Ring-a-Ding Ding!

They took the gambling capitol by storm, setting up shop at the Sands Hotel and Casino, where they filmed the original “Oceans 11” and defined early 60’s cool as the hottest act in Vegas.

Here are 20 things that may surprise you about the gang of A-list entertainers known as the Rat Pack.[/nextpage][nextpage]

They Didn’t Like the Name

The original Rat Pack was a circle of friends who hung out at the home of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.  One of them was Frank Sinatra.  After Bogie died in 1957, Sinatra formed his own group, which included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.  But they never referred to themselves as the Rat Pack (Sinatra once rebuked a journalist for “using that stupid phrase”).  They mostly called themselves The Summit.[/nextpage][nextpage]

They Were Huge

Photo by Redferns

For years, the Rat Pack’s home base was the Copa Room in the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.  Nearly every performance was a sellout, and the mere presence of the Rat Pack meant an influx of high rollers to the entire town.

When out-of-towners couldn’t find a hotel room, which was more frequent than you might imagine they slept in their cars.  That’s the kind of star power these guys had.[/nextpage][nextpage]

The Act Only Looked Spontaneous

The Rat Pack’s stage performances weren’t as loose (or alcohol inspired) as they appeared.  “The act was thoroughly plotted,” wrote Tina Sinatra in her memoir “My Father’s Daughter.”  “Dad and his friends were consummate pros who never drank the day of a performance.  The ‘bourbon’ in Dean’s glass – and in my father’s as well – was iced tea or apple juice, at least at the first show.”

“I never saw Frank, Sammy, Dean or Peter drunk during performances,” said Joey Bishop. “That was only a gag.”[/nextpage][nextpage]

People Gambled That They’d Show Up

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

The marquee at the Sands sometimes only suggested that the Rat Pack might perform (“Dean Martin, Maybe Frank, Maybe Sammy”).  Even so, fans turned out in droves.

(Excerpt) Read More at: PurpleClover.com[/nextpage]