Original Rat Pack maitre d' is back

George Levine recalls days of iconic foursome

U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., joins her father, George Levine, on stage at the Plaza following The Rat Pack Is Back!" show. Levine turned 84 on March 13. He was a maitre d' for the original Rat Pack. Photo / Special to View.

It seems that everyone who lives here has a story, real or imagined, about Frank, Sammy, Dean or Joey. George Levine has hundreds of them, but none are imagined. In the 1970s, when the original Rat Pack played the Copa Room at the Sands, Levine was the showroom's maitre d'.

"It was wonderful," he said. "I knew all of them and they were just regular guys."

And now, some 30 years later, the 84-year-old is back doing what he does best, and that's being a maitre d' for the Rat Pack, only this time it's for Dick Feeney's "The Rat Pack is Back!" at the Plaza in downtown.

The Plaza has one of the city's only remaining retro-style showrooms, a perfect fit for the 1960s-themed show. There is maitre d' seating, cocktail service, red velvet curtains, booth seating, the Lon Bronson Orchestra and even a dinner show for an authentic, old-style Vegas experience.

"Most of our customers come from Strip hotels because nothing like this is playing out there," said Levine. "The crowd is mostly over 50, although I see all ages. The entire evening is a nostalgic return to the good old days."

In 2002, Feeney approached Levine and suggested he come out of retirement (he retired in 1996) to become maitre d' for the show, which at the time, was playing at another casino.

"How could I say no?" he said. "And let me tell you, I'm having the time of my life. It's like everything has started all over again at 84."

It originally started for Levine when he worked at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills in upstate New York. He moved to Las Vegas in 1963, became a captain at the Copa Room within two years, and was named maitre d' in 1979.

"Back then, it was like New Year's eve every night," he said. "Frank was hip and cool, and the Hollywood crowd loved him. Dean was just himself and Sammy was the hardest worker of them all. They partied every night whether they were on stage or not. And when they weren't on stage, they were in the lounge goofing off with Shecky Greene, Don Rickles, Sonny King and all the rest of them. And keep in mind that all this was going on at 3 a.m. When I think about it, the real fun was in the lounge."

While Levine has warm feelings and memories for the original Rat Pack, he still marvels at Elvis and Wayne Newton.

"Elvis was electrifying," he said. "There was no one like him. But for pure energy and entertainment, that was Wayne. He would play the Sands eight weeks in a row, seven days a week, two shows a night. No days off. After two months at the Sands, he would go to the Frontier for a month and then head over to the Desert Inn for another month. He was making the rounds of the Howard Hughes hotels. Everyone wanted to see Wayne Newton. I haven't seen anyone like him since."

While Levine realizes that the old days are past history, he also understands why the Rat Pack is so popular.

"Entertainment isn't what it used to be," he said. "Back then, everyone loved Frank, Dean, Sammy and Joey, and it was a real love. The Rat Pack is going to live another 100 years because this is the kind of entertainment that made Las Vegas and that people still want to see."

"The Rat Pack is Back!" is performed at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 386-2444.

Jack Bulavsky is a 35-year Nevadan and has covered the entertainment, dining and gaming industries for local and national publications. Contact him at bula53@earthlink.net.