“And Mary Bechmann from Minot, North Dakota,” Kennedy added, “had only just turned sixteen.”

Chapter Fifteen

Franklin Canyon, California

February 1962

Sinatra, in army fatigues, stood in scrubby weeds alongside a well-worn trail, shifting impatiently from one foot to the other while he waited for Frankenheimer’s cue. He and a platoon of actors were gathered in Franklin Canyon, a stand-in for Korea, nestled between Beverly Hills and the San Fernando Valley. It was nearly noon, and the day was warm for February, all memories of the freak snowstorm long gone. The makeup artists scurrying among the cast dabbed away evidence of perspiration; camera crews and the production team were working to perfect every last detail. Charlie and Margaret observed it all on their Hollywood safari, accompanied by Manny Fontaine, who seemed determined to stay close to them.

“Why are they shooting this scene now?” Margaret asked Fontaine. “It’s supposed to take place at night, I thought.”

“It’s called ‘day-for-night,’” Fontaine explained unhelpfully. “He’s shooting it underexposed.”

“Why not just shoot at night?” Margaret asked.

“They want to do the titles over this scene,” Fontaine said.

Margaret raised her eyebrows; she still didn’t understand.

“It’s technical,” he said. Then, with a smile, he added, “I’d be lying if I claimed I really understood it myself.”

“We ’bout ready, Johnny?” Sinatra called out. Charlie noted that the actor seemed in good spirits, which was notable considering that one of his recent houseguests had been found dead.

Sinatra’s bad moods made him challenging to be around, but Charlie knew he was capable of great acts of decency and humanity. A key grip whose wife was suffering from cancer had suddenly learned she’d been transferred to the new Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, with a top oncologist caring for her; everyone knew how that had happened, but almost no one said anything in Sinatra’s presence. An associate producer tried praising Sinatra for his kind deed, but all he received in return was a grunt.

“One second, Frank, we’re almost there!” Frankenheimer shouted from the bottom of the hill where he was talking to Edmondson, his sound mixer, whose efforts to make a workable wireless microphone continued to fall short.

The scene was crucial to the plot of the film. In Korea, Captain Marco, Sergeant Shaw, and their platoon are treacherously advised by their interpreter Chunjin to walk in single file, after which they are ambushed, loaded into helicopters, and taken to the Chinese for a thorough brainwashing.

“Hey, Charlie,” Sinatra shouted down the hill. “Come on up for a sec. And bring a light. If you don’t have one, ask Beanie.”