From Hoboken to Hollywood

Even by the starriest of standards, June 13,1971, was an ultra-glamorous night.

For the 50th anniversary of the Motion Picture and Television Relief Fund, Frank Sinatra was performing at LA's Ahmanson Theatre — in a gala produced by Gregory Peck and attended by Princess Grace of Monaco, Barbra Streisand, Cary Grant, Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Jimmy Stewart, among others.

Rarely seen film footage of Sinatra's 11-song set from that evening — which he surprisingly deemed his farewell performance — is the centerpiece of HBO's four-hour documentary Sinatra: All or Nothing at All, which premieres April 5 and can be seen in encore airings and on HBO Go.

The film uses each of those musical numbers to open a chapter in Sinatra's life. It traverses the decades — from his growing-up in Hoboken, New Jersey, as the son of Italian immigrants, to his early years singing for the jazz orchestras of Harry James and Tommy Dorsey to the ranks of superstardom.

"He was a brilliant and complicated man who had a rough side but was also generous and loving," says Emmy-and Oscar-nominated executive producer Frank Marshall, whose father, Jack Marshall, played guitar on some of Sinatra's Capitol Records recordings in the mid-1950s.

Marshall started developing the project five years ago when he learned that the Sinatra estate was looking to make a documentary that would mark the 100-year anniversary of the crooner's birth.

"I asked them what would make this special," he recalls, and was told about the Ahmanson concert. So Marshall went to the home of daughter Nancy Sinatra to see some footage of the event.

"And then," he relates, "we got the keys to the castle — an unbelievable archive that includes photographs, home movies and 16 hours of audio of Frank Sinatra talking about his life and career."

Marshall brought in Alex Gibney (an Emmy winner for HBO's Mea Maxima Culpa), with whom he'dworked on The Armstrong Lie, a 2013 documentary about cyclist Lance Armstrong, and obtained financing from Alcon Television and HBO, both of which immediately jumped on board.

"Two things about Sinatra really engaged me," says Gibney, who directed All or Nothing at All and is also an executive producer.

"The first was his ambition. He was one of the great American characters, coming from Hoboken and making the long trip across the river to New York City. And he dominated American culture for 30 years."

While more than 100 songs are used in the film, Gibney felt the 11 from that unforgettable evening not only represented the arcs of Sinatra's career, they mirrored the growth of America. "As the culture changed, he changed."

Some 30 friends and relatives offer recollections, including Sinatra's children and his wives, along with Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett and hotel magnate Steve Wynn.

The film doesn't shy away from controversy. It delves into Sinatra's failed marriages — to his first wife, Nancy, and to movie stars Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow — his exemption from military service during World War II, his politics and his connections to the Mob. It also offers a rarely seen side to the performer.

"There are so many things that were under the radar about him, like his philanthropic work," Marshall says. "He used to tell Jerry Lewis to get his tux and meet him at the plane. They'd fly off to do benefits, and Frank paid for everything."