One of the last of the great "big band" leaders, Carlyle would include a long chapter in his yet-to-be-written autobiography on his encounters with Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack.

"I’m looking forward to Ed Franks’ program," says Carlyle, a long-time resident of Breezy Point. "It’s the music I have written and performed for over 50 years."

Franks, a Sinatra look-a-like, will perform at the Dockside Bar on Friday evening and the Marina Lounge on Sunday evening. His shows – complete with tuxedo and glass-in-hand – begin at 8:30 p.m. and they are free.

"It will be interesting to see if any of my songs are included in his lineup," Carlyle says. Especially the one used by the original Frank Sinatra.

In 1951 Sinatra recorded a Carlyle song – "If I Ever Love Again" released by Columbia Records – that may have rescued Ol’ Blue Eye’s career, which, according to Carlyle, was in a deep funk.

"Something had happened to Sinatra’s voice," recalls the band leader, who still regards Sinatra as one of the best male vocalists ever. "He had just lost a big-time engagement at the Latin Quarter, Elvis was coming in, Sinatra’s voice was cracking on all the favorite ballads, and his fans were leaving him.

"To make matters worse, Ava Gardner was driving him nuts," says Carlyle. "Frank was always searching for a phone so he could call her."

The retired orchestra leader, singer and songwriter remembers a party in 1952 with some of the Rat Packers at which Sinatra’s manager appealed to Carlyle to write more songs for the famous star.

"His recordings of my song sold about three times the number for his previous release," Carlyle says, "and the manager wanted more. He says to me, `You got the feel for Frank’s voice.’

"But you’ve got to remember that Sinatra was down on his luck, on the way out. So I did nothing about it," Carlyle says. "Biggest mistake of my life, but at the time I thought why should I be working for this guy. I didn’t want other singers to record my songs. I wanted to record them myself.

"How stupid could I get," Carlyle says. "Sinatra’s career took off again (after starring in the movie "From Here to Eternity") and well, you know, things would have been different for Russ Carlyle."

Carlyle and his wife, singer Patty Carlyle, discovered Breezy Point Resort during a Russ Carlyle and His Orchestra engagement in the early 1960s. They decided to make it their permanent home following their marriage in 1971, settling into a newly built home on Lake Ossawinnamakee. They now reside in their home along Traditional Golf Course.

Has he stayed in touch with the surviving Rat Packer? Joey Bishop called Carlyle this week to discuss the movie, "Rat Pack," which aired last weekend on HBO.