“The Frank Sinatra Collection: The Timex Shows Vols. 1 & 2"
Frank Sinatra didn’t mince words: He hated rock ’n’ roll. And so it was more than remarkable when he invited the King of Rock ’n’ Roll onto his television show. The “Welcome Home Elvis" episode is included on Vol. 2 of the new DVD releases of his Timex-sponsored TV specials.
The homecoming, on the occasion of Elvis Presley’s return from obligatory army service, was a stroke of marketing genius that rocketed ratings to the moon. Most of the airtime, however, was devoted to Sinatra, his daughter, Nancy, and his Rat Pack pals—especially a thoroughly pumped Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop playing the straight man. Sinatra was suave while singing his own recent hits. Much of the staging was hokey—and at last, Elvis emerged in tux and dickey, singing “Stuck on You." The Voice and the King, when finally brought together for a “Witchcraft"-“Love Me Tender" mash-up, appeared to enjoy their brief moment together.
The Rolling Stones: Olé Olé Olé! A Trip Across Latin America
Rolling Stones’ concert documentaries are proliferating lately—vintage as well as recently shot films showing the boys in well-oiled form. The latest, Olé Olé Olé!, is a companion piece to the recent Havana Moonlight and was filmed on the same trans-continental tour that eventually brought the Stones to Cuba. Remarks by band members are interesting, the crowds are thrilled, and the band is thoroughly drilled and looking like they’re still having the time of their life.
Keep Quiet
“One ticket to Auschwitz, please," Csanád Szegedi says to the ticket seller at the train station. He’s no ordinary pilgrim to that place of death. Szegedi was a leader in Hungary’s far-right Jobbik Party and the paramilitary Hungarian Guard. He was also a fervent anti-Semite—until he discovered he was Jewish. Keep Quiet documents a fascinating journey of discovery as he navigates between hatred from his former comrades and Jews who doubt his sincerity.
