By 1991, Martin had unofficially retired from performing. The recognized leader was singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and the group (Famous for its Vegas shows, done while filming Oceans Eleven) consisted of other top talents, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., actor Peter Lawford, and Comedian Joey Bishop. In December 1990, he congratulated Frank Sinatra on his 75th birthday special. Collective name of several top entertainers who were known to pal around, and party, during the 1950s and 1960s. The members who ran together included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter The Rat Pack called themselves The Summit With his swingin pals. In 1990, he joined many stars of the entertainment industry in Sammy Davis, Jr’s 60th anniversary celebration, which aired only a few weeks before Davis died from throat cancer. The original star line up of the West End Rat Pack show Stephen Triffitt is Frank Sinatra Mark Adams is Dean Martin George Daniel Long is Sammy Davis Junior. Martin’s last two TV appearances both involved tributes to his former Rat Pack members. It was there he had his final reunion with Jerry Lewis on his 72nd birthday. His final Vegas shows were at the Bally’s Hotel in 1990. On one occasion, he infuriated Sinatra when he turned to him and muttered “Frank, what the hell are we doing up here?” Martin, who always responded best to a club audience, felt lost in the huge stadiums they were performing in (at Sinatra’s insistence), and he was not the least bit interested in drinking until dawn after their performances. A much-touted tour with Davis and Sinatra in 1988 sputtered. The Rat Pack Sands Hotel Las Vegas Hollywood Actors & Singers image 1.
FOUR MEMBERS OF THE RAT PACK FULL
On March 21, 1987, Martin’s son Dean Paul (formerly Dino of the ’60s “teeny-bopper” rock group Dino, Desi & Billy) was killed when his F-4 Phantom II jet fighter crashed while flying with the California Air National Guard. featuring The Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. Still, regardless of their full list of members or original naming aspirations, history has come to know the group as the Rat Pack, and Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop are considered its core members.