I’m immersed in this thread and I find the Frank-Dean-Sammy “Together Again”
tour fascinating.
Ed, what is your response to Jonathan Schwartz’s question: What did Dean and
Sammy think as they stood backstage and watched Frank for all those years?
I am a big fan of them all, but there’s no question who was the Chairman of the
group and he deserved the biggest payday.
_____________
Jim Johnson
Rehoboth Beach, DE
On Mar 20, 2023, at 3:01 PM, Ed O'Brien <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Dino took a lot of persuading to do it, and Sammy needed a bumper pay day to
make amends with the IRS (who tied up his estate anyway for decades after
Sammy’s death). Interestingly, the financial split was very generous in
Frank’s favour and Sammy was philosophical about it apparently, and
frequently expressed how impressed he was by Frank’s business
representatives. Sammy’s business acumen was less than astute.
As for the show itself, Sammy is in great form. Frank does his best but
looked mildly bloated and tired - possibly as a result of meds. He looked
much better 18 months later. Dino’s lounge act couldn’t translate to this
setting. He never had the most powerful voice to begin with, but combined
with age and coming to terms with his son’s tragic early death this
inhospitable setting proved to be his undoing.
There was always forced bonhomie between these guys when they were in their
prime, but it is positively creaking here. Dino just didn’t want to be there.
And it showed.
-Vance
In all fairness, Frank deserved a larger piece of the net
profit. He was the one who could fill a coliseum. And often did.
The 3-22-88, in Bloomington, Minn, drew a record crowd of 32,000 plus. The
overwhelming majority were coming to see Frank,
not Sammy. What happened in Chicago was all about money. Dino was not able
to hold up his end.
Jonathan Schwartz called me one night and asked the following
question: " What did Dean and Sammy think as they
watched Frank from backstage year after year ?
Ed
1988 Oakland Coliseum, California
The "TOGETHER AGAIN" Tour (opening)
Orchestra Conducted By: Bill Miller
Other Performers: Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, jr.
Dean:
1. When You're Drinking / Bourbon From Heaven
2. Everybody Loves Somebody
3. Where Or When
4. Welcome To My World
5. Here Comes My Baby Back Again
6.. Little Ol' Winemaker Me
7. That's Amore
Sammy:
8. Here I'll Stay
9. monologue
10. Another Spring
11. I've Gotta Be Me
12. Medley: Sam & Drums
13. The Candy Man
14. What Kind Of Fool Am I
15. Mr. Bojangles
Frank:
16. I've Got The World On A String
17. What Now My Love
18. Maybe This Time
19. For Once In My Life
20. This Is All I Ask
21. Mack The Knife
22. medley: The Gal That Got Away / It Never Entered My Mind
23. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
24. New York, Now York
Frank, Dean & Sammy:
25. comedy
26. medley: Side By Side / I've Heard That Song Before / All Or Nothing
At All / Memories Are Made Of This / Something's Gotta Give / Love
And Marriage / Volare / That Old Black Magic / Witchcraft / Bye Bye
Blackbird / I Got Plenty O'Nuttin' / Come Fly With Me / Gonna Build
A Mountain / Oh, Marie / Hava Negilah / All Of Me / You'r Nobody
Till Somebody Love You
27. The Oldest Established
Frank, Sammy and Dean Open 29-City ‘Rat Pack’ Reunion Tour
THOMAS MURPHY
March 14, 1988
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) _ The rat pack is back.
Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, reunited for a 29-city, 40-
show tour Sunday night, brought their unique blend of fun times and good
tunes to the old fans who loved ’em way back when and young fans who’d never
had the chance.
″How long have I been on?″ deadpanned Martin after walking absent- mindedly
onto stage holding a cigarette and a glass of bourbon at the start of the
sold-out concert.
He then sang ″When You’re Smiling,″ changing the last word to drinking. To
rousing applause and a few shouts of ″louder,″ he then sang ″Bourbon From
Heaven.″
Davis, flashing his trademark gold jewelry hanging in chains down his chest,
was given a standing ovation for ″I’ve Got to Be Me,″ his signature song.
Davis drew applause when he mentioned he’d been in show business 59 years and
had been sober for three years.
The crowd applauded enthusiastically when he performed songs such as ″Candy
Man″ and ″What Kind of Fool am I?″
Sinatra was the real crowd pleaser, drawing huge ovations from the packed
house when he belted out such favorites as ″For Once In My Life,″ ″Mack the
Knife,″ ″You Are the Sunshine of My Life,″ and ″New York, New York.″
Davis and Martin rejoined Sinatra for the closing finale, which featured a
lot of kidding along with medleys of pop favorites from the last four decades.
″As far as we’re concerned,″ said Davis to Sinatra, ″and I can say this for
both of us, you’re still the chairman of the board.″
Martin added, ″Yeah, you’re still the chairman, we’re still bored.″
The tour’s opening show at the sold-out Oakland Coliseum also marked the 48th
anniversary of Sinatra’s first stage show: a 1940 appearance at New York’s
Paramount Theatre with big band leader Tommy Dorsey.
″The three of us, we love each other, and we have more fun than the
audience,″ Martin said when the tour was announced in January.
″We’re going to cities where none of those people have ever, never, seen
anything like us.″
The 70-year-old joker vowed to get the audience laughing ″and then they will
continue laughing while these guys sing.″
Davis and Sinatra, age 62 and 72 respectively, first appeared with Martin at
the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in January 1960. They made frequent guest
appearances in each others’ shows and made a number of films together,
including such box office hits as ″Ocean’s Eleven,″ ″Sergeants Three,″ and
″Robin and the Seven Hoods.″
Alameda County Supervisor Charles Santana and his wife, Doris, were among the
14,500 fans at the concert, many of whom decked themselves out in evening and
cocktail dresses and sports coats and suits. They said they have been fans of
Sinatra since the late 40s.
Mrs. Santana said she was so devoted to her idol that ″my mother always said
I was the one who made him famous.″
″I’ve seen Frank Sinatra before, and I grew up listening to his music,″ said
Lydia Cox, 26, of Oakland. Her 35-year-old brother, Charles, said he came to
watch the fun.
″This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,″ he said. ″If I didn’t see them now I’d
never get another chance.″
The trio picked up the ″rat pack″ moniker after actor Humphrey Bogart used
that label for a large group of entertainers that lived in the same area of
Beverly Hills.
For the last two decades, they’ve performed mainly in the glitzy showrooms of
Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Sinatra has joked that the troupers wanted to go
on tour so that ″people could see how bad we are.″
The idea of touring surfaced when the three longtime friends gathered at
Sinatra’s house. It became possible because all three are under contract to
Bally Corp.
The shows, with top tickets going for $40, will be backed up by a 35-piece
orchestra. Home Box Office plans to broadcast a special on the show later.
Davis, Martin and Sinatra are among a growing number of aging superstars
whose careers only seem stronger with age.
Comics Danny Thomas, Milton Berle and Sid Caeser recently appeared in a
made-for-television movie, ″Side By Side.″ Rodney Dangerfield, Mort Sahl and
Jackie Mason have all found themselves under contract for one-man shows.
And then there’s George Burns, 92, who has a new movie coming out in April.
He’s booked to play the London Paladium when he turns 100.
In a recent interview for USA Weekend, Burns offered a few kind words for the
rat pack: ″I’m sure those three kids will make it. I think Sinatra has
potential. He just has to build some confidence. All three will be big stars
if they keep working at it.″
The ″Together Again″ tour continues in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday, Seattle
on Wednesday, and Chicago on Friday and Saturday.
