PRIDE. FOR THE movie version of The Tender Trap, Sinatra sings the title song—one of the first Van Heusen and Cahn collaborations—over the opening credits. As the credits begin, he is a speck in the distance and he comes closer and closer as he sings the song. By the time he closes, with a jubilant doo-bee-doo scat to punctuate the instrumentals, you know this guy is on top of the world. Sure enough, in the picture he is the swinging bachelor in the orange sweater to whom all the girls are attracted. He enjoys their company, their charms, and their other virtues, and would, in short, gain the Playboy magazine stamp of approval until life reminds him that this is the 1950s and he had better fall in love with Debbie Reynolds, to whom, at a critical point in the film, he sings the song to the relaxed jazz piano of long-time accompanist Bill Miller. C’est magnifique.
When Nelson Riddle did a swinging version of the song, the arrangement called for the singer to reach a high F on the word “love” in the last bars. Sammy Cahn was in the studio after Sinatra had finished a track that was fine in every particular, save that high note. Sinatra: “Did you hear how high the note is? How can you expect me to hit such a high note?” “Because you’re Frank Sinatra,” Cahn said with winning logic. At which the singer retreated into the booth, began the next take, tackled the high F, nailed it, sustained it, and finished the song, glowering at Cahn the whole time.