The Rack Pack

Who were the Rat Pack? Only the hippest, coolest bunch of cats on either coast. The group originally sprung up around Humphrey Bogart, who's wife Lauren Bacall first named them. Seeing Bogie, Frank and a few of their cronies come straggling in from a night of carousing, Lauren exclaimed "You look like a goddamned rat pack!" The name stuck.

After Bogie's death, Frank became the group's nominal honcho ("the Leader"). Sometimes called "the Clan," Dean Martin ("Dag") and Sammy Davis, Jr. ("Smokey") were the other two full time members. Peter Lawford (JFK's "brother-in-lawford") and Joey Bishop rounded out the Pack, with occasional appearances by Shirley Maclaine as their honorary mascot and Girl Friday. (Frank never liked the name "Rat Pack." When he called the group anything, he preferred "The Summit.")
The Rat Pack made their home at the Copa Room in Jackie Entratter's Sands Hotel and Casino on the famed Las Vegas Strip. Sadly, the Sands (and the Copa Room along with it) no longer exists. It was a casualty of Las Vegas' expansion and the trend toward family entertainment. For a period of time in the early-to-mid sixties, though, it was the coolest spot in the Universe.
Surely these "Summit" meetings were the ultimate night club acts ever assembled. Frank, Dean, and Sammy carried the bulk of the show, singing, telling jokes, doing impressions, and cutting up. Fortunately, some of these routines have survived and they're a riot to watch and listen to.
The Rat Pack also made a few films together that you can watch and share along in the obvious fun that they had. "Robin and the Seven Hoods" and "Ocean's Eleven" feature the whole Pack.

Often, when one of the members was scheduled to give a performance, the rest of the Pack would show up for an impromptu show, causing much excitement among audiences, resulting in return visits. They sold out almost all of their appearances, and people would come pouring into Las Vegas, sometimes sleeping in cars and hotel lobbies when they could not find rooms, just to be part of the Rat Pack entertainment experience.

We consider ourselves the modern day RAT PACK. Brandon "Vader" Wiggins, Tee "The Future of Fashion" Mott, Kamar "The Black James Bond" Zachery.

This was our trip to THE MAGIC SHOW in Vegas Summer 2010.