Like Connie Francis (born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero), one of my grandfathers was born in Reggio Calabria. Even though my hometown in upstate New York had a large Italian-American population, on the national stage young women who looked like me were scarce. Annette Funicello, an original Mouseketeer, was one, Connie Francis was another. She had a powerful voice, one that was filled with emotion – angst, longing, sadness, and sometimes, happiness and joy. Her life, ping-ponged between those feelings, too. She reached the heights as a singer, but after being raped, suffered physically and psychologically.
Connie Francis died on July 16 at age 87 and her passing triggered numerous tributes.
I was only 12 when the popular film, Where the Boys Are, came out, focusing on four co-eds who leave behind their university in the snowy midwest to spend spring break in Fort Lauderdale. The cast was brilliant, featuring some well known actors and some who had yet to establish themselves as movie stars. Connie, who was topping the charts, was a big get for the film, starring and singing the title song, which would become one of her signatures. Listening to it today, the passion she poured into the words, the longing to belong, to find love, is as intense as it was in the 60s.
While Connie might have been one of the better known members of the cast, the other actors were straight out of the Hollywood star machine. Yvette Mimieux played Melanie who was intent to find a “Yalie” to marry. Her plot line became a cautionary tale for so many young women who let down their guard and get more than they bargained for. Where the Boys Are was Paula Prentiss’ first film, but it helped to launch her impressive career. Dolores Hart, as Merritt Andrews, was the moral center of the film and certainly carried that out in real life when she left behind stardom and joined a monastery in Connecticut. George Hamilton, who reportedly felt the film was beneath him, nonetheless turned in a good performance and it remains one of his more memorable roles.
Connie’s storyline was a minor one, her character, Angie, was a comedic role, pairing her up with Frank Gorshin’s Basil, an eccentric musician lost without his glasses. But mention the film to anyone who remembers seeing it back then, or more recently, and it’s Connie’s voice that brings back all those memories.
Ten years later, I finally got to college, but never made it to Ft. Lauderdale. Many of my friends did and I would often hear stories about everything that went on during that spring break and mostly was glad that I skipped that coming-of-age ritual. Compared to where college students travel to these days during spring break, Where the Boys Are seems old-fashioned and quaint. What remains the same, however, is the quest to belong, maybe find a soul mate. In that respect, Connie’s interpretation of those feelings will never go out of style.
Top photo: Public Domain
