Frank Sinatra released his debut album, "The Voice of Frank Sinatra", in 1946. Sinatra's professional career had stalled by the early 1950s, and he turned to Las Vegas, where he became one of its best known residency performers as part of the Rat Pack. His career was reborn in 1953 with the success of "From Here to Eternity", with his performance subsequently winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sinatra released several critically lauded albums, including "In the Wee Small Hours" (1955), "Songs for Swingin' Lovers!" (1956), "Come Fly with Me" (1958), "Only the Lonely" (1958) and
Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music Riddle and Gordon Jenkins, and Ed McMahon served as announcer, a role he returned to in the two subsequent specials. "Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music" was shot inside NBC's Studio 1, at its color television facility in Burbank, California. The special was taped in segments on at least two nights in November 1965. Sinatra was suffering from a cold at the time, which limited his time in front of the microphone. He coughs and clears his throat a few times during the show. Writer Gay Talese documented both nights of taping in his April 1966 "Esquire" magazine profile,