Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for October 08, 2015

Lawyers For Sinatra Contend ‘Doonesbury’ Violated His Rights

June 20, 1985|By United Press International

FAIRWAY, KAN. — Universal Press Syndicate, distributor of the comic strip ‘’Doonesbury,’’ said Wednesday that attorneys for entertainer Frank Sinatra say a June 13 strip violated Sinatra’s rights and contained false information.According to the suburban Kansas City syndicate, Sinatra’s attorneys stated in a letter that they would take ‘’all appropriate steps’’ to remedy the alleged violation of his rights and would seek a retraction in subscribing newspapers.John P. McMeel, president of the syndicate, said the June 13 installment was part of a six-day sequence featuring Sinatra. McMeel said the letter described the specific strip as ‘’false, and violative of Mr. Sinatra’s rights.‘’According to McMeel, the syndicate denied that the sequence violated Sinatra’s rights. The syndicate also refused to provide Sinatra’s attorneys with a list of newspapers subscribing to ‘’Doonesbury.’’Garry Trudeau is the creator of ‘’Doonesbury.’’The episode Sinatra’s attorneys objected to is set in the White House, where caricatures of Sinatra and several other people are sitting around a table playing cards.The Sinatra caricature asks the card dealer, a woman, ‘’Whadda ya mean, ya gotta shuffle? Deal, sister.’’The dealer replies, ’’I’m sorry, Dr. Sinatra, those are the house rules.‘’ ’’Read my lips, honey! I said, ‘deal the cards!’‘’’’I could lose my job, Dr. Sinatra,‘’ the dealer responds.The Sinatra caricature says, ’’You’re damn right you could lose your job! Get me your (expletive) boss!‘’’’But, . . .‘’ the dealer says.’’Get me your (obscene gerund) boss, you little (anatomically explicit epithet)!‘’ the Sinatra caricature says.The dealer thinks, ’’Obscene gerund?"-Just for the record, this scene takes place in Vegas and not in the White House. Unless, Reagan set up a poker room in the West Wing. In which case, I have greater admiration for our 40th President.

A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding “-ing.” The gerund form of the verb “read” is “reading.” You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

The actual incidents referenced by the strip took place in Atlantic City. Sinatra bullied a woman dealing blackjack with racist threats until she dealt from a single deck. According to the book “The Boardwalk Jungle” the pit boss & everyone else up the line gave in even though this was illegal, and the casino owner (Wynn) disciplined everyone involved but refused to say anything negative about Sinatra, throwing his own people under the bus.

The plot thickens. I guess we know who won the fight as it is being republished. Fairway, Kansas is only about 15 minutes away from where I live.

A couple of people, including my amigo Gweedo, asked yesterday, how I knew from experience about Sinatra’s reprehensible behavior. I will try to make this as brief as possible.

Back in the early 70’s , I was managing a private security company that provided personal protection for celebrities who came to Hartford, Ct. to perform at the Hartford Civic Center and other venues and/or were staying at one of the area hotels.

When Sinatra came to town, we were contracted to provide a six person team to cover him for his stay and performances ( on and off the stage ) for a week. This space is too short to list the amount of abuse he heaped upon my staff – particularly the head of the security team who was African-American. No amount of money and ‘tips’ could make up for all the aggravation and insults we were all subjected to. To a man, they all wanted to quit after the second day.

I was used to dealing with temperamental, difficult personalities but Sinatra strained the limits of my professional civility to a point I vowed I would never work with him again.

Rock stars were bad, but Sinatra made them look like choirboys.

Even some “wise guy” acquaintances of mine in Hartford, were embarrassed by the way he acted.

It is hard to believe he is gone. He sounds like so many of the trolls posting comments on every topic on every article today.

Wonder what problem Trudeau had with Sinatra to hate him so vehemently? Good God, what a petty little man.

Sounds like Sinatra got what he had coming to him from those who interacted with him. See above comments.

Sinatra was notorious for insisting the dealer be fired when he was losing. My late husband, a dealer, pit boss, then casino manager witnessed this himself.

Sinatra’s degrading and chauvinistic abuse notwithstanding, the embattled dealer is right to balk at Trudeau’s use of the word gerund; as the word to be inferred by the allusion is not a verbal noun but rather modifies another noun, Hence, it is a verbal adjective, and therefore a participle.

For what is a man, what has he got?If not himself, then he has naughtTo say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneelsThe record shows I took the blows and did it my wayAnd my way was to be a TOTAL AND COMPLETE A—HOLE

Wouldn’t a participle make more sense here than a gerund? I think he needs verb form used as an adjective, not as a noun.