Sinatra Ketchup

Shooting with Jimmy Kimmel was a particular treat for me as I’ve been a fan since his Man Show days. I was not surprised that he brought a relaxed demeanor to our brief shoot, but there were also moments of warmth, curiosity and, of course, great wit.

The color palette for one of the shots was inspired by Frank Sinatra cover art circa 1955. I described the shot to Jimmy as such, and then as we took a short break as my assistants adjusted the lighting, he asked me with a serious disposition, “Are you really a Frank Sinatra fan?” I thought that he was going to dismiss or criticize Ol’ Blue Eyes but he actually had a story to tell me.

Sinatra is out to dinner in Las Vegas with his friends Bob Newhart and Don Rickles. It’s a busy restaurant, but also a very fine one.

Frank is struggling with getting the ketchup out of the bottle. He’s banging it this way and that way – getting nothing. Finally, he curses and throws it across the room – the bottle smashes against the wall getting ketchup everywhere.

The room is silent, and Rickles says, “Hey Frank, pass the ketchup.”

Thank you to Bailey Franklin and Variety for the assignment – and running the images so well!

Bottom Image: Shooting with Jimmy Kimmel for Variety. Photo by Shelly Lovelace.