18: Sharkey's Night (with Gary Bohan Jr.)

History forgot to record that Sinatra's first acting role was inherited from a sea lion. Both stage & film versions of HIGHER AND HIGHER (1944) were poorly reviewed as a whole but succeeded anyway on the back of raves about a single performer, who, despite being tacked on to the haphazard plot at the last minute, stole the show with his unique talent. In the film version, Sinatra. In the original stage production, a sea lion named Sharkey.

And their overlap did not end there. In many ways, Sinatra and Sharkey lived parallel lives. They played many of the same venues, from Steel Pier and Madison Square Garden to Radio City Music Hall. They came of age in the same era and ran in the same circles. They were both considered the best in their fields and both covered songs popularised by Bing Crosby. Both of them worked with Ella Fitzgerald.

This week, we're joined by Gary Bohan Jr, author of a new book on Sharkey's surreal career. Gary is the great-grandson of Mark Huling, Sharkey's original trainer from Seal College in Kingston, New York. Six years of dedicated archival research went into Gary's book, published just months ago - a true labor of love, and a delightful, unpredictable read. Far from a dark story of animal exploitation, Sharkey emerges from history as a true performer who was dedicated to his craft and deeply loved performing. (He is not actually smoking in the episode photo.)

Gary Bohan Jr's SHARKEY: WHEN SEA LIONS WERE STARS OF SHOW BUSINESS (1907-1958), is out now and comes highly recommended by this podcast. Order it from your local bookstore or buy it from the publisher, SUNY Press, here.

Follow Gary Bohan Jr: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.
Watch a 90-minute talk on Sharkey he gave for the Hurley Heritage Society on YouTube here.

Follow the show: on Twitter and Instagram @suddenlypod or get in touch by email - suddenlypod at gmail dot com.