The Snow Ballroom stars Sinatra as Jake Nesbitt: a former mobster on the run from his enemies and in possession of a briefcase of stolen money, who takes refuge at a ski resort hoping to hide from his pursuers. When it turns out that there are several crime families staying at the resort for a big meeting, Jake disguises himself as the Santa in a Christmas pageant that will be performed on Christmas Eve.
The circumstances under which Frank Sinatra came to collaborate with Francis Amberton on The Snow Ballroom at Halfpenny Pictures are the subject of much speculation, but the popular rumour is that Amberton met Sinatra’s agent Milton A. Rudin at a holiday party in December of 1957 and, over several drinks, convinced him that it was a good idea for Sinatra to make a Christmas film in England. Whether or not this is true, Amberton somehow managed to acquire Rudin’s signature on a contract binding Sinatra to star in The Snow Ballroom in 1958 for release in 1959, which proved to be a bit of a challenge because he was already under contract with United Artists to shoot A Hole in the Head at the same time. Ultimately, Sinatra ferried back and forth between England and the United States on alternating weeks shooting the two films simultaneously. Sinatra reportedly hated working on The Snow Ballroom as a result and refused to discuss the movie for the rest of his life, even though it was a box office success and received much critical acclaim.
