Sunday, October 21, 2007

AVE ATQUE VALE, RAT PACK

With the recent passing of Joey Bishop, the Rat Pack - that iconic gang of fun-loving entertainers so beloved in the 1960’s - now belongs to the ages. Joey was the last of the Pack to head off to the Great Las Vegas Lounge in the Sky, predeceased by Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Back in the day, the Pack dominated popular entertainment, making their presence known not only in Las Vegas (where they entertained frequently and, just as frequently, made impromptu appearances at each other’s performances), but in movies and popular music. There was even a White House connection, thanks to Peter Lawford (John F. Kennedy’s brother-in-law); this, combined with Sinatra’s Mob connections, gave the group a certain amount of political influence as well as notoriety.

The demise of the Rat Pack has left a vacuum in the world of entertainment. And in these nanny-state, politically correct days, all of that hard-drinking (Martinis! Whiskey!), cigarette-smoking, and starlet-fucking behavior for which the Rat Packers were famous would be a hard act to follow.

But not to worry...because the Blown-Eyes have the situation well in hand...



Presenting...the Cat Pack!

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