This week, Ira spoke with Richard A. Lertzman, author (along with Lon Davis) of “Deconstructing the Rat Pack: Joey, the Mob, and the Summit, ” published by Prestige Cinema Books.
In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Lertzman talks about the enduring legacy of “The Summit”; how a well-organized publicity stunt that created a show that lasted 28 days in 1960 continues to fascinate people today; how the show was put together and why the principals (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr) treated it as a business decision; the myth of the shows’ spontaneity; the mob’s influence in Las Vegas and the part it played in the Rat Pack’s formation; why Joey Bishop was chosen to be a part of the Rat Pack; and why he rose and fell in show business.
Lertzman is the author of several books including “Dr. Feelgood,” “The Life and Times of Mickey Rooney,” “Beyond Columbo: The Life and Times of Peter Falk” and “The Dr. Feelgood Casefiles.”
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