UPDATED 4/5/98

The Rat Pack

The Hey-Hey Days of Frank and the Boys

(In my opinion...and you know what they say about those...)

With two books being released about the Rat Pack (this one and another to be out in May) and the HBO flick being filmed at this time, my first impressions were that we would learn a lot more about the old gang than previously written down through the years. After reading this book I am a little disappointed. Nothing really new here for those of us who have been fans down through the ages.

The authors do make an effort to tell each individual Rat Packer's story, how each got started in the business and how they became a part of the group, beginning with the original members, headed by Humphrey Bogart. Again, all of this has been well documented in previous books and publications.

What makes this book different than others is the way the authors paint their pictures of the members of the Rat Pack. They tend to give the seedy side of show business the lead here...that's what sells, right?...but there are misquotes and poetic license taken throughout.

If you are a true fan of any of the Pack, Frank-Dean-Sammy-Peter-Joey, etc., these mistakes will stand out to you, because you will know better. If you are new fans or just the average reader who wants to know more about those swinging days of COOL, read this book with an open mind, knowing that everything in it cannot be true. Of course, many of the lurid details ARE fact, those events recorded in papers, magazines, news reports...but watch out for hearsay...it can misguide you.

I can read books like this and let certain things slide because the authors have the right to write this stuff but what gets to me is when certain facts, as small as they may be, are not correct, which means that the authors and publishers did not do their homework.

Cases in point: They say that Dean was the first host of the Hollywood Palace, a weekly variety show that was aired for many years. As far as I remember, it was Bing Crosby who was the first host, and if my memory serves me right, Bing also closed the series when it went off the air. (If I am wrong, please correct me.) Also, it seems to me that when someone dies on Christmas Day, it should be fairly easy to remember. They report that Dean "...slipped into the long night in early January of 1996." What is that? Laziness? Get the facts straight at least. (This also happened on the Biography program on A&E, after the bio on Dean had been aired on Labor Day Monday and then again immediately after Dean died. The following year they re-aired the program and Peter Graves, the host, reported that Dean died on December 26. For all the $$$ it costs to do these shows and write these books you'd think that a little more time would be spent to get the facts clear.)

***The recent reairing in early April changed the opening intro and closing by Peter Graves, and this time DID get the date of Dean's death right.

The price of $23.95 is about normal now for hardcover books. Although I tend to buy and read anything regarding Dean, I was not overwhelmed by this mish-mash, but like true fans that we are we will continue to purchase whatever comes out about Dean, the gang and the so-called Hey Hey Days of Frank and the Boys. (This comes a close second to the weird sub-title "Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams". Where do they get these titles from?

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John Wayne--My Father

This book, written by the Duke's daughter, Aissa, tells a side of Wayne that only can be told through a daughter's eyes. This is not a "Daddy Dearest" kind of book, telling of how mean her father was to her, but she shares her feelings and insights of a man who was all too human at home, not like the image we know and idolize from the big screen.

Although some of the things she talks about are very personal, things between not only her father, but also her mother and other members of her family, she does not do it in a hurtful way, just in a way to let us know her side of what was going on at certain moments in the lives of the Wayne family.

Dean and his family are mentioned a few times in the book, regarding The Sons of Katie Elder and birthday parties attended by some of Dean's children. This is interesting reading if you are a Wayne fan. This is a soft cover book priced at $10.95.

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The Way You Wear Your Hat

Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin'

I enjoyed reading this book, not so much for its' content but for the style in which it is written. Stories that are mentioned are, again, things that have been printed over and over again, carrying on the legend of Frank, Dean and the others, but it seems written with reverence rather than vehemence. What I REALLY like about the book is that it includes many pictures of Dean in relaxed situations, in dressing rooms, in the background of pix taken of Sinatra, where Dean is not "ON", just himself. There are also "Summit" pix that I haven't seen before, showing the excitement and fun the fellas were having on stage. Again, the price is in the $23.00 range, so save up. I looked through all of the new books on Sinatra that have seem the come out all at once and this is the one I thought I would enjoy more.

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Rhinestone Cowboy

This autobiography by Glen Campbell is good if you are into his career and music. He mentions Jimmy Bowen and Dean in a short segment about his participation in the sessions he did with Dean. This book came out about 4 years ago.

Dean as Glen Campbell during a Thursday Night Laugh Fest