People don't often think of them quite this way, but the Rat Pack - that Vegas-based collective of performers headed by the Chairman Of The Board himself, Frank Sinatra - were as emblematic of Sixties America as any flower child, rock star, or activist. They were, of course, approaching the decade from the other side, comfortably ensconced in the original, non-counter culture. Yet they did represent the best of what the pop world had to offer at the time: All five male members (and the two lesser-acknowledged female ones) could sing, dance, perform comedy, and act well enough to win Oscars. Their individual talents differed somewhat (Sammy was the best hoofer, and Sinatra the best actor) but taken together, they represent the cream of the crop of what American entertainment had to offer.

At the height of their reign in the Sixties, the Pack represented the finest flowering (or the last gasp) of postwar ideas of testosterone, celebrity, and performance, seemingly unfazed by the counterculture simmering under the country's surface. They were swingers and renaissance men all at once, living large while giving the audience what they wanted, night in and night out. One might wonder about the whether the Pack's personal lives - which included mob connections, heavy drinking, and both verbal and physical abuse - might have negated their ultimate expression of cool, but however history judges them, their talent cannot be denied. The last species of early 20th century American Man, they claimed their territory like gods.

Here's a collection of links to the best Rat Pack sites on the web. If you have or know of a site like this that isn't listed here, e-mail me!

Dean Martin Information Center Germany: Rat Pack Special
The net's best Rat Pack page, made up of five separate tribute pages to each member! Wonderful design and loads of content, including MIDIs, lyrics, chords, photos, animations, discographies, filmographies, screensavers, greeting cards... also available in German!

Dub's Rat Pack Page
An unassuming but remarkable page with a surprisingly astute essay on what made the Pack heroes to so many, not to mention pages and pages of screen captures and sound files from their stage show!

The Rat Pack Home Page
Now defunct, but still has a lot of info on the swingers themselves, as well as a good centralized Rat Pack store. Lots of attitude!

The Rat Pack - The Kings of Entertainment
A great site from the UK that pulls no punches, using several outrageous quotes (some rather vulgar) to profile the big five. Also a great source for Pack pictures!

Biography.com: Rat Pack
True to its name, this official site for the popular A&E series profiles the Pack expertly one by one, including friends and acquaintances. Take the trivia Quiz!

HollywoodandVine.com: The Rat Pack
This section of Capitol Records' own official website contains sound files, pictures, news, and classic quotes from the quintet.

Ratpack-Rarities.com
The best place to purchase Rat Pack memorabilia, bar none. DVDs, posters, CDs, books, and every other form of multimedia the Pack is enshrined in! Also contains Rat Pack news, a TV alert, a photo gallery, shots from the webmaster's private collection, and interviews with the celebrities who knew them best!

UNLV Special Collections: Dean Martin
Rare photos from the Sands hotel's own archives; featuring all five Rat Pack men onstage in glorious B&W!

Rat Pack Live
An internet radio station (broadcast from Vegas!) that plays the best of the Pack's musical classics, both separately and as a group. There's also a number of tunes by similar artists. Four different ways to listen to this streaming broadcast!

The (original) Ocean's Eleven Page
Mainly just some sound clips from the Rat Pack's famous film and a brief plot synopsis. Still interesting, though.