Initial release date: August 10, 1960
Studio: Warner Brothers
Plot: Danny Ocean calls on some of his WWII buddies - including Jimmy Foster, Sam Harmon and Josh Howard - to pull off an elaborate New Year’s Eve heist at five casinos in Vegas. Eleven members of Danny’s crew come together to pull off a perfect robbery, but they suffer a series of setbacks when Duke Santos, a former gangster, tries to thwart Ocean’s plans to disappear with the money.
Cast
Frank Sinatra - Danny Ocean
Dean Martin - Sam Harmon
Sammy Davis Jr. - Josh Howard
Peter Lawford - Jimmy Foster
Angie Dickinson - Beatrice Ocean
Richard Conte - Anthony Bergdorf
Cesar Romero - Duke Santos
Patrice Wymore - Adele Ekstorm
Joey Bishop - ‘Mushy’ O’Connors
Akim Tamiroff - Spyros Acebos
Henry Silva - Roger Corneal
Ilka Chase - Mrs. Restes
Buddy lester - Vince Massler
Richard Benedict - ‘Curly’ Steffans
Jean Willes - Mrs. Bergdorf
Norman Fell - Peter Rheimer
Clem Harvey - Louis Jackson
Writer(s): Harry Brown (Sands of Iwo Jima; A Place in the Sun)
Charles Lederer (Mutiny on the Bounty)
Director: Lewis Milestone (Mutiny on the Bounty)
Not Rated (127 minutes)
Over the years, I have watched all three of the recent ‘Ocean’s 11’ movies (the main series only). The 2001 remake is hands down the best of the series, while the other two sequels (along with the 2018 spin-off ‘Ocean’s 8’) are just okay. And, I finally had the chance to check out the original 1960 film ‘Ocean’s 11.’
This was the first film that I ever saw that stars the infamous Rat Pack. I thought it was awesome to see all of these talented performers together. Now, I’ll admit the first half of the 1960 original was a little slow and took it’s time when introducing the characters.
But, this heist film is also fun to watch, especially when the planning of the heist begins. The ending of the movie really surprises you and is a great way to wrap it all up.
If you are a fan of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this film. There’s also a few moments with Sinatra and fellow Rat Pack member Dean Martin singing some tunes that I thought was really cool.
The 1960 film is available to stream on HBO Max.
Here are a few interesting tidbits for 1960s ‘Ocean’s 11’:
In a scene between Danny (Sinatra) and Adela (Wymore, Adele throws a dish of candy at Danny. The throwing of the dish was ad-libbed, which accounts for the genuine look of surprise on Sinatra’s face and the face of his co-stars.
Significant portions of the movie interactions between major characters were ad-libbed. The actors playing the lead roles all knew each other well and improvised dialogue as well as or better than the script.
Most filming was accomplished early in the morning, since most of the actors also had shows in Vegas that they performed nightly during the shooting. The actors would wake up in the afternoon, do one or two shows in the evening, then go through make up and arrive at the shooting locations for filming. Each location was fully set up in advance so that minimal time would be wasted once the actors arrived.
Jack L. Warner was sufficiently impressed with the finished film that he subsequently entered into a long-term contract with Sinatra and his production company.
The Vegas portion of the film was shot on location at the Flamingo, Sands, Desert Inn, Riviera and Sahara hotels.