Rat Pack Impressions

When the Rat Pack performed, in addition to songs and jokes, there were often some celebrity impressions thrown into the mix. Dean did pretty good impressions of Clark Gable and Cary Grant, and Frank played around as James Cagney. But the real impressionist in the group was Sammy, who did some spot-on imitations, both talking and singing.

But when it was time for the impressions, Frank and Dean pretended to make it hard for Sammy, by inviting him to the microphone and then cutting him off. They're seen needling Sammy this way during the Rat Pack benefit show filmed in St. Louis that's available on DVD.

When Sammy did his impressions, they included great imitations of singers like Tony Bennett, Vaughn Monroe and Nat King Cole, with the crowning touch being his singing impressions of both Dean and Frank as they looked on.

Today, you'll see impressions of Frank, Dean and Sammy performed by Rat Pack Impersonators.

Rat Pack Impersonators keep Mr. Bojangles alive

One of the most popular songs in a Rat Pack Tribute show is Mr. Bojangles, as it was performed by Sammy Davis Jr. Sammy's poignant treatment of the tune is captured by many of today's
Rat Pack Impersonators. Sammy had an album titled Mr. Bojangles, and after his death, his wife Altovise launched a live stage show about Sammy's musical career, named after the song.

But Mr. Bojangles, so associated with Sammy, was recorded by many diverse artists, including Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, John Denver, Chet Atkins, Elton John, Jim Croce, and Harry Belafonte, among others. In 1971, a version by a group called The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band reached number 9 on the Billboard pop chart.

These days, you're most likely to hear Mr. Bojangles performed in Sammy's style during a Rat Pack Tribute, where a performer will put on white gloves and a derby and offer a vocal, whistling, some tap dancing, and a lot of emotion. . .the way Sammy did it.

To see Sammy performing Mr. Bojangles, visit this Rat Pack Tribute Page at YouTube.

A Frank and Bing Christmas

Rat Pack stars Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were both influenced by Bing Crosby. And Bing had another Rat Pack connection as one of the stars of the Rat Pack film Robin & The Seven Hoods. So Frank and Bing were well matched for a Christmas TV special in 1957 called Happy Holidays With Bing and Frank. It has Bing dropping in on Frank for some banter and songs, which also includes scenes of the two stars in England, and a duet of Bing's signature song, White Christmas.

The show is available on DVD and includes interviews with Frank's daughters Nancy and Tina. Plus, there's a photo gallery bonus of never-before-seen Christmas cards that show some of Frank's original paintings.

Rat Pack Tribute shows often include songs from this Frank and Bing special, performed by Frank, Dean and Sammy Impersonators.

Celebrating a Rat Pack Member's Life

Every year, Ohio is the site of a celebration of the life of Dean Martin in the city of Steubenville, where he was born and spent his early years. The event goes on for four days each June, the month in which Dean was born (birthday: June 7th) During the festival, locals and visitors take in parades, contests, Italian food, and plenty of entertainment including performances by Rat Pack Impersonators. And of course, there are many fond reminiscences of Dean from people who knew him. It's an upbeat, fun event, with festivities including a meatball eating competition.

The star of the Festival is Dean's daughter Deana who presides over the celebration and sings for the visitors. Deana happens to be a fine singer who does concerts around the country and has also hosted her own nationally syndicated radio show.

To learn more about the Dean Martin Festival, visit the festival's official website, and for a show re-creating Frank, Dean and Sammy, visit this tribute to the Rat Pack.

The Original Rat Pack around Bogart and Bacall

Before Frank Sinatra assembled his Las Vegas Rat Pack of the 60's, he was part of an earlier Rat Pack group of the 50's set in Holmby Hills California, near Beverly Hills. It centered around Humphrey Bogart and his wife Lauren Bacall, who is believed to have come up with the name, not necessarily as a compliment.

There were even titles for the key members, with Bogart as rat in charge of public relations, Bacall as den mother, Judy Garland as first vice-president, her husband Sid Luft as cage master, and agent Swifty Lazar as recording secretary and treasurer, plus of course, Frank Sinatra as pack master.

Other members of the original Rat Pack were actors David Niven, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy, director George Cukor, restaurateur Michael Romanoff, and Sinatra friend and songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen.

Someone in the group even created a coat of arms -- a rat gnawing on a human hand, and a motto: "Never rat on a rat". But in spite of those refinements, and those official titles, the members' only real responsibilities were to show up and drink together.

Today, it's Frank's 60's group that's re-created in theaters and casinos presenting tributes to the Rat Pack, featuring performers known as Rat Pack Impersonators.

A Photographer In The Rat Pack

Besides singing and dancing, Rat Pack star Sammy Davis Jr. had another passion: Photography. He always had a camera on hand and took photos that often included his Rat Pack co-stars Frank and Dean, and other celebrities including Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, and James Dean.

Sammy also captured up-close images of famous figures like Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. And he documented his everyday life as well as his participation in events like the 1963 Civil Rights march on Washington.

Sammy's camera work is featured in a book called Photo by Sammy Davis Jr. which also features recollections by Sammy's friend and associate Burt Boyar, who also collaborated with Sammy on two autobiographies of this versatile performer who's so important to any tribute to The Rat Pack.

A Rat Pack Party at Dean's House

According to Frank Sinatra's longest running opening act, comedian Tom Dreesen who related this story to the Rat Pack Impersonators Group, a party one night at Dean Martin's house took an unexpected turn. The guys were all there, along with some other guests, as a trio played and people joked and drank. About 11:00 PM the doorbell rang and when Dean's wife answered it, she saw the police standing there. They told her that there were complaints about the noise. Jeannie was surprised, because she had alerted the neighbors that there was going to be a get-together, and they were all fine with it.

Then Frank noticed that Dean was nowhere to be found. He went to Dean's bedroom where he found Dean on the bed. It soon became clear who blew the whistle. Dean, who had a passion for golf, explained that he wanted to get a good night's sleep and get up early to play, thus becoming possibly the first person ever to call the police on his own party.