For the first time in his life, Sinatra lost all power in the relationship. When Gardner flew to Africa to film Mogambo in 1953, he followed her as a grand romantic gesture, but she was clearly unenthusiastic about seeing him.
He told me, “It broke his heart.”
However, Sinatra made an extraordinary comeback. With his film and music career seemingly in check, he landed a role in From Here To Eternity in 1953 with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. Rumor had it that the studio didn’t want him, but Sinatra’s mafia connections smoothed the way. Others say Gardner has had some favours. Either way, it paid off and the star ended up winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
At the same time, his music career was revived when he rode the latest Swing craze, starting with his comeback single I’ve Got the World on a String. Unfortunately, he did not meet his professional success at home.
Ozharovsky explained why: “The moment things started going well for him, Ava said, he reverted to his snobbish ways, which she hated… Their relationship suffered because they didn’t trust each other.”
This was made brutally clear when she traveled to London to have a secret abortion in 1952. When Catholic Sinatra found out, it was devastating.
Ozharovsky added, “They heard him say that you should have killed him for what you did to him and the baby.”
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