Oct 22, 2022
History forgot to record that Sinatra's first acting role was inherited from a sea lion. Both stage & film versions of HIGHER AND HIGHER (1944) were poorly reviewed as a whole but succeeded anyway on the back of raves about a single performer, who, despite being tacked on to the haphazard plot at the last minute, stole the show with his unique talent. In the film version, Sinatra. In the original stage production, a sea lion named Sharkey.
And their overlap did not end there. In many ways, Sinatra and
Sharkey lived parallel lives. They played many of the same venues,
from Steel Pier and Madison Square Garden to Radio City Music Hall.
They came of age in the same era and ran in the same circles. They
were both considered the best in their fields and both covered
songs popularised by Bing Crosby. Both of them worked with Ella
Fitzgerald.
This week, we're joined by Gary Bohan Jr, author of a new book on
Sharkey's surreal career. Gary is the great-grandson of Mark
Huling, Sharkey's original trainer from Seal College in Kingston,
New York. Six years of dedicated archival research went into Gary's
book, published just months ago - a true labor of love, and a
delightful, unpredictable read. Far from a dark story of animal
exploitation, Sharkey emerges from history as a true performer who
was dedicated to his craft and deeply loved performing. (He is not
actually smoking in the episode photo.)
Gary Bohan Jr's SHARKEY: WHEN SEA LIONS WERE STARS OF SHOW BUSINESS
(1907-1958), is out now and comes highly recommended by this
podcast. Order it from your local bookstore or buy it from the
publisher, SUNY Press, here.
Follow Gary Bohan Jr: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.
Watch a 90-minute talk on Sharkey he gave for the Hurley Heritage
Society on YouTube here.
Follow the show: on Twitter and Instagram @suddenlypod or get
in touch by email - suddenlypod at gmail dot com.