Rocky Fortune aired on NBC from October 6, 1953 through March 30, 1954 with Frank Sinatra starring as "that footloose and fancy-free young gentleman" whose fortune was as rocky as his name. The unsponsored "sustainer" series was broadcast during the low point in Sinatra’s career and aired for only 26 weeks. Sinatra had been fired by MGM in 1950 after the singer made a careless joke about L. B. Mayer’s mistress, Ginny Simms. His record sales were slumping and his CBS radio disc jockey series Meet Frank Sinatra ended July 22, 1951—followed by his television series The Frank Sinatra Show April 1, 1952. In June, Sinatra was dropped by both Columbia Records and the MCA talent agency, leaving him without a network, agent, movie studio or record label. Though Sinatra was signed by Capitol Records in March 1953, it would take time for his new, more mature singing style to catch on and the breakup of his marriage with Ava Gardner later that year left Sinatra shaken. Though From Here to Eternity opened August 5, 1953 and grossed $80 million in its first year, his career wouldn’t be fully reborn until he won the "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar the following year.
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