The “Rat Pack” and Politics
Three days prior to Kennedy’s inauguration, Sammy Davis, Jr., (1925–1990) a strong supporter, learned that Kennedy did not want him to participate, agreeing with advisors that Davis’s interracial marriage to Swedish actress May Britt (b. 1933) and their presence at the inaugural event would antagonize Southern lawmakers whose cooperation Kennedy later would need. Davis was humiliated and Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), who was hosting the event, was livid. One week later, at this Carnegie Hall benefit that Davis organized for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Davis, Sinatra, and fellow “Rat Pack” member Dean Martin (1917–1995) shared a laugh backstage.
Three days prior to Kennedy’s inauguration, Sammy Davis, Jr., (1925–1990) a strong supporter, learned that Kennedy did not want him to participate, agreeing with advisors that Davis’s interracial marriage to Swedish actress May Britt (b. 1933) and their presence at the inaugural event would antagonize Southern lawmakers whose cooperation Kennedy later would need. Davis was humiliated and Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), who was hosting the event, was livid. One week later, at this Carnegie Hall benefit that Davis organized for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Davis, Sinatra, and fellow “Rat Pack” member Dean Martin (1917–1995) shared a laugh backstage.