The Rat Pack: The Hey-Hey Days of Frank and the Boys

by Lawrence J. Quirk, William Schoell

Sinatra and his entourage—Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, and a bevy of hangers-on—performed, gambled, and boozed it up in the lounges of Las Vegas' Sands Hotel and Casino. The Rat Pack explores the antics of this "royal court" and examines the continued fascination surrounding the pack and why they are still cultural icons today.

Genres: Biography

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Tom Kammerer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some tasty gossip, for sure no Pulitzer

[James E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Shawn Levy's much more comprehensive book on the same subject, I was not expecting much from this book but was pleasantly surprised. While Levy goes much deeper into the historical backgrounds of the five members of the Rat Pack, the authors here provide ample detail of the five individuals' activities during the actual (less than ten year) existence of the Rat Pack. They capture the essential characters of each member. Frank Sinatra was both insecure and egotistical, capable of great rages and great kindness. Dean Martin was independent and non-committal to the point of saying "NO" to even Frank Sinatra and John Kennedy. He was the only member to skip the JFK inaugural when he found out Sammy Davis was excluded. Davis himself was sensitive to any slight, racial or otherwise, but willing to overlook any character flaw of Sinatra's out of friendship and gratitude. Peter Lawford never overcame an adolescent's inability to stand up to an authority figure, whether his mother, his Kennedy in-laws, or Sinatra himself. Joey Bishop remained a fringe player, never being fully accepted into the group, for better or worse.

Unlike Levy, the authors even provide information on the original version of the group, which was headed by Humphrey Bogart until his 1957 death. This is especially relevant, as the subject of the book is, after all, the Rat Pack.

Unlike some reviewers, I especially appreciated his capsule reviews of many of the group's projects. He captures the essence of so many in a single sentence.

"From Here to Eternity": "What one seemed a masterpiece now seems contrived, a bit dull, and strangely unmoving."
"Suddenly": Has "a mystique around it that it never deserved."
"The Manchurian Candidate": "Never quite recovers from its implausible premise."
"Oceans 11": "An odd mix of comedy and drama, alternatively interesting and boring."
"Four for Texas": Its "true saving grace wasn't Frank or Dean even Ursula Andress and Anita Ekberg but the surprise guest appearance of the Three Stooges."
"All in the Family": "Though groundbreaking for its time, always rather self-conscious and in some ways overbearing. and now seems remarkably dated and simplistic.

Overall, a quick and easy read which details and explains a unique chapter in American pop culture, especially recommended for those born after 1960 who today wonder what the fuss was all about..

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of synopsis of the movies made by the Rat Pack than a detailed history of their lives.

[Henry Barcohana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, but It went too much into detail on what their movies were about.

[Charlene Vickers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly researched, sloppily written, confuses contempt for coolness. What a load of crap!