Eliot Weisman Entertainment Attorney Manager of Frank Sinatra
Eliot Weisman is the president of Premier Artists Services, a boutique entertainment management company that became one of the most powerful agencies in the country during the 1980s and ’90s. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business, Weisman continues to consult with and advise new generations of entertainers. He is a co-author of THE WAY IT WAS: MY LIFE WITH FRANK SINATRA with Jennifer Valoppi. He has four children and resides with his wife Maria in Parkland, Florida.
THE WAY IT WAS: MY LIFE WITH FRANK SINATRA
By Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi [Hachette Books]
Eliot Weisman served as manager, booking agent and friend to Sinatra, during the final chapters of the Chairman of the Board’s life. This has resulted in an affectionately written memoir from Weisman. We see Sinatra’s toughness, trademark cool, and humor, but also a more poignant side, as the singer’s health begins to fail, his voice and memory falter, and signs of insecurity creep in. Weisman, collaborating with journalist Jennifer Valoppi, details Sinatra’s intense approach to his music. In the 1980s and ‘90s, he certainly didn’t have the same vocal magic he had displayed in the 1940s and ‘50s. But he could still get across a song like nobody else, thanks to his style, honesty and personality.
Sinatra wanted to stay in the spotlight as long as possible — he lived to be on stage — but he was afraid of tarnishing his legacy. On the road, Sinatra never did sound checks or rehearsals. He could be a perfectionist, though he did not believe that perfection in music was attainable. In Weisman’s role as manager, not only for Sinatra, but also such other stars as Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé, Sammy Davis, Jr., Liza Minnelli and Don Rickles, he had to be not just a planner and money man, but a psychiatrist, protector, and pal. Sinatra’s attitude when anything went wrong, on the road, in the studio or in life, was simply, “Just fix it, Pally.” Familial-like relationships developed. Weisman offers glimpses into many of Sinatra’s key relationships including adoring and adored daughters Tina and Nancy Jr., sometimes estranged son Frank Jr., wife Barbara and ex-wives, including Ava Gardner.
Weisman even goes into the battling between Sinatra’s children and wife Barbara, over his estate. And then, of course, there was Sinatra’s bodyguard and buddy, Jilly. The two were inseparable for decades, until Jilly passed away, leaving another big void in the declining legend’s existence. There’s a funny incident involving Donald Trump, which climaxes with Sinatra sending a message to the billionaire — “Tell him to go f-ck himself!” Weisman chronicles a Rat Pack reunion, which fell apart when a grieving Dean Martin’s heart wasn’t into partying. The authors go into detail about the making of Sinatra’s smash 1993 album “Duets,” including some amusing tales about U2’s Bono. It’s clear from Weisman’s anecdotes that Sinatra gave and demanded loyalty. A champion of the underdog, Old Blue Eyes could be generous and friendly. But you didn’t want to cross him. Long before Springsteen, Sinatra was “The Boss.” Though you may have read a lot of books and viewed a lot of documentaries about Sinatra, you’ll still learn a lot you never knew about the man and his music from this respectful remembrance.
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Frank Sinatra’s manager, ELIOT WEISMAN, “THE WAY IT WAS: MY LIFE WITH FRANK SINATRA”
Amazon: Frank Sinatra’s manager, ELIOT WEISMAN, “THE WAY IT WAS: MY LIFE – FRANK SINATRA”
