Wednesday, July 9, 2003
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Wednesday, July 9, 2003 |
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Frankie Avalon Frankie Avalon is crossing the milestone of his 42nd year as one of America's leading young entertainers. Frankie can look back on a career that spans three generations of music, television and motion pictures which he feels is due primarily to the loyalty and trust of his audience. Frankie's years as a "Teenage Idol" have been succeeded by maturity and professionalism. He is currently one of the busiest nightclub performers in the country, playing the nations' finest supperclubs and headlining top Las Vegas Hotel Mainrooms. His motion picture career has already spanned some thirty films. Frankie was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania September 18th. "It seems like every young kid in Philadelphia wanted to be a singer", recalls Frankie. "I started as a musiciana trumpet player in the beginning. But, when I picked up the paper one day and read about Jimmy Darren, who was from my own neighborhood and school, making a successful career for himself, I decided that I could do it just as well." Until he was nine, Frankie seized every opportunity to enter local amateur contests, winning one after another. On his own initiative, Frankie began taking lessons, and continued his musical studies long and hard through the years that followed. One of his instructors was a member of the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, who volunteered to teach the trumpet virtuoso after hearing him play. Youthful Frankie Avalon was good enough to make guest appearances as a trumpet player on The Perry Como and Jackie Gleason Television Shows. Frankie has a long string of Gold Record Million-Seller singles and albums. It wasn't uncommon during the 1930's 40's for an actor to log extensive film credits. But in modern Hollywood, industry-ites find Frankie's 30 motion picture credits quite amazing. Frankie's starring roles in the highly successful "Beach Party" film series, are perhaps quickest to recall. They include "Beach Party", "Muscle Beach Party", "Beach Blanket Bingo", "Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine", "Bikini Beach" and "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini." The "Beach" pictures were enormous box office successes. But Frankie, who studied with Wynn Handman in New York and Estelle Harmon in Los Angeles had his acting accolades reserved for his dramatic roles in "The Dark", "The Alamo", "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and "Guns of the Timberland", and comedic talent in "Skidoo", "Sail a Crooked Ship", "I'll Take Sweden", "Ski Party", and "Sergeant Deadhead." In his film for Columbia Pictures "The Take" co-starring Billy Dee Williams, Eddie Albert and Vic Morrow, Frankie shows his dramatic acting ability. Frankie's nightclub career has taken him around the world, headlining the finest supperclubs and niteries. Within the USA, he has starred at The Sahara, Sands, Desert Inn and Landmark Hotels in Las Vegas, The Fountainebleau and Eden Roc Hotels in Miami Beach, Blinstrub's in Boston, Rainbow Grill and Copacabana in New York, Latin Casion in New Jersey, Palumbo's Philadelphia; Camellia House - Chicago; Cork Club Houston; and Duke's Honolulu. Frankie has performed for audiences in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Philippines and continues to receive offers to make appearances around the world. His appearances at the International Festival of Stars in Romania marked the second time that an entertainer from the United States had performed in that Iron Curtain country since World War II. (The other was Louis Armstrong). In addition to working six months out of the year in nightclubs, Frankie is a familiar face to television viewers, having appeared on just about every top variety show, guest-starring on numerous dramatic series and starring in several of his own specials. Frankie appeared in a cameo role in the very successful movie "Grease" where he sang "Beauty School Dropout" and this cameo was considered one of the highlights of the movie. Many honors have been bestowed upon the young, but seasoned star. Among the many local, regional, national and international honors are: The Disc Jockey's Association Selection as "King of Song" 1959, winner of Photoplay Magazines Gold Award as "Most Popular Vocalist"- 1959, title of "Outstanding Singer of 1961" by the California All-Youth Symphony Orchestra, selection by Box Office Magazine in 1964 as one of the "Top Three Young Male Stars" at the motion picture box office, named by Film Daily in 1964 as one of the "Five Best Young Actors of the Year." Although it would take many pages to cover, even briefly, the multiple and varied entertainment world accomplishments of Frankie Avalon, undoubtedly his greatest personal achievement can be summed up in one short sentence: "He is one of Hollywood's most prolific fathers." Specifically, Frank and his wife, Kay married in January 1963, are the parents of four boys and four girls. In order of appearance, they are Frankie Jr., Tony, Dina, Laura, Joseph, Nicholas, Kathryn and Carla. The family lives in a sprawling ranch style home in California's San Fernando Valley. Like many show business personalities, Frankie is an avid golfer, spending most of his non-working hours on the fairways and putting greens on the famous Lakeside Golf Club of Hollywood. And, expectedly, he is a low handicap golfer, mastering the sport in the same determined manner he has pursued his career. Just ask some of the oldtime showbiz duffers who have discovered that "the kid" is a real proand how!
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