Connie of our youth

Yes, Steve O’Neil (A.K.A. Danny Samonte) scored another coup when he brings in The Connie Francis of my youth on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Last week, I had a little teaser on this great singer, but due to limited space, I couldn’t write much.

Connie Frances was born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero. Even at a young age, she displayed an extraordinary talent, and propensity, for singing. At 11, she was already a regular in a local TV show. I guess she’s a perfect example of someone who has singing embedded firmly in her genes and didn’t have to go through any formal studies or training to hone the talent.  In the 50s (not quite my time), she figured prominently in shows like ‘Ted Mack Amateur Hour’ (something like our Tawag Ng Tanghalan?), the Godfrey Talent Scout show (the predecessor of American Idol?), and Startime which eventually signed her up for a four-year stint.

Connie Francis was still in her teens when MGM Records signed her up for a 20-side contract. MGM was already big then, and Connie tried hard to live up to the expectation of the MGM bosses. She recorded 18 songs for them, and not one of these hit the charts. They all bombed. At that point, Connie felt that nothing was going to come out of her chosen career path, and was just about to throw in the towel. With only two songs to go on her contract, she had not made the scene.

Providence stepped into the picture. Her father, who was following her career closely, suggested that she record an old song, a slow ballad published some two decades earlier, in 1923.  Hesitant at first because she found the song “too square” she nevertheless followed her father’s advice. That song was “Who’s Sorry Now”, Connie’s signature song. 

At that time, and especially for Connie Francis, the ultimate goal of any performer is to have his/her five minutes of fame at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.  If you landed a guesting stint there, you would have arrived. The now classic line of Connie’s dad, when he was pitching for the song was “If you don’t record this song, the only way you’ll ever get on Ameican bandstand is if you sit on top of the television set”.  Well, look who’s sorry not now?

The auspicious date was Jan. 1, 1958.  Dick Clarke had no idea the young girl who guested on his popular show that day was going to take America by storm with such a “square song”. Dick Clark played up Connie’s recording of this song that it eventually sold a million copies. Result?  Connnie Francis was voted “Best Female Vocalist” by American Bandstand that year, 1958. 

Every year for four years after that, Connie continued to lord it over the airwaves. Fans so loved her that they continued to vote her to no. 1 spot in the polls.

Imagine 35 million records sold worldwide, and 35 US Top Forty Hits. Connie was just radio’s most beloved sweetheart, in America and everywhere else. She was Japan’s Most Popular Singer, Italy’s Most Beloved Italian American Singer and Europe’s Golden Lion Awardee. Her records Who’s sorry Now?, Stupid Cupid and Mama remained no. 1 in the United Kingdom for months on end, while her ever popular Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool, My Heart Has a Mind of its Own, and Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You languished in the US Top Forty list for a long, long time. She also recorded several his in different languages — Japanese, German, Jewish, Spanish and French.

Then the movies beckoned. Remember “Where The Boys Are”, a teenage movie back in the 60s? Connie starred there and sang the theme song which became one of her biggest hits. She has about four movies to her credit.

Back to Connie’s mega hits. The song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool”, which was no. 1 in the United States for a long time, also hit it big in Germany, so big that MGM’s German distributors held a big celebration for the song’s success. They had to rent an ocean liner to accommodate all the artists, VIPs, media reps, disc jockeys, etc. who attended the affair. The song had a German version.

Connie ran the whole gamut of entertainment, from records to movies to television and cabaret. In those days, the very popular singers had their own television shows, and Connie would often be seen in the Perry Como Show, the Andy Williams Show, The Steve Lawrence Show, the Dean Martin Show and the prestigious The Ed Sullivan Show.

In 1961, she appeared in the Oscar telecast and sang “Never On A Sunday” in Greek, the first time a foreign song ever won an Oscar. That certainly made history.

Most of us know of the unfortunate incident that happened in 1974 in Long Island Howard Johnson Motor Lodge when Connie was raped at gunpoint. At that time, she was scheduled for a singing engagement at Westbury Music Fair, just nearby.  The sexual assault left a lasting mark on Connie. She couldn’t sing for seven long years, which must have been hell for her as singing was her life. She eventually sued the Motor Lodge chain and was awarded one of the biggest settlements in a sexual assault case.

She has since recovered, and has devoted her time to singing again, booking personal appearances in different parts of Asia and Europe. This Valentine, she will be spending it with her Pinoy fans at the Araneta Coliseum. Get your tickets from Ticket Net and let’s relive the old times with Connie.

Cut on cost-not on service

Just received an e-mail from a colleague and media peer, Anthony Suntay.

I’m reprinting part of the e-mail here, verbatim, because I think it is a contructive observation that bears addressing.

“I went shopping for groceries in Shopwise Araneta Center QC. I had to wait for 30 minutes to get to the cashier and my one cart of groceries out there.  Was there a long line? No! Just two people in fact, but it took so long because the cashier was also doing the bagging of groceries! I was told that Shopwise was cost cutting in terms of bag boys.”

Maybe this popular chain can look into this valid complaint?

Mabuhay!  Be proud to be a Filipino.

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