Frankie Avalon
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Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1939 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American actor, singer and teen idol in the 1950s and early 1960s.
By the time he was 12, Avalon began making appearances on U.S. television for his trumpet prowess, and as a teenager, played with Bobby Rydell in a band known as Rocco and the Saints. In 1959, his songs "Venus" and "Why?" both went to number one on Billboard magazine's Hot 100. Indeed, "Why" was the last #1 hit of the 1950s.
During the 1960s, Avalon became known for his roles in the Beach Party film genre. In 1965, he starred in episode 73 (First of the 3rd season) of the Patty Duke Show "A foggy day in Brooklyn Heights" as himself, when his car breaks down on the way to the airport. Later, he became the U.S. national television spokesperson for Sonic Drive-In.
Frankie Avalon married Kathryn Diebel on January 26, 1962. She was a former beauty pageant winner, and Avalon met her while playing cards at a friend's house. He told his friend that Kay was the girl he was going to marry. His agent warned Avalon not to marry as it would spoil his teen idol mystique, but Avalon ignored his advice. Still together, the couple has 8 children--in order of age Frankie Jr., Tony, Dina, Laura, Joseph, Nicolas, Kathryn and Carla. They also have 10 grandchildren. Frankie Jr. is a drummer and Tony, the second oldest son, currently plays guitar and teaches at the Paul Green School of Rock; both still tour and perform with their father.
In 1987 Avalon and Annette Funicello returned to the movies, with the aptly titled Back to the Beach.
With the fading of his music and acting career, Avalon has turned to marketing and has created Frankie Avalon Products, a successful line of health supplements and cosmetic products. Avalon personally promotes his products live on the Home Shopping Network, along with veteran host Bob Circosta.
He regularly guest stars in stage productions of Grease in the role of Teen Angel (a role he played in the film version starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John) and Tony n' Tina's Wedding as a characterized version of himself. Additionally, in 2007 he performed Beauty School Dropout with the five remaining contenders for the role of Sandy on the NBC reality show Grease: You're the One That I Want. Although they all wore wigs with the corresponding color of their dress that looked similar to Didi Conn's in Grease.
Contents |
[edit] Songs
- "Cupid"
- "Venus"
- "Why?"
- "Dede Dinah"
- "You Excite Me"
- "Ginger Bread"
- "What Little Girl"
- "I'll Wait You"
- "Bobby Sox to Stockings"
- "A Boy Without a Girl"
- "Two Fools"
- "Just Ask Your Heart"
- "Beauty School Dropout"
- "Swinging On A Rainbow"
- "Don't Throw Away All Those Teardrops"
- "Where Are You"
- "Tuxedo Junction"
- "Don't Let Love Pass Me By"
- "Togetherness"
- "The Puppet Song"
- "A Perfect Love"
- "All of Everything"
- "Who Else But You"
- "True, True Love"
- "You Are Mine"
- "A Miracle"
[edit] Filmography
- Jamboree (1957)
- The Enchanted Monkey (1960) (voice)
- Guns of the Timberland (1960)
- The Alamo (1960)
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
- Sail a Crooked Ship (1961)
- Panic in Year Zero! (1962)
- Operation Bikini (1963)
- The Castilian (1963)
- Drums of Africa (1963)
- Beach Party (1963)
- Muscle Beach Party (1964)
- Bikini Beach (1964)
- Pajama Party (1964)
- Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
- I'll Take Sweden (1965)
- Ski Party (1965)
- How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) (Cameo)
- Sergeant Dead Head (1965)
- Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)
- Fireball 500 (1966)
- The Million Eyes of Sumuru (1967)
- Skidoo (1968)
- Horror House (1970)
- The Take (1974)
- Grease (1978)
- Blood Song (1982)
- Back to the Beach (1987) (also co-executive producer)
- Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (guest star 1988)
- Troop Beverly Hills (1989) (Cameo)
- The Stoned Age (1994) (Cameo)
- Casino (1995) (Cameo)
[edit] Trivia
He was mentioned in the System of a Down song "Old School Hollywood." It is about Daron Malakian's experience in a celebrity baseball game, where he and Frankie Avalon were both ignored.
His song "Venus" was featured in Cranium Command (1989 - 2005), an attraction at Epcot's Wonders of Life Pavillion (now closed) at Walt Disney World. In the attraction, a 12 year old boy named Bobby (Scott Curtis), tries to survive the pressures of life and falls in love with a beautiful girl named Annie (Natalie Gregory) at school.
