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Wednesday, May 27, 1998
COLUMN: John L. Smith
Sinatra wished he was a stranger in the night 40 years ago
It was a few days after Christmas in 1958, and Sonny King couldn't get over the cold snap that had swept through Las Vegas. But the weather was not half as chilly as the reception he was receiving from the Rev. John Ryan.
The subject was the christening of King's daughter, Antoinette, who had been born on Christmas day. King and his wife, Nancy, had chosen the baby's godparents and were anxious to welcome the child officially into the Catholic church. Sonny and his wife were members of St. Anne's, and they naturally approached Father Ryan with the news the godmother would be Dorothy Entratter, wife of Strip casino man Jack Entratter. And the godfather?
King's pal, Francis Albert Sinatra.
When the words were spoken, the usually affable Father Ryan lost his smile. He shook his head. Sinatra wouldn't do at all.
"Mr. Sinatra's considered an undesirable in the eyes of the church," Father Ryan said.
"Undesirable?" King asked, astonished. "But he's my friend, father. If he's undesirable, what does that make me?"
"Mr. King, I think you're a fine fellow, but you're also considered an undesirable," the priest said.
With that, Sonny and Nancy King and Dorothy Entratter and Frank Sinatra set out to find a priest who would christen little Antoinette. Sinatra might have been too notorious for the church, but on his worst day he was good enough for Sonny King.
Sonny was singing and managing at the Copacabana in New York in 1948 when he first met Sinatra. They were introduced at Lindy's and became friends over a cup of coffee. It was that simple. Their friendship lasted 50 years and was interrupted by Sinatra's death last week. Sonny figures his friend, Frank, is scouting new showrooms for them to work, but Sinatra's passing reminded King of Antoinette's christening -- and the controversy the Chairman of the Board was capable of generating.
When Nancy King went into labor, Sinatra was at Sonny's side all night.
"I stayed up with you," Sinatra said after the baby was born. "I think I deserve to be the godfather."
Mention godfather in the same sentence as Sinatra and most people think of something other than the blue-eyed saloon singer who was struck silent by the beauty of a newborn baby. But King's friend Frank was full of surprises.
Father Ryan was out of the question, but surely another priest in Las Vegas would do the job. Try as King might, the answer was consistent. He even tried a nondenominational church, but that failed, too.
"I'd already been to three churches and all around town," King recalls. "By the third church I didn't care whether it was Catholic or what, I just wanted my daughter to be christened. I said, `Let's ride around,' and saw Frank was getting madder and madder. If anything, Frank's eyes got bluer the madder he got."
Driving around Las Vegas on the coldest day of the year, the travelers found themselves downtown. King pulled up outside St. Bridget's Catholic Church. Inside, they were met by a young priest, who knew plenty about christening but, thankfully, not a damn thing about popular music.
The priest started the paperwork. Then came the moment of truth: The godmother was Jewish, the godfather was a notorious ladies man.
As he filled out the certificate, the priest asked, "What is the godfather's name?"
King responded, "Francis Albert Sinatra."
Sinatra quipped, "Hey, I know my own name."
The priest asked, "How do you spell Francis, with an `I-s' or an `E-s'?"
Sinatra responded, "I-s. E-s is feminine."
The priest didn't know Frank Sinatra from Frankenstein, and the christening went off without a hitch. On the way out, Sinatra, anonymous for the first time in many years, smiled and tipped the priest $1,000.
Over the years, Las Vegas warmed up considerably to Sinatra. Today, Sinatra is the subject of the sort of remembrance and adulation usually reserved for the greatest presidents. He had far more impact on the lives of Americans than all but a few leaders of the free world.
From the pulpit of the local church to center stage at the MGM Grand, Southern Nevada celebrates Sinatra's incredible life this week. The tribute features parties and performances, Barbara Sinatra's memorabilia exhibit and the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Golf Classic golf tournament.
Sonny King is warmed by his own memories of Sinatra, a godfather for all seasons.
John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Reach him at John_L._Smith@lvrj.com or 383-0295.
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JOHN L. SMITH
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