The Rat Pack

Artist unknown

I just read  an interesting article at Slate.com about the formation of the Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack and how the original movie Ocean's 11personified this group.  Sinatra and his group of tag-alongs became the symbol of playboy masculinity of the late 1950's and early 1960's.  While I know of some of their hijincks, I didn't know the genesis of the pack.

Most people think the Rat Pack consisted of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. with Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop playing secondary roles.  According to the article, the group was formed in 1955 after Sinatra invited a group of friends to Vegas for days of non-stop partying.  At one point, Humphrey Bogart's wife, Lauren Bacall saw how hungover and worn out they all looked and said, "You all look like a goddamn rat pack."  The name stuck.  

That is a funny genesis story, but what shocked me was that the beginning Rat Pack had women in it.  Some of the female members were Judy Garland and Lauren Bacall.  These ladies were high-up officers in the club and participated in the fun. 

All this debauched antics and craziness took its toll on its members.  Bogart, the group's rat in charge of public relations, once shared with a reporter the packs self serving purpose was "The relief of boredom and the perpetuation of independence. We admire ourselves and don't care for anyone else."   Bogart died in 1957 from cancer.

I find it interesting that even back then, the burden of celebrity had made these people create a group to escape its traps.  They no longer wanted to be constrained with being role models and the boredom from that life. 

What has changed since then?  Not much.   Many celebrities have his/her own entourage they hang out with.  This loyal group of friends help the big name cope with it all.  This coping can manifest in true help or dangerous help, depending on the enabling intentions of the group.  Many celebrities also hang out together because who else understand you better than fellow celebs.  Maybe one change though is the growing number of female celebrity rat packs like Paris Hilton playing with the Karsdashians and others. 

So, where does all this rambling about the Rat Pack mean for us mere peasants?  We all seek to be part of communities that understand us.  We have churches, clubs, careers, charities, and other groups that share our interests and challenges.  I like to hang out with models, artists and photographers.  I also like to hang out with other loners (I know that doesn't make sense, but for most of us loaners, we enjoy spending time with one or two others who appreciate and respect each others' privacy). We talk the same language and share similar experiences.  We go out together to push ourselves (not quite like the original Rat Pack) yet also have a safety net group to come back to who understand us.