COMEDIAN PHIL SILVERS

One of my favorite Sinatra songs was written by comedian Phil Silvers. The song, "NANCY WITH THE LAUGHING FACE" became a hit song for Frank.

At a party in spring of l944 Phil Silvers cracked a joke tht had Bing Crosby's favorite lyricist wife, Bessie, in fits of laughter. Silvers coined the phase, "BESSIE WITH THE LAUGHING FACE" which songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen thought was a good song title. Silvers wrote the lyric to Van Heusen's music himself, in only 20 minutes, changing "BESSIE" to "NANCY" to mark the 4th birthday of Sinatra's daughter. It's been said that Sinatra's conversational phrasing gives the song the rhythmic ebb and flow of a proud father.

In l98l Sinatra sang a specially adapted "NANCY" (with the Reagon face) to the first Lady at Rong Reagans inaugural gala.