It Does Not Get Much Better Than This!!

You know, it really did not get much better than this and it never will again. Seeing Frank Sinatra was like seeing a god. Besides seeing or photographing Elvis, Sinatra was the ultimate. He was pure class, but not in a stuffy way since he came from the streets. Frank would light up a room. Yeah, yeah, everyone tells this line when speaking of Elvis or Frank, but it was the truth.

This photo was taken around 1980 at the Beverly Hills Hotel and it was a press conference for a boxing match that was to take place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. We do not even think that we were invited to the press conference. It was one of those things were if you heard about it, you got in. Sinatra’s PR guy was Lee Solters who had been with Frank for decades. He saw us there and invited us for the catered breakfast in the rear of the room.

Rule number one when you attend something of this magnitude is to stake out your spot! We left our camera bag in the second row dead center and then went for the grub. It is incredible how you can remember a breakfast 27 years later. They had eggs, bacon and these really nice little sausage links. The best.

After the feeding, Frank just walked in and the press conference commenced. There was go pushing or showing for the photos. You know how many photographers were there? About six. That was all. Today it would be mayhem.

After the short press conference, Frank just sorted floated out of the room with one older guy who drove him off in an older station wagon. Sure beats photographing Britney and Paris. Don’t ya think?