David Niven confirmed in his book, The Moon’s Balloon, that the "Rat Pack" originally included him, but not Sammy Davis Jr. Stephen Bogart has said that the original members of the "Holmby Hills Rat Pack" were Frank Sinatra (pack master), Judy Garland (first vice-president), Bacall (den mother), Sid Luft (cage master), Bogart (rat in charge of public relations), Swifty Lazar (recording secretary and treasurer), Nathaniel Benchley (historian), David Niven, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, George Cukor, Cary Grant, Rex Harrison, and Jimmy Van Heusen. Alternately, Bogart and Bacall’s Holmby Hills, California home was called the "Holmby Hills Rat Pack", which was a regular hangout for many actors. Members of the New York "Rat Pack" included Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney and Cesar Romero. It's rumored that, when Bogart and his friends returned to New York from Las Vegas, Bogart’s wife, Lauren Bacall said they looked like a "Rat Pack". This Frank Sinatra-Centric "Pack" was comprised of actors who had appeared together on stage and in films, most notably the original Ocean's 11 movie. Actually, the original "Rat Pack" centered around Humphrey Bogart and his fellow actors.Īfter Bogart’s death, the press resurrected the name "Rat Pack" and used it to refer to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. Many people think that the Rat Pack originated with Frank Sinatra and his friends.