TRIVIAL PURSUITS
Meet the modern Stone Age family
Las Vegas usually takes our money, sure—but what if the opposite occurred? The original Ocean’s 11 became one of Warner Brothers’ most profitable pictures upon its
August 1960 release. And while some movie critics harrumphed that the tale, centered around theft, was immoral, most reviewers declared it a fun fantasy romp— and quite a clever scheme.
In 1958 actor Peter Lawford bought the story idea from a movie director pal, and later approached fellow members of the Rat Pack—Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop— with the screenplay about a caper set in Sin City. After he saw the script, credited to Harry Brown and Charles Lederer with uncredited help from Billy Wilder, Sinatra supposedly joked, “Forget the movie, let’s pull the job!”
The film’s plot was the perfect setup for the Rat Pack to play on-screen versions of themselves: a hardpartying, misbehaving circle of friends.
The premise—with Ol’ Blue Eyes as leader Danny Ocean— had Army veterans assembling to pull an elaborate heist. That each of the 11 members of the star-studded group brings a special talent to the mix, which makes them uniquely equipped to knock over a bunch of casinos, just adds to the fun. Stars played their parts with ease and aplomb, peppering the film with inside jokes and ad-libs.
Filmmakers also took advantage of the real-life talents of Davis and Martin, who both sing in the movie.
Audiences enthusiastically cheered on the rogues, but the story throws one monkey wrench into the gang’s works, proving that a plan is never simple—at least not in Hollywood.
Ocean’s Eleven, a remake released in 2001, spawned a trilogy starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.