Similar to his role in Guys and Dolls, in The Joker is Wild Frank Sinatra plays a man obsessed with gambling and avoiding commitments such as marriage. As with Sinatra’s role in The Man With the Golden Arm, Joe E. Lewis has had more than his fair of rough times especially with addictions. What’s more surprising is how this role seems to mirror Frank Sinatra himself. Like the character, Frank Sinatra seems utterly or subconsciously determined to remain single, entertain, and remain in Las Vegas nightclubs and casinos. What is perhaps more interesting is the connection with the home, in both Frank Sinatra’s personal life (ex. showing his home without knowing where anything is) and in the case of his character, Joe E. Lewis, Sinatra cannot find himself able to settle down.
Another connection between his character and himself is shown in his live performance at Caesars Palace, wherein Frank performs the majority of his songs in a sort of self-mocking style with his own personal brand of humor. Yet one can’t help but notice how “at home” Frank Sinatra feels in Vegas. It is as if it was his natural habitat (the light musky fog of cigarette smoke, the faded lights and lively, party atmosphere), and as the proverbial saying goes, “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.
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