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This is Lee Habib, and this is our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. October is Italian American Heritage Month, and all month long, we're celebrating the Italian Americans who helped shape our nation from Columbus to Capra. And up next, a story of an Italian American teen art throb. Not many teen idols are able to carve out a successful career as they mature, but Frankie Avalon is one of those exceptions. Avalon had 31 charting U.S.
Billboard singles from 1958 to late '62, including the number one hits "Venus" and "Why" in 1959. Avalon is also well known for his role in the 1978 musical film *Grease* as Teen Angel in. Which he sings "Beauty School Dropout" to Frenchie. Without any further ado, here's Frankie Avalon with his story. As a young man, young boy, really growing up in South Philadelphia, I really started into this business of show business, unaware of trying to be in show business.
But I became a part of show business at the age of probably I don't know, I think about eight or nine. Because in the neighborhood where I lived was a great neighborhood, a melting pot for all kinds of nationalities and great friends. And growing up as a boy, boy was really just terrific. There used to be a movie theater called the Point Breeze Theater. It was in South Philadelphia, and on a Saturday afternoon, a lot of the moms used to pack a little lunch and put us in the theater there, so we could watch the cartoons and everything for the part of the day.
And of course, you know, we'd walk to the theater, and of course, walk back. It was a very safe neighborhood, and that's what we did. And this one time, when I went in there, and I was about eight years old, in between some of the cartoons, there was a a man that came on stage and said, "We're going to have a singing contest." And I never sang in my life, but I said, "Gee, this to myself, this is going to be okay." He said, "So anybody wants to sing? We got the first prize is going to be a red scooter." So I raised my hand, and they took me up there, and they introduced me, and asked what your name. I said Frank Abalone.
How old are you? I'm about eight years old.
Okay, are you ready for this contest? And I said, yeah. And they said, what are you going to do? I said, I'm going to sing.
So they said, what are you going to sing? I said, I'm going to sing a song that I hear on the radio all the time that my mom and dad like. It's called "Give Me Five Minutes More." He said, "Okay, you're on. No band, none of this stuff." And I said, "Give me five minutes more. Only five minutes more.
Let me stay. Let me stay in your heart." Well, after that, they had about four or five kids who auditioned.
Well, I fortunately won that contest, and I won my first prize, which was a red scooter.
So that really was the introduction for me being into this show business world. And as time went by, you know, I really wanted to be a boxer, and I used to box for the police athletic league because they kind of kept the kids off the street and had them do something. And I liked boxing, so that became obsolete after a while. And then I went back to the movie theater. And I saw a film.
I must have been about nine at that time, closer to ten. And there was a film there called Young Man with a Horn. And I stayed until it was getting dark. And I watched that film about six or seven times. And I just fell in love with the sound of the trumpet.
And it was a story about a young boy who becomes a trumpet player, becomes very successful. And I kind of related to that, I guess. But I really liked the sound of the trumpet. And I came back home to my dad, and I said. That I want to play the trumpet.
Well, my father was a really talented guy—not professionally, but he could play piano, he could play guitar, he could play accordion. He was just a very talented guy, and he loved music. And he said, "Okay." So the next day, he came back and he told me that he went to this pawn shop and he bought a horn for about seven or eight dollars. And he gave me the horn, and I went into my room and I started practicing. How I don't know.
I just started blowing on this thing, and in about two hours, I came out of the room and I played a song called "Music, Music, Music." And it went da da da da da da da, the da da da da da da. All I want is love and you and music.
So I played that song, and I started practicing. I loved it so much. I became so involved with this horn that I would play three, four, five hours a day. And I lived in a row house, and a lot of the neighbors didn't like that, you know, because I was practicing morning, noon, and night. But all of a sudden, after about a year's time, my dad got me a teacher from the neighborhood.
His name was Danny D, as he went by, and he started teaching me, and I started reading music. And he finally came to my dad, and he said, "You know, Nick was my father's name." He said, "You know, this kid has really got some talent, and I think I can take him so far. I think you ought to look for somebody that can really work with this boy as a trumpet player." So finally, my my dad talked to some of the people in the neighborhood and him, and they they found this teacher who was with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Seymour Rosenfeld, and I went to audition for him. He was in North Philadelphia, and my uncle took me there, and I auditioned. He said, "I'll work with this boy," and I started studying with him, and because because of that, I really learned how to play very well.
When there was a singer by the name of Al Martino who was number one in the world with a song called "Here in My Heart," I heard in the neighborhood that one of the neighbors, Silvio, was giving him a party, and our neighborhood just loved and admired the fact that he was such a big star.
So they threw this party, and there was a big crowd outside of this little row house, and I took my horn and I. Kind of wiggled my way through everybody and knocked on the door, and this man, Sylvia, I really didn't know him. I knew he was in the neighborhood, but he said, "Yeah, what do you want?" I said, "Well, I'm a trumpet player. I like to play my trumpet for Al Martino." He said, "Come on in, kids." So I went in. They were having a party.
Everybody was drinking and eating, having a good time. And I took out my horn from the case and I started to play the song called Tenderly. And I kind of stopped the party, and all of a sudden, Al Martino went to Silvio and said, "Who is this kid?" He said, "I don't know. What's your name, kid?" I said, "Frank Avalone." He said, "Call his mother and father and see if we could take him to New York. I think this kid's got some talent.
I want to take him to my agency." So he did. My mother and father agreed. We knew him from the neighborhood, Silvio, and we drove into New York City and we went to the agency. And Jack Sobel was the agent, and I took out my horn and I played tenderly. And he said, "I got a great idea.
We handle Jackie Gleason, and he loves trumpet.
So he's right across the street at the Sheraton Hotel. He's got a penthouse. He said, 'Let's take him in there. Maybe he'll play for for Jackie.'" And you're listening to Frankie Avalon tell a heck of a story. When we come back, more of Frankie Avalon's story here on Our American Stories.
Lee Habib here again. Our American Stories tries to tell the stories of America's past and present to Americans, and we want to hear your stories too. Here's some of our favorites. Send them to us. Go to ouramericanstories.com and click the Your Stories tab.
Again, please go to ouramericanstories.com and click the Your Stories tab. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past two hundred and fifty years, and now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 semi-quintennial coin and medal program from the United States Mint it celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues.
Shop new. New official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semiqu. That's usmint.gov slash semiqu. This is Hoda Kotb from Joy One Hundred and One with Hoda Kotb. Halloween has a funny way of making you buy things you'd never normally buy.
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Indeed.com/podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Upgrade to elite checking from America's Christian Credit Union and earn up to 3.5% APY, plus everyday perks and access to your paycheck up to two days early with Early Pay.
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We're so excited to be here to chat about our favorite thing in the entire world, college football. From the biggest headlines and breaking news to the stories shaping the sport behind the scenes, Rushing the Field is your home for everything college football. Whether you're obsessed with rankings, rivalries, or game day drama, we've got you covered. Watch rushing the field on NBC Sports now. And we continue with our American stories, and with Frankie Avalon's story.
We last left off with him as a twelve-year-old boy about to perform with his trumpet for the Great One. And that would be honeymooners impresario, and comedic genius Jackie Gleason, at his Sheraton Hotel penthouse.
So we walked in there. They were having a meeting, and Jackie wasn't there. But it was a penthouse. He was there, but I didn't know because he wasn't in that particular part of the penthouse. I took out my horn and I played tenderly.
And as I was playing, through the corner of my eye, I saw the great one, Jackie Gleason, come out from the second floor of the penthouse. And after I finished, they all applauded. And he said, Jackie said that there's writers and producer and director, write a show. I want them on and. Oh, come on in, kid!
Come on in. All ready? All set, ready to go. Where are you going? This is Frankie Avalon.
I'm taking him down to Joe the Botanist. He's a terrific trumpet player. Pretty good, huh? I said terrific. Oh, Frankie, this is my good neighbor friend, Mrs.
Cranvin. Hi, Frankie. This is my wife, Fixie. Hi. Oh, where did you hear this kid?
Hey, give us a number now, Frankie. Come on out. That was my first major experience on national television with the great one, Jackie Gleason. Oh, you sure are wonderful! Oh, you sure are, kid.
You're ready for the big time. You hear that, Frankie? I'm coming for my wife, boy. That's a compliment. She knows.
Well, let's go. We're going down to join the bartenders. We'll see you later, girls. Let's go, Frankie.
Okay, Ed.
So as time went by, because of the success that I had. I also did an audition for a company that was run by a bender's name, and he had another trumpet player, and he thought it would be a great combination of him, kind of being my mentor, was Ray Anthony, who had a lot of hit records, the Buddy Hop, and all that stuff.
So then they took me to RCA Victor label X. I auditioned for them, and they signed me under a contract to have a recording contract playing trumpet, and I did. And I had a song called "Trumpet Sorrento," and it became on the national charts as a trumpet player. And from then on in, I kept studying. I became number one trumpet player in the All City Orchestra of Philadelphia.
And then, in summer times, I would try to play for different bands to make some extra money as a kid growing up. And I heard about a a band called Rocco and the Saints, and somebody said they're looking for a trumpet player. And someone told somebody, and Rocco came into my house, and he said, "Let me hear you play." And I played for him. He said, "I'll tell you, I'll give you a job." I said, "Where we gonna play?" He said, "Mary's Inn, it's in New Jersey." And I said, "Okay, what's the pay?" He said, "Five dollars." I said, "Okay, I'll play." So as time went by, I was playing trumpet with Rocco and the Saints. We played on weekends, and finally, I started singing a couple of songs because a lot of there were seven guys in the band, and everybody had to sing a couple of songs.
To keep the band kind of fresh, and I did a couple of songs, "Lover Man" or whatever it was, and and another song, and and people started coming up to Rocker saying, "Let this kid sing a little more." So on one of our breaks, he came to me and he said, "How about to singing some more songs?" I said, "No, you hired me as a trumpet player." And he said, "Yeah, but I'll give you an extra five dollars." I said, "You got it." So that's how I started singing. Then in the summertime, we went out to a place down the shore in Summers Point, New Jersey. And it was called Bay Shores. Was the name of this club. We did, we played seven days a week, five sets a night, two jam sessions, and we were living on top of the the nightclub there.
And a new company out of Philadelphia was looking for some new talent, and our band, Rocco and the Saints, became pretty popular. And they came in, listened to us, and on one of our breaks, we went back to the dressing room. And Pete D'Angelo and Bob Marcucci were the owners of this record company, and they said we'd like to sign the band. And of course, Rocco was our man to make the deal, and he did. And he said, "Okay," and we want this boy Frank to sing.
On one side, we'll do an instrumental.
So we did an instrumental called "Jiving with the Saints," and they wrote a song for me called "Cupid Shot an Arrow." So that was my first record, and the record came out. They put it out, and it really didn't make any noise at all until in the Boston area. For some reason, my song, my side of the record, started to make the the Boston charts. And Bob Marcucci drove me into Boston, and there was a man by the name of Joe Smith, and there was a big rock and roll show with Fats Domino and Little Richard and all these guys, and they were all had had hit records. and My manager went to Joe Smith and said, "Could you put this kid on?" said We don't have any money for this kid, and I know he's got a record, but you know we don't have any money, and we're all filled up." He said, "Don't pay him; just just put him on." And my manager bought me a twelve dollars suit that I had on.
I went on stage. I did a couple songs. The kids were waiting outside for my autograph. I wanted to know my fan clubs. Bob said, "I think you've got some.
These kids like you." And that was the start of being that teen idol. That that lasted for a while.
Now I'm a recording artist.
Now I'm a singer. The horn is put away, and now I've got the contract with Chancellor Records, and I do a couple of other songs. I did a song called Shy Guy, which didn't do anything, and I did something else, Blue Betty, which didn't do anything. And then all of a sudden we had—I had one more record to do. They took me into New York City, and in those days there was just two tracks, so there wasn't all of this.
Technology, and the band was in one part of the room, and I was in the other part of the room. And they started playing this song, which I was going to record, called "Dee Dee Dyna." And as they were rehearsing, there was a very staccato kind of a. A song to me, so I was just doing, kind of singing through my nose.
So they, the the producer of the record came up to me and he said, "What are you doing? This I'm just having some fun." Sounds very staccato to me.
So let's make a couple like that.
Well, I went back to the microphone and started singing La Di Da Na Di Di Da Na La Di, and they made the take of it. They put it out, and in about a month, it started to make some noise around the country. All of a sudden, it became a top five or top ten record, which really launched me as a singer, singing through my nose, Di Di Da, and a lot of people who were out there held their noses too when they heard it.
Now, after Didi died, I had to do another nose job, which I sang through my nose, called Gingerbread. And finally, they said, "No, come on, you know you've got a quality that the kids really like, and it's more of a romantic." So they they wrote another song for me called "I'll Wait for You." And it was a very pretty ballad, and again, it became a chart record, and it was probably in the top fifteen, I think. And then I had another recording date to do, and I was at home in my house, and there was a knock on the door, and again, it was a songwriter, and he said, "My name is Ed Marshall. I'm a songwriter. I'd like to play this song for you." He came in.
We had a little piano, and he sat down, and he. Played this song called Venus, and I just fell in love with it the first time I heard it, and I said, "Play it again, play it again, play it again." And finally, I called our record company was in Philadelphia, and I called Bob Marcucci and Pete D'Angelo. I said, "I got a song here. Can we drive over?" So we drove into town where there's where their offices were. They had a piano there, and we walked in there, and he played the song.
And Pete the Antlers, who was my producer, fell in love with the song. And he said, as he played it again and again, he said, "You know what? I'd like to make two changes to the song, if you'll permit me to do that." So the writer Ed Marshall said, "Okay." And you're listening to Frankie Avalon tell his life story in the business, so to speak. And it starts in that penthouse auditioning for Jackie Gleason. The next thing you know, he's on national television.
But as the world will have it, he still got to get that next gig, and it's at the Jersey Shore, playing all summer long. Living above the joint, he was playing that he would start to sing, and from singing, well, he gets to the hit song Venus. When we come back, more of the story, the life journey. Of this South Philadelphia kid named Frankie Avolone, known to the rest of us as Frankie Avalon, his story continues here on Our American Stories. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans.
It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years, and now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 semi-quintennial coin and medal program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases. And reissues.
Shop new official coins at usmint.gov/semiq. That's usmint.gov/semiq. This is Hoda Kotb from Joy One and One with Hoda Kotb. Halloween has a funny way of making you buy things you'd never normally buy. A ten-foot skeleton, sure.
A full-size fog machine, why not? Three bags of candy that somehow become six bags of candy. It happens. Which brings me to the Chase Freedom Flex card—the savvy decision that will earn you more cash back on the everyday purchases, plus the extraordinary Halloween tricks and treats. With Freedom Flex, you earn even more treats on your Halloween and everyday needs.
You get 5% cash back on popular rotating quarterly categories, 3% on dining and drug stores, and 1% on all other purchases. More ways to earn, more ways to get rewarded. That's no tricks. All treats. More ways to earn, more ways to get rewarded.
So sign up for the Chase Freedom Flex Card. Learn more at chase dot com slash getflex. This is a paid collaboration with Chase Freedom Flex. Cards issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA, member FDIC. Subject to credit approval.
Offer subject to change. Terms apply. All right, quick quiz for the hiring managers out there. What's worse, being understaffed or being poorly staffed?
Well, that's a trick question because both are recipes for chaos. Either way, just say to yourself, "This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs." You'll get matched with candidates that meet the skills, certifications, and everything else you're looking for. Or go a different way and get no traction. Seriously, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed are ninety-five percent more likely to report a higher than non-sponsored jobs. It really is a no-brainer.
Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. And listeners of this show will get a seventy-five dollars sponsored job credit to help your job get the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com/podcast. Just go to Indeed.com/podcast right now.
Indeed.com/podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Upgrade to elite checking from America's Christian Credit Union and earn up to 3.5% APY, plus everyday perks and access to your paycheck up to two days early with Early Pay.
Don't settle. Choose checking that rewards you and aligns with your values. Visit America's ChristianCU.com/ihart. Minimum balance of one cent required to earn advertised APY. Early pay not guaranteed.
APY equals annual percentage yield. Membership eligible. Required and see you weighed insured. Hello, everyone, and welcome to Rushing the Field. I'm Nicole Auerbach, and I'm Joshua Perry.
We're so excited to be here to chat about our favorite thing in the entire world: college football. From the biggest headlines and breaking news to the stories shaping the sport behind the scenes, Rushing the Field is your home for everything college football. Whether you're obsessed with rankings, rivalries, or game day drama, we've got you covered. Watch rushing the field on NBC Sports now. And we continue with our American stories.
Let's pick up where we last left off. Frankie Avalon brought a new song to his producer called Venus. And the producer, well, he fell in love with it. Here's Frankie, with the rest of the story.
So he said, "You know, it goes da da da da da da da da da da da da da da." He said, "I'd like to change one note da da da da da da da da da da da da da." So he agreed to that.
So we had made one change. Then Pete Janssen said, "I'd like to make another change lyrically at the very end. Instead of saying 'as long as we will live,' I'd like to say 'as long as we shall live.'" So we made those two changes. Went into New York City. I made seven takes on the song.
You know, you had to do it straight, just like a performance. And I waited till four o'clock in the morning to take it home. I knew that I had a smash record, and I kept playing it. I didn't sleep for twenty-four hours. And to me, I was right.
Pete the Anist was right, and Ed Marshall, the the producer writer of the song, was right. We were all right, and of course, the audience around the world. Was really infatuated with the song. It became number one for a long, long time, and gave me an opportunity to sing around the world. When I became very successful and was selling a lot of records, and and a teen idol had a fan base of I don't know, we'd get somewhere around twelve, fifteen thousand letters a week, and and a big fan base.
And so now Hollywood recognized, hey, this kid's got some fans. Let's put him in a picture with a major star.
So Warner Brothers made a deal with my manager. And my agent, and they brought me out to Hollywood to do my first film for Warner Brothers, with a big star, Alan Ladd, called Guns of the Timberland, and that started me in the motion picture industry. And from there on in, I made I don't know over forty motion pictures in my career.
Well, what had happened? I was playing the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, and the film was released, and it was very successful and very successful for me. And I'll never forget. I was in the dressing room. I was doing five, seven, twelve shows a day, depending upon the weather.
You would do a fifteen-minute show, and they would show a movie, and then another fifteen-minute show. And they had a phone booth in in backstage there, and Was my agent Jack Gellardi who said, "Frankie, it's Jack. I just got a call from John Wayne. He just saw your your performance in in Guns of the Timberland with Alan Ladd. He wants you to sign a contract to do a picture called The Alamo, where he's going to star, direct, and it's going to be done in Texas." And that was my first introduction to to star in a picture with the with John Wayne and a major, major motion picture.
I'm out there now. I've got to ride this horse, and I play a character called Smitty, and. I have to learn how to ride.
So the Duke said, "Frankie, here's what you do: when you sit on the saddle here, you make it feel like you've got a clothes hanger that's pulling you up.
So keep your shoulders very straight, very, and just kind of go along with the float with this horse." And I learned how to ride, and I became a pretty good rider. And it was an experience of a South Philly kid who nothing but the streets of South Philly and under a fireplug, you know, when it was a real. Real hot summer day, but I learned a lot. You know, being experienced with a lot of experience, Richard Widmark and Lawrence Harvey and and John Wayne and John Ford and oh my God, it was a great experience for me. And I was on that picture for four months.
All of a sudden, becoming involved in in motion pictures and meeting a lot of the celebrities from I don't know from Natalie Wood to I did a picture with R. J. Wagner and of course I got to know a lot of movie stars and of course Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and and then of course working with John Wayne when I had to promote the film with him. I mean I was with these major stars, but never the. That John Wayne would get when I'd walk into a restaurant with him.
I mean, everybody's jaw just dropped. There was such respect for him, and he was really such a shy guy. He was six foot five, and with his boots on, he must have been nine feet to me. And we'd walk in, and people would just look at him and look at him and just stare at him. Nobody would—they were kind of afraid to even ask for an autograph.
You know, he was just a major, major, big hunk of a star.
So that was a great experience working with him, and of course traveling with him.
So now I'm living in in California, in Hollywood, and I'm living right off Sunset Boulevard there. And had a lot of my friends there. And Steve McQueen used to come by, and Jack Nicholson. We all have, you know, we were young Hollywood at the time. And a lot of gals that were young ingenues that I was dating, and had great dates with them.
And then one one night I was playing cards with my friends, and now Rhona Barrett, who was a big columnist. She wasn't at the time, but she was starting. Had a friend, and she brought her over, and introduced me. I left a card game, and her name was Kay. And we started talking, and her she was coming from her mother's birthday party with Rhona Barrett, and we got into a good conversation for about an hour, and when she left.
I went back to the card game, and and I said to my my friends there, well, see that gal, that I'm going to marry her, and about six or seven months, we dated and got married. We started having children right away, and our firstborn, we named him Frank, after me and my grandfather, really. And after thirteen months, we had another one, Tony, and then another. To kind of sum it up, we had eight children in ten years.
So my wife was pregnant every single year. And she loved being pregnant. She loved having children. And of course, I was on the road and coming back. And here's another one.
Here's another one. Here's another one. And we're very fortunate to have eight children, very healthy. And we have ten grandchildren. And she's a great mom.
They love her. They adore her. You know, she's like a general to have eight children, and keeping everyone intact was quite a job that she had. And of course, I'd come home and have a lot of fun with the kids. And she was the disciplinary.
So she was a great mom, still is, and they adore. The first time I I met her at Funicello was at the Hollywood Bowl. For Dick Clark, we were playing the Hollywood Bowl. He had a show of about four or five different acts on the show, and she was one. She was very popular as a mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club, and she must have been about oh, fourteen, fifteen, and I would must have been about seventeen, and we started talking, and I, I said, she said, I'd like to maybe take you out for a pizza and a cool drink or something.
She said, you got to talk to my mother, and I went to Virginia. And I said, "Can I take your daughter for a slice of pizza, whatever?" She said, "Okay, call me." And I went over to the house, picked her up, and we went down the street. There was a little pizza parlor there, and we had some pizza and some soft drinks, and and that was it. And we kept in touch, and of course, she was working, I was working, and that was our first date and only date, really. And then time had gone by, and I had made a few films.
I must have made about ten. Or fifteen films at the time, and I was signed to a company called American International Pictures. I made some films for them, and finally they said I got friendly with a writer by the name of Lou Ruzov, and I said to him, Lou, write something that's fun for kids. You know, where we hang out together and laugh and sing. And he came back in about a month and he says, Here's a script.
Read this. It's called Beach Party, and I read it and I thought it was really fun. Looked like the old Denin kids gang and having fun. I said, "Who's going to play Dee Dee?" Was the girl's name. I guess he named her after Dee Dee Dyna.
He said, "We got. We're talking to Walt Disney as a loan out for Annette Funicello." And you are listening to Frankie Avalon share some remarkable stories. That call he got at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City. He was about to work with John Wayne, and this kid from South Philly soon finds himself in a western. He met his bride, and when he met her, he told his poker buddies, "I'm going to marry that girl." And seven or eight months later, he did.
Eight kids later, in ten years, his wife Kay, he calls the General. And then this movie idea, beach party, back when a movie could just be silly and fun. The story of Frankie Avalon, as told by Frankie Avalon, continues here on Our American Stories. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past two hundred and fifty years, and now it takes form in a new way.
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We're so excited to be here to chat about our favorite thing in the entire world, college football. From the biggest headlines and breaking news to the stories shaping the sport behind the scenes, Rushing the Field is your home for everything college football. Whether you're obsessed with rankings, rivalries, or game day drama, we've got you covered. Watch rushing the field on NBC Sports now. And we continue with our American stories.
We last left off with Frankie Avalon sharing the story of how he wrote a movie script about teens.
Well, just having fun on the beach, casting the female role opposite of Frankie.
Well, that was up in the air. Let's return to Frankie Avalon. I said that's great. I'm better when she was young, and geez, that would be fun. And that's how we got together.
They put us together. We did our first motion picture beach party. It came out. We did it in January, I think. It came out kind of towards the start of the summer, and it was a tremendous success at the box office.
And because of that, we had lots of fun doing those pictures. We made about seven, and made tons and tons of money for AIP. I always wanted to keep a career going. By not just being a teen idol, of course, those days, you know, went by the wayside because you married, you got kids, and you know, when your fan base got into dwindles. And so, I wanted to get into the nightclub business, which I did.
I worked with a lot of good people that helped me develop a show and act. And of course, I opened up at the Copa Cabana. Which, once you made the Copa Cabana, you you were really a you were in show business. And I would play the show business under contract with them for about five years. And about 1971 or two, whatever it was, I'm playing at the Copa, and they wanted to do a promotion for a Broadway show that was playing there called Greece.
And I said, "Sure, I'll go." It was in the afternoon, and I met the cast. And Travolta, by the way, was in that show as one of the side guys, one of the chorus boys. And I saw the play, and then time had gone by, and it was about 1977. I got a call. I was playing golf.
And I got off the ninth hole. My manager was there with the script. He said, "This is a script. Paramount wants you for this picture." I said, "What's the picture called?" He said, "Greece." And I said, "What character?" He said, "Teen Angel." And I thought about what I saw on Broadway, and I said, "Pass." And I went and played the second nine. I came back in.
He was still there. He said, "They will not take no. They would like to at least have a meeting with you." I said, "Okay." So I go in. With Alan Carr and Patty Birch, who was the choreographer, and Randall Kleiser, who was the director, and they said, "Why don't you want to do this?" I said, "Because I saw the play, and it's not my style." I said, "You know, he was all in black, comes off of a rope, and in black leather jacket, and long side burns, and does the little wiggles, and this, and sings this beauty school dropout." I said, "Not my style." They said we'll change it. I said, "What do you mean you'll change it?" They said, "We'll do it all in white.
We'll get a piano over here. Let's see how you want to do it." They did, and in 1977, I went in for six days of rehearsals, two days of shooting the five-minute song, and Beauty School Dropout became a part of Greece, and Frankie Avalon was Teen Angel. When we were finally putting grease together and at rehearsals, I said, "Look, I don't want to be a joke in this film. I think this is a good character, and it really is something important to this this gal, her character. I don't want to be a joke." So they said, "Oh no, no, no, no!
We'll make this absolutely perfect for you, and the people just going to love it." So when the picture comes out, they they they opened it, premiered it in Honolulu, and there was the big columnist, Liz Smith, was her name, and in her column, she was at the premiere, and she said the the film was fun, but when Frankie Avalon entered his part as Teen Angel singing. Beauty school dropout. The audience went wild, and when he left the scene, they applauded.
So it made a mark. I had come home from a trip, and I'm sitting in my den with my wife, and the phone rings. And she hands me the phone. She says, "It's for you. It's a Bobby De Niro." So I looked at her, and all of a sudden, it clicked in my mind.
It's it's Robert De Niro.
Well, didn't register with her because she thinks a kid that I grew up with in South Philly, a lot of Italian kids, thought it was Bobby De Niro didn't associated at all.
So he says, "Frankie, it's Bobby. We're doing a picture with the Scorsese. It's called Casino, and we know that you were the first guest to Lefty, whose character was Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese likes to be so exacting with whatever he does." And he did research. He said he would like to use you to recreate that scene, and I said sounds good to me. He said when could you do it?
I said well I'm home, I'm home for about a week. He said can you do it Monday? I said fine with me. They sent the jet, and I got on the jet, went into the dressing room. When I got to Las Vegas, went into Marty.
He showed me the clip, and I went on the set, and I stayed there for about 14 hours shooting. My one scene with De Niro. Our first guest this evening is Frankie Avalon.
Well, I've got a large family. How many kids do you have? Very proud to say that we have eight children. No, no, no, please, please, please, no, please. Amazing.
There's nothing to it. It's my pleasure. And Joe Pesci was waiting for me after my scene. We went to this place called Joe Pig's. It had a Vesuvio restaurant.
We went and had chicken meatballs, and the picture came out, and I was in the picture. Health has been very exciting for me for a long, long time. I got interested in not only just just vitamins, but herbs, and I started back about fifty years ago in where I lived with my wife and eight children, in North Hollywood. There was a place called Herb Products that was in North Hollywood, and I saw the sign and I went in there, and I got very friendly with a man who was part of it, and John was his name, and he started introducing me to different kinds of herbs that were in big box. Forms they weren't even capsules yet.
He would make capsules and put together different herbs.
So I would start taking herbs, and I really got involved with it. And through the years, I started to say, "Jesus, I should." People ask me, "Frankie, what do you do?" Well, I mean, you're still doing. Then I'm in my eighties now, and I still go out there and still perform. I do a lot of singing. I do a lot of performing.
I travel a lot, and I've been taking herbs, and I. Created a product with John called Zero Pain. It's a pain reliever that I brought onto a home shopping network, and we sold tons and tons of it. It still is available today. And I'm going to tell everybody listening.
You talk about being healthy and being taken care of yourself. I have a company called Frankie Avalon Products. If you look at FrankieAvalon.com, you could look at what I've been doing for all these years. Not only with the Zero Pain, which is a pain reliever topical. Which has helped so many people, from Arnold Palmer to Ernie Banks, to a lot of my friends in the business, and they still request it, and we still offer it to the public.
But your health is very important. You never know when you're going to lose it, so keep trying to keep it. They had asked me to do a guest shot on American Idol. I said, "Okay, what do I do?" They said, "Well, it's Simon Cowell's birthday, and the year of Venus was 1959. That's the year he was born.
So we'd like to give him this little birthday gift, and you singing Venus to him." I said okay, but you got to you know stay in your dress room. You got to be a surprise.
So I go to my dress room and I watch my weight. I watch this. I was watching this, that, whatever.
So I go to my dress room and they sent a whole box of of candies and things. And I'm waiting. I'm waiting. And I'm eating these redhots or whatever they are. But well, I ate about two boxes of these things.
I'm ready to go on now. I've got 12 minutes to go on and do this. This is live, you know. And I said I really don't feel good now. They got the paramedics.
Right there, they take my blood pressure. My, I'm going through the roof. And they said, I don't think you should go on. And my blood pressure was very, very high. I went on, and I did that song, not feeling a hundred percent, but pulled it off.
I came off of there. I calmed down with with with a lot of water and all this other stuff, and my blood pressure went down. And that was quite an experience for me. Like the show goes on. Listen, I want to thank for the opportunity having great conversation, going through parts of my life.
I could write a book, but I won't. But in the meantime, I just want to thank everybody that's been with me, and I've been with you for many, many years for being a part of my life. Thank you so much, and thanks to the good Lord for giving me the opportunity. To my wife, to my eight children, to my ten grandchildren, and stay well and God bless. And a terrific job on the storytelling and production by Greg Hengler.
And a special thanks to Frankie Avalon for sharing his life's journey with us. That beach party series, well, it was a huge box office success. And Avalon, well, he'd go on to make a career for himself in the nightclub business as a prime act to play at the Copa and then all over the world. And then came Greece, that Paramount picture, and that character, Teen Angel. He passed.
He said that character is not my style, so they changed the character, and the rest is history. I have watched this movie more times than I would care to admit, because when you have a wife and a daughter, this, along with Mamma Mia, is required. Required viewing at least a few times a year. And then, of course, that call from Robert De Niro, Bobby De Niro—probably a bunch of them in his South Philly neighborhood. Little did he know, it was the Robert De Niro and a scene in Casino, the story of Frankie Avalon, the story of America, and a way from nowhere to somewhere, and appreciating with great gratitude every single step along the way.
Frankie Avalon's story here on Our American Stories. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years, and now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 semi-quintennial coin and medal program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage.
Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official. Coins at usmint.gov forward slash semiqu. That's usmint.gov slash semiqu. Upgrade to elite checking from America's Christian Credit Union and earn up to three point five percent APY, plus everyday perks and access to your paycheck up to two days early with Early Pay.
Don't settle. Choose checking that rewards you and aligns with your values. Visit America's ChristianCU dot com forward slash I Heart. Minimum balance of one cent required to earn advertised APY. Early Pay not guaranteed.
APY equals annual percentage yield. Membership eligibility. Inured and you way insured. Hello, everyone, and welcome to Rushing the Field. I'm Nicole Auerbach, and I'm Joshua Perry.
We're so excited to be here to chat about our favorite thing in the entire world: college football. From the biggest headlines and breaking news to the stories shaping the sport behind the scenes, Rushing the Field is your home for everything college football. Whether you're obsessed with rankings, rivalries, or game day drama, we've got you covered. Watch rushing the field on NBC Sports now. Come on and get happy with Happy GLP.
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