The False Ducks Blahg

    Okay,  I survived my vaccine. 

It’s been three weeks since that little poke in the arm  laid me out flat.   You can read more about all of that in my previous blahg ASTRAZENECA VACCINE — MY CAUTIONARY TALE.  I don’t want to revisit that but now that they’ve halted AstraZeneca, I’m not sure what will be my second dose.  Hopefully, whatever it is, it won’t make me ill.  I’m moving on. 

   Recently, I was contacted by a fellow Canadian, currently in England, who had read my AstraZeneca blahg as well as a previous blahg that I wrote in October of 2011 about Frank Sinatra at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in September of 1984.  That previous blahg was SINATRA ALMOST GOT ME KILLED and you’ll really have to read that blahg in order to understand the title.  The blahg was more about my experience with the concert and not Sinatra’s or Toronto’s experience.  My Canadian colleague was doing some research on that concert and had emailed me about some articles from that time period.  In responding, I realized there was really more of a back-story to the 1984 concert that had to be taken into consideration.  So, I’ve decided that this blahg will be the chance to provide more insight into the 1984 concert and why Sinatra was behind the eight-ball before he even appeared on stage. 

   In the email, explaining about the back-story, I had only backed up to 1983 and explained some of the events leading up to the 1984 concert.  To be fair, I need to back up as far as 1949 so I can provide true context.  A quick note about 1940 and 1941 would provide even more insight.  This is all about Sinatra in Toronto and his first appearance with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra was at the CNE in September of 1940.  The band would play from September 4th-7th, 1940.  Sinatra would not receive credit in any of the news clippings during his appearance at the CNE.  Here’s one of the ads that ran in the Toronto Star on September 5, 1940.  You can click on the advertisement to view a larger image.

A rare 15 minute radio transcription of Sinatra and Dorsey’s performance from September 5th, 1940, the same day as the above advertisement, has recently surfaced.  Give it a listen:

   The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with Sinatra would return to the CNE again in August of 1941.  That year, it was only for two days on August 22nd and 23rd, 1941.  Again, Sinatra’s name would not appear in local media advertisements.  The following ad appeared in the Globe and Mail, Toronto, August 21st, 1941.

   By September of 1942, September 3rd, 1942 being his last day, Sinatra had left Dorsey and the band did not play the CNE in Toronto that year.  Dorsey and Sinatra would only make one Canadian stop in 1942 and that was on May 6th at the Forum in Montreal. 

   Are you still wondering about 1949?  Wait no longer.  The explanation is that Sinatra’s first appearance as solo vocalist in Toronto was at the Mutual Arena on August 7th and 8th, 1949.  It had been eight years since his last visit to Toronto at the CNE in August of 1941.  Finally, Sinatra would make a two evening performance in the city. 

Reviews for Sinatra at the Mutual Arena were good. 

One article even mentioned Sinatra’s previous Toronto appearance with Dorsey in 1941: 

Sinatra even got his picture in the Globe and Mail newspaper on July 8th, 1949 noting how he flew in to a local airport and was met by fans and still how it had been eight years since he was last in Toronto. 

   And you’re probably still asking, “what’s the significance about 1949?”  Well, I’ll tell you.  After the 1949 concert, Sinatra would not return to Toronto until 1975.  Yes, 26 years would pass before Sinatra would perform again in Toronto.  During those 26 years Sinatra had appeared from February 6th to 15th, 1953 at the Chez Paree in Montreal and gave two concerts at the Vancouver Forum in Vancouver on June 8th, 1957.  The 1957 Vancouver concert would be issued on CD on the Acrobat label in 2010, mistaking the venue as the Orpheum, and is a splendid example of the 1950s swinging Sinatra.  Toronto missed out on the swinging 1950s Sinatra and the 1960s Summit Sinatra with pals Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop.  When Sinatra retired in 1971, it probably left Sinatra fans thinking they would never see the great singer perform in their city again.  It would be a new generation or maybe the old generation waiting for him to come back.   

   Jump to 1975 and on January 28th, the Toronto Star runs a two part article announcing Sinatra’s return to Toronto on May 10th.   The first part would mention Sinatra’s 25 year absence from Toronto.  The second part of the article would talk about the absence and some animosity towards Sinatra.

The Toronto Star ran a full-page spread on Sinatra on May 5th, 1975 and provided some details about the previous 1949 appearance in Toronto.  You could tell by the article that some excitement was building regarding his appearance and that it was in part due to his long absence from the city. 

The stage was set for an exciting evening. 

   So what went wrong?  It started with an editorial by Gary Lautens in the Toronto Star on February 25th, 1975; less than a month after it had been announced that Sinatra would appear at Maple Leaf Gardens in May.

Mr. Lautens wanted to dig up the whole issue Sinatra had had with the press in the past.

   Then there was the issue with tickets.  Before tickets went on sale, most of the top seats were already gone:

But that issue was quickly solved by Sinatra agreeing to add another show on May 10th.

Of course there was that “50-cent service charge” added to tickets that made some people angry.  It was the issues of service charges and ticket scarcity that made some angry but the press wasn’t finished with Mr. Sinatra.

   On the day of the concert, May 10, 1975, an incident of violence was reported in The Toronto Star:

This was the type of press Sinatra didn’t need.  Gary Lautens had already taken on Sinatra about violence towards reporters and now it was being alleged that Sinatra’s bodyguards were attacking media persons.  So what was Sinatra to do?  Well, he gave his concert that people paid to see and hear but he also took the opportunity to call out the media and suggest that the punching incident never happened. 

The Canadian Press wire service even picked up the thread and published a picture and article of Sinatra holding a copy of the Toronto Star before ripping it up to cheers from the audience. 

Of course, the media took shots at Sinatra as well in their reviews of the two concerts.  The Globe and Mail said Sinatra was a “vocal has-been” but acknowledged that he still held sway with his fans:

Two days later, on May 12th, 1975 the Globe and Mail acknowledged even more so that Sinatra was no “has-been” to his fans:

On May 12th, the Toronto Star also finally got around to covering Sinatra’s appearance by publishing a full page with three articles and photos.  The articles covered everything from the fan adoration, the press thinking Sinatra’s performance was lacking, and that punch or no punch incident. 

   Frank Sinatra would return to Toronto later in 1975 to perform at the CNE on August 21st.  Just a few months after the May concert and none of the articles make reference to any of the issues that occurred while Sinatra  had appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens. 

There was no mention of the earlier 1975 concerts or the problems associated with Sinatra’s appearance at Maple Leaf Gardens.  This was the first time that Sinatra had appeared at the CNE since his 1941 performances with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.  Even the reviews of Sinatra at the CNE in 1975 were better.  The Toronto Star said this was the concert he should have performed at the Gardens earlier that year.

The Globe and Mail also praised Sinatra at the CNE: 

Definitely, the CNE was a better venue for Sinatra in 1975. 

   Sinatra came back again to Maple Leaf Gardens on May 1st of 1976 with very little fanfare. 

Reviews were mixed again for his 1976 engagement at Maple Leaf Gardens. 

Notice that The Star felt Sinatra had given a better performance at the CNE the previous year.  The CNE Grandstand was an open-air venue where the Gardens had been closed in.  Was that the secret of his success?  The Globe and Mail gave a similar review:

   So now we get to what went wrong with the 1984 CNE concert.  Sinatra had performed well and the reviews were good for his August 1975 concert at the CNE compared to the ones he performed at Maple Leaf Gardens.  But 1984 is a considerable time after 1975 and 1976.  Again, people were starting to wonder if Sinatra was ever coming back to Toronto.  The rumour of his return started again in 1983 and concluded with a scheduled date in 1983.  On June 3rd, 1983, Peter Goddard with the Toronto Star reported on rumours of Sinatra appearing at the CNE in 1983 although Sinatra’s office denied any plans of Sinatra returning to the CNE that year: 

By June 30th, 1983, both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail reported that Sinatra was indeed appearing at the CNE in 1983 and the date had been set for August 27th: 

On August 5th, however, it was announced that Sinatra had to cancel, or postpone, his performance at the CNE that year. 

To be fair, Sinatra did not have another gig on August 27th of 1983.  Sinatra’s last summer performance was at the Universal Amphitheatre on June 19, 1983 and he would not perform again until September 20th at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.  There was one exception and that was August 5th at the Sporting Club in Monte-Carlo, Monaco which was a benefit for the Red Cross and he performed with his pal, Sammy Davis Jr. 

I have yet to find any other reason for Sinatra’s cancellation of the 1983 CNE appearance but his cancellation started to raise a furor in Toronto. 

   The first suggestion of any backlash over the cancellation of the 1983 concert started with an article in the Toronto Star on August 11th, 1983. 

Bob Yuill the North York Controller was the one spouting off.  Remember the name Bob Yuill because his voice will be heard again in 1984 when Sinatra returned again to the CNE.  It should be noted that not everyone associated with the CNE was as angry as Bob Yuill.  David Garrick, with the CNE Entertainment Committee, and the person who was responsible for booking Sinatra at the CNE in 1975, wrote a letter to the Toronto Star disagreeing with Bob Yuill’s position. 

Garrick’s rebuttal of Yuill seemed to quiet things down because there was no further mention of Sinatra or even a Sinatra ban during the rest of 1983. 

   In April of 1984 the first rumour started that the CNE was looking to have Sinatra back in 1984.  On April 11th, 1984 Sinatra’s name appeared briefly in a Toronto Star article reporting on possible acts for the 1984 CNE: 

On July 18, 1984, the Toronto Star announced Sinatra’s appearance at the CNE that year to be official. The date was set for a September 2nd concert by Sinatra but the Toronto Star still had to drag out some of the press issues Sinatra had prior to the 1975 concert at Maple Leaf Gardens:

 

Ticket prices were much higher for Sinatra in 1984 with the top seats going for $75 compared to the top price of $25 when he last appeared in Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1976.  Notice as well that Bob Yuill’s name popped again with Yuill doubting that Sinatra would follow through with his September concert.  He was even waging money that Sinatra would not appear.  The Toronto Star followed up with another article on July 19th dedicated to Yuill’s skepticism toward Sinatra’s concert at the CNE: 

The wagering of money offered by Yuill was taken up by someone two days later as noted in an article in the Toronto Star on July 20th, 1984

This time, Frank Sinatra’s defender was Bill Ballard who was head of the Concert Productions International who had booked Sinatra into the CNE for 1984.  Bill Ballard was also the son of Harold Ballard who was instrumental in booking Sinatra into Maple Leaf Gardens in 1975.  Even fans came to Sinatra’s defence and asked that things be left to the past.  The following letter to the Editor of the Toronto Star appeared on July 27th, 1984: 

 

   Tickets finally went on sale on on July 30th, 1984: 

In my previous blahg about the 1984 concert, SINATRA ALMOST GOT ME KILLED, I detailed my ordeal to secure tickets to this concert.  It’s a fun read and since I’ve mentioned that blahg and linked to it twice in this blahg, then you really should check it out.  Despite my own issue with trying to obtain a ticket to the concert, the issues that plagued fans at previous concerts didn’t seem to occur in 1984.  One fan was happy he only had to wait 4.5 hours to get his ticket.  This article comes from the August 3rd, 1984 edition of the Toronto Star: 

The remaining articles leading up to Sinatra’s appearance were relegated to advertisements and nothing critical from Bob Yuill nor anything more about his possible wager with Bill Ballard. 

   I don’t think I’ll detail much more than I’ve said about the actual concert.  If you haven’t checked out my previous blahg, SINATRA ALMOST GOT ME KILLED, now plugging it for a third time, then I’ll re-post what I said then about the concert: 

The concert was great despite what you can read in the reviews. Here was Sinatra, in the pouring rain, no protection, with lightning flashing all around, and him just singing as if this was all commonplace to him. I kept thinking “my god, he’s standing in a puddle, it’s pissing down rain, and he’s holding a metal stand, he’s going to get electrocuted.”  If there’s anything to the old adage that the show must go on, Sinatra lived by it.  It was as if nothing phased him.  He sang some of the songs from his new album, “L.A. Is My Lady” and thrilled the audience with some great standards. I think the greatest thrills were when he sang songs that mentioned the rain. When he sang “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “Pennies From Heaven” with the opening line, ‘Every time it rains, it rains, pennies from heaven’, more cheers went up from the crowd than when he belted out “New York, New York.” The only thing that would have made it perfect was if he had performed “September in the Rain” or “Stormy Weather.”

The whole concert only lasted 46 minutes. Sinatra left the stage and within a minute, you could see his limo, followed by a police car, driving off to drier parts unknown. Many people were upset about the shortness of the concert but not me. I had almost died and I had gotten soaked by rain but those were the only downsides. In the plus column, I had lived, I had made it to the concert, I had sat beside a beautiful girl, and I had seen and heard Sinatra live in concert. I had no complaints.

I still don’t think I could have summed it up better than that.  I mentioned that opening line of “Pennies From Heaven” and this is what it sounded like almost 37 years ago.  This is actually Sinatra singing “Pennies From Heaven” at the CNE on September 2nd, 1984: 

 

   If you thought the storm on the night of the concert was bad enough, the storm of bad press that followed the concert took everything to the next level.  The review from the Toronto Star on September 3rd, 1984 tried to be kind but hinted at the anger towards Sinatra: 

The Toronto Star also devoted their front page of the September 3rd edition to the problems associated with the shortened concert and how fans felt: 

The Globe & Mail’s coverage was very much like the Toronto Star’s leaning on the disappointment of the fans: 

Notice that in the Globe & Mail article from September 3rd, that the North York Controller is mentioned but this time it’s Esther Shiner.  Was there more than one North York Controller?  The Globe & Mail at least published a defence of Sinatra by the CNE in the September 4th edition: 

Risking his life in a thunderstorm by holding a microphone?  Didn’t I say that?  Of course the Globe & Mail had to add their two cents worth about that issue in the September 5th issue: 

The United Press article from September 8th, 1984 was even less kind: 

   The Toronto Star, meanwhile, published an article on September 4th that highlighted the blame game of who was not taking responsibility for the problems with the concert, putting some of the blame on Sinatra, and even invoked Bob Yuill’s name again: 

And what of Bob Yuill?  He obviously lost his bet that Sinatra would not appear.  In the same September 4th edition of the Toronto Star, Bob Yuill is heard from again and this time he’s proposing another ban on Sinatra: 

Of course Bob Yuill did not get his ban.  Personally, I can understand the anger of some fans but Bob Yuill had complimentary tickets so what did he have to complain about?  Me?  I was one fan who was happy.  But what did other fans think of the concert?  Here are some the letters to the Editor of the Toronto Star: 

For the record, I think Roger Wyatt is mostly correct.  In 1975 Sinatra was heralded for his appearance at the CNE but it didn’t rain then.  If Sinatra had appeared indoors, maybe not Maple Leaf Gardens, then the story would have been quite different.  Other fans continued to support Sinatra:

 

   The question about whether Sinatra would be invited back or if Bob Yuill would have his way was finally answered in a Globe & Mail article on November 22, 1984: 

There was one more article that dealt with some disgruntled fans who had organized a rally to try and get refunds.  The following article from the Globe & Mail on September 24th sums up how that fizzled out: 

   So what have we learned from all of this?  Toronto had a love/hate relationship with Sinatra.  Certainly the press never made it easy for him.  His long absence from Toronto between 1949 and 1975 was one strike against him.  The attacks from the media because of Sinatra’s own love/hate relationship with the press was another strike.  You’d think issues with ticket sales and venues would have been the third or more strikes against him.  But this is Sinatra.  He might have received three strikes but he never struck out.  Would you have called out on Sinatra?  The die-hard fans never did and to most he put on great shows.  And he kept coming back. 

   Sinatra would return to Toronto again in 1989 with Liza Minnelli  at the then Sky Dome and again in 1991 with Steve and Eydie at Maple Leaf Gardens.  I’ve detailed about those in another blahg SINATRA:TORONTO, ROUND 2 or “DO YOU WANT FRIES WITH THAT?” so you can check that out and read also about his last Canadian concert in Hamilton in 1993.  I’m lucky to have seen Sinatra three times in Toronto in 1984, 1989, and 1991.  I also attended that Hamilton concert in 1993 and have copies of fan recorded versions of those concerts so I can relive the memories. 

   I started out once to detail information about all of Sinatra’s appearances in Canada and even finished part one.  The first part provides information, clippings, and reviews starting with his very first appearance as part of “The Hoboken Four” with the Major Bowes touring group at the Capitol Theatre, Victoria, B.C., November 6th and 7th, 1935 and concluding with the famous June 8th, 1957 concert at the Vancouver Coliseum.  The file also includes artwork for posters for concerts that were cancelled as well as extensive information on Sinatra’s USO tour with Phil Silvers when they spent ten days touring military bases throughout Newfoundland in May and June of 1945.  I’m going to post the link here for the PDF of part one but in doing so, I noticed that I must have included some material for what would have been part two.  The current file actually starts with the Victoria 1935 appearances and ends with his appearance at The Forum, Montreal, Quebec, May 9th, 1975.  The link to read or download is http://falseducks.com/theblahg/images/SinatraInCanada(2021).pdf.  Maybe I’ll get motivated and eventually finish part two which includes not only the Montreal Forum concert in 1975 and all of the Toronto concerts I’ve mentioned in this blahg but also other concerts in Montreal as well as Vancouver, Calgary, Hamilton, and a cancelled concert in Edmonton from 1991. 

   I hope you enjoyed the story behind the 1984 ill-fated CNE concert.  Me, I think it was fine.  I paid for my ticket and had nothing to complain about.  I think Sinatra showed great class in going on that night.  I wonder if Bob Yuill would have been happier if Sinatra had cancelled or if Mr Yuill would have been outraged by the cancellation.  I don’t think Sinatra could have won either way.  The real fans support his memory and I’ve said it before, “It’s Sinatra’s World, We Just Live In It.”

 

 

 

Tags: CNE, FRANK SINATRA, Scott Henderson, Scott Henderson. False Ducks, Toronto

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