Mouse In The Rat Pack: The Joey Bishop Story (Hardcover)

~ Michael Seth Starr (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is the first biography of the last surviving member of Hollywood's illustrious Rat Pack, Joey Bishop.

From the Inside Flap

Mouse in the Rat Pack is the first biography of Joey Bishop, the last surviving member of Hollywood's illustrious Rat Pack. Guided by close friend Frank Sinatra, the sad-faced Bishop (once dubbed "The Frown Prince of Comedy") rose at lightning speed from a struggling south Philadelphia nightclub comic to the pinnacle of show-biz preeminence.

Throughout the 1960s, Bishop was the most popular comedian in America. He headlined his own network sitcom, The Joey Bishop Show, for four successful seasons; emceed John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural gala; and made frequent appearances as guest host of The Tonight Show. Bishop starred with compatriots Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and Peter Lawford in a succession of blockbuster buddy movies, and headlined Vegas-with the Rat Pack and on his own-earning millions and keeping America laughing with his self-effacing humor. His sardonic wit propelled his "smart" comedy act into the epitomoe of show-biz cool.

This candid biography examines Bishop's life in detail through information gathered from the author's archival research and exclusive interviews with members of the show business community as well as various actors, performers, managers, and agents who relate unique, behind-the-scenes stories about Bishop.

Mouse in the Rat Pack covers the full breadth of Bishop's career, including the difficult lean years after the movie offers dried up and he was relegated to being a celebrity game-show contestant and a character actor in a forgetable televsion series. The author's extensive use of personal interviews and primary source materials paints a vivid and telling portrait of Bishop-the man whom Sinatra called "The Hub of the Big Wheel" since he anchored the group onstage and off.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing; 1st Taylor Trade Pub. Ed edition (November 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878332774
• ISBN-13: 978-0878332779
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #551,646 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Oh, so that's what happened to Joey Bishop, March 25, 2005

By	Nathan A. Gordon (WESTPORT, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mr. Starr should be complemented for taking the time to write a book about a comedian that has been long forgotten. I would have preferred a longer book but perhaps Mr. Starr was afraid of being redundant. One reason that the book is not longer, I assume, is that Joey's career does not really lend itself to a study of a body of work.

Joey--when he was at his best--had the ability to snap a very witty one-liner. However, while not stated in Mr. Starr's book--I believe that Joey's real downfall was the laziness he exhibited on his late-night talk show. He never really took the time to do a monologue or prepare any post-monologue comedy bit. Instead, he let Regis share the opening spot with him and then he went right to his guests. That would never sell today and it didn't sell in the sixties.

Mr. Starr takes the time to indicate how Joey was unbearable to much of his staff, somewhat reminiscent of various accounts of how Eddie Cantor treated his radio staff. But Joey and Eddie do share one extremely admirable trait--a dedication to charitable causes (as set forth by Mr. Starr) and for that alone, Joey deserves our respect.

Incidentally, Mr. Starr's recounting of one Joey Bishop joke about the Texan who goes to Israel is one that I'll be telling people for a while.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The long awaited Joey Bishop biography., June 18, 2003

By	Vincent P. Staskel (Poughkeepsie, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If your a big fan of Joey Bishop you will devour this book. Michael Seth Starr does an outstanding job chronicling the life and career of this legendary entertainer. You will join Joey as he climbs the show biz ladder from small clubs in Philadelphia, to the Copacabana and the Sands, to movie sets, tv studios, and to Broadway. Frank Sinatra dubed him as the "hub of the wheel" performing with the Rat Pack. You will not be able to put this book down. "Mouse in the Rat Pack:The Joey Bishop Story" is a great read and a must have for his fans.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Read, January 7, 2008

By	Bewitched - See all my reviews

I must admit, I did not become interested in the life of Joey Bishop until after his recent death. I was not yet born when the Rat Pack was at their peak, nor was I old enough to know what a great comedian Mr. Bishop was.

I found this book to be an excellent read. It was not very lenghty and repetitive and it was extremenly informative. I had to admire Mr. Bishop's charitable contributions. I did not however, admire the way he treated his staff. Unlike his fellow Rat Packers, Mr. Bishop remained married to the same woman for 58 years and raised a son, Larry with her.

The author included some really cool photos of Mr. Bishop as a very young man along with some archival photos of the Rat Pack. I would recommend this book for any Joey Bishop fan.