What an era it was! JFK and the 'New Frontier', 'Camelot', "High Hopes", and the combined electricity of Frank, Dino, Sammy, Peter, and Joey, linked forever to the magic of the times. It was inevitable 'The Rat Pack' would make movies, and, at last, "The Rat Pack Ultimate Collectors Edition" offers all of their major film work. Are these films 'classics'? Certainly not! But they are all entertaining fun, and provide a glimpse at the hottest stars in America back when optimism was the key word, and the future seemed bright!



"Ocean's Eleven" (1960): Director Lewis Milestone ("All Quiet on the Western Front"), not known for his 'light' touch, did provide the most balanced direction of all the "Rat Pack" features. 11 army buddies execute the ultimate heist in Las Vegas, a device revived in George Clooney's 'remake', 40 years later. While most of the fun occurred 'off camera', as the boys drank and entertained at the Sands, each night of filming, you do get to see Dino sing "Ain't That a Kick in the Head", Sammy dance, a bit, and Frank with occasional girlfriend Angie Dickinson. Richard Conte, as a dying buddy, is terrific, and the film is a straightforward crime film with a twist. (3 stars, out of 4)



"Sergeants 3" (1962): John Sturges ("The Great Escape") was another director not known for comedy, but excellent in westerns and action films, which provides this Western reworking of "Gunga Din" a fast pace, and terrific climactic scenes. While the stereotypes of the time are present (Indians are all bloodthirsty and superstitious savages), the guys are obviously enjoying themselves (with Dino delivering Cary Grant's immortal line when confronted by hundreds of homicidal Indians). Famous as the film where Sammy borrowed, and lost, Duke Wayne's "Rio Bravo" Stetson! (3 stars, out of four)



"4 for Texas" (1963): Director Robert Aldrich's follow-up to "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?", this Western comedy only loosely qualifies as a 'Rat Pack' film (only Frank and Dino appear), but offers a flippant, laid-back attitude that personified the team. As competing gamblers who unite to open a riverboat casino, the pair share a taste in exotic European women (Anita Ekberg and Ursula Andress), and face some terrific villains (Charles Bronson and Victor Buono). Dino even has a comic moment with the 3 Stooges! Not great, but fun... (2 1/2 stars, out of 4)



"Robin and the Seven Hoods" (1964): Remarkably, the only true musical Frank, Dino, and Sammy ever made together! Directed by Gordon Douglas, this Capra-esque comedy resets the 'Robin Hood' story in 1930s Chicago, with the guys as likable mobsters assuming the persona's of Robin, Little John, and Will Scarlet. The villains are top-notch (Peter Falk and Victor Buono), Barbara Rush is an opportunistic 'Maid Marian', and, best of all, Bing Crosby guest stars as bookish Allen A. Dale (in the role Peter Lawford was to play, until Lawford and Sinatra had a falling out). GREAT songs (including Frank singing "Chicago...My Kind of Town"), classic screen character actors in support, and Edward G. Robinson, as Sinatra's mentor, all combine for a first-rate entertainment. Sadly, JFK was assassinated during the filming (which affected Sinatra, deeply, and ended the 'Rat Pack' era), but this would be a fitting finale, and the best of the films. (4 stars, out of 4).



Make a martini, and enjoy "The Rat Pack Ultimate Collectors Edition"!