Never-Before-Seen Home Movie of Sinatra, JFK to be Offered at Auction!

Dallas, Texas: They were the epitome of cool, the hippest hipsters ever to grace the silver screen. Frank, Dino, Joey, Sammy, and Peter - together, they were magic. Together, they were "The Rat Pack."

As infamous for their off-stage shenanigans as for their onscreen roles, the Rat Pack - whose main members were Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Peter Lawford - made several classic films, including Ocean's Eleven (1960) and Robin and the Seven Hoods (1964). More importantly, however, they were instrumental in making Las Vegas an entertainment mecca. They were also key in the desegregation of Las Vegas in the early days of the Civil Rights movement, as they collectively refused to patronize or appear in any hotel or casino that refused full service to Sammy Davis, Jr. As some of the most popular entertainers of their era, their edicts carried weight and Las Vegas quickly abandoned their policies regarding black/white segregation.

A young Senator from Massachusetts who was, at the time, campaigning for President, joined these dynamic entertainers for a brief moment in 1960, during the filming of Ocean's Eleven. As his brother-in-law, Peter Lawford, was in the film, John Fitzgerald Kennedy stopped by the Vegas strip location one spring day, a day that is forever immortalized in some remarkable home movie footage.

"This footage, along with several snapshots and other pieces of fascinating memorabilia, comes to us from a Canadian couple who happened to be vacationing in Vegas during the filming of Ocean's Eleven," said Doug Norwine, Director of Entertainment Auctions for Heritage Auction Galleries. "Fascinated by the celebrities involved, the couple couldn't resist taking a few pictures and some home movie footage."

The result? Seven snapshots, including two pictures of a relaxed JFK with Peter Lawford (then married to Kennedy's sister Patricia), as well as shots of Sinatra, Martin, Davis and Bishop. The color home movie taken by the Canadian couple, showing the Rat Pack between scenes, includes amazing shots of the modest 1960 Vegas skyline - and terrific footage of Davis going into an impromptu dance just for the vacationers!

"Director Lewis Milestone finally offered the determined couple a chance to party with the group that night if they would stay out of their way during the shooting," Norwine said. "Although they managed to get their snapshots and home movies anyway, they later joined the evening festivities, and took Peter Lawford's table place card as yet another souvenir - inscribed with the autographs of both Lawford and Kennedy. Additionally, they had Dean, Frank, Sammy, and Joey sign another card! The signed cards are included in this lot, as are the snapshots, the original eight millimeter film, its canister, and a DVD copy of the footage!"

"U.S. history and Hollywood superstardom rarely, if ever, come together in so fascinating and ultimately moving a package," said Norwine, "and this ultra-rare lot provides a rare, personal glimpse at both a legendary President and the iconic entertainers who truly defined a bygone era in American history."

Heritage Auction Galleries will offer the Home Movies featuring JFK, the Rat Pack and Ocean's Eleven in their upcoming Signature auction, to be held April 14 & 15, 2006 at their headquarters in Dallas, TX.

The Home Movies featuring JFK, the Rat Pack and Ocean's Eleven bears a pre-auction estimate of $8,000 and up.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HeritageAuctions.com.

Prospective consignors and sellers of Entertainment, Celebrity or Hollywood memorabilia are invited to www.HeritageAuctions.com/Entertainment and click on the "Sell Now" tab. Or simply email Doug Norwine at DougN@HeritageAuctions.com.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Nicole Jewell at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272, or visit www.HeritageAuctions.com to order by email.