'Sucu' hit amazes Nina and Frederik .sx NINA and Frederik are happily divided !sx Or at least , that's the expression which Nina used , when she spoke to me on the phone from her Birmingham hotel .sx And if anyone should jump to the conclusion that this is another marriage on the rocks , let me hasten to correct them- there isn't a more happily married couple in the whole of show business .sx No , they are merely happily divided on a matter of personal opinion .sx For Nina told me that she actually prefers cabaret work , as opposed to appearing in large variety theatres- Frederik , on the other hand , settles for the theatres in preference to the night clubs .sx " So we agree to differ , bearing in mind that we each have our fair share , " chuckled Nina .sx Nina told me that both she and Frederik were thoroughly enjoying their first full-scale tour of Britain , and that they had been pleasantly surprised by audience reaction throughout this country and in Eire .sx " We hadn't previously seen very much of Britain , but now that we're able to get around to some extent , I can tell you that it has certainly come up to expectations .sx " And Ireland was a special revelation .sx I hadn't been to Dublin before , though Frederik spent a few hours there last year , " she said .sx Contrary to general belief , most of Nina and Frederik's work on the Continent is confined to theatres rather than cabaret .sx And it frequently happens that they adapt their act to each venue .sx But this hasn't proved necessary in Britain .sx " We have several numbers which we regard as cabaret specialities , " said Nina .sx " Yet they appear to be so well-known here , that we're able to do them on stage .sx " Having recently returned from Ireland when I spoke to her , Nina hadn't realised that their recording of " Sucu-Sucu " had climbed into the hit parade .sx " It's quite amusing how this came about , " she explained .sx " The song was originally sent to us by a music publisher , and at the time it had a Spanish lyric .sx But we liked the melody so much that Frederik translated it into English and French- we've also recorded it in French .sx " Then one day during their cabaret season at the Savoy Hotel , they were relaxing for a few minutes in their dressing-room , watching TV .sx And at the end of the 'Top Secret' adventure yarn which they had switched on , they suddenly heard the strains of " - complete with Frederik's lyric .sx " We were amazed at the time , " Nina continued .sx " But when we discovered how popular the series is , we were not surprised when Laurie Johnson's recording came into the best-sellers .sx Actually , in view of this , I'm rather surprised to learn that our version has become a hit .sx " I asked Nina about their subsequent plans , after the current British tour finishes early in December , and she told me that initially they will return to the Continent- with the principal object of searching for new material .sx " And we're hoping to come back to Britain in the spring , with a collection of new songs , " she said .sx DEREK JOHNSON .sx MEET THE COMPOSER .sx Bunny Lewis scrubbed floors before fame came .sx A DISTINGUISHED war career counts for very little when hostilities cease and you don civilian clothes to start looking for a job .sx Take the case of composer-agent-promoter Bunny Lewis , for example .sx During the last war , he served with the famous Black Watch regiment and Special Air Services , won a Military Cross and was mentioned in dispatches .sx His first post-war job ?sx .. Scrubbing floors !sx " It was the only thing I could find .sx My war career meant nothing , and I had a terrible time finding work .sx Finally , I turned to scrubbing floors to make ends meet .sx But eventually things got better and I ended up in the music business , " Bunny told me this week .sx Bunny made his first contact with the music business in 1947 , when he was employed as a publicist for impresarios [SIC] Tom Arnold and Prince Littler at dance halls .sx A little later , he worked for the BBC , writing scripts for the " Picture Page " TV series and then moved on to become professional manager at Francis , Day and Hunter , the music publishers .sx After a spell with Decca , he launched his own agency in 1955- and that's when the Bunny Lewis success story really began .sx The agency grew to be a powerful concern , and Bunny now handles the affairs of such stars as Craig Douglas , the Mudlarks , Garry Mills , the Avons , Al Saxon , Lorrae Desmond , orchestra leader Harry Robinson , newcomer Doug Sheldon , and top disc jockeys like David Jacobs , Jack Jackson , Don Moss , Alan Freeman and David Gell .sx He personally records most of his artists' discs , promotes concert and variety dates and , as a result of appearances on the panel of BBC-TV's " Juke Box Jury , " is also something of a TV personality himself .sx In addition , it's important to note that Bunny is also one of Britain's finest and most successful lyricists .sx Remember David Whitfield's million-selling transatlantic hit " Cara " ?sx Bunny wrote the lyrics .sx He also wrote the words , too , for " Girl Of My Best Friend , " a big hit in Britain for Elvis Presley and a best seller in the States for promising newcomer Ral Donner .sx He also penned the lyrics for such memorable hits as Cliff Richard's " Voice In The Wilderness " and " Livin' Lovin' Doll , " Garry Mills' " Top Teen Baby , " Frankie Vaughan's " Milord " ( which had special English words ) , David Whitfield's " Rich Man , Poor Man , " Max Bygraves' " Little Train , " Craig Douglas' " Riddle Of Love " and the Mudlarks' " The Love Game .sx " Vera Lynn has enjoyed success with many of Bunny's songs , among them " Forget Me Not , " " The Homecoming Waltz , " " The Love Of My Life , " " The Windsor Waltz " and " Try Again , " which was waxed in the States by Dean Martin .sx Orchestra leader Mantovani had a big seller with his instrumental " Luxembourg Polka , " which also hit the highspots in the U.S. Apart from " Riddle Of Love , " Craig Douglas has waxed such Lewis songs as " The Girl Next Door , " " My First Love Affair , " " My Hour Of Love " and his latest release " No Greater Love , " written in collaboration with Michael Carr .sx Dickie Valentine did well with Bunny's " Lazy Gondolier , " while Al Saxon just missed the charts with his " Blue Eyed Boy , " which is covered on two new Stateside discs this week .sx Bunny also contributed songs to the Cliff Richard Film " Expresso Bongo " and for the savage , underworld movie " The Frightened City .sx " He worked with Norrie Paramour to produce two songs , " I Laughed At Love " and " The Marvellous Lie " ( which has been waxed by Helen Shapiro) .sx More songs by London-born Bunny- who is married to French singer Janique Joelle , formerly a principal star with the famous " Folies Bergere " and has a six-year-old daughter , Fabienne- will be heard in such future films as " A Change Of Heart " ( which stars Janette Scott ) , " The Painted Smile " ( in which Craig Douglas appears ) , and the much-publicised " It's Trad , Dad .sx " KEITH GOODWIN DEREK JOHNSON predicts .sx SINATRA WILL PUT HIMSELF IN THE BACKGROUND MUCH MORE .sx IT seems generally agreed that Frank Sinatra's " Granada " is one of the most satisfying records he has cut for some time .sx His more recent releases on Capitol , both singles and albums , have all generated a feeling of staleness and apathy , which now seems to have been remedied with Frank's switch to his own label .sx There's little doubt that working for himself has caused Sinatra to shed his cloak of indifference , and it could well be that the revitalised Frank will aspire to even greater heights under these new circumstances .sx But just how long can Frank remain as a top recording star , having now long passed the stage of being a teenage idol ?sx Will he continue more or less indefinitely , as Bing appears to be doing ?sx Or what's more to the point , does he want to continue singing ?sx It is increasingly apparent that he is devoting considerably more time these days to filming activities , involving straight acting roles .sx And earlier this year , he signed a 15-million dollar contract , which will keep him busy either producing or starring in movies for the next seven years .sx But as the " Reprise " label is his latest investment , it's obvious that he will devote a great deal of interest to this project- though not necessarily with the object of showcasing himself as an artist .sx Speaking of his future plans recently , Sinatra said :sx " One idea I have for the future is to develop more things that don't involve me personally and my talent .sx " I'd like to be able to function more in other departments than I have been able to do in the past .sx With this new film deal , I want to try and find properties that don't concern me directly .sx Same thing with my record company- I want to spend more time looking for new talent , soloists , song writers , young guys .sx " In one of the rare interviews which Sinatra granted a couple of years back , he intimated that- after more than 20 years in the business- he would still rather sing than do anything else .sx But no doubt his 45 years are now catching up with him , particularly bearing in mind the tremendous pace at which he lives , and he sees himself today as a sort of patriarch of youth .sx Absorbing .sx I have just been reading one of the most absorbing show-biz books to come my way for many months- a no-punches-pulled character study of " Sinatra And His Rat Pack " by the American writer , Richard Gehman .sx It's a paper-back , selling at 3s .sx 6d .sx and published by Mayflower- and for a remarkably revealing close-up of this controversial entertainer and his friends , I strongly commend it to you .sx The term " Rat Pack " seems to have superseded " Clan " in the description of Sinatra's followers and friends- and the book devotes a full chapter to an analysis of each of them , including Humphrey Bogart who was the original leader of the " Clan .sx " So far as Frank is concerned there is a complete biography contained within the book- and the basic facts are buried in such a welter of anecdotes it never fails to hold one's attention .sx No detail is overlooked- from an assessment of his income ( reckoned to be a 2 1/2 million dollars last year ) to a survey of his many love affairs- real and rumoured- which have played such a predominant part in his stormy career .sx Probably due to his rather squalid surroundings as a child , Frank is one of the most extravagant spenders in the entertainment world .sx One of his closest friends is quoted as saying :sx " Frank doesn't spend money- he destroys it !sx " And examples galore are given to substantiate this point .sx When he was appearing in Miami , he had his favourite Broadway barber flown down to give him a haircut ; when he broke a tooth , he had a dentist flown thousands of miles to fix it ; he has a cuff-link collection which occupies two drawers ; he owns more than 150 suits and countless shirts- which he will need if the statement that he changes his shirt six times a day is correct !sx Despite his spendthrift habits , Sinatra is also exceedingly generous .sx " Nobody knows all the wonderful things Frank does , " says comedian Joey Bishop , who is a member of the " Rat Pack .sx " But Richard Gehman's book has unearthed some of the instances- how Frank paid for Mildred Bailey's funeral , and has subsequently kept her former husband Red Norvo in regular work ; how he helped Bela Lugosi when he was in hospital , although Frank had never met the actor ; how when Phil Silvers' partner fell ill just before their cabaret debut at the Copacabana , Sinatra flew to New York to open with him , and how he gave some of his best lines in a picture to an actor who , he thought , needed them .sx And there's the fascinating story of the manner in which he aided the widow of an acquaintance of his- Charles Morrison , owner of Hollywood's Morcambe night club .sx Learning that Mrs. Morrison was in financial trouble , Frank phoned to say that he was going to appear at the club for a couple of nights without payment- and duly arrived complete with a 21-piece band !sx