FRANK SINATRA SAVED MY LIFE- Shecky Greene

FROM NEW BOOK, "Moon River and Me", by ANDY WILLIAMS


Frank Sinatra certainly showed his darker side at times to me. The comedian SHECKY GREENE saw that side of Sinatra and was brave and unbowed enough to joke about it in his nightclub act. "People say a lot of bad stuff about Frank Sinatra," Shecky would begin a routine, "but I won't hear a word against him because once Frank saved my life. Three hoods were beating the crap out of me in the parking lot of the FONTAINBLEAU HOTEL, in Miami one night when Sinatra walked past and said, 'Okay, boys that's enough'. That line always go a big laugh, but as he told me when were chatting one night, the story was actually true. The incident occured after Sinatra took a fancy to Shecky's girl-friend one night and took her up to his suite. Shecky objected to this and started banging on the door, so Sinatra phoned down to the parking lot. Three hoods waited for Shecky in the parking lot and worked hom over pretty good.