Ten RAT PACK Facts About

 

The RAT PACK

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10 RAT PACK Facts

1. The Rat Pack was a term used to describe a group of musicians and actors in the 1950s and '60s who embodied the term "cool." Famously consisting of big names like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford, the A-List group took Hollywood by storm.

2. The name "Rat Pack" was not actually a complimentary term. The phrase's origin comes from a moment when iconic movie star Humphrey Bogart came home from Las Vegas with his hard-partying group of friends. Bogart's wife, actress Lauren Bacall, allegedly came downstairs and scolded the group, claiming they looked "like a goddamn rat pack." The catchphrase quickly caught on.

3. There were actually two different Rat Packs, one popular in the '50s and another (the most famous and notable) in the '60s. The first consisted of Humphrey Bogart, Mickey Rooney, Errol Flynn, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Cesar Romero and Jerry Lewis.

4. The name of the iconic Great Dane cartoon character Scooby-Doo has Frank Sinatra to thank for his namesake. The famous mutt's creator, Iwao Takamoto, listened to Sinatra's hit song "Strangers in the Night" and noticed his scatting (which sounded like "dooby dooby doo.") This ultimately led to the character's name.

5. Ocean's 11 (1960) was a famed heist movie that featured all five of the Pack's members in lead roles (Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop).

6. Dean Martin wasn't actually a big fan of parties, despite his reputation and membership in the Pack. Not only was he religious and a devout Catholic, but he was also self-described as shy and ashamed of the way he spoke.

BOGEY & BACALL

Humprhrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall actually started The RAT PACK, 

and it was Lauren Bacall who came up with the name, when her husband

Humphrey Bogart held court at their Beverly Hills home, with the likes of :

Judy Garland, Sid Luft, David Niven, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart,

Frank Sinatra, Jimmy VanHuesen, Rex Harrison, Lauren Bacall,

Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hephurn and others.

One day, as Bogey was and the above friends were hanging aroud, drinking at

the Bogart's Hombly Hills home, Larent Bacall took a look at them, and saide,

"you look like a Pack of Rats," and it turned into The Rat pack and the name stuck,

and after Bogart died and as Frank Sinatra an original Bogart Rat Pack member and

his friends: Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.,  performed and hungout together

 in Las Vegas, the press attached The Rat Pack name to this new group

The Rat Pack, the name stuck and the rest of course is history, and Las Vegas and Hollywood Legend.

The RAT PACK in VEGAS

During the filming of OCEANS 11

7. Joey Bishop was considered the more serious man of the group regarding comedy and wild antics. Ironically, he was also the member who wrote their comedic material behind the scenes.

8. Bishop was also insecure about his standing with the Pack and felt like an outsider. He would constantly wait for an invitation to join the rest of the group when dining. His close friend Sinatra once reportedly said, "Goddammit, how long does he have to be with me before he knows he can eat with us?"

9. The group often performed at the Copa Room in the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Whenever a member was booked, billboards would hint at the surprise appearances of the other members.

10. The Rat Pack was known for its association with many famous actresses, including Lauren Bacall, Shirley MacLaine, Marilyn Monroe, Juliette Prowse and Angie Dickinson. The leading ladies made many appearances in the Rat Pack films. Frank Sinatra even had romantic relationships with Prowse and Dickinson.

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Many people think that the Rat Pack originated with Frank Sinatra and his friends. Actually, the original "Rat Pack" centered around Humphrey Bogart and his fellow actors. 

After Bogart’s death, the press resurrected the name "Rat Pack" and used it to refer to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. This Frank Sinatra-Centric "Pack" was comprised of actors who had appeared together on stage and in films, most notably the original Ocean's 11 movie. 

It's rumored that, when Bogart and his friends returned to New York from Las Vegas, Bogart’s wife, Lauren Bacall said they looked like a "Rat Pack". Members of the New York "Rat Pack" included Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney and Cesar Romero. Alternately, Bogart and Bacall’s Holmby Hills, California home was called the "Holmby Hills Rat Pack", which was a regular hangout for many actors.

Stephen Bogart has said that the original members of the "Holmby Hills Rat Pack" were Frank Sinatra (pack master), Judy Garland (first vice-president), Bacall (den mother), Sid Luft (cage master), Bogart (rat in charge of public relations), Swifty Lazar (recording secretary and treasurer), Nathaniel Benchley (historian), David Niven, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, George Cukor, Cary Grant, Rex Harrison, and Jimmy Van Heusen. David Niven confirmed in his book, The Moon’s Balloon, that the "Rat Pack" originally included him, but not Sammy Davis Jr. or Dean Martin.

The later, 1960’s version of the group, (Bogart died in 1957) included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, Norman Fell (briefly) with Marilyn Monroe (pictured left with Frank), Angie Dickinson, Juliet Prowse, and Shirley MacLaine often being called mascots. The members of this group reportedly never called themselves the "Rat Pack" instead, they used "Summit" or the "Clan". "The Rat Pack" was coined by journalists and outsiders - but hey, we like the "Rat Pack"!

The famous Las Vegas shows, featuring the "Rat Pack", began when other members of the "Rat Pack" would appear, unannounced, at solo performances and then, perform collective, impromptu shows. These shows became so popular that they were sold out almost all of the time. Hotel marquees for individual performers would include other "Rat Pack" members. Once the Sands Hotel marquee read, "DEAN MARTIN - MAYBE FRANK - MAYBE SAMMY".

Regardless of which "Rat Pack" you remember, their style and fashion, from hats to ties or suits are timeless. Their cool and sophisticated style have .

The RAT PACK

OCENAS 11

Las Vegas

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With Peter Lawford

OCEANS 11

BOGEY'S Original Holmby Hills RAT PACK

Humphrey Bogart, Sid Luft, Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland

Frank Sinatra, Gloria & Micke Romanoff, David Niven and Wife

At ROMANOFF'S,  Hollywood, CA

1956

The original Rat Pack grew out of Humphrey Bogart's circle of friends, becoming synonymous with Booze, Women, and Nightlife.  Rat Pack members not only partied together, but worked together on albums, movie sets, and stages. There were numerous associates, outsiders wanting to join, ladies, and even Mobsters with supported ties to the group, adding to the lore of the famous five.

The Homby Hills Rat Pack as it became known, formed the 1940s & 50s. The group centered around Humphrey Bogart, and Frank Sinatra was part of this original core group, along with Lauren Bacall, actress Judy Garland and her husband Sid Luft, and David Niven and his wife Hjoris.

Bogart took Sinatra under his wing. Sinatra enjoyed the groups camaraderie.

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