared at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
with Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
, a show billed as "Eric Floyd's Grand Divas of Stage".
Francis continues to appear live on stage to this day (as of November 2011).
Singing style and stage presence
Connie Francis is best known for her downbeat ballads for which she has developed a trademark sobbing, emotive style. On stage, Francis illustrates her passionate performances by using impressive gestures.Musical Genres
While her singles were mostly kept in the then-current sounds of the day such as Rock And Roll, novelty songsNovelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
, the Twist
Twist (dance)
The Twist was a dance inspired by rock and roll music. It became the first worldwide dance craze in the early 1960s, enjoying immense popularity among young people and drawing fire from critics who felt it was too provocative. It inspired dances such as the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed...
, torch ballads
Torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship...
, or the Girl Group Sound
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
created by Brill Building
Brill Building
The Brill Building is an office building located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood...
alumni Ellie Greenwich
Ellie Greenwich
Eleanor Louise "Ellie" Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Be My Baby", "Christmas ", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Leader of the Pack", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", and "River Deep, Mountain High", among many others...
and Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...
, Francis' albums represented her in a variety of styles, ranging in everything from R&B, vocal jazz
Vocal jazz
Jazz singing can be defined by the instrumental approach to the voice, where the singer can match the instruments in their stylistic approach to the lyrics, improvised or otherwise, or through scat singing; that is, the use of nonsensical meaningless non-morphemic syllables to imitate the sound of...
and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
to Broadway standards
Standard (music)
In music, a standard is a tune or song of established popularity.-See also:* Blues standard* Jazz standard* Pop standard* Great American Songbook-Further reading:* Greatest Rock Standards, published by Hal Leonard ISBN 0793588391...
, children's music, waltzes, spiritual music, Schlager music, Traditionals from various ethnic groups represented in the US and select songs from popular songwriters of the day, such as Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
& Hal David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
, or Les Reed
Les Reed
Les Reed O.B.E. is an English songwriter, musician and light orchestra leader.-Career:...
.
Filmography (Cinema)
| Movie Title | Year | Role | Co-actors | Director | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock, Rock, Rock Rock, Rock, Rock (film) Rock, Rock, Rock is a 1956 black-and-white motion picture featuring performances from a number of early rock 'n' roll stars, such as Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker, Teddy Randazzo, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, and The Teenagers with Frankie Lymon as lead singer. Future West Side Story cast member David... |
1956 1956 in film The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by... |
Dori Graham (Singing voice only) |
Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld is an American actress.Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960... , Valerie Harper Valerie Harper Valerie Harper is an American actress, known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on the 1970s television show The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and for her starring roles on the sitcoms Rhoda and Valerie.-Early life and career:Harper was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, Rockland County,... , Chuck Berry Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B... , Lavern Baker LaVern Baker LaVern Baker was an American rhythm and blues singer, who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedlee Dee" , "Jim Dandy" , and "I Cried a Tear" .-Early life:She was born Delores LaVern Baker in Chicago, Illinois... |
Will Price | Max Rosenberg Max Rosenberg Max J. Rosenberg was an American film producer, whose film career stretched across six decades. He was particularly noted for his horror or supernatural films, and found much of his success while working in England.... , Milton Subotsky |
Connie Francis provided the singing voice for Tuesday Weld as Dori Graham |
| Jamboree Jamboree (1957 film) Jamboree is the name of a black and white 1957 rock 'n' roll motion picture directed by Roy Lockwood that runs for 71 minutes in mono RCA sound... |
1957 1957 in film The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:... |
Honey Winn (Singing voice only) |
Freda Holloway, Paul Carr Paul Carr Paul Carr is a British writer, journalist and commentator, based in San Francisco. He has also - as Carr writes on his official website - "edited various publications and founded numerous businesses with varying degrees of abysmal failure."-Memoirs:Carr's first autobiographical book Bringing... , Dick Clark |
Roy Lockwood | Max Rosenberg, Milton Subotsky | Connie Francis provided the singing voice for Freda Holloway as Honey Winn |
| The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw is a 1958 British western comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Kenneth More and Jayne Mansfield.-Synopsis:... |
1958 1958 in film The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946.... |
Miss Kate (Singing voice only) |
Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre... , Kenneth More Kenneth More Kenneth Gilbert More CBE was a highly successful English film actor during the post-World War II era and starred in many feature films, often in the role of an archetypal carefree and happy-go-lucky middle-class gentleman.-Early life:Kenneth More was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the... , Bruce Cabot Bruce Cabot Bruce Cabot was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong . He is also known for his roles in films such as the sixth version of Last of the Mohicans, Fritz Lang's Fury and the western Dodge City.-Early life:Cabot was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad,... , Sid James Sid James Sid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona... |
Raoul Walsh Raoul Walsh Raoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh... |
David M. Angel | Connie Francis provided the singing voice for Jayne Mansfield as Miss Kate |
| Where the Boys Are Where the Boys Are The kind of cool modern jazz popularized by such acts as Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, and Chico Hamilton, then in the vanguard of the college music market, features in a number of scenes with Basil... |
1961 1961 in film The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB... |
Angie | Paula Prentiss Paula Prentiss Paula Ragusa , better known by her stage name Paula Prentiss, is an American actress well-known for her film roles in Where the Boys Are, Man's Favorite Sport?, The Stepford Wives, What's New Pussycat?, The Black Marble, and The Parallax View and her co-starring role in the television situation... , Yvette Mimieux Yvette Mimieux Yvette Carmen Mimieux is a retired American movie and television actress.-Early life and career:Yvette Mimieux was born in Los Angeles, California, to a French father and Mexican mother, Carmen Montemayor... , Dolores Hart Dolores Hart Dolores Hart is an American Roman Catholic nun and former actress. She made 10 films in 5 years, playing opposite Stephen Boyd, Montgomery Clift, George Hamilton and Robert Wagner, having made her movie debut with Elvis Presley in Loving You .-Background:Dolores Hicks was the only child of the... , George Hamilton George Hamilton (actor) George Stevens Hamilton is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Hamilton was the youngest son of bandleader George "Spike" Hamilton and his first wife, Ann Stevens . He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and lived in Blytheville, Arkansas... , Jim Hutton Jim Hutton Dana James Hutton , usually credited as Jim Hutton, was an American actor in film and television probably best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name.-Early life and career:... |
Henry Levin Henry Levin Henry Levin began as a stage actor and director but was most notable as an American film director of over fifty feature films. He broke into film in 1943 as a dialogue director for the films Dangerous Blondes and Appointment in Berlin for Columbia Pictures... |
Joe Pasternak Joe Pasternak thumb|right|250px|Pasterrnak receiving his star on [[Hollywood Boulevard]] from [[Johnny Grant |Johnny Grant]] with [[Gene Kelly]] on the left on July 29, 1991.... |
- |
| Follow the Boys | 1963 1963 in film The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City.... |
Bonnie Pulaski | Paula Prentiss, Janis Paige Janis Paige Janis Paige is an American film, musical theatre and television actress. Born Donna Mae Tjaden in Tacoma, Washington, she began singing in public from the age of five in local amateur shows... , Russ Tamblyn Russ Tamblyn Russell Irving "Russ" Tamblyn is an American film and television actor, who is arguably best known for his performance in the 1961 movie musical West Side Story as Riff, the leader of the Jets gang.... |
Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe was an American film director.Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, he began his entertainment career performing in vaudeville and onstage. In 1921 he began in motion pictures as an actor and directed his first silent film in 1923. He went on to direct more than one hundred... |
Lawrence P. Bachmann | - |
| Looking for Love Looking for Love (film) Looking for Love is a 1964 romantic musical-comedy film starring popular singer Connie Francis.-Plot:Francis plays Libby Caruso, who has spent a whole month trying to get into show business with her singing, and hasn't succeed. Libby then decides to retire and get a job where she can meet the right... |
1964 1964 in film The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released.... |
Libby Caruso | Johnny Carson Johnny Carson John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987... , Pat Priest, Jim Hutton Jim Hutton Dana James Hutton , usually credited as Jim Hutton, was an American actor in film and television probably best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name.-Early life and career:... |
Don Weis | Joe Pasternak | - |
| When the Boys Meet the Girls When the Boys Meet the Girls When the Boys Meet the Girls is a 1965 American musical film, directed by Alvin Ganzer and starring Connie Francis and Harve Presnell. Guy Bolton and Jack McGowan were both uncredited in their roles as the writers for the play the film is based on.-Cast:... |
1965 1965 in film The year 1965 in film involved some significant events, with The Sound of Music topping the U.S. box office.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:... |
Ginger Gray | Harve Presnell Harve Presnell Harve Presnell was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid 1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States... , Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.... , Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers... , Liberace Liberace Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned... |
Alvin Ganzer | Sam Kazman | - |
Filmography (Television)
| Movie Title | Year | Role | Co-actors | Director | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sister and the Savage (as an Episode of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre is an anthology television series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967... ) |
1966 1966 in television The year 1966 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1966.For the American TV schedule, see: 1966-67 American network television schedule.-Events:... |
Sister Mary Clare | James Farentino James Farentino James Farentino is an American actor. He has appeared in almost one hundred roles, among them in The Final Countdown, Jesus of Nazareth, and Dynasty.-Career:... , Steve Carlson |
Gerald Mayer | unknown | - |
Connie Francis and Bobby Darin
Early in her career, Francis was introduced to Bobby DarinBobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
, then an up-and-coming singer and songwriter. Darin's manager arranged for him to help write several songs for her. Despite some disagreement about material, after several weeks Darin and Francis developed a romantic relationship. Francis' strict Italian father would separate the couple whenever possible. When her father learned that Bobby Darin had suggested the two lovers would elope after one of her shows, he ran Darin out of the building at gunpoint, telling Bobby to never see his daughter again. Francis saw Darin only two more times – once when the two were scheduled to sing together for a television show, and again when Francis was spotlighted on the TV series This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
. By the latter's taping, Bobby Darin had married actress Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee
Sandra Dee was an American actress. Dee began her career as a model and progressed to film. Best known for her portrayal of ingenues, Dee won a Golden Globe Award in 1959 as one of the year's most promising newcomers, and over several years her films were popular...
. In her autobiography Francis stated she and her father were driving into the Lincoln Tunnel
Lincoln Tunnel
The Lincoln Tunnel is a long tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey and the borough of Manhattan in New York City.-History:...
when the radio DJ announced Darin's and Dee's marriage. Her father made a negative comment about Bobby finally being out of their lives. Angered, Francis wrote, she hoped the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
would fill the Lincoln Tunnel, killing both her and her father; she later wrote that not marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life.
Marriages
Francis has been married four times.Against her father's wishes, on August 15, 1964, she married Dick Kanellis. She divorced
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
him three months later, citing domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
.
She married hairdresser Izadore "Izzy" Marion on January 16, 1971. They divorced the following year.
In September 1973, she married Joseph Garzilli; together they adopted a son, Joseph Garzilli Jr., also known as Joey, born in 1974.
After the marriage ended, she married television producer Bob Parkinson, on June 27, 1985. Like the others, this marriage ended in divorce in 1986.
Biopic
Francis and singer Gloria EstefanGloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
completed a screenplay for a movie based on Francis' life titled Who's Sorry Now?. Estefan has announced that she would produce and play the lead. She said, "[Connie Francis] isn't even in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
, and yet she was the first female pop star worldwide, and has recorded in nine languages. She has done a lot of things for victims' rights since her rape in the '70s .... There's a major story there."
In December 2009 the film project was dropped. According to Connie Francis, "They chose to use amateur writers to write the screenplay. I wanted the writer Robert Freeman
Robert L. Freedman
Robert L. Freedman is an American screenwriter, playwright, and lyricist. He is probably best known for his teleplays for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella and the acclaimed 2001 miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, for which he was nominated for Emmy Awards as both writer and...
who wrote that miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows
Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows
Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows is a 2001 television film based on the memoirs of Lorna Luft, the daughter of Garland. The production is notable for its meticulous recreations of her films and concerts, and verisimilitudinous impressions of her by Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis.The film,...
, which won I don’t know how many Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s, but Gloria and company were unwilling to hire that writer. I absolutely adored his screenplay of Judy
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
’s life ... he was so eager to do my life story for film, but she [Gloria] wouldn’t agree to hire him and that was the end of that. And I’m sorry I wasted ten years with those people [i.e. the Estefans]." In the same article, Francis revealed that entertainer Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
had been contacting her for years trying to produce her life story, but due to her previous commitment to Estefan's organization, she was not able to accept Parton's offer. She noted in the article that both she and Parton had considered, independently of one another, actress Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Anne Bertinelli is an American actress, best known for her roles as Barbara Cooper Royer on the television series One Day at a Time , Gloria on the television series Touched by an Angel and Melanie Moretti on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland .- Early years :Bertinelli was born in Wilmington,...
to play Francis.
Politics and activism
- Francis supported Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's 1968 bid for the Presidency when she recorded a TV ad for him.
- In the 1980s, Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
appointed her as head of his task force on violent crime. She has also been the spokeswoman for Mental Health America's trauma campaign as well as an involved worker for the USO and UNICEF.
Lawsuits
Francis brought a suit alleging that Universal Music GroupUniversal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
took advantage of her condition and stopped paying royalties. The suit was dismissed. On November 27, 2002, she filed a second suit against UMG alleging the label had synchronized several of her songs into movies without her permission: the 1994 film Post Cards from America, the 1996 film The Craft
The Craft (film)
The Craft is a 1996 American supernatural teen horror film directed by Andrew Fleming and starring Robin Tunney, Rachel True, Fairuza Balk and Neve Campbell. The film's plot centers on a group of four teenage girls who pursue witchcraft and use it for their own gain...
, and the 1999 film Jawbreaker
Jawbreaker (film)
Jawbreaker is an American black comedy satire film, directed by Darren Stein. It was released February 19, 1999. The film stars Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, and Judy Greer as girls in an exclusive clique in their high school. Charlotte Ayanna has a non-speaking cameo role as a...
. This suit was also dismissed.
Francis also sued the producers of Jawbreaker
Jawbreaker (film)
Jawbreaker is an American black comedy satire film, directed by Darren Stein. It was released February 19, 1999. The film stars Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, and Judy Greer as girls in an exclusive clique in their high school. Charlotte Ayanna has a non-speaking cameo role as a...
for using her song "Lollipop Lips," which is heard during a sex scene.
Recognition
- Billboard chart historian Joel WhitburnJoel WhitburnJoel Carver Whitburn is an American author and music historian.Whitburn founded Record Research Inc. in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, in 1970, and put together a team of researchers to examine in detail all of Billboards music and video charts...
has ranked Francis as the top female vocalist on the Adult Contemporary chart during the 1960s. It has been estimated that in the United States alone Francis has sold over 90 million records. - In 2000, "Who's Sorry Now?" was named one of the Songs of the CenturySongs of the CenturyThe "Songs of the Century" list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America , the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. that aims to "promote a better understanding of America’s musical and cultural heritage" in American schools...
. - Francis was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in December 2007, a charter first-ballot member.
- A "Connie Francis Way" street sign is displayed at the corner of Greylock Parkway and Forest Street in Belleville, New JerseyBelleville, New JerseyBelleville is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 35,926.-History:...
near the house in which she grew up. - In 2009, Francis received a star on the Italian Walk of FameItalian walk of fameThe world's first and only Italian Walk of Fame is located in Toronto, Canada, the city that is home to the largest community of Italians outside of Italy...
in Toronto, Canada.
Anecdotes
- While Francis was writing in her diary during the song selecting meeting which would eventually come up with "Stupid Cupid", Sedaka asked her if he could read what she had written. She refused, but Sedaka was inspired to write "The Diary," his own first hit single. Through the rest of her early career, Sedaka and Greenfield wrote many of her hits, including "Fallin'" (1958, # 30), "Where the Boys Are" (1961, # 4); and "My World is Slipping Away" (1968, # 35 on Billboard AC).
Quotation
NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
– May 1958
External links
- Official Site
- The Work of Claus Ogerman, a pictorial discography showing albums and singles, along with studio photos and complete liner notes which document Francis' work in the 1960s with this arranger/conductor.