Replies

How Connie started her first film

[Editors note: This article came from the WPEN1996 interview with Connie Francis by Charlie Mills]

In the year 1960, MGM released the motion picture, Where The Boys Are, the first featured film for Connie Francis. How did Connie get the role in the motion picture? Film producer Joe Pasternak asked Connie to star in a new film he was producing. Joe founded such talents as Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Jane Powell, and others. However, Connie did not want to do movies. She wanted to record, do her foreign languages, travel all over the world, and Connie said she couldn't act.

Joe Pasternak met Connie Francis in California and gave her the script and a book, Where The Boys Are, and said that she could be another Judy Garland. The films Joe produced include Love Me or Leave Me with Doris Day and James Cagney, a film Connie said was magnificent. However, she just wasn't interested in making movies.

Then one day they had a meeting with her father. Connie and her dad were always arguing over everything. "A constant struggle." She said, "although usually he was right."

Her father said, "You're not doing this movie, they got a scene in this movie at the end of this movie where a girl is leaving a motel with a guy." Connie mentioned nobody will see anything.

"That's beside the point!" he said. So Connie decided, "Thats it! I'm doing the movie." And that is how Connie Francis accepted here first role as an actress because her dad didn't want her to do it.

The title song from the 1960 film had its own interesting story. Joe Pasternak was looking for a songwriter to write the title song. In the past he used Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen, Paul Francis Webster, and others to write music for his films. But for this one Connie was right there with some advice.

She said to Joe Pasternak, "I know you've got these great writers whom I respect highly, but there is nobody who is going to write this song and make it a hit except my two friends from Brooklyn: Neal Sedaka and Howie Greenfield." Joe protested, "What are you hawkin' me for two kids from Brooklyn!?!"

Connie explained, "Neal Sedaka got Time Track from RCA Victory for recording the hit song, 'The Diaries'" But Joe stood firm, "I couldn't care less. Forget about it!"

Connie resigned, "Joe, I don't really want to do this movie." Joe then agreed, "Alright, have them write it." "But they must to have it here by Wednesday. That is when we are meeting to decide which of all the songs will be the title song."

Connie raced to the phone and said to Neal and Howie they got the title song for her first movie. But Howie was skeptical, "What kind of title is that? Who can write a song called Where The Boys Are?" Connie encouraged them, "C'mon Howie, c'mon Neal. You can write it. You're a great lyricist."

Howie Greenfield and Neal Sedaka got the song to Connie Francis and they had two Where The Boys Are, two different songs. Connie, Neal, and Howie loved their new song Where The Boys Are. They thought it was great. The other Where The Boys Are they hated. MGM picked the one they hated.

MGM motion picture producer Joe Pasternak presents Connie with MGM Records gold record marking the 1,000,000 sale of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool."