![]() ![]() "That really impressed me," recalled Tom Donahue, director of "Dean Martin: King of Cool," who added, "He had a sense of honor." As a result, fellow Rat Pack member Dean Martin decided to forgo the ceremony as well, as a stand of solidarity. 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. One blow came on the day of JFK's inauguration. Thankfully, as Dreesen noted, the duo became close again "before they died," after Dean "checked himself into the hospital for kidney issues." As Tom Dreesen, Frank's opening comic, told Desert Sun, the pair began to have a "falling out" when Dean would refuse to party with his longtime chum. That's not to say the two performers didn't have their squabbles, either. "The Sinatras were a big part of our lives," Dean's daughter wrote, adding, "Tina and I hung out together all the time." Per Desert Sun, both the Martins and the Sinatras spent a lot of time together, and as Deana revealed in her book, " Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter's Eyes," she even considered Frank's daughter, Tina Sinatra, her "best friend" at one point. Of course, with such a strong bond, it's natural that this extended to their families, as well. each with an emerald-cut diamond" made for the both of them. The two performers were friends for an incredible 40 years, and were so close, in fact, that Sinatra had "matching pinky rings. 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, yet it was an "uneasy fit," and he was bitter that "aspects of his career were being ignored." "The Joey Bishop Show" lasted only two seasons. 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. Sadly, Bishop never saw the same sort of incredible success as his Pack peers. As Deadline notes, it was the comedian's quippy retorts and "deadpan delivery" that Sinatra appreciated - and was particularly useful in front of audiences. " wrote almost all the jokes they all did," recalled comedian Sandy Hackett after Bishop's death (via Tampa Bay Times). In the early 1960s (the Rat Pack's heyday), audiences were wowed by the casual banter on stage -– notably from Sinatra and Dean Martin. As Patti Gribow, Martin's former backup singer told the Desert Sun, although Dino would slur his words on stage and act like "a skirt chaser," in reality, he was really "just a sweetheart of a guy." It turns out that the whiskey that Dino had on stage was actually apple juice - Martinelli brand. with a running gag whenever he took a sip of the comedian's drink: "If this don't straighten my hair, nothing will."Īnd while Martin's shtick certainly worked, those who knew him best knew it was all for show. This would leave group member Sammy Davis Jr. In fact, per Biography, Frank Sinatra was even known to joke about his pal, "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. Considering the group was known for their alcohol-filled antics, Martin somehow became known as the posse's greatest boozehound. Of course, this persona also worked well as a member of the Rat Pack. ![]() It never happened due to the U2 spy-plane incident, and as such, Sinatra declared he would host his own "conference of cool." As revealed by the Las Vegas Sun, while it was a name that the press adopted, the group actually referred to themselves as "The Summit" - a take on "the planned Four Powers Paris Summit in 1960" that was set to include President Dwight Eisenhower, Nikita Khrushchev, Harold Macmillan, and Charles de Gaulle. Interestingly enough, while everyone else referred to the group as the Rat Pack, it wasn't a name that Frank Sinatra was fond of. According to CBS News, some examples included calling death "the big casino," while a regular man on the street was referred to as "Clyde." Considering they also saw Las Vegas as the central party hub of the country, the Rat Pack referred to anywhere else as "Dullsville, Ohio." As for ringleader Frank Sinatra himself? As Exner notes, the entertainer had various monikers, including "The Leader," "The General," "The Dago," and even "The Pope." ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |