OCEANS 11 RETRO FABULOUS FILMS!

Many people have seen Ocean’s Eleven and can probably recite George Clooney’s every line in the 2001 classic casino heist movie. The movie boasts numerous world famous actors, including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, and Andy Garcia, and it is set in some of the most stunning places in Vegas. However, while everyone enjoys a great heist movie, many people do not know that Ocean’s Eleven is actually a remake of a very similar 1960s film, not surprisingly titled Ocean’s 11. While Vegas has changed a lot in fifty years, the fundamental elements of the movie are the same, and it is a must see for any fan of organized crime movies.

Vegas really began to grow into what it is today with the construction of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s, when Boulder City was developed to entertain the construction works from the Dam project. While gambling and alcohol were illegal in the prohibition days, many mobsters began providing this form of entertainment to workers.

Upon seeing how profitable the gambling business was, the state of Nevada began issuing gambling licenses, and El Rancho Vegas became the first resort in Las Vegas in 1941. As World War II wound down, gangster Bugsy Siegal and mob boss Meyer Lansky worked together to open The Flamingo in 1946, and many more resort casinos were to follow.

This is the same time period that Ocean’s 11 is concerned with, as the story consists of World War II 82nd Airborne veterans who work together to pull off heists at five of the leading resorts in Vegas: the Sahara, Riviera, Desert Inn, Sands, and Flamingo. This is an interesting time period for the movie to take place in, as it is a classic organized crime flick. After all, the casino industry was heavily driven by mobsters to begin with, and Ocean’s 11 is all about a group of intelligent friends committing organized crime—does it get any more gangster than this?

Of course, if you’ve seen the 2001 adaptation, you already have a good idea of what the plot is. There are several key differences, however. While the idea for using a “pinch” to knock out the power was directly inspired by the original, in which they knock out the power to the Strip, the reason for this changes. In 11, they do not use the power outage to skip past security. Instead, they use it to open the casino cashier cages. Rather than steal the money and walk out in person, they dump it in the trash and have one of their boys drive the garbage truck to collect the loot.

The ending is different as well and a better twist than what is found in Eleven, but I won’t ruin the surprise for those who haven’t seen it. If you were a fan of the “Ocean’s Trilogy” in the 2000s, you owe it to yourself to check out the 1960 film that started it all. The film is definitely worth a watch even for organized crime fans, as it is one of the first big mobster movies in the history of film. The characters in 11 might not have been actual mobsters, but they sure pulled off a mobster heist!

Movies have come a long way in the past fifty years, for sure. While you might not see many producers draining half a lake to create a single shot in 1960—I learned that lil' movie fact gem here—this movie boasts high production value in its own right. Starring the “Rat Pack,” including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, 11 had no shortage of famous actors to give it some impressive star power, and they do not fail in earning their reputation (Sinatra was even quoted for saying “forget the movie, let’s pull the job!”).

Boasting a star cast that rivals that of the 2001 remake, 11 is sure to impress and captivate audiences even in our modern age. With a video port in 2010 that boasts high reviews, you have nothing to worry about in giving the '60s a few hours of your time.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, and your closet is full of movies you have already seen dozens of times, spend some time learning the history of great modern films. You never know what might surprise you, and many fans of gangster and thriller movies claim that 11 is better than its modern remake. Even after fifty years, Ocean’s 11 remains a masterpiece and will live on for generations as a classic.

LAS VEGAS SUN: THE RAT PACK AND MORE

By Mary Manning

After the losing dice were tossed, a high roller sitting ringside and sipping a drink on the house could empathize with Frank Sinatra's song floating through the darkness of the Copa Room.

The Man, the Chairman of the Board, and his music made magic, helping people forget their troubles.

Those pangs of loss (lost cash or lost love) evaporated in an era when Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter and Joey came to the Sands, "A Place in the Sun,” on the Las Vegas Strip.

Casino Map 

As improbable as this elegant quintet’s launch in the desert seems, the Rat Pack attracted an avalanche of followers around the world in the early 1960s.

Although Las Vegas appeared on showbiz maps all over the country, the year 1960 vaulted the Rat Pack and Las Vegas into the spotlight as the Entertainment Capital of the World.

Between booze and broads, the Rat Pack became a legend as the best entertainment American audiences had seen or heard in the post-World War II era. The women who hung out with the Rat Pack were legend: Lauren Bacall, Juliet Prowse, Angie Dickinson, Shirley MacLaine, Marilyn Monroe.

Boomtown: The Story Behind Sin City

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DINO!

Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian.

One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed the "King of Cool" for his seemingly effortless charisma. He was a member of the "Rat Pack" and a star in concert stage/nightclubs, recordings, motion pictures, and television. He was the host of the television variety program The Dean Martin Show (1965–1974), and subsequently The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts (1974–1985).

Martin's relaxed, warbling crooning voice earned him dozens of hit singles including his signature songs "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?".

ONE OF MY VERY FAVORITES....  READ ALL ABOUT DEAN MARTIN HERE

**NEW** SINATRA BOOK FOR CHRISTMAS!

Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardiner

A new memoir by Frank Sinatra’s former valet recalls how the ratpack crooner would use him to break off relations with women on his behalf — often in most unpleasant fashion. Tony Consiglio writes in his posthumous memoir Sinatra And Me: The Very Good Years of several incidents involving Sinatra’s romantic interests which reveal a mile-wide vindictive streak in his former employer.

 In one such instance, Consiglio — an old high-school friend of Sinatra’s — recounts an evening where Frank was entertaining a young actress in Claridge, Atlantic City, who incurred his displeasure when talk turned to politics. When the lady in question returned to her room to slip into something more comfortable, Sinatra ordered Consiglio to go knock at her door with a plate of spare ribs and a special ‘message’ from his boss.

“I went to her room and knocked on the door,” he writes. “She opened the door wearing a beautiful light chiffon dressing gown over a transparent white negligee. She looked beautiful and ready for a long night. I told her that I was sorry to bother her, and that Frank had insisted that I deliver the spare ribs.

“When she reached out for the plate I hit her in the face with the ribs, sauce and all. I apologized again and went back to the suite. “Frank asked, ‘Did you do what I told you?’ I nodded yes.”

Not many people were allowed inside Frank Sinatra's inner circle. But Tony Consiglio was a boyhood friend of Sinatra's who remained his friend and confidant for over sixty years. One reason Sinatra valued Tony’s friendship is that he could be trusted: Sinatra nicknamed him "the Clam" because Tony never spoke to reporters or biographers about the singer.

From the early days when Sinatra was trying to establish himself as a singer to the mid-1960s, Tony worked with Sinatra and was there to share in the highs and lows of Sinatra's life and career. Tony was with Sinatra during his "bobby-soxer" megastar days in the 1940s, and he remained loyal to Sinatra during the lean years of the early 1950s, when "the Voice" was struggling with a crumbling singing and acting career—as well as his tumultuous marriage to Ava Gardner.

 Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak

Tony also had a front row seat to Sinatra's comeback in the 1950s, starting with his Academy Award–winning role in From Here to Eternity and a string of now-classic hit recordings. Tony's friendship with Sinatra allowed him to rub elbows with the Hollywood elite, including Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, Kim Novak, Ava Gardner, and many others. It also brought him close to the political world of the early 1960s, when Sinatra campaigned for John F. Kennedy and then helped plan the Kennedy inauguration.

Tony was even at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis, Massachusetts, when the election results came in. Sinatra and Me will shed new light on the real Frank Sinatra—from the man who knew him better than anyone.

ELVIS, FRANK, DEAN, CASINO AND OLD LAS VEGAS....

July 31, 1969 Elvis played Las Vegas and I like this gig the most as he hadn't started wearing those crazy white jumpsuits. Sorry folks but I have never liked those suits on E... Liked him best in Black Leather or in this black mohair suit in the photo above...

The coolest signs ever made were hanging on the Las Vegas strip in 1950's-1960's..sadly they are gone now..

The film Casino is one of my very favorite Martin Scorsese films.  I did a story awhile back on the real people/players of that film.  Here is a link to it.. Casino the True Players

Then I found a very cool old time Las Vegas photographs and 2 cool slide shows... The one below is colorful and quite historic...

This slide show is incredibly cool check the entire story.... Las Vegas Slide Show

The Rat Pack is my favorite of all Las Vegas entertainers...I did a story I love on Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.. ck that one out too if you are a huge fan like I am..

DEAN MARTIN'S TV SHOW WAS HYSTERICAL!

Dean Martin laughing...

Oh how I loved the Dean Martin TV show! My Mom loved it too so we often watched it together. You never knew what might happen on Dean's show. We especially loved Dean with Bob Newhart!

Dean loved golf more than work so in Dean's daughter Deana's book she spoke of how her Dad didn't rehearse on his show. He would show up and just wing it! OMG was it funny. When Dean loved another funny performer is was absolutely real when Dean cracked up with laughter.

FRANK SINATRA AND DEAN MARTIN: COOLNESS NEVER ENDS

FRANK SINATRA

He provided the soundtrack for several generations of Americans trying to navigate the rocky shoals of romance and grapple with love and heartbreak. And he became one of 20th-century pop culture’s quintessential men of contradictions: the bullying tough guy whose singing could radiate a remarkable tenderness and vulnerability; the ring-a-ding-ding Vegas sophisticate with an existential outlook on life; the jaunty urbanite who could deliver a torch song like no one else.

Fans could recognize his voice from two or three perfectly phrased syllables, and they knew him instantly from his style: the rakishly tilted hat, the coat slung over one shoulder, the Camels and Jack Daniel’s.

Dean Martin Discography

This is the Dean Martin Fan Center page and it is really good. I miss Dean and Frank. I read Dean's Daughter's book and I loved the back stories of Dean's life.

 The Rat Pack:

The 1960s version of the Rat Pack included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and for a brief stint, Norman Fell. Marilyn Monroe, Angie Dickinson, Juliet Prowse, and Shirley MacLaine were often referred to as the "Rat Pack Mascots", a title which reportedly made these ladies feel like "one of the boys".

FRANK SINATRA

The post-Bogart version of the group (Bogart died in 1957) was reportedly never called that name by any of its members — they called it the Summit or the Clan. "The Rat Pack" was a term used by journalists and outsiders, although it remains the lasting name for the group.

Often, when one of the members was scheduled to give a performance, the rest of the Pack would show up for an impromptu show, causing much excitement among audiences, resulting in return visits.

They sold out almost all of their appearances, and people would come pouring into Las Vegas, sometimes sleeping in cars and hotel lobbies when they could not find rooms, just to be part of the Rat Pack entertainment experience.

The marquees of the hotels at which they were performing as individuals would read, for example, "DEAN MARTIN - MAYBE FRANK - MAYBE SAMMY" as seen on a Sands Hotel sign.

Peter Lawford was a brother-in-law of President John F. Kennedy (dubbed "Brother-in-Lawford" by Sinatra), and the group played a role in campaigning for him and the Democrats, appearing at the July 11, 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

Lawford had asked Sinatra if he would have Kennedy as a guest at his Palm Springs house in March 1963, and Sinatra went to great lengths (including the construction of a helipad) to accommodate the President.

 Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr.

When Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy advised his brother to sever his ties to Sinatra because of the entertainer's association with Mafia figures such as Sam Giancana, the stay was cancelled.

Kennedy instead chose to stay at rival Bing Crosby's estate, which further infuriated Sinatra. Lawford was blamed for this, and Sinatra "never again had a good word for (him)" from that point onwards. Lawford's role in the upcoming 4 for Texas was written out, and his part in Robin and the Seven Hoods was given to Bing Crosby.

KIMMER'S FAVORITE JOHN WAYNE MOVIES!

John Wayne and favorite Leading lady Maureen O'Hara

THE QUIET MAN

This is my favorite of all of John Wayne's films.

Sean Thornton has returned from America to reclaim his homestead and escape his past. Sean's eye is caught by Mary Kate Danaher, a beautiful but poor maiden, and younger sister of ill-tempered "Red" Will Danaher. The riotous relationship that forms between Sean and Mary Kate, punctuated by Will's pugnacious attempts to keep them apart, form the main plot, with Sean's past as the dark undercurrent. Written by Steve Fenwick 

The Quiet Man Trailer Video
 

MCLINTOCK!

Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne in McLintock This rollicking western comedy is my favorite. Though the sexism in it is somewhat dated. The actors are all so good and all so funny! The cast included John's son Patrick and a young beautiful Stephanie Powers. I have this on my DVR and play it weekly as it cheers me so. Cattle baron George Washington McLintock fights his wife, his daughter, and political land-grabbers, finally "taming" them all in this Western comedy with Taming of the Shrew overtones. Written by Jim Beaver   

McLINTOCK VIDEO
 

RIO BRAVO

My second favorite features Dean Martin Walter Brennan and Rick Nelson (so cute) but deadly with a gun! Here they hole up in a jail with a bad guy and figure out how to save the town. The sheriff of a small town in southwest Texas must keep custody of a murderer whose brother, a powerful rancher, is trying to help him escape. 

After a friend is killed trying to muster support for him, he and his deputies - a disgraced drunk and a cantankerous old cripple - must find a way to hold out against the rancher's hired guns until the marshal arrives. In the meantime, matters are complicated by the presence of a young gunslinger - and a mysterious beauty who just came in on the last stagecoach. Written by scgary66 John Wayne and OMG Angie Dickinson! Who could resist her?
 

 

Rio Bravo Dean Martin and Rick Nelson Song
 

IN HARM'S WAY

John Wayne and Patricia Neal were a hot pair! The story opens on the night of December 6, 1941, at a dance in the Officers' Club at Pearl Harbor. We are at first introduced to Lieutenant (j.g.) William 'Mac' McConnel (Tom Tryon) and his wife Beverly (Paula Prentiss), who can't help but notice a visibly inebriated Liz Eddington (Barbara Bouchet) dancing with an Army Air Corps major (Hugh O'Brian) - spiting her husband who is at sea on gunnery practice.  

When the band launches into an upbeat swing tune, Liz engages in an exotic dance that for better or for worse draws the attention of every person in the club. Mac finally asks the band to make an end and play something else, which is heeded to Liz's disappointment. Her lover escorts her from the premises and takes her to spend the rest of the night on a beach near the base. Read full story with spoilers HERE Oh what an exciting film! I highly recommend Kirk Douglas' performance as the stand out!

EL DORADO

John Wayne and Robert Mitchum The way to make a good movie, according to El Dorado director Howard Hawks, is to have a couple of good parts and not to annoy anyone. Exercising this restraint was what guided Hawks' career, and it's most visible in El Dorado, a virtual remake of his hit Rio Bravo. 

This time, it's Robert Mitchum instead of Dean Martin, and James Caan in for Ricky Nelson. But rather than mimic the pout and snarl of Nelson's Rio Bravo teen rebel, Caan is so insolent, he refuses to even play it cool.It is almost identical to Rio Bravo but James Caan really added a new element to this film. Quite difference between Robert Mitchum and Dean Martin too. Still I love this film James Caan John Wayne Robert Fuller