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An Icon Of Americana: The Rat Pack
The "Rat Pack" had its beginnings in the 1950's, but didn't really reach its peak in popularity and interest until the next decade. The 1960's version of the group, consisting of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford became a symbol of real old-world Hollywood glamour and Las Vegas excess. Today, the Pack has become a subject of nostalgia and a symbol of a bygone era. Here's a little bit about how this group came to be as well as its members.
What most people do not realize is that the genesis of this particular group of friends was a series of regular get-togethers hosted by Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall at their Holmby Hills home in Los Angeles. These parties were extremely exclusive and very few "outsiders" were ever allowed to attend. Of course, this exclusivity led to interest as well as jealousy and speculation from famous Hollywood denizens who were spurned. During the Bogie decade of the 50's, Sinatra was the only participating member among the men who would form the membership of the group that would emerge in the following decade.
Women were always an integral and welcome part of the group, contrary to the Rat Pack's reputation as a "males-only" affair. Over the years, regular members included Bacall, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, Angie Dickinson, and even Marilyn Monroe.
After Bogart's death in 1957, the members of the Rat Pack were primarily entertainers who often worked with one another in Las Vegas shows and also in the movies. The core group of Sinatra, Martin, Davis, and Bishop was gelled. Peter Lawford, brother-in-law to John F. Kennedy was also a member of the group, but when Kennedy did not let Sinatra in to his own inner circle Frank vented his frustrations on Lawford and their relationship was permanently severed. The group hated the "Rat Pack" name given them by the press, and never used it themselves or acknowledged it.
The Rat Pack gained its spot in the American imagination by performing together on the strip in Las Vegas. Their song, dance, and comedy routines were wildly popular and were instrumental in helping Sin City to become a popular entertainment destination. The men's act was a rowdy one and often included supposed on-stage drunkenness. Most insiders agree, however, that it was only an act.
The Rat Pack was wealthy, attractive, talented, and exclusive: it truly symbolized old-world Hollywood glamour and sophistication. The 1960's marked a turning point in American culture, however; as the country became more rebellious and modern, the Rat Pack's appeal waned and the group disbanded. Each member went on to different projects: Sinatra and Davis sang on stage, Bishop did TV work, and Dean Martin went on to have a wildly successful television variety show that often featured riotous celebrity roasts.
The Pack has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years, thanks to nostalgia, and the new interest has resulted in a movie as well as several copy-cat reenactment groups.
About the Author DvdHunters.com (http://www.dvdhunters.com) is all about old movies series hard to find dvd's movies. Art Gib is a freelance writer.
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