Details

Release year: 1959

Storyline

Widower Tony is trying to keep a small Miami hotel afloat while raising a 12-year-old son. He's forced to ask his harried brother Mario for help, but he'll only bail Tony out if he quits his bohemian lifestyle and marries a sensible woman.

Top credits

Directors

Frank Capra

Writers

Arnold Schulman

Cast

Frank Sinatra — Tony Manetta
Edward G. Robinson — Mario Manetta
Eleanor Parker — Eloise Rogers
Carolyn Jones — Shirl

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Awards

1 win & 0 nominations

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Did you know

• The production company, Sincap, is named for the first syllables of Frank Sinatra and Frank Capra's last names, though some wags thought "Two Franks" would have been better.

• Eleanor Parker replaced Donna Reed, who had cinematic history with both the director and star: Frank Capra had directed Reed in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) while Frank Sinatra and Reed had co-starred in From Here to Eternity (1953) with Oscar-honored performances. Reed exited the project when the estimate of the film's upcoming Miami Beach shoot went from five weeks to ten weeks - longer than The Donna Reed Show (1958) could spare its star.

• The original Broadway production of "A Hole in the Head" by Arnold Schulman opened at the Plymouth Theater on February 28, 1957, ran for 156 performances and closed July 13, 1957. The cast included Paul Douglas, David Burns, Lee Grant, Kay Medford and Joyce Van Patten.