The legendary Rat Pack lived and died the high life of booze, broads and bright lights, always projecting a sense of utter detachment and serenity along with a few other chosen ones who breathed the same rarefied air.
Dean Martin, with highball and cigarette always firmly in hand, embodied the glorious excess of a world long gone, a world without rules or consequences.
Sammy Davis, often referred to as the world’s greatest entertainer, was the multi-talented song and dance man who always presented a picture of total class.
And, Frank, through his movies, marriages and mafia connections, continually kept the boys in the headlines. He was, as they say, the undisputed Chairman of the Board.
Through it all, they remained just outside the radar of understanding ... the most distant stars in the firmament. Martin’s biographer (Nick Tosches) once noted, these guys are what the Italians call a menefreghista ... "one who simply doesn’t give a ----.”
Often, when one of the members was scheduled to give a performance, the rest of the Pack would show up for an impromptu show, causing much excitement among audiences, resulting in return visits.
They sold out almost all of their appearances, and people would come pouring into Las Vegas, sometimes sleeping in cars and hotel lobbies when they couldn’t find rooms, just to be part of the Rat Pack entertainment experience.
The marquees of the hotels at which they were performing as individuals would read, for example, DEAN MARTIN ... MAYBE FRANK ... MAYBE SAMMY, which only added to their demand.
Don’t miss the No. 1 Las Vegas Rat Pack Experience featuring Andy DiMino as Dean Martin, Lambus Dean as Sammy Davis Jr. and Gary Anthony as Frank Sinatra. It’s a fun-filled evening of good music, good fun and tomfoolery portrayed exactly like the originators did so many years ago.
You can preview a video at www.GoSee.TV/RatPack.
The Ratpack revisited will hit the Sid Williams Theatre stage Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. Visit www.sidwilliamstheatre.com for details.
— Sid Williams Theatre