Ep. 59: The Rat Pack Members
Intro
Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.
Today's episode will be on a group that formed for their love of drinking, smoking, gambling, womanizing, and of course entertaining. The Rat Pack formed with casual meetings at Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall’s Los Angeles home where they were actually originally known as the “Clan”.
Their influence was huge in entertainment and Hollywood and also as far up as the president of the United States of America. Some may even say a vague link to a certain assassination.
Today’s mnemonic is on the 5 Rat Pack Members.
With that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.
Wikipedia Summary
The Rat Pack was an informal group of entertainers, the second iteration of which ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business friends, such as Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra and others who met casually at the Holmby Hills home of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.[1] In the 1960s, the group featured Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and (before falling out with Sinatra in 1962) Peter Lawford, among others. They appeared together on stage and in films in the 1950s and 1960s, including the films Ocean's 11,[2] and Sergeants 3; after Lawford's expulsion, they filmed Robin and the 7 Hoods with Bing Crosby in what was to have been Lawford's role. Sinatra, Martin, and Davis were regarded as the group's lead members after Bogart's death.[3][4]
The name "Rat Pack" was first used to refer to a group of friends in New York,[5][6] and several explanations have been offered for the name. According to one version, Lauren Bacall saw her husband Humphrey Bogart and his friends returning from a night in Las Vegas and said, "You look like a goddamn rat pack."[5] "Rat Pack" may also be a shortened version of "Holmby Hills Rat Pack", a reference to the home of Bogart and Bacall[5][6] which served as a regular hangout of the same group of friends during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Sinatra portrait in 1957. Frank Sinatra became the Rat Pack leader from 1957 on in the wake of Humphrey Bogart's death.
Visiting members included Errol Flynn, Ava Gardner, Nat King Cole, Robert Mitchum, Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, Mickey Rooney, Lena Horne, Jerry Lewis, and Cesar Romero. According to Stephen Bogart, the original members of the Holmby Hills Rat Pack were Frank Sinatra (pack master), Judy Garland (first vice-president), Sid Luft (cage master), Bogart (rat in charge of public relations), Swifty Lazar (recording secretary and treasurer), Nathaniel Benchley (historian), David Niven, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, George Cukor, Cary Grant, Rex Harrison, and Jimmy Van Heusen.[5][6]
Peter Lawford was a brother-in-law of President John F. Kennedy (dubbed "Brother-in-Lawford" by Sinatra),[12] and Kennedy spent time with Sinatra and the others when he visited Las Vegas, during which members sometimes referred to the group as "the Jack Pack". Rat Pack members played a role in campaigning for Kennedy and the Democrats, appearing at the July 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.[13] Lawford asked Sinatra if he would have Kennedy as a guest at his Palm Springs house in March 1962 and Sinatra went to great lengths to accommodate the President, including the construction of a helipad.[14] Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy advised his brother to sever ties to Sinatra because of his association with Mafia figures such as Sam Giancana and he canceled the visit.[15] Kennedy instead stayed at Bing Crosby's estate, which further infuriated Sinatra.[16] Lawford was blamed for this and Sinatra "never again had a good word" for him.[17] Lawford's role was written out of the upcoming 4 for Texas, and his part in Robin and the 7 Hoods was given to Bing Crosby.[16]
The early 1960s version of the group included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. This group was originally known as the "Clan",[8] but that name fell out of favor because it was reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan.[9][10]
Marilyn Monroe, Angie Dickinson, Juliet Prowse, Buddy Greco, and Shirley MacLaine were often referred to as the "Rat Pack Mascots".
Comedian Don Rickles wrote that "I never received an official membership card but Frank made me feel part of the fun."[11]
Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Pack]
Mnemonic
The Rat Pack Members Mnemonic – Frank Does Jazz, Swing & Pop
(Picture Frank Sinatra entertaining the group with his three styles of music, jazz, swing & pop)
1. Frank Sinatra
2. Dean Martin
3. Joey Bishop
4. Sammy Davis Jr.
5. Peter Lawford
Five Fun Facts
1. Originally, the Rat Pack was a group of friends centred around the group’s leader, Humphrey Bogart. The original members included Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney, Jerry Lewis and Cesar Romero.
They had a coat of arms and a motto of “Never rat on a rat”.
2. The Rat Pack didn’t actually call themselves the Rat Pack. They generally used the names, “The Summit” or “The Clan”.
3. The Rat Pack had several “associate” members, who were called the “Rat Pack Mascots,” which included Marilyn Monroe, Angie Dickinson, Shirley MacLaine, Lauren Bacall, Juliet Prowse and Judy Garland.
4. The main home of the Rat Pack was The Copa at the Sands in Las Vegas. It no longer stands and was imploded in 1996, after which the Venetian was built
5. The Rat Pack recorded five live albums together including “The Rat Pack Live at the Sands” in 1960.
Bonus Fact: Frank Sinatra once ordered 300 Bloody Marys from room service for a Rat Pack party.
And speaking of parties my local karaoke Bar has just banned all Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby songs …… Why? Well to prevent the spread of the crooner virus!
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Three Question Quiz
Q.1. What was the first movie that all five Rat Pack members appeared in together. Three tips: It was released in 1960, Frank Sinatra had the main role and the movie has been remade since
Q.2. Which Rat Pack member adapted and recorded a movie song for John F Kennedy’s 1960 campaign for US President?
Q.3. Which member of the Rat Pack was nicknamed Smokey and why?
Bonus Q. Which member of the Rat Pack took the famous photo of Ali & Frazer in their famous fight that was used on the cover of “Life Magazine” for the March, 1971 issue?
Mnemonic Recap
The Rat Pack Members Mnemonic – Frank Does Jazz, Swing & Pop
(Picture Frank Sinatra entertaining the group with his three styles of music, jazz, swing & pop)
1. Frank Sinatra
2. Dean Martin
3. Joey Bishop
4. Sammy Davis Jr.
5. Peter Lawford
Three Question Quiz Answers
Q.1. What was the first movie that all five Rat Pack members appeared in together. Three tips: It was released in 1960, Frank Sinatra had the main role and the movie has been remade since.
A. Ocean’s Eleven
Q.2. Which Rat Pack member adapted and recorded a movie song for John F Kennedy’s 1960 campaign for US President?
A. Frank Sinatra
Q.3. Which member of the Rat Pack was nicknamed Smokey and why?
A. Sammy Davis Junior and it was because he would smoke up to four packets of cigarettes a day
Bonus Q. Which member of the Rat Pack took the famous photo of Ali & Frazer in their famous fight that was used on the cover of “Life Magazine” for the March, 1971 issue?
A. Frank Sinatra, who was an accomplished photographer and avid boxing fan more than likely due to his father who boxed professionally
Word of the Week
avouch
[ uh-vouch ]
to make frank acknowledgment or affirmation of; declare or assert with positiveness.
Example
Frank Sinatra was partial to a drink and did avouch
“I feel sorry for people that don't drink because when they wake up in the morning, that is the best they're going to feel all day.”
Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]
https://www.themnemonictreepodcast.com/
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-mnemonic-tree-podcast/id1591795132
https://open.spotify.com/show/3T0LdIJ9PBQMXM3cdKd42Q?si=fqmaN2TNS8qqc7jOEVa-Cw
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_Pack
https://punstoppable.com/frank-sinatra-puns
https://www.zoo.com/quiz/what-do-you-know-the-rat-pack