The Timex Shows Vol.2 (To The Ladies & Welcome Home Elvis)

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During the height of the Rat Pack years, singer Frank Sinatra hosted four television specials on ABC sponsored by the Timex watch corporation. These were suitably lavish events marked by Sinatra's virtuoso solo performances, amiable duets with other big-name performers, backing dancers, and as with all his four Timex shows, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. Released as part of Eagle Rock Entertainment's Frank Sinatra Collection, Timex Shows, Vol. 2 brings together the third and fourth specials both originally aired in 1960. The first, To the Ladies, showcases Sinatra alongside a handful of female guests including Lena Horne, Mary Costa, Barbara Heller, Juliet Prowse, and special guest Eleanor Roosevelt. One of the more unexpectedly paced shows, here we move from Sinatra's warm vocals, to clarion opera from Costa, to ballet and Broadway-style dance with Prowse, and several numbers showcasing Horn's dynamic showstopper magnetism. All of this is nicely punctuated by Sinatra's cheeky asides, such as invoking Jerry Lewis' grating voice at the end of an otherwise sublime version of "Under My Skin." Or when introducing dancer Prowse, who had appeared on a previous Timex show, Sinatra deadpans, "Comes now the dance. I can't tell you how many letters we received after our last show asking us to stay off the air." Prowse then launches into a swinging, cha cha-themed dance routine featuring a bevy of male partners all dressed like Sinatra, their fedoras evoking the cover of his 1958 album Come, Fly with Me. The second and perhaps more historically significant episode, Welcome Home Elvis, showcased rocker Elvis Presley having just returned home from his two-year stint in the Army. Along with Presley, Sinatra is joined by daughter Nancy Sinatra and fellow Rat Packers Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. Although the promised meeting between the King of Rock & Roll and the Chairman of the Board is brief, the casual charm exhibited by Presley and the exuberant warmth and camaraderie with which the Rat Pack welcome him make it a fascinating pop culture moment. After the introduction, Presley exits the stage and Sinatra then leads his co-horts through a series of musical bits (essentially a condensed version of the Rat Pack's Vegas show) conceptualized around catching Elvis up on all the things he missed while in the army, including Davis' Broadway turn in Porgy and Bess, and quick spin through Sinatra's own album covers between 1958 and 19-60. When Presley finally reappears, backed by his band with guitarist Scotty Moore, he launches into velvety, swaggering versions of "Fame and Fortune" and "Stuck on You." He then pairs with Sinatra for a surprisingly charming duet medley of "Witchcraft/Love Me Tender." As the song starts, Sinatra starts moving his shoulders up and down to the beat. Elvis quickly picks up the dance causing Sinatra to quip, "We work in the same way only in different areas." Ultimately, it's these little offhand moments of playfulness that make these classic TV specials so fascinating. As these shows were transferred from existing tape sources, they do retain a certain amount of audio and visual grit. Nonetheless, they are quite watchable and entertaining time capsules of the era. ~ Matt Collar

TO THE LADIES:
1. Here's To The Ladies (Frank Sinatra)
2. I've Got You Under My Skin (Frank Sinatra)
3. Ouvre Ton Coeur (Mary Costa)
4. By Strauss (Barbara Heller)
5. Ring The Bell (Lena Horne)
6. Come Cha Cha With Me (Juliet Prowse)
7. It's A Lonesome Old Town (Frank Sinatra)
8. But Beautiful (Lena Horne)
9. From This Moment On (Lena Horne)
10. Harold Arlen Medley: As Long As I Live/It's Only A Paper Moon/One For My Baby/Accentuate The Positive/Stormy Weather/Get Happy/Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (Frank Sinatra/Lena Horne)
11. My Heart Stood Still (Frank Sinatra)
12. Yours Is My Heart Alone (Mary Costa)
13. Afraid Of Love (Barbara Heller)
14. My Heart Belongs To Daddy (Lena Horne)
15. My Funny Valentine (Juliet Prowse)
16. High Hopes (Eleanor Roosevelt)
17. Here's To The Ladies (Frank Sinatra)

WELCOME HOME ELVIS:
1. It's Nice To Go Trav'ling (Frank Sinatra/Joey Bishop/Sammy Davis Jr/Nancy Sinatra)
2. It's Nice To Go Trav'ling (Frank Sinatra/Joey Bishop/Sammy Davis Jr/Nancy Sinatra/Elvis Presley)
3. Witchcraft (Frank Sinatra)
4. Come On Bess (Sammy Davis Jr)
5. Oriental Dance (Leona Irwin & The Tommy Hansen Dancers)
6. Gone With The Wind (Frank Sinatra)
7. Uh Oh! (Nutty Squirrels)
8. All The Way (Sammy Davis Jr)
9. Shall We Dance (Sammy Davis Jr/Peter Lawford)
10. Fame And Fortune (Elvis Presley)
11. Stuck On You (Elvis Presley)
12. Medley: Witchcraft/Love Me Tender (Frank Sinatra/Elvis Presley)
13. Medley: Witchcraft/Love Me Tender - Reprise (Frank Sinatra/Elvis Presley)
14. You Make Me Feel So Young (Frank Sinatra/Nancy Sinatra)
15. Let's Dance (Nancy Sinatra)