Singing legend Frank Sinatra was a serial prankster who played elaborate tricks on his Rat Pack pals.
Among his stunts was pretending to be Adolf Hitler on a movie set and swapping Dean Martin’s golf balls for ping-pong balls.
The singer and actor’s japes are detailed in a new book on the Chairman of the Board by his musician mate Tony Oppedisano.
He said: “For Frank, pranks were a form of bonding. If he played a prank on you, it was a sign you were in with him.”
In Sinatra And Me, Tony said Dean Martin was Frank’s top target and he even pranked him while they filmed the 1965 movie Marriage On The Rocks.
(Image: Getty Images)
He revealed: “There was a scene where Dean got into an argument and went to the hall closet to grab his coat before storming out.
“Frank was in the closet with his back to the camera. When Frank turned around, he only turned around about a quarter of the way.
“He was wearing a Hitler moustache, and he had his hands down by his privates as though he were urinating. Dean cracked up.
(Image: Getty Images)
“One night on tour, Frank wanted to hang out, but Dean said, ‘No, I’ve got to get up in the morning and play golf’.
“Somehow, Frank managed to get into Dean’s golf bag and replace all his golf balls with ping-pong balls.”
Ol Blue Eyes also loved to wind up Sammy Davis Junior – mocking him over his height.
Tony said: “One time when they were in Vegas, Frank had a special hotel suite for Sammy. All the furniture was small. Tiny chairs, tiny tables, a toddler bed.”
(Image: Alamy Stock Photo)
And Sinatra used to cut part way through pal Mike Romanoff’s cigarettes before putting them back in the pack.
Tony added: “When Romanoff took the cigarette out and put it in his mouth, half of it would be dangling.”
Frank passed away on May 14, 1998 at the age of 82, following two heart attacks.
He’s sold an estimated 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
