Before Elvis and the Beatles, before the Stones and the Sex Pistols, there was Frank Sinatra.

The most prodigiously gifted singer of his generation, Sinatra transformed popular music, infusing his performances with unmatched depth and intimacy. Exuding effortless cool and confident sexuality, he defined what it means to be a pop star for every generation that followed.

Frank Sinatra died on May 14, 1988 at the age of 82. The lights on the Las Vegas strip were dimmed the following night in his honour.

VisionTV marks the 10th anniversary of Sinatra’s passing with two nights of documentary, performance and feature film presentations.

*** Documentary ***
Frank Sinatra Memorial
Wednesday, May 14, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Hollywood celebrates the life and legend of Frank Sinatra, as stars of the past and present remember the 20th century’s greatest entertainer. This hour-long documentary features reminiscences from many of those luminaries who knew Sinatra - among them Tony Bennett, Quincy Jones, Shirley Jones, Eddie Albert, Ernest Borgnine, Betty Garrett and Elmer Bernstein. Highlights include archival performance footage and a clip of Sinatra being interviewed by the legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow.

*** Documentary ***
Frank Sinatra Singing With Friends
Wednesday, May 14, 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT

From Barbra Streisand to Bono, pop music’s greatest stars all prized the opportunity to sing with Frank Sinatra. This hour-long special features vintage clips of Old Blue Eyes performing alongside legends of the music world. Highlights include renditions of “Together” with Bing Crosby and Dean Martin, “Can’t We Be Friends” with Ella Fitzgerald and “It’s Only a Paper Moon” with Lena Horne.

*** Feature Film ***
The Manchurian Candidate
Thursday, May 15, 9 p.m. and Midnight ET / 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. PT

Frank Sinatra wasn’t just a musical pioneer – he was also an Oscar-wining actor. He is at his best here, in director John Frankenheimer’s 1962 masterpiece – part thriller, part political satire. Laurence Harvey (Room at the Top) plays Raymond Shaw, a Korean War hero who, along with the rest of his platoon, has been brainwashed by Communists to act as a sleeper agent, while Sinatra plays Major Bennett Marco, the former comrade in arms who races against time to uncover Shaw’s possible role in a sinister assassination plot. Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote) is cast against type as Shaw’s mother, a terrifyingly ambitious Republican Party power broker. Janet Leigh (Psycho) and James Gregory (Barney Miller) also star. Sinatra once called The Manchurian Candidate the high point of his acting career. Nevertheless, controversy surrounded the production at the time of its release, and it stayed out of circulation for almost a quarter-century. Based on the novel by Richard Condon (Prizzi’s Honor).

For more information on VisionTV programming, please visit www.visiontv.ca.