Customer Reviews

Rat Pack Confidential: Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, Joey and the Last Great Show Biz Party

5 star:		(20)
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3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I picked up 'Rat Pack Confidential' in the airport, looking for a way to kill time on a couple of upcoming flights. This book filled those needs and more. It's a very compelling read...a finely crafted and expertly researched work on the makings - and subsequent unmakings - of the Rat Pack.

There are excellent portraits of the main protagonsists - Sinatra, Davis Jr., Martin, Lawford and Bishop - and Shawn Levy draws a vivd portrait of Las Vegas at the beginning of the 60s. Levy's research brings up five distinct personalities...despite the perceptions of 'clanishness' that the public held about the Rat Pack, these were each very unique individuals.

Levy weaves together a series of threads to make up the core of the book, and one month after finishing it, there are three that linger in my mind...

1. Sinatra's 'using' of Peter Lawford as an inroad to JFK. [Sinatra derisely referred to Lawford as 'the brother-in-Lawford.'] Once Lawford was of no use to him anymore, Sinatra discarded him & Lawford never really fully recovered.

2. Sinatra's desperate attempts to curry favor with JFK, and the Kennedy Administation's efforts to keep him (and the Rat Pack) at arm's length.

3. Marilyn Monroe - caught in a downward spiral, her eerie presence haunts the latter-half of the book as powerful men use (and abuse) her.

I went into this book expecting a breezy show-biz-type read and was very pleasantly surprised about the serious matter of much of the material: the development of Las Vegas; Presidential politics; Mafia intrigue; and lives destroyed by excess. Great stuff.

It's January 1960, a time of shiny suits and narrow ties, the space race, JFK and rumbles in the jungle. Gray clouds may be gathering ninety miles off the coast of Florida but a full blown storm is already roaring through the City of Las Vegas, way out West.

Frank Sinatra has swept into the neon playground to make a movie called 'Ocean's Eleven' and to do more than his fair share of hell raising while he's at it. Joined by his Hollywood pals Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, the glamorous quintet of singers, dancers and comics are officially known as 'The Clan' and somewhat less respectfully as 'The Rat Pack'.

Just for laughs, the boys have also decided to treat the guests of the Sands Casino to a series of adlib stage shows. With the playful celebs filming by day and clowning in the Sands 'Copa Room' by night, the whole crazy get-together is being referred to as 'The Summit' by members of the international media who simply can't get enough of the eminently newsworthy goings-on.

And it's into this heady mix of thundering showbands, cigar smoke, tuxedos and riotous laughter that author Shawn Levy takes us on a personally guided tour. Not only do we get to enjoy the legendary club act but we also get to take a peek behind the big velvet curtain to catch a glimpse of the private partying that went on after hours. And boy, oh boy ... if only those red, blue and yellow 'feature walls' of the Sands were still standing, what a story they could tell. But we do have an excellent substitute in the form of Mr Levy who, provides a whiz-bang recap of the Rat Pack's life and times over the 300 plus pages that follow.

There's a look back at the group's early days together with a collection of breezy biographies about each of its members and the story of how they all came together. Interesting background info is also supplied about the making of the movie as it was undertaken in both Las Vegas and LA. There's a humorous, if slightly cynical, description of the 'Summit' performances as well as some incisive probing into the internal dynamics of the Clan and how each personality played a clearly defined role.

Sinatra's preoccupation with power and control is effectively contrasted against Dean Martin's casual indifference while Peter Lawford is portrayed, yet again, as being a classic nice guy who finished last. Always a curious outsider who never really fitted-in, Lawford's eventual slide from the lofty heights of fame and fortune into the murky depths of virtual poverty and drug abuse represented a sad end for the former MGM star.

Martin also gets shoved in front of the X-Ray machine for a reasonably thorough going-over. A troubling tendency to dishonour agreements seems to have been Dino's primary short-coming.

In a refreshing change of pace, comedian Joey Bishop is given plenty of time to take a long overdue bow at center stage. Having remained a seemingly well balanced and stoic individual to this day, Bishop's particular brand of deadpan joking provided plenty of laughs and always acted as a pleasant counter point to Sinatra's intensity.

Particularly noteworthy is the author's astute observations in regard to Frank's child-like attempts at doing impersonations - something at which Sammy Davis was a recognized master. And, indeed, it is Sammy's epic journey from the slums of Harlem to the absolute pinnacle of world stardom which is, by far, the most inspirational story contained in this book. What that man had to endure and overcome was utterly shameful. However, Sinatra's steadfast loyalty to Davis right to the end was commendable.

The author rounds out his trip down memory lane by following the respective fates of each key player up to the mid-1990s by which time we had said farewell to Peter, Sammy and Dean. In the year the book was published we also lost Frank. When Joey finally floats away to that big nightclub in the sky it will truly be the end of an era.

Many of the anecdotes and most of the quotes in this tome will be familiar to readers who have had an interest in the subject for some time. Still, as Levy clearly points out in his acknowledgements at the end of the book (which would have been much more useful at the beginning) he was not trying to split the atom or deliver a startling batch of revelations. The project was merely intended to articulate his personal observations of the Clan and the wider careers of its various members.

The chronology is slightly disjointed and Levy's theory that the arrival of the Beatles somehow had a serious impact on the careers of such towering middle of the road performers as Sinatra and Martin is decidedly shaky. If anything, the 'British Invasion' may well have given these long established stars a substantial boost, certainly in the eyes of the adult public, as they provided a comforting thread of continuity in rapidly changing times. Of course, they had already stared-down the potential threat of Elvis Presley and his many imitators. It needs to be noted that Sinatra went on to score at least three gold records long after the Beatles had appeared on the scene. In fact, years after the Fab Four had gone their separate ways 'Old Blue Eyes' would come back with a vengeance and lob what may well have been his biggest ever hit(?) "New York, New York" into Top 40 charts across the globe.

In some ways, the 1970s saw the likes of Sinatra, Martin and Bob Hope reaching the very apex of their popular acclaim and quite possibly taking home the biggest pay checks of their entire careers. Apart from anything else, their additional talents as top flight TV hosts meant that they always had the edge over the generally inarticulate peddlers of rock 'n roll ditties. It was only the on-set of old age that forced these Herculean figures into retirement.

'Rat Pack Confidential' is essentially a collection of highlights from previously published books. However, Shawn Levy has cobbled the whole thing together with considerable panache and added an all-important touch of humor to the final mix.

The author sets the scene well in the prologue. He paints the conductor of this orchestra of self-absorption, Frank Sinatra, as a revered singer and actor, who somehow decided to set up a situation where people he was curious about would be set up around him, so he could watch them, contrast them and influence them.

The stage thus set is almost like an extended form of performance art. "T am so unique and so invulnerable that I can make this happen, and make people like it." Many "American Idols" have done this, but few did what Frank did: set up a group like the Rat Pack to bounce along with.

Two figures of great significance emerge outside the perimeter in this story: John Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. The former seems most similar to Sinatra himself: glad to have others feel that they are taking advantage of him, while constantly doing just the reverse. The latter is just awfully sad: a directionless icon who loses all sense of life purpose and whose end is almost a relief.

The part I liked the best was how Frank builds an extensive compound, including Secret Service and helicopter support, which Kennedy completely spurns. It was a comeuppance that Frank totally deserved.

You'll enjoy this book. And, as others have observed here, Nick Tosches' book, "Dino," is a natural companion.

I bought this book as more of a fill in the gaps type of curiosity I had after watching HBO's "The Rat Pack" (see it if you can). After watching the two hour movie, I was intrigued about how the Rat Pack was formed, how it lived, how it disbanded and all the great stories that went with it...

This book delivers all that and much more.

It is a friendly read, neither critical or praising; straight down the line as accurate and level headed as can be.

What I really enjoyed was the origins of each of the members. Then there was the mafia and multiple dames tie-ins. The Kennedy's are portrayed in this book and it lends to a great history lesson in back door politics.

Then the book closes with the eventual downfall of their swinging empire. What exactly happened to each cast member and the people that surrounded them. Its all answered.

This book gives great insight to each of the players. By the end of each chapter I was sure whether I loved them, or hated them.

A definite must read!!!

Rat Pack Confidential gives a 101 level course of the group, highlighting the fun they had together makes movies and showing off at the Vegas clubs. It then chronicles the toubles they had together (Why did Sammy alientate himself from Frank?) and then their downfalls as indvidiuals (Dean's descent into alcoholism). Longer books could (and have been) written about each of them indivdiually, but this succinctly captures their spirit in both the glamour and their squalor. It accomplishes what it sets out to do.

I found this book to be enlightening and enjoyable, filling in some gaps in my knowledge of the Rat Pack. It did, however, suffer from something that happens fairly often in popular histories, and that is a shading of facts to fit the premise of the book. In this case, the premise is that "It's Frank Sinatra's world, we're just living in it". Author Shawn Levy makes that point over and over again at every turn, sometimes making bold statements about Frank's superior style or entertainment abilities, which really was unnecessary and took away from the book, in my opinion.

All-in-all, a good and informative read for Rat Pack fans.

This was a book I almost didn't buy...and I am GLAD I did. I STRONGLY recommend it for anyone interested in the Rat Pack -- the male-bonded mega-and-not-so-mega entertainers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop -- who epitomized Eisenhower/Kennedy era adult "cool" and were atop the show biz heap. If you've read other books on these folks and their era this pulls them all together (with a writing style that is fun, although at times a bit forced and annoying).

If you're a younger person and just want to learn about it, or in show biz and want to learn more, this is the perfect starting point. The reason: it's not just about entertainers but the sometimes insidious links between the entertainment, political, and organized crime worlds. A LOT has been written elsewhere about how Frank Sinatra used Peter Lawford for access to the Kennedys, and how he dropped him mercilessly when he was angered and was of no further use. The book also underlines the public images ("cool," talented, pretending to be drunk at times as part of an act that audiences lapped up) and the behind-the-scenes near-sleaziness of excess drink, sex and egotistical acting out. You also get to know the era's colorful cast of characters, including Marilyn Monroe.

These segments are gripping enough, but major revelations include: 1)Their reign didn't really last more than four full years. 2)Being in or being forced out of the Rat Pack could make or break a career (Davis and Lawford found this out). 3)While Sinatra and others tried being "cool" and individualistic, they seemingly role played (Sinatra was influenced by Humphrey Bogart; some others by the Bogart-influenced Sinatra) but ONE member TRULY did it HIS WAY...and that was Dean Martin. He stayed himself, not allowing himself to be ordered around by either Sinatra or Mafia-tied figures. In the end, you walk away realizing the underrated Martin was the era's true "cool" hero --and Lawford and Monroe its true victims. A WONDERFUL READ!

Whoever titled this book ought to be shot. It sounds so inane. Nevertheless, the content is pretty darned good. A fascinating look at the Rise and long fall of Rat Pack, Levy constructs a fascinating, if not particularly deep book. The stories may be familar to many, but for someone who is not initmately familar with the Summit crew, it is a great intro. I've been a Frank guy for a long time, but now I know a bit more about the other packers. Levy is honest and straight forward. The stories about the Kennedys, the mob, the women, and oh yeah, the music are all here. The book is written in a style not unlike the boys--kind of all over the place, but it gets it right when the spotlight is on. It treats the subjects, all, with some degree with sympathy--with Peter and Sammy emerging with a great deal of sadness. A worthwhile and at times absorbing read. Levy is much less confident when he talks about the music--and is better when he deals with the stories. I enjoyed the last few chapters which deal with his analysis of the end. A well thought out thesis and about the last great American party. Well worth the 15 bucks.

The Rat Pack Confidential truly takes the reader into the wild world of Las Vegas and Hollywood. After seeing the movie on Home Box Office; I had to read the book to see if it was all true. The book is not just about the wild times. It tells the story of how five men from five different worlds to become vital forces into the entertainment field. Plus, you get a true inside of how JFK lost control of his private life and a true in Frank Sinatra.

This book is an easy read. I finished it in 2 days. It does jump around a bit time-wise, but does a great job of capturing the flavor of these men and the era. Lots of other Hollywood stars are mentioned as they are relevant to the Pack. The one star reviews are way too harsh on this book. It's funny, entertaining, and rather informative. It goes right up to each member's death. Well written & well worth the nominal price.