Books: A Thumb in the Public Eye His Way:The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra

The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra by Kitty Kelley; Bantam; 575 pages; $21.95

Shelley Winters decisioned him twice in 1951 ("slugging" him once and "slamming him over the head" another time) during squabbles over the filming of a forgettable movie called Meet Danny Wilson. "Bowlegged bitch of a Brooklyn blonde," he called her. "Skinny, no-talent stupid Hoboken bastard," she replied. Whap! She may be the only soul, living or dead, who comes out of Kitty Kelley's gritty biography of Frank Sinatra looking wholesome. That includes two U.S. Presidents, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, who cheapened their office by pal-ling around with Sinatra, the noted entertainer, bully and bar fighter who had another treasured...

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