The Bizarre Story Of Frank Sinatra Jr.'s Kidnapping
On December 8, 1963, 19-year-old Frank Sinatra Jr. heard a knock at his hotel room door. Frank Jr. was preparing to perform a show at Harrah's Lake Tahoe. But when a voice from the other side of the door declared he had a package for the young Sinatra, Frank Jr. opened the door. The "deliveryman" had a gun. He marched Frank Jr. to a waiting car, and the stage was set for the most famous kidnapping in entertainment history.
Frank Jr. didn't know what was going on
Right before that fateful knock on the door, Frank Jr. was in his room at Harrah's Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada. He wasn't alone; he was with a friend called John Foss.
The pair had had dinner together and then retired to Frank Jr.'s room to listen to a tape recording. The singer was waiting to go on stage with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra.
The package was a decoy
When Frank Jr. opened the door, he saw two 23-year-old men staring back at him. There was a package — a wine box stuffed with pine cones — but it had been placed on the floor.
One of the so-called deliverymen took off a black glove and pointed a gun at Frank Jr. "Don't make any noise and nobody'll get hurt," the man said, repeating, "Don't make any noise and nobody'll get hurt."
The sinister plot began
The two deliverymen were Barry Keenan and Joe Amsler. But Keenan was the one in charge. "Both of you get over and lie on the floor, this is a robbery," he told Frank Jr. and Noss. "Where is your money?"
Frank Jr. had only $20 on him, and Noss had nothing. Amsler took the money and seemed ready to leave. "No," Keenan said, "We're going to have to take one of you guys with us."
Stealing Sinatra
"You in the dark hair," Keenan said, making believe that he didn't recognize Frank Jr., "you're going to go with us." They tied Foss up with adhesive tape and made to leave.
Keenan led Frank Jr. out of the room at gunpoint and got him into the backseat of their waiting getaway car. But they knew those ties wouldn't hold Noss forever.