Buzz
Even decades after their peak, the name "Rat Pack" instantly brings to mind the iconic trio of Frank, Sammy, and Dean. However, the term initially didn’t describe the male-dominated group many assume—in fact, its origins included women as well.
The original circle revolved around Humphrey Bogart and his close friends, including Judy Garland, David Niven, Angie Dickinson, talent agent Swifty Lazar, restaurateur Mike Romanoff, and, naturally, Frank Sinatra.
Stephen Bogart, the son of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, shared that the term was coined when his mother walked in on his father and the group during a rowdy Las Vegas weekend. “You look like a goddamn rat pack,” she quipped at the disheveled crew. Amused by the remark, they embraced it, and when she repeated it days later, the name became permanent.
As one of the world’s most elite clubs, the Rat Pack boasted a unique coat of arms (a rat chewing on a human hand) and a distinctive motto (“Never rat on a rat”). Members even held official titles: Sinatra was the Pack Master, Bacall the Den Mother, Garland the Vice President, her husband and manager Sid Luft the Cage Master, Lazar the Treasurer and Recording Secretary, and Bogart handled PR—though Stephen Bogart noted his father’s role was more like a “spiritual guide.”
“Membership required late nights and plenty of drinks, and every member stood against the P.T.A. We carried ourselves with dignity. And anyone who dared attack one of us faced serious consequences,” Bacall once remarked.
After Bogart’s passing in 1957, Sinatra naturally assumed leadership, both in spirit and action. The group now included his closest allies, the figures most linked to the term “Rat Pack” today—Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. Interestingly, this version of the group reportedly called themselves “the Clan” instead of the Rat Pack. In fact, during a 1987 announcement for a reunion tour titled “Together Again,” Sinatra scolded a reporter for using “that silly phrase.”
