With Frank Sinatra's recent passing, all but one of the original Rat Pack have gone to that great big kidney-shaped pool in the sky. Vegas will never be the same. But if you're a fan of the desert dry martini, zoot suits, or Frank's vocal stylings, you can still relive the sauve moves of Dino and the gang at some of the following sites.
A Tribute to the Rat Pack
The Rat Pack home page opens with a groovy photo of the original Rat Packers, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop, striking a pose in front of the now razed Sands marquee in Las Vegas. All of the cuckoo, crazy graphics can take a while to load. So, be a cool cat and sit back and enjoy the ride, baby. If you're feeling especially saucy, you can enter "the pad" where lots of zany stuff awaits you. You'll find loads of information on your favorite packers with black and white images and kooky commentary from the Webmaster. In the links area, I was surprised to find Hofstra University's Frank Sinatra home page. It is designed to complement an actual academic conference detailing with the entertainer's life. The conference isn't until 1998, so they've got plenty of time to work on the site. There's also plenty of information, links, and photographs of Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. If it's tracks you're looking for, you can order up tunes from CD Universe. Lastly, one of the most entertaining features is a spooky animated GIF of the legendary Sands Hotel slowly being demolished.
The Dean Martin Fan Center
Dean "Dino" Martin retired to that big casino in the sky on Christmas Day in 1995 at his Beverly Hills home of an acute respiratory failure. And although he has cashed in his proverbial chips, his memory is alive and well in cyberspace. At the Dean Martin home page fans or just the curious can find information on the films of Dean Martin via a convenient chronological listing. A link to TV Now provides a listing, along with a synopsis, of all the Dean Martin movies on television for the upcoming month. Or you can send your cyber bim bam baby a wacky digital postcard or post a message on the message board. Most of the news is current as well with notes about upcoming celebrations marking Dino's birthday. The Trading Post has lots of folks looking for rarities such as copies of the Dean Martin Show as well as a proffering of goodies like Ocean's 11 lobby cards. Others may enjoy the links to the Jerry Lewis home page. Or maybe you'd like to mix up a pitcher of martinis and search for Dean on Usenet Newsgroups. Particularly interesting is the archive of articles on the singer. The song section is a bit disappointing and has only 2 songs: "Angel Baby" and "5 Card Stud", but they do help you scout out rare recordings.
Sammy Davis, Jr. Entertainer (now defunct). See instead, The Official Sammy Davis Jr. Websits
Sammy Davis, Jr., a Harlem native and premier Rat Packer, died on May 16, 1990. The Sammy Davis, Jr. Entertainer site is a touching and thorough tribute written in narrative form. However, the creator, James Thorburn, is at times apologetic for the star, citing his tax problems and has-been hoofer status. But then he turns around and defines Davis as the greatest entertainer of all time. Topics at the Sammy page include Sammy and Judaism with a snarky section titled Sammy's Commandments (example: Thou shalt not swing with another cat's chick). The Sammy on Film section has opinionated descriptions and photos with especially cheeky comments on the Cannonball Run fiascoes. There's plenty of information on Sammy's involvement with the Will Mastin Trio, his childhood, and his army days. Did you know that he went through basic training eight times? And there are digital images of the famous encounter in which Davis hugged an unsuspecting President Nixon. In all, a revealing Web look at the entertainer who was much more than the Candy Man.
Ratpack Rarities
Ratpack Rarities is committed to helping hep cats find items related to the rare performances of the Rat Pack as well as memorabilia associated with the individual members: Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. Here you can acquire rare vinyl, buy videos of Dean Martin TV Shows and Frank Sinatra performances. After cruising the trading posts of other Rat Pack sites, I realized that many sought after items are available in surplus at the Ratpack Rarities webstation. The most unique item for sale, however, is the"Rat Pad" which is a mouse pad with the members of the Rat Pack standing in front of the legendary Sands Hotel. This would prove a great gift for your favorite cat. And for those who are just browsing, there are plenty of neato digital images in the photo gallery. For real cheese, check out the Jim & Vic's Sounds of the Rat Pack link. Rarities has something for everyone. |
