Nothing, as far as we know. He's alive and well and performing all over the place, including Las Vegas.
For those who aren't familiar, Sandy Hackett is the son of actor and comedian Buddy Hackett, a headliner on the Las Vegas entertainment scene from the early '50s. He made his TV debut at age 11, on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In." He also went on to attend UNLV, where he earned a degree in hotel management, but his career has always been in stand-up comedy and show biz, both as a performer and accomplished producer.
Sandy cut his teeth at the legendary Casbar Lounge at the recently closed Sahara, launching a career that saw him as both a regular headliner in Las Vegas and a familiar face on the comedy circuit. He hosted a one-hour nightly Las Vegas-based TV talk show that was syndicated nationally. In Vegas, he's best known for Sandy Hackett’s Comedy Club, which last performed at the former Greek Isles, and as writer, producer, director, & Joey in Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show, the current incarnation of this tribute show that transports you back to the intimate showroom experience of a night with Frank, Dino, Sammy, and Joey, and co-starring Hackett's wife Lisa Dawn Miller as Ava Gardner. It has played various venues in Las Vegas. Here's the review we wrote of the show in the May, 2005 issue of LVA when it was performing at the Greek Isles.
"Even if you’re a little tired of the superstar-impersonator formula found all over Las Vegas (American Superstars, Legends In Concert, etc.), The Rat Pack Tribute will restore your faith in the concept (in "tribute shows," the principals may or may not look like the person they’re playing). Reminiscent of a nightclub act, RPT builds and builds, like a Broadway musical, until the rousing finale when Frank, Sammy, Joey, and Deano are all on stage together.
"Producer Sandy Hackett, who steals the show as Joey Bishop, has cast his dad, Buddy, as the opening monologist (recorded), welcoming the guys back to Vegas for "one more show." A 12-piece orchestra belts out the five-minute opening tune—what a band! Featuring some of the best players in Vegas, these guys drive the show with fantastic musical arrangements throughout.
"Joey fires one-liner after bullet one-liner with his deadpan delivery and the audience is thoroughly warmed up by the time he brings out (a slightly inebriated) Dean. It’s sing-along time when he launches into "That’s Amore." Sammy does some tap dancing and a moving version of "Mr. Bojangles." Frank’s time on stage is spiced up with the surprise appearance of Marilyn Monroe, sporting a dress cut down to her shoe tops, along with a body that bursts out of it, much to the delight of the cast and band. Though this bit has been done to death, it’s never been played quite like this: Frank and Joey narrate every move Marilyn makes.
"There’s plenty of improv in RPT, a testament both to the many years Sandy Hackett has spent honing his craft and his direction of the show. The four leads finally join on-stage for a terrific 15-minute finale. With the performers having as much fun as the audience, you’re almost guaranteed to get your money’s worth."
The show subsequently had an extended run at the Sahara, before unexpectedly closing and then reopening at the Riviera in October, 2010, where it continued to perform Tuesday to Saturday at 7 p.m. until July 5, when it closed unexpectedly, once again. Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Showhas a national tour kicking off in October, however, with more than 70 stops nationwide, including New York, Florida, Chicago, and L.A. For details, visit sandyhackettsratpackshow.com.
