European Film Star Postcards: Frankie Avalon

During the late 1950s, American singer and actor Frankie Avalon (1940) was a teen idol with big hits like 'Venus' (1958) and 'Why' (1959). Avalon had an authentic music background to go with the pretty boy looks. During the 1960s, he starred in five beach party movies and several other films. Avalon made a glorious come-back with Grease (1977).

Frankie Avalon on the set of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

Spanish postcard by Oscarcolor, no. 360. Frankie Avalon on the set of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Irwin Allen, 1961).

West-German postcard by ISV, no. H 77.

Big Dutch postcard, no. 618.

A piece of teen fluff

Frankie Avalon was born Francis Thomas Avallone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1940. His parents were Nicholas and Mary Avallone. Inspired by his father's trumpet playing, he started to get involved with music at an early age. At the CR Club in Philadelphia, where parents were offered the opportunity to let their children perform, Frankie presented his musical skills for the first time with trumpet solos.

Performances in local talent shows followed and he won an amateur competition. The 12-years-old Frankie finally landed a spot on CBS's nationally syndicated 'The Jackie Gleason Show' in 1952. In 1954, he became a member of the dance band 'Rocco and the Saints', which participated in many local events and performed at youth clubs. One of the other members was drummer Robert Ridarelli, soon to call himself Bobby Rydell.

In 1957, the record company Chancellor Records was founded in Philadelphia. One of the owners, Bob Marcucci, knew Frankie Avalon and helped him get a recording contract with the new company. Avalon and the Saints did a cameo in the rock and roll film Jamboree! (Roy Lockwood, 1957)) where they played 'Teacher's Pet'. Frankie's first single only attracted attention in his hometown, but 'De De Dinah' of his third Chancellor single, released in December 1957, became Avalon's national breakthrough.

A piece of teen fluff, Avalon pinched his nose while singing the song to show how he felt about it. This nasal version was the one Chancellor released and Avalon performed the song on 'American Bandstand', a teen dance show hosted by Dick Clark. 'De De Dinah' soon sold a million copies. In the late 1950s, he became an idol for many teenage girls. In 1959, both his songs 'Venus' and Why reached the number 1 position in the Billboard Hot 100.

By 1962, almost all of his singles were on the charts. In total, he reached the Hot 100 of the US music magazine Billboard 25 times. He also made foreign charts with 'Venus' and 'Why'. As a result of the British Invasion, interest in the now 23-year-old, whose music was always targeted at the teenage audience, waned. In 1963, Frankie Avalon changed record companies and moved to United Artists Records, a subsidiary of the film studio United Artists.

However, he remained as unsuccessful as he did thereafter with a number of other companies. He only attracted attention on the record market again in 1976 with the disco version of 'Venus'. His last single, 'You're the Miracle' (1983), was released on the CBS Bobcat label. After that, he successfully toured America with his old colleagues Bobby Rydell and Fabian as 'The Golden Boys of Bandstand'. Their fifty-city tour was a huge success.

Dutch postcard. Sent by mail in 1963.

Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 4177. Caption: Read 'Song Parade'.

Frankie Avalon and Carolyn Jones on the set of Guns of the Timberland (1960)

Dutch postcard by Drukkerij-Uitgeverij Int. Filmpers, Amsterdam (I.F.P.), no. 3189. Photo: Warner Bros. Photo: Frankie Avalon and Carolyn Jones (and not Jennifer Jones) on the set of Guns of the Timberland (Robert D. Webb, 1960).

Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 5691. Sent by mail in 1962. Frankie Avalon in The Alamo (John Wayne, 1960).

A nationwide surfing craze

Frankie Avalon turned increasingly to the cinema in the 1960s. In the late 1950s, teen idols were often given roles in films, supporting older male stars in order to attract a younger audience. Alan Ladd's daughter was a Frankie Avalon fan, who recommended that he co-star with her father in the Western Guns of the Timberland (Robert D. Webb, 1960). Avalon sang two songs, 'The Faithful Kind' and 'Gee Whiz Whillikins Golly Gee'; both were released as singles.

Frankie also had a supporting role in the John Wayne Western The Alamo (John Wayne, 1960), where he also sings 'Ballad of the Alamo'. He then appeared and sang the title song in the Sci-Fi adventure Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Irwin Allen, 1961). His first major film role was in an adventure film set in Africa, Drums of Africa (James B. Clark, 1963).

In the early sixties, there was a nationwide surfing craze and Avalon and Annette Funicello were the leading stars in the wildly successful Beach Party (William Asher, 1963). It was the first of the five official American-International 'Beach Party' surfer movies, directed by William Asher and written by Lou Rusoff.

Soon followed Bikini Beach (William Asher, 1964), Muscle Beach (William Asher, 1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (William Asher, 1965), and How to stuff a wild bikini (William Asher, 1965). Frankie also starred in Skidoo (Otto Preminger, 1968) and The Million Eyes of Sumuru (Lindsay Shonteff, 1967).

Later he invested in the 1950s-themed stage musical 'Grease', which reportedly made him a millionaire. In the film version, Grease (Randal Kleiser, 1978), starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, he took on a small role himself and performed the song 'Beauty School Dropout'.

In 1986, Avalon and Funicello made another film, Back to the Beach (Lyndall Hobbs, 1987), a parody of their earlier beach movies. Avalon appeared in nearly two dozen TV episodes, including The Bing Crosby Show, The Patty Duke Show, and Full House, appearing often as himself. In 1990 he made a cameo as himself in the film Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995), starring Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone.

He made further cameo appearances in the film Chicks (James Melkonian, 1994) and in the TV series Sabrina the teenage witch (2001). In the meantime, as the owner of the health and beauty care line Frankie Avalon Products, he made a considerable fortune. His most recent film is Papa (Dan Israely, 2018). Frankie Avalon lives in Thousand Oaks with his wife Kathryn Utices Deibel. The couple has eight children.

Spanish postcard by Archivo Bermejo, no. C-94, 1963. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Frankie Avalon on the set of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (Irwin Allen, 1961).