Barbara Marx Sinatra

Barbara and Frank

• Frank Sinatra was known for his non-stop partying and legendary drinking bouts. However. some of that was a faced, according to his last wife, Barbara Marx Sinatra. This is excerpted from her new book, "Lady Blue Eyes: My Life With Frank Sinatra," published by Hutchinson.

"Those who drank and stayed up till the early hours -- Bill Holden, Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Glenn Ford and Orson Welles -- were part of his in-crowd. Those who preferred a more staid lifestyle -- such as Tony Bennett, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby and Henry Fonda -- were seldom invited, though Frank would often turn up at their places for breakfast at sunrise.

"When we went out, Frank almost always picked up the tab. He couldn't have cared less about money, and spent cash like a drunken sailor, giving $100 tips to busboys and waitresses.

"He was rarely drunk, and would order a Jack Daniel's on the rocks, take a sip or two, abandon it, then call the waiter to 'Bring another round.'

"He carried on like that all evening, completely in charge of his faculties while everyone else got smashed. Meanwhile, he was flirting with every female, but so discreetly that only the women noticed."

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