Yeah! I Have Tickets To See Connie Francis

[DMark]

I am sure some of you don’t even have a clue who she is, but she was quite the star in her day. She doesn’t perform live very often any more for a variety of reasons, mostly relating to the aftermath of a brutal rape/beating she suffered in the 70’s.

I will be seeing her at the Sahara Hotel/Casino on December 30th!

Where the boys are…

[lisacurl]

Wow, is she still alive?

While I’m sure the brutal attack she survived caused some of her problems, she’s also had very lengthy struggles with mental illness and addiction. I seem to recall reading that she was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but she has (or perhaps had) a tendency to go on and off her meds.

[lisacurl]

Interesting article on Connie from Art and Understanding magazine which references her very eventful life. I really hope the movie of her life story gets made.

Fun and success has been tempered over the years with personal tragedy. In 1974, following a performance in suburban New York, Francis was raped and robed in her hotel room. She filed suit against the hotel and was eventually awarded 2.6 million dollars. Her case led to public concern about hotel security and the eventual adoption of more effective security by the hotel industry. Francis was also instrumental in drafting the Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights for local law enforcement, and she became heavily involved with victims of violent crimes organizations, for which she appeared in several PSAs. The rapist however, was never caught, Connie stopped singing for several years, and she became reclusive, haunted by the memory for years.

Francis also battled an addiction to prescription drugs, and bouts of manic depression, even attempting suicide. Her father hospitalized her several times involuntarily, and on one occasion, her close friend, Dick Clark, committed her to a psychiatric hospital. Clark has publicly said, “It was difficult, awful. Probably one of the worst experiences of my life.” Once the manic disorder was fully and correctly diagnosed in 1983, Connie refused drug therapy, fearing further drug dependency. Then she read Dr. Ronald Fieve’s book, Mood Swing, and it changed her attitude. “I was stunned because it was as if I was reading about myself – every aspect of it. When I went to visit Dr. Fieve, he opened the door, and greeted me with, ‘I wondered how long it’d take for you to get here!’” Connie began taking Lithium in 1989, which indeed stabilized her moods, though she doesn’t take it when she performs, as it depletes her energy.

Four failed marriages, two miscarriages, a botched nose job, and the loss of her brother, Georgie, who was killed by the mob, added to Francis’ misfortunes. How did she survive? “I don’t forget but I forgive,” she says plainly. “I don’t hold a grudge. It’s unhealthy and it only destroys the person who is doing the hating. Years later, I learned that depression is anger turned inward.”

[kevja]

You are so lucky!

I saw her one time in the late 80s, or maybe the early 90s, at The Eagle here in SF. She was one of the judges of a Connie Frances look a like contest. A fun time. She was great.

Have fun.

[Misnomer]

@lisacurl

Wow, is she still alive?

That was exactly my reaction to the thread’s title.

[jayjay]

Have you ever heard the song she recorded for a special commemoration of vaudeville?

It’s called Where the Foys Are…
Or the song she recorded for the 100th anniversary of Decatur, Illinois?

Where the Soys Are
Or the song she recorded for an FAO Schwartz commercial?

Where the Toys Are
runs, VERY quickly, out of frame…

[DMark]

So tonight we went to her show at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas.
Sold out, and everyone was excited to see her on her opening night.

She looked great, and probably sounded great, but in the new theater at the Sahara, one of the speakers was blown out! During the entire show, not one tech person seemed to notice! It was horrendous (ever hear the sound of music through a blown speaker?!)…everyone in our section of the theater was complaining and it ruined the entire show. The poor guy selling tickets at the entrance of the hotel was deluged with complaints after the performance.

I will be calling the stage manager tomorrow, as will many other I assume.

Still…from what I could hear clearly, she still had her pipes and could hit the notes.

[Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew]

@DMark

I am sure some of you don’t even have a clue who she is

I saw a girly punk band in San Francisco a few weeks ago who did a very cute version of “Stupid Cupid.”