When he was starting out, award-winning actor Robert Davi earned a chance to work alongside Frank Sinatra in a 1977 made-for-TV movie called, Contract on Cherry Street. It was about a chops-busting cop (Sinatra) who was cracking down on car thefts in the big city. It was Davi’s first movie.
“And for that, I owe him a debt of gratitude,” Davi says in a YouTube trailer promoting Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance, CD and one-man concerts.
Contract on Cherry Street set off a lifelong friendship between the two who had more than an Italian heritage in common; they had music. In fact, Sinatra was Davi’s musical idol growing up.
“In most Italian households, there are two role models: the Pope and Sinatra, and not necessarily in that order,” Davi quips in his documentary, Davi’s Way, that is currently in post production and will be screened April 3 at the American Documentary Film Festival in Palm Springs. The festival opens March 30 and runs through April 5. Now in its sixth year, Am Docs is the largest documentary-only film festival in the U.S.
For his documentary, Davi’s Way, Robert Davi puts a comedic spin on it.
Described as a comedic documentary, Davi and his assistant plan for a concert at the Avalon in Cleveland. Davi’s Way proves to be more than just a promotional vehicle for Davi’s Sinatra Songbook CD, which has received critical acclaim and earned a spot on the Billboard’s Top 10 Jazz chart.
There are poignant vignettes in which Davi reveals a bit about himself while paying tribute to Sinatra, whose songs were uplifting in difficult times when people were losing their homes, much like today, Davi says in the short version clip on YouTube.
“Sinatra gave us the Great American Songbook and made the world fall in love with America again,” Davi says. “It’s more than just me singing Sinatra songs, it’s teaching a whole generation of Bond, Die Hard and fans about Sinatra and his lifelong musical contribution.”
It wasn’t until Davi played the opera-singing thug in Goonies, that the world knew he could sing. Davi studied classical music and opera with a teacher from Juillard School of Music before his acting career took off. Acting and singing were early passions for Davi, who says Sinatra was always his benchmark, and putting out a tribute album was a lifelong goal.
American Documentary Film Festival, March 30-April 5, Camelot Theatres, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs, www.americandocumentaryfilmfestival.com
Robert Davi