Jacobs, George 1927-

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JACOBS, George 1927-

PERSONAL:

Born 1927, in New Orleans, LA.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Palm Springs, FL. Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins, 10 East 53rd St., 7th Fl., New York, NY 10012.

CAREER:

Valet for Frank Sinatra, 1953-68; master chef and carpenter.

WRITINGS:

(With William Stadiem) Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra, HarperEntertainment (New York, NY), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

George Jacobs waited a long time to finally publish his biography Mr. S: My Life with Frank Sinatra. While employed by noted American singer and actor Frank Sinatra as his valet and self-proclaimed right-hand man between 1953 and 1968, Jacobs saw everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly. "George was like one of the Rat Pack. Frank took him everywhere," stated William Stadiem, who co-wrote the book with Jacobs. Rumor has it that Jacobs waited as long as he did to publish his book because of threats from Sinatra's lawyer, who died in 1999. In his book he provides Sinatra fans and critics alike with a "fuller understanding of the object of their fascination," according to Mike Tribby in Booklist.

Jacobs came into Sinatra's employ as the singer's career was rebounding following his Oscar-winning role in the 1952 film From Here to Eternity, and he continued to work for Sinatra for more than thirteen years. During this period he bore witness to Sinatra's rise to power and fame, as the entertainer associated with beautiful Hollywood starlets like Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, and Greta Garbo as well as future president John F. Kennedy and several Mafia members. Among the many stories he tells, Jacobs recounts romantic affairs between Sinatra and starlets like Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall, and maintains that he witnessed Kennedy take cocaine with British actor Peter Lawford, a member of the famed Rat Pack. Jacobs did more than act as Sinatra's chauffeur; he also often found himself entertaining these very same high-profile guests himself. Aside from giving Kennedy a back massage, he danced with Monroe, drank with Ava Gardner, and even played jazz with the prince of Monaco—while Sinatra supposedly pursued Princess Grace.

In the end, it was because of his informal relationship with Sinatra that Jacobs lost his job. In 1968 public interest was once again shifting away from Sinatra; as his music grew less popular, he found himself in a troubled marriage to actress Mia Farrow while many of his mob friends were in jail or in exile. When a paparazzi photographed Jacobs dancing with Sinatra's wife at a popular Beverly Hills nightspot, Sinatra fired his chauffeur in a fit of anger.

Jacobs' overall tone in Mr. S is informative; as Mike Tribby noted in Booklist, his "main man comes off much better than in many other biographies," and a Kirkus Reviews contributor referred to the book as "Deliciously gossipy, yet Sinatra is recalled with affection rather than spite." "As close as I was, I couldn't miss these things," Jacobs notes in his book, which a Publishers Weekly contributor praised as a "mostly respectful portrait" but added: "One only wishes the book included more of Jacobs."