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| The legendary Tony Bennett died at the age of 96 in New York City. Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze |
Tony Bennett died on Friday, July 21, at the age of 96, in his hometown of New York City. In addition to being a renowned song stylist with numerous guest appearances on television and in the movies, he was also the founding father of Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward's innovative and engaging First Time Fest. I first met Tony when I was introduced to him and his wife, Susan, by Gay Talese in 2013 when Gay and I were on the inaugural First Time Fest jury together with Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and the B-52s Fred Schneider. As a two-time First Time Fest juror, I witnessed Tony's unwavering support for his daughter Johanna. I remember him fondly.
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| Tony Bennett with his daughter Johanna Bennett Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze |
In High Notes: Selected Writings of Gay Talese he notes: ”As a few dozen people gathered within the glass-enclosed control room anticipating Lady Gaga's appearance, Bennett was standing alone on a white platform, in the centre of the studio. He had on a hand-tailored Brioni tux with a red pocket square, a white shirt, and a black tie that had been a gift from his drummer, and he was singing the introductory verse to ’The Lady Is a Tramp,’ the Rogers and Hart show tune from their 1937 musical, ‘Babes in Arms’.”
Tony Bennett won 20 Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 and in the 2000s alone recorded duets with Amy Winehouse, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Stevie Wonder, Norah Jones, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, kd lang, John Legend, Andrea Bocelli, Bono, Faith Hill, Sting, Alejandro Sanz, Natalie Cole, Carrie Underwood, James Taylor, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Dixie Chicks, Elvis Costello, Juanes, Billy Joel, Tim McGraw, Celine Dion, Diana Krall, Michael Bublé, George Michael, and Lady Gaga.
In 2009, Tony and Susan founded and opened the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts at the Kaufman Astoria Studios complex in Astoria, Queens.
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| Tony Bennett with Gay Talese at Players Club Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze |
At the First Time Fest closing night awards ceremony in 2015, I joined Gay Talese and Tony Bennett for a lively conversation on movies, the demise of burlesque and tennis with Robert Redford and Frank Stella. Tony told me that he studied at the American Theater Wing after returning from service during the Second World War and worked as an usher in a movie theatre, which had just been converted from being a burlesque establishment. Below is an excerpt from that night.
Tony Bennett: Originally, he [the owner] had burlesque theatres from New York to Florida. So when Mayor LaGuardia came in, he banned all the burlesque. So he converted this movie house over to films, foreign films.
Anne-Katrin Titze: Where was that movie theatre?
Tony: I would say Lexington and 53rd Street.
Gay Talese: And what were you, about 12 years old?
Tony: No, no, this is after the Army.
Gay: Oh, so you are 24?
Tony: 21, 22. And I started as a movie usher and he [the owner] would say, "I don't know what's good, I used to have burlesque acts." And I was going to the Theater Wing and I knew all the foreign films from Italy, from England. I was taking classes about how good this film was or that film. And he would ask, "what films should I show?" And I'd say show this one or that one.
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| Tony Bennett with Anne-Katrin Titze Photo: Gay Talese |
AKT: So you were programming the cinema?
Tony: I was programming the movies. And he said to me, "you are making me a fortune. Every time you choose a film, the place is full."
AKT: Do you remember some of those?
Tony: All the greatest.
Gay: Were you working as a singer at all when you were 21? You were singing a little bit? You were singing before you went in the Army?
Tony: I was studying at the Theater Wing.
Gay: You weren't making any money these days?
Tony: 15 dollars a week. But he was so knocked out by me because I knew all the latest films that were praised in The New York Times that came out from Italy or France.
AKT: And now your daughter continues the tradition with this festival to support movies.
Gay: Tony got his daughter in the right position here.
AKT: How did the two of you meet initially?
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| Gay Talese, Christine Vachon, Anne-Katrin Titze and Fred Schneider on the inaugural First Time Fest red carpet Photo: Ed Bahlman |
Gay: I met Tony Bennett in the locker room of a club. It wasn't a rich club, it was an ordinary neighbourhood club.
AKT: To play tennis?
Gay: Yes, 96th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, I think; on the West Side anyway.
AKT: And the year was?
Gay: Probably in the 1960s. He played a lot of tennis and I did too. But I don't play anymore.
AKT: Did you ever play together?
Gay: No, no, no, no. But I remember one time a guy I did play with, was the painter Frank Stella. He used to play there all the time. This guy was a good tennis player, Frank Stella. And also one time I saw Robert Redford and played with him there.
AKT: You played tennis with Robert Redford?
Gay: Yeah. He's a left-handed player. Tony was the best-liked tennis player there. Everybody liked him in the locker room.
AKT: When you played with Redford, who won?
Gay: Oh, we played doubles a lot. He is a nice guy. Redford is a very sweet guy, very friendly.
