Sinatra photo: Frank Sinatra meeting with ailing fan Harriet Gainsboro at Ritz Theater, N.Y., Oct. 29, 1944.
Photograph
Sinatra photo: Frank Sinatra meeting with ailing fan Harriet Gainsboro at Ritz Theater, New York, Oct. 29, 1944.
Subject(s): Frank Sinatra / Harriet Gainsboro
Location: New York City
Date: October 29, 1944
Inkstamp "Received" date (on back): Oct. 28, 1944 [sic]
Type: original press photograph
Print: black-and-white; 8" x 10" wide.
Photographer: n/a
Source (agency, studio or press service): n/a
Captioned: yes - typewritten slug attached.
Source: see notes.
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Gainsboro wrote of this meeting with Sinatra on page 4 of: The Sinatra Sender. Published by "Frankies United Swooners" (Fan Club), Volume 1, Issue 3, June (1945). (Archives 2015.030.2005)
I MET FRANK SINATRA
BY Harriet Gainsboro
Editor's Note: Harriet is 15 years old and a student of Newton Centre High School in Mass.She was invited by the Philco Corp. to the "Radio Hall of Fame" program to meet Frank Sinatra. The following is what led up to the meeting with Frank.
Two years ago, while listening to the radio, I heard a voice that really thrilled me. Not knowing who it was, I became interested in finding out to whom the voice belonged. It was Frank Sinatra, then an unknown. I followed his rise to fame fascinated by the quality and ipersonality of his voice. I kept a scrapbook from the beginning of his popularity, and also have, a collection of his records.
In September, I was in the hospital after undergoing a serious appendicitis operation. An acquaintance of our family wrote to Frank Sinatra and asked him to send me an autographed picture which he did. It goes without saying how thrilled I was when I received it. My interest gone, this friend couraged to arrange a meeting and you can imagine my amazement when I arrived home from the hospital, my mother handed me a telegram saying I was to meet Frank. I could hardly believe it, and my friends seemed to doubt it, too. At any rate, mother and I left the following morning for New York City. We wore met at the station by scores of reporters and photographers and Frank Sinatra*s secretary, who escorted us to the Ritz Theater, where Philco's Hall of Fame was being broadcast and where I met FRANK SINATRA! He invited us to the Paramount Theater, where he was making an appearance.
It was the most wonderful thing that over happened to me in my life, and he was the nicest person you'd ever want to meet.
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interior / travel / fans / women
2014.068.1213
2014.068
Samperi, Pat
Gift
Gift of Patricia Samperi and Family.
n/a
1944
New York City
8 in
10 in
Notes: ====
Source: Paul Samperi Papers. Samperi was a member of the family that owned and operated the Union Club, 600 Hudson St., Hoboken, for nearly 40 years with his role as a manager starting in the 1940s. Sinatra performed at that venue several times before becoming a star and returned for an event in the early years of his rise to fame.
This photo is from a group of original 1943 to 1952 publicity or press photos that Samperi saved among the many files from the Union Club. It is unknown how he came to collect the photos. There are dated "received" inkstamps on the reverse of most in this group, but of varying formats and styles. Whether they represent his markings or another owner is unknown. It is possible that the Union Club was on a distribution list for news agencies, press representatives, etc.
Original or Copy: Original
Status: OK
Status By: dw
Status Date: 2015-06-19