The Rat Pack: Neon Nights with the Kings of Cool

by Lawrence J. Quirk, William Schoell

Focusing on the lighter side of the "Rat Pack"--comprised of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop--this book offers an ode to an era (the swinging '50s and '60s), a town (Las Vegas), and the spirit of true showmanship.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1999

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

"In 1960, [.] the Rat Pack were the epitome of cool. Men wanted to be like them, live like them, make love like them; they wanted to stay out all night like they did, bed a different broad whenever they felt like it, and never fear any consequences. They wanted to smoke and drink until it made them sick, throw money around like it was meaningless, and feel like irresponsible and irrepressible college boys again. In some ways the Rat Packers were the ultimate symbols of arrested development; in others they were the ultimate party boys. Their message: life was to be enjoyed." -- page 184

Quirk's The Rat Pack: Neon Nights with the Kings of Cool was some seriously good trashy fun but yet was also an occasionally honest assessment of times past in the U.S. entertainment industry and some of those characters who populated it. Although Frank Sinatra gets the most page time, the narrative shifts seamlessly between the other core members - Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop - to focus on their careers and personal lives before, during, and after their relatively brief time in that early 60's superstar line-up also referred to as 'the Clan' or 'the Summit.' Regrettably, while these men were inarguably talented and popular entertainers in their day they were often horrible husbands or fathers, and the tales of their debauchery, petty feuds, and other questionable conduct fuels a fair amount of this book. However, I thought the author also made an effort to document some of their positive attributes as well to keep the chronicle from being just an excuse for a hit piece. It seems like the other GR reviewers did not like this book, but I found it to be absorbing and informative while sidestepping the potential pitfall of glorifying ALL of the behavior.

[Tony Valentino · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unlike many other reviewers who had various issues with the biases in the book, I couldn't even finish it so I cannot comment on his tone. I manageed to read only two chapters and had to quit because the writing was so bad. I can only describe it as if he sat at his typewriter and just dumped thoughts onto paper ... random, wandering and often pointless anecdotes that were hard to connect, not to mention poor articulation that, for an author with as many books and articles to his credit, is surprising. I'm not sure whether to blame him or his editor more, but this was some of the worst writing I've ever encountered.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, so I enjoyed this book, as in a learned a lot about the Rat Pack, Jack Pack, how they came to be, etc. My only problem with it was that I felt the author was so negative to the individuals in the Rat Pack. It may have been stating the facts, but if I'm going to read a book about a group I like, I don't want it to be so bad that I almost don't like them. :/ Oh well, I think I'll find another book to read about them in the mean time and see what I think.

[Marvinwww · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is pretty bad.

If the reader is solely interested in The Facts, then I will admit that this book is loaded with facts about the Rat Pack and their families plus the rich and famous people surrounding the Rat Pack. It also has lots of brief movie reviews because members of the Rat Pack appeared in lots of movies.

However, if the reader is interested in good writing style, then the reader will be disappointed. The book is simply loaded with malapropisms and solecisms, to the point that it becomes difficult, while reading, to focus on the subject and not be distracted by the poor writing. The book reads as if both authors were simply typing away as fast as possible, expecting their manuscript to be proofread and corrected at some later time, then their editor/publisher did not bother with the proofreading and simply printed what the authors had typed.

The other reason that the book is bad is a bit more philosophical. When I began reading this book, I knew little about the Rat Pack other than their names. By the time I had read Part One -- roughly the first third of the book -- it was obvious that these were all Very Bad People. None of the major figures in the book is likeable, making the reader wonder if any additional information about such people is even desirable. Why read the remaining two-thirds of a clumsily written book in order to learn more facts about such reprehensible people?

Since I have a certain amount interest in the topic of movie history, I slogged on and finished the book, but I am certain that a great many people would ditch this book long before finishing it. I am sorry that I paid good money for this book. Perhaps this review will prevent someone else from making the same mistake.

[Nick Guzan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Swift and readable history of the main players of Sinatra’s Rat Pack, though some unnecessarily lurid editorialization and repetitive commentary hinders the reading experience. True, Frank Sinatra was a famously difficult and dangerously temperamental person but the authors seem to have little affection for not just him but few in his orbit—be it Dean Martin, Bogie and Bacall, Hal Needham, or even Alan Alda—though this can be a refreshing counter to overly laudatory accounts of mid-century Hollywood.

I do think the authors meant well and the passion for the subject comes through, though this personal approach leads to a final product that, for better or worse, occasionally reads more like a blog than nonfiction history.

[Timm Lyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really, only 2.5 stars. Not the best Rat Pack biography, but there were a few tidbits of info I hadn't known. Although a negative to some, I liked the in-depth descriptions of the many movies the players were involved in. However, the author spends too much ink writing his own critiques of the films, instead of telling the Rat Pack story.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. The author seemed to have wanted so desperately to identify with the subject matter the information was not credible.

[Angelo Quaranta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads more like a filmography than a hagiography, but lots of interesting tidbits about Sinatra, Dean Martin, et al.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool intro book about the Rat Pack. The book is well researched, though it does seem difficult to find a movie the packers completed that the author actually enjoyed.

Definitely recommend this for someone interested in the Rat Pack and their effect on the movie and music business. There is also a good discussion of Sammy Davis Jr.'s effect on civil rights.

[Erica Bayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typically, anything to do with The Rat Pack is right up my alley. This one somewhat bothered me. I felt like the author couldn't decide if he liked Frank or not. It would not have phased me one way or another if he didn't like Frank, but he needed to decide his opinion before he wrote the book.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not wait for this book to end. It read like one long movie review with a few anecdotes about the members of the Rat Pack. Could have summed it up in one sentence:

Their movies were bad and they were assholes.

The end.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sleazy but well-paced overview of the scumbags of cool. Terrific anecdotes about the particularly grotesque orgies of Sammy Savis Jr. and Peter Lawford. Recommended to neophytes entering show business, even in 2016.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting chronicle of the 'rat pack' but somewhat gossipy and not that well edited. Mostly about Sinatra, and there are better Sinatra biographies out there.