THE CAST

TONY BENNETT

Singer Tony Bennett makes his motion picture debut and his debut as a dramatic actor in “The Oscar,” playing Hymie Kelly, the friend and companion of Frank Fane. Producer Clarence Greene and director Russell Rouse who are Bennett recording fans, saw him as a guest on the Andy Williams’ Show, and were immediately struck by an extraordinary warmth and sensitivity which came over on the television screen. They invited him to come to Hollywood for a screen test. The result is a role in “The Oscar” which can easily make him a candidate for one.

Frank Sinatra has described Bennett as “The best singer in the business, the best exponent of song. He excites me when I watch him – he moves me. He’s the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more. There’s a feeling in back of it.”

The first big boost to Bennett’s career came when Bob Hope heard him singing with Pearl Bailey’s show at the Greenwich Village Inn and invited Tony to join him on a personal appearance tour. After the tour, Tony submitted a demonstration record, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” to Mitch Miller of Columbia Records which resulted in a contract and the release of the record which made record history. Since then Tony’s records and albums have been one long series of hits. His current album is “Songs For The Jet Set.”