Ocean's Eleven (1960)

Two years ago, when I was twelve years old, I watched a video called On the Town.Uneducated little dunce that I was, before that I'd known only vaguely of Francis Albert Sinatra. And after spending half the movie trying to figure out which of the three sailors WAS the Sinatra of whom I had heard vaguely, I finally decided correctly on the adorable, skinny one with blue eyes. And promptly after that, I announced to several uninterested audiences that I was a fan. I am now fourteen. I have read 60 or 70 biographies on him and his contemporaries, have seen approximately 25 of his sixty movies, have heard and memorized a sizable amount of his complete discography, have written quite a few essays and reviews, and would be more than happy to recite to you a detailed account of his career, life, and the tremendous gossip and legends that followed it about.

I think those uninterested parties are starting to believe me.

In any case, I am a definitive Sinatra adorer writing a review for one of his movies, so I'll warn you before hand: it may be a little bit biased, but I'm going to be as honest as I can. All right. You've been warned. Carry on then.

The main problem I've read about in these ''instructive criticism reviews,'' is that this movie moves much too slowly, meaning that for the first hour or so the picture is about Frank and company, not about eleven guys holding up a couple of casinos. I readily admit that, and so much the better. If you expected to see the latter when you saw the posters proclaiming FRANK SINATRA!! DEAN MARTIN! SAMMY DAVIS JR.!!, you are extremely dense and certainly deserve your disappointment. Yes, believe it or not, this is a RAT PACK movie, and as such it happens, by a strange twist of fate, to be about the Rat Pack. Elementary, my dear Watson.

Another complaint involves severe lack of plot.(See above inscription.)

Yet another of the whiners has pouted that none of the cast appears to have much interest in what they're doing. I would like to mention here that, like they themselves modestly pointed out in a gag used frequently on various Vegas stages, they could do this kind of stuff anytime they wanted to. At this moment in time Frank Sinatra was the #1 singer in the country, the #1 box office attraction in the country, one of the highest paid individuals who ever won an Oscar or a Grammy, the biggest draw in Las Vegas, or anywhere else for that matter, had more power than all the Harry Cohns and Louis B.Mayers put together, and was on his way to Camelot with Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The Rat Pack playing at the Sands was such a gigantic draw they were having to turn down thousands of reservations, and when Ocean's 11 was released it immediately made the list for the biggest box office smashes of all time.

In other words,even if the whiner's complaint is true, (and I don't think it is) it's laughable to imagine that the Clan's not especially caring whether or not they won Academy Awards would stop either the success of the movie or (ha) their careers.

Anyway, if they are blasé in the picture, they are the coolest not-caring actors in show business.

There is also a much more serious accusation that many people actually believe. And I honestly believe that this accusation is not true. This rumor involves the color conscious sixties, some allegedly racist jokes, and Sammy Davis Jr.

Yeah, the Rat Pack told some jokes about Sammy. On the Copa Room stage

many an audience would roar at stupid gags like ''Keep smilin' Smoky, so everyone knows where you are" and '' Nat King Cole was a merry old soul.A merry old soul was Nat King Cole.... A merry old COLORED soul,'' and ''Have you noticed how much better it sounds when he does his own people rather than our people?'' And, of course there were the times when Dean would scoop little Sammy up in his arms, waltz forward, and say ''I'd like to thank the NAACP for this trophy.''

Sam, for his own part, would come on after Dean sang ,''Did you ever see a Jew - jitsu? Well, I did.'' and complain on cue ''How would you like it if I said,' Did you ever see a wop-SICLE!!!''

It didn't mean a thing. It wasn't cruel. It was corny, hilarious chatter between three grown-up boys who treated each other - and kidded each other- like brothers. It's only since then that the situation has been contorted into a racial injustice by idiots who are looking for a fight. That's all.

I guess that about sums up the Defence's case, unless the Prosecution has anything it wishes to add. No? All right then.

I love this movie. I'll admit that. I know there is probably a grand total of 3 critics out there who agree with me, but I'm not a critic. I'm a fan. I'll never tire of watching Sam dancing on garbage cans as he sings Ee-o-eleven, or be bored watching Dean, with his nonchalant cool, croon about you-know-what being a kick in the head, and I can't watch that last scene enough where Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. stroll past The Sands' sign that advertises.... I'd better not give it away. Watch it yourself.

There are plenty of better movies out there- but there was only one Rat Pack.

And, no matter what anyone say's- They were magic. This is magic.

Ring-a-ding ding.