Rocky Fortune

Rocky Fortune did indeed have rocky fortunes. In this half-hour mystery series, Frank Sinatra plays Rocky (full name, Rocco Fortunato), an amiable ne'er-do-well who can't hold a job. The episodes follow him through a series of ill-fated gigs where he repeatedly finds himself embroiled with crime, criminals, louts, and thugs. Rocky Fortune is not radio's best mystery by any means. Nevertheless, Sinatra's light-hearted portrayal of his irreverent, wise-cracking loser of a character gives it a certain charm.

The series, which aired in on NBC in the 1953-54 season, came at a low point in Sinatra's career. As a crooner, he had been the teen idol of his day, but rock and roll was just around the corner and his popularity as a singer was waning; and he had not yet established his film career. Indeed, his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in From Here to Eternity came while this show was airing and revitalized his career.

For more, see Thrilling Detective.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.