Mia Farrow, age 19, was filming the Peyton Place TV series when she ventured onto the soundstage where Frank Sinatra, age 49, was filming Von Ryan’s Express. He invited her to his home in Palm Springs for a party, and they became a couple.
A few months later, Frank’s first ex-wife, Big Nancy, and daughter, singer Nancy Sinatra, were planning a large birthday party for him.
Since Frank’s and Mia’s affair was big, scandalous news, Big Nancy did not want Mia to attend because all the party-goers' attention would be on her. It was assumed that Mia was being with Frank for the sake of career opportunism.
According to Frank’s long-time valet George Jacobs:
“There was a lot of phone calls between Big Nancy, Nancy and Frank, with yelling and hang-ups about whether Mia should attend or not. Finally daughter Nancy convinced Big Nancy that Mia should come to make Frank happy.”
So, Mia went to a Beverly Hills shop and bought a chiffon dress and was ready to go.
When Frank Jr. heard that Mia was going, he called his father and said, “How can you embarrass mom this way?" Big Frank slammed the phone down on him.” Frank Jr. stayed in New York where he was performing.
Big Frank finally told Mia not to come. When Frank came to her apartment after his party, he found Mia reeking of marijuana with her long hair chopped off. She showed him not to dis-invite her, and who the real center of attention was.
Mia claims she cut her hair when she was at her studio dressing room. But Peyton Place actor Ryan O’Neil said, "She came to the studio already cut."
Image consultants will tell you:
“When a woman has long flowing hair, cutting it to a pixie-cut is probably the most dramatic thing she can do. It transforms her entire look by re-defining the structure of her face, and highlighting her eyes/eyebrows, nose, and cheeks.”
The Peyton Place producers were horrified because Mia never discussed it with them. They gave her a wig, and then the writers went into a panic and wrote her character to have an ‘amnesia-induced nervous breakdown’ to justify her sudden short hair, which was instantly front page news.
Sinatra’s 2nd ex-wife, Ava Gardner said, “I always knew Frank would end up in bed with a boy.” (Mia once said, "I have a 20-20-20 figure.")
As for the big birthday bash, George Jacobs said, “The only time Frank had a genuine smile was when Sammy Davis Jr, having secretly flown in from NYC, jumped out of a fake birthday cake.”
Frank and Mia got married. Two years later, Frank read the script for Rosemary's Baby and told Mia, "It's not for you." But she did the movie and would get an even shorter haircut by Vidal Sassoon for the part of Rosemary.
She was served divorce papers on the set by Frank’s lawyer because her delayed schedule kept her from appearing in Frank’s movie The Detective.
Franks movie was popular. Mia’s movie came out at the same time and was more popular.
Mia asked the head of Paramount, Robert Evans, to put the two movie’s weekly grosses side by side in Variety to show Frank she was best. Evans told her that he couldn’t do it.
Evans said, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
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I may have seen The Detective. But Frank always seemed to be playing the same part in his movies. I remember seeing Rosemary's baby and the thought of her bearing the devil's child sticks in my memory more than any movie Frank ever made. But it was a dark and dreary movie to watch.
Ron