The Rat Pack's Las Vegas

If Sinatra reigned as the king of Las Vegas, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop were the king's court. Collectively, they were known as the "rat pack," and they brought a swinging, carefree style to Vegas back in the '50s and '60s. The Rat Pack's Las Vegas recalls how the gambling mecca's casinos (notably the Sands), came to Sinatra's rescue when he fell out of favor with the movie studios, due to his passionate, public affair with Ava Gardner, combined with questions concerning his connections to the Mob. Sinatra remained popular with the high rollers of Vegas, however, securing a lucrative, ongoing gig at the Sands, which was only enhanced when he won an Oscar for From Here to Eternity. The high point of rat pack history occurred early in 1960, when the boys filmed Ocean's 11 (recently remade by Traffic director Steven Soderbergh) by day, entertained in the Copa room at night, and sometimes continued the action at the casino's gaming tables. Lawford's brother-in-law, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, caught the Copa act, then retired to Sinatra's private digs for "lunch" with Judith Campbell, who also shared affections with Mob boss Sam Giancana. (JFK is only seen in blurry footage, and the video notes his campaign staff tried to expunge as much evidence of his visit as possible.) On a more positive note, Sinatra fought to end racist policies which kept Sammy Davis and other blacks from using hotel facilities, and also helped erase the image of a gangster controlled cow town by encouraging a higher level of sophistication in the (now demolished) Sands' style and services. Sadly, this video's approach to the material is both silly and superficial, using impersonators to recreate "historic" moments that seem rather childish, viewed from a perspective of 40 years later. Libraries should consider the recently released A&E documentary The Rat Pack instead, which offers a more probing look. Not recommended. Aud: P. (S. Rees)