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At a visual level, it doesn't matter so much that this is Frank Sinatra's Lionel train layout; Turn off the sound, and I'm sure there are a few other collectors who would have the means to build a magnificent layout this way. But what adds so much depth to this wonderful presentation is learning the human story behind Frank's poor youth, and his desire to create later in life a collection of what he yearned for as a boy, yet could not afford. The layout is spectacular, and Frank insisted on keeping every train in tip-top condition so that any train, old or new, could be run for a visitor. This is a museum in more than one sense; the trains are certainly collector grade (and you get to see them all), but it also gives you pause to reflect on how a world-class celebrity would retreat from his stressful life to a small guest house that contained a youthful escape back to the streets of Hoboken.
No. Yeah, well, the last ten minutes are devoted to shilling the other disks in the series. In this case it's Frank Sinatra's Lionel 1949 Showroom Layout. Question #1 - What's the program about.
Question #6 - Is it worth it. Maybe the scale model lover would find it worth the steep price, but even then I'd recommend renting it before purchase. For some reason the dearth of information on CELEBRITY SERIES FRANK SINATRA TRAIN LAYOUTS had me intrigued, but not nearly intrigued enough to shell out the amount it'd take to purchase this one. This was videotaped in 2002, four years after Sinatra's death. Part 2 features talk show host Tom Snyder's toy trains, Part 3 Mandy Patinkin's toy trains, and there's a Christmas toy train video, too.
This one didn't go very far in converting me to one, either. Question #2 - Do we get to see Ol' Blue Eyes in a Casey Jones hat. The program shows the many pictures on Sinatra's entertainment room wall, but none with him and his trains, or him wearing any railroad regalia. To its credit, the program takes a close-up shot of almost everything in Sinatra's train room, and there's a lot of stuff in there.
Thank goodness for video rental sites with deep catalogs. Question #5 - How was it. Dreadful, but I'm not a scale-train fanatic. For the premium price they're asking, NO. It's pretty much thirty minutes of one of Sinatra's ex-employee running the trains in Sinatra's old train bungalow, a railroad flatcar that he'd converted into a showroom for his collection. A special interest dvd that didn't offer a lot of entertainment to this non-specialist. It's an in-depth look at a celebrity's toy train collection.
My rating would have been a lot higher, I think, if the program had included still photos or film of Frank with the trains, or an audio track of Frank talking about his fascination with toy trains. Question #3 - What's it all about. Question #4 - I thought the product detail said this one lasts 40 minutes. If there's anything special about Sinatra's train layout I'm too dull to see it.
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