The Way It Was by Eliot Weisman

Author:Eliot Weisman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Composers & Musicians, Personal Memoirs
Publisher: Hachette Books
Published: 2017-10-24T05:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-SEVEN

One by one, the Rat Pack faded away. Their days of hard drinking and partying had taken their toll. Peter Lawford died at the age of sixty-one in 1984 of cardiac arrest complicated by kidney and liver failure, but he was dead to Sinatra two decades earlier. Lawford, a British actor, was a Kennedy brother-in-law, married to JFK’s sister, Patricia.

Sinatra had built the opulent guesthouse at his Palm Springs compound for President Kennedy. Sinatra said Jack had told him it would be the Western White House if he were elected. Then Bobby Kennedy became attorney general and said Jack couldn’t stay there. The president instead stayed at Bing Cosby’s Palm Springs estate when he visited. Officially, it was deemed more secure because of its remote location, but unofficially, it was because Bobby didn’t want his brother to be associated with Sinatra’s perceived mob connections.

One night as Sinatra and I were having cocktails, the conversation turned to politics, and Sinatra told me how he’d been informed. Lawford, whom he called the “brother-in-Lawford,” called him and said Jack wouldn’t be coming to the compound.

“Are you listening carefully, Peter?” Sinatra said.

“Yes,” Peter said.

Sinatra slammed down the phone.

I believe this was one of the most hurtful episodes of Sinatra’s life, and it wasn’t one that he spoke about often. When you were Sinatra’s friend you were a friend for life, unless you crossed him.

From time to time Sinatra would talk about the guys from the old days—Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Henry Kissinger, even Richard Nixon—but other than that one time, I never heard him speak President Kennedy’s name.

Another Rat Pack member, Joey Bishop, was still alive, but they never spoke. I don’t know what happened between him and Sinatra, but whatever it was, it must have been significant. When I asked him why he and Bishop didn’t speak anymore, he laid those baby blue eyes on me.

“Don’t ever ask me that question again,” Sinatra said.

I never did.

After Dean left the tour, he and Sinatra never again hung out, to my knowledge, though they did occasionally see each other and speak.

So Sammy was the only member of the Rat Pack core who was still a part of Sinatra’s life. Sammy held special meaning for me as a manager, as well. He was the first person I had ever seen perform live.

It was 1958 and Ron Glazer, my old college roommate, took me to the Latin Casino in Philadelphia. I had never been to a nightclub show before. Sammy sang, danced, played instruments, and never stopped moving. I couldn’t believe it. He was incredible.

Years later, when Sammy asked me to represent him, I told him the story.

“You were the first live act I ever saw and the best act I ever saw,” I said. He was very touched. I’ve still never seen a better entertainer.

For a while, Sinatra kept Sammy out of his life because Sammy had drug issues. Sinatra had seen a lot of very talented people fall apart because of drugs and he didn’t

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