lol - a talking mule!! Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero was born in the Italian Down Neck, or Ironbound, neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, the first child of George Franconero, Sr., and Ida Franconero (née Ferrari-di Vito), spending her first years in a Brooklyn neighborhood on Utica Avenue/St. Marks Avenue before the family moved to New Jersey. Growing up in an Italian-Jewish neighborhood, Francis became fluent in Yiddish, which would lead her to later record songs in Yiddish as well as Hebrew. During this time, Francis continued to perform at neighborhood festivities and talent shows (some of which were broadcast on television), appearing alternately as Concetta Franconero and Connie Franconero. Under the latter name she also appeared on NBC's variety show "Startime Kids" between 1953 and 1955. During the rehearsals for her appearance on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, Francis was advised by Godfrey to change her stage name to Connie Francis for the sake of easier pronunciation. Godfrey also told her to drop the accordion - advice she gladly followed, as she had begun to hate the large and heavy instrument. In 1955, "Startime Kids" went off air. In May that same year, George Franconero Sr. and Francis' manager George Scheck raised the cash for a recording session of four songs which they hoped to sell to a major record under Francis' own name. The story goes that every record label they tried turned her down, mainly because, as a demo singer, Francis could copy other popular singers of the day like Kitty Kallen or Kay Starr, but had not yet developed a distinctive sound of her own. Finally, even when MGM Records decided to sign a contract with her, it was basically because one track she had recorded, "Freddy", happened to be the name of the son of a company executive, Harry A. Myerson, who thought of this song as a nice birthday gift. Hence, "Freddy" was released as Francis' first single, which turned out to be a commercial failure, just as her following eight solo singles. Despite these failures, Francis was hired to record the vocals for Tuesday Weld's "singing" scenes in the 1956 movie Rock, Rock, Rock, and for Freda Holloway in the 1957 Warner Brothers rock and roll movie Jamboree. Minor chart success came too late - Francis' recording contract consisted of ten solo singles and one duet single. Even though success finally had seemed to come with "The Majesty of Love", Francis was informed by MGM Records that her contract would be discontinued after her last solo single. Francis considered a career in medicine and was about to accept a four-year scholarship offered at New York University. At what was to have been her final recording session for MGM on October 2, 1957, she recorded a cover version of the 1923 song "Who's Sorry Now?", written by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. Francis has said that she recorded it at the persistence of her father, who was convinced it stood a chance of becoming a hit because it was a song adults already knew and that teenagers would dance to if it had a contemporary arrangement. Francis met with Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield who sang a number of ballads they had written for her. After a few hours, Francis began writing in her diary while the songwriters played the last of their ballads. Afterwards, Francis told them that she considered their ballads too intellectual and sophisticated for the young generation and requested a more lively song. Greenfield urged Sedaka to sing a song they had written that morning with The Shepherd Sisters in mind. Sedaka protested that Francis would be insulted, but Greenfield said that since she hated all the other songs they had performed, they had nothing to lose. Sedaka played "Stupid Cupid". When he finished, Francis announced that he had just played her new hit record. The song reached # 14 on the Billboard chart and was her second # 1 in the UK. November 8, 1974, Francis was raped at the Jericho Turnpike Howard Johnson's Lodge and nearly suffocated to death under the weight of a heavy mattress the culprit had thrown upon her. She subsequently sued the motel chain for failing to provide adequate security and reportedly won a $2.5 million judgment, at the time one of the largest such judgments in history, leading to a reform in hotel security. Her rapist was never found. In 1977, Francis underwent nasal surgery and completely lost her voice. She went through several more operations and even when she got her voice back, she was forced to take vocal lessons, something she had never done before. Another tragedy in Francis' life was the killing of her brother George Franconero, Jr., with whom she was very close, by Mafia hitmen in 1981. Early in her career, Francis was introduced to Bobby Darin, then an up-and-coming singer and songwriter. Darin's manager arranged for him to help write several songs for her. Despite some disagreement about material, after several weeks Darin and Francis developed a romantic relationship. Francis' strict Italian father would separate the couple whenever possible. When her father learned that Bobby Darin had suggested the two lovers would elope after one of her shows, he ran Darin out of the building at gunpoint, telling Bobby to never see his daughter again. Francis saw Darin only two more times - once when the two were scheduled to sing together for a television show, and again when Francis was spotlighted on the TV series This Is Your Life. By the time of the latter's taping, Bobby Darin had married actress Sandra Dee. In her autobiography Francis stated she and her father were driving into the Lincoln Tunnel when the radio DJ announced Dee and Darin's marriage. Her father made a negative comment about Bobby finally being out of their lives. Angered, Francis wrote, she hoped the Hudson River would fill the Lincoln Tunnel, killing both her and her father; she later wrote that not marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life. Connie Francis will be a guest on the Eddie ESQ. Show for Savvy Seniors on Sunday, April 7, at 4:05PM (just after the CBS top of the hour news.) The program will stream worldwide from WCFO AM Atlanta 1160 and can be heard by visiting WCFO AM Atlanta Radio. So, I believe we all got to Where the Boys Are?? Yes!! So, for TM, Cyn, Annette and Bobbie: Thanks for playing - hope the Easter bunny gifted you all!! Hope you were surrounded by family and friends. See you next week. Nancy. Here is a link that might be useful: Who's Sorry Now?

Here's a link to the answers...just in case they fall off the bottom....

checked a few bios, & I'm starting to wonder what the heck happened: That Girl! is 76. Marlo Thomas Gidget is 67. Sally Field Fonzie is 68. Henry Winkler Opie is 60. Ron Howard 'Cricket' is 76. Connie Stevens Connie Francis is 75. Brenda Lee is 69. Wayne Newton is 72. Dick Van Dyke is 88. Mary Tyler Moore is 77. Rose Marie is 91. Carl Reiner (Alan Brady) is 92. Doris Day is 92. Debbie Reynolds is 82. & Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr, Red Skelton, Vincent Price, Morey Amsterdam (Buddy), Richard Deacon (Mel), & Liberace are all gone.

A Slip of the Lip (Can Sink a Ship) - Duke Ellington, 1943