The Rat Pack were the epitome of cool in the early 1960s, but did you know the group was allegedly
connected to Chicago mobsters? Keep watching to learn more of the untold truth of the Rat Pack.
While many people know Frank Sinatra to have been the leader of the Rat Pack,
he wasn't actually the one who brought together the group of men. In fact, he wasn't even the
one to pick the name, either. According to an article in Life magazine from 1958,
the Rat Pack was founded by the late actor Humphrey Bogart — a man
who refused to abide by Hollywood norms and one who had, quote, "a hatred of phonies."
"Here's looking at you, kid."
As such, the Holmby Hills Rat Pack were a thrilling group of A-list rebels. As Bogart's son,
Stephen, wrote in Bogart: In Search of My Father, it was his mother, Lauren Bacall,
who came up with the group's now-iconic moniker. It turns out, after four days of non-stop partying
in Vegas with Bogart and Sinatra in attendance, Bacall took a look at the posse and declared,
"You look like a g–damn rat pack."
After Bogie's death in 1957, Sinatra took over as the posse's leader. Yet, Bacall looked at
those early days of the A-list group fondly. In the 1958 Life magazine article, she mused,
"The Rat Pack really stood for something. We had principles. You had to stay up
late and get drunk. [...] And woe betide anyone who attacked one of our members."
Dean Martin was known in Hollywood as "The King of Cool." Oozing with a sort of effortless swagger,
Martin actually didn't even rehearse for his iconic comedy series, The Dean Martin
Show — instead choosing to rely on his own jokes and unmistakable stage presence. Of course,
this persona also worked well as a member of the Rat Pack. Considering the group was known
for their alcohol-filled antics, Martin somehow became known as the posse's greatest boozehound.
In fact, per Biography, Frank Sinatra was even known to joke about his pal, once saying,
"He's got a tan because he found a bar with a skylight."
According to the Desert Sun, the performer adopted his on-stage persona
and would always take to the stage with a whiskey cocktail in hand. This would leave group member
Sammy Davis Jr. with a running gag. Whenever he took a sip of Martin's drink, Davis would say:
"If this don't straighten my hair, nothing will."
And while Martin's shtick certainly worked, those who knew him best knew it was all for show. It
turns out that the whiskey that Dino had on stage was actually apple juice — Martinelli brand.
"This is only a gag. I don't drink anymore. I freeze it now and I eat it like a popsicle."
As Patti Gribow, Martin's former backup singer told the Desert Sun,
although Dino would slur his words on stage and act like a ladies' man,
in reality, he was really just a, quote, "sweetheart of a guy."
Joey Bishop was a Rat Pack member that wasn't talked about as much but was a crucial part
of the group's success. As revealed by TCM, Bishop took an interest in singing, dancing,
and music at a young age. Soon enough, by 18, he started a comedy vaudeville act with his brother
and eventually began performing comedy routines on his own. By the early '50s, his comedy club
routine was noticed by Frank Sinatra, who took him under his wing as an opening act.
In the early 1960s, audiences were wowed by the casual banter on stage -– notably from
Sinatra and Dean Martin. After Bishop's death, comedian Sandy Hackett recalled:
"[Bishop] wrote almost all the jokes they all did."
As Deadline notes, it was the comedian's quippy retorts and deadpan delivery that
Sinatra appreciated — and was particularly useful in front of audiences. Sadly, Bishop
never saw the same sort of incredible success as his Pack peers. Per TCM,
this meant he was generally "overshadowed" by Sinatra, Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr.,
while fellow member Peter Lawford was the brother-in-law of President John F. Kennedy.
As Richard Lertzman, author of Deconstructing the Rat Pack told Deadline,
after his Rat Pack success in the '60s, Bishop became the star of his own sitcom. However,
the show was an "uneasy fit" for Bishop. The Joey Bishop Show lasted four seasons.
Frank Sinatra's off-stage antics were closely monitored by the FBI for over an incredible 40
years — dating all the way back to the 1940s while his star was still rising.
According to History, while the singer never admitted to any sort of gang ties,
it's clear that he was "close friends" with Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana. Sinatra was also
seen interacting with Anthony and Vito Giacalone of Detroit, and Philadelphia mobster Angelo Bruno.
So, where does the rest of Ol Blue Eyes' Rat Pack fit into this? Well,
they certainly performed in casinos owned by the mob — which the Las Vegas Sun notes
was common for entertainers in Las Vegas during the group's prime of the early 1960s.
While it's unclear if the Rat Pack enjoyed these appearances, their December 1962 performance
at the mob-run Villa Venice in Northbrook, Illinois, must have been somewhat nerve-wracking.
According to the book Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters,
JFK, and Castro, after Giancana was a part of a failed CIA plot to kill Fidel Castro,
he blamed Sinatra. The singer, who was friends with the Kennedys,
couldn't persuade them to leave Giancana alone, infuriating the mob boss. Instead of going with
the suggested plot of killing the entire Rat Pack, Giancana forced the men to perform a free
show at the Villa Venice — which they did, for Giancana and the "top mobsters" in the country.
In 1958, Life magazine dubbed Frank Sinatra the "social monarch" of Hollywood, with the
Rat Pack becoming the new A-list posse that, quote, "really matters." As Rat Pack biographer
Richard A. Lertzman told Fox News in 2021, to this day , the group of entertainers was
known for their hard-partying antics both before and after shows, and to a degree,
this was correct –– at least for a few members. It's something Sammy Davis Jr. elaborated on
during the Rat Pack's 1958 Life feature, dubbing himself and Sinatra as the "troublemakers."
"You may be my leader but I'm gonna punch you right in your mouth."
And while Davis was ready to party with Ol' Blue Eyes, not everyone was quick to follow his lead,
which bothered Sinatra. According to the Desert Sun, while Dean Martin may
have shared the closest relationship with Sinatra, he always put his family first,
refusing to stay up late boozing with his pals. Sinatra's opening comic Tom Dreesen recalled:
"If Dean wanted to go to bed, Dean would go to bed. It would piss Frank [off]."
But Martin wasn't the only one who got on the singer's nerves. In fact,
a spat with fellow Pack member Joey Bishop resulted in his ejection from the group.
As Lertzman revealed to Fox News, Bishop let the Rat Pack fame get to his head,
and when Sinatra asked him to go do a performance as a favor, the comic demanded $50,000 and a
private jet. This didn't sit well with Sinatra, who immediately ousted him from the group.
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop were the core
five members of the Rat Pack — but it doesn't mean they didn't have A-list supporters that
also advocated for their antics. Some of these so-called "mascots" included Shirley MacLaine
and Angie Dickinson. Their most high-profile name, however, was none other than Marilyn Monroe.
It turns out that Sinatra and Monroe were quite close friends, while it was Lawford's
idea to have the star sing the now-iconic "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" in 1962
for President John F. Kennedy. Lawford married Patricia Kennedy in 1954, solidifying his status
with the presidential family as a brother-in-law to the president. In fact, it was Lawford himself
who allegedly introduced JFK to the actor, thus sparking their purported​​ affair.
Lastly, Monroe had none other than Martin himself to thank after she almost got booted on the set
of Something's Gotta Give. According to Uncle John's Supremely Satisfying Bathroom Reader,
the actor's "erratic behavior" almost resulted in Monroe's firing. However, when Martin threatened
to quit as well, she was promptly re-hired. Sadly, Monroe died in 1962 before filming was completed.
Long before President Joe Biden had the support of celebrity endorsements from Taylor Swift and Cardi
B, America's 35th President, John F. Kennedy had his very own "Jack Pack." According to Biography,
while it's unclear when the Rat Pack was first introduced to JFK, they had
a mutual connection through Pack member Peter Lawford — who was married to Kennedy's sister,
Patricia. As the outlet notes, nearing the end of the '50s, they all knew each other quite well.
As noted by The Pop History Dig, during Kennedy's election run in 1960,
he received support from the Rat Pack members, backing him by appearing at various fundraisers
and dinners held at restaurants owned both by Lawford and Frank Sinatra.
If that's not all, whenever JFK would come to a Rat Pack show,
he was usually sat at the front — an easy spot for Sinatra to declare things like,
"Ladies and gentlemen, Senator John F. Kennedy from the great state of Massachusetts,
the next President of the United States."
Of course, the star power of the legendary performers simply worked. As Biography explains,
Sinatra represented the glamor of Hollywood, while the rest of the men projected an image
of "urban sophisticates" who gave off an air of ease on stage and played by their own rules.
Sadly, just as quickly as Sinatra's friendship with Kennedy blossomed,
it also eventually came to an abrupt stop, too.
John F. Kennedy was once quite close with the Rat Pack, with the men even singing
"The Star-Spangled Banner" at 1960's Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Considering
the men truly supported the then-presidential candidate during his election run, it came as
quite a blow when their relationship suddenly changed after Kennedy was elected president.
One blow came on the day of JFK's inauguration. As detailed by Fox News, it was due to Sammy
Davis Jr.'s 1960 interracial wedding to white actor May Britt that didn't sit well with the
American public, causing the singer to simply not be invited to Kennedy's 1961 inauguration.
As a result, fellow Rat Pack member Dean Martin decided to forgo the ceremony as well,
as a stand of solidarity. In speaking about Martins' decision to skip the inauguration,
Tom Donahue, director of Dean Martin: King of Cool, said,
"That really impressed me. He had a sense of honor."
Things didn't get better as time went on, either, as Kennedy then began to distance
himself even further from the A-listers — due to their alleged ties with the mob in Las Vegas.
The final snub came for Frank Sinatra. According to The Immortal Marilyn,
after the performer spent time preparing his California home for a presidential visit,
he discovered that Kennedy had elected to go stay with Bing Crosby instead. Per Biography,
Sinatra proceeded to "smash everything in sight." During their heyday, the Rat Pack personified the
glitz and glam of the late '50s and early 1960s. As Biography so perfectly puts it:
"[The Rat Pack] taught America to swing in the first half of the sixties."
However, all of that changed after a few significant, and jarring, occurrences.
According to The Immortal Marilyn: The Depiction of an Icon, the downfall of
the Rat Pack began when John F. Kennedy became president in 1961. After Kennedy
started distancing himself from Frank Sinatra mainly due to his alleged mob connection,
the singer put the blame on fellow Pack member Peter Lawford — JFK's brother-in-law.
Cutting Lawford out of the group meant the rest of the men slowly drifted apart,
as well, while one of their Rat Pack "mascots," Marilyn Monroe, was found dead the following
year. Terrible news only kept coming with Kennedy's assassination in 1963,
and as was written in The Immortal Marilyn, an era was suddenly coming to a "bitter ending."
1963 also signified a massive change in the consumption of pop culture.
According to Biography, the "British Invasion" of The Beatles,
The Rolling Stones, and other rock bands was a complete change from the Rat Pack.
As author of Deconstructing the Rat Pack, Richard Lertzman told Deadline,
"[The] five puffy nightclub performers in tuxedos became the very antithesis of cool."
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