Happy as a Clan

On election night an impatient Democrat picked up a telephone and called Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel, hoping to persuade the Vice President of the U.S. to concede. Soon he was screaming at a switchboard operator who refused to put him through: "But this is Frank Sinatra!"

Frankie never did get through, but he wasn't kidding. Hollywood was more closely involved with the 1960 election than with any since the politically conscious 1930s. On the Republican side, Actor George Murphy was often called on to warm up audiences for Nixon, and Nixon's final four-hour telethon involved answering questions fed to him by Lloyd Nolan and Robert Young. On the Democratic side, Sinatra's Clan (mercifully kept out of public sight most of the time) had a brocade-vested interest in the election because of Actor Peter Lawford's marriage to John Kennedy's sister, Pat. The Clan is now buffing its cuff links and ordering gowns for the inaugural ball.

Citizen Kane Feeling. Clansman Dean Martin began to put out word that President-elect Kennedy was going to appoint him "Secretary of Liquor." Sammy Davis Jr., a convert to Judaism, had other ambitions: "Sinatra will be Ambassador to Italy," he said. "I'm hoping for Jerusalem, but I'll be lucky if I get Kenya." Some of Hollywood's other post-mortems last week were turning into post toasties as many echoed the comment of Democratic Writer-Producer-Director Dore Schary: "I don't know who can stave off this rush of professional showmen into politics, but somebody had better do it right away." Others agreed with Republican Dick Powell: "I think these people hurt Kennedy by their cheap publicity."

Mercedes McCambridge, who helped run the draft-Stevenson group at the Los Angeles convention, labored dutifully for Kennedy during the campaign, last week said bitterly: "I'm tired of democracy. We should have a monarchy, with Tuesday Weld as one of the princesses and a nice couple from Armpit, Nev. to reign. I have a Citizen Kane feeling about Daddy Kennedy sitting out here directing the show behind the scenes from Marion Davies' house."*

Diners' Club Budget. Equally displeased was Lady Lawford, Peter's mother, who also lives in Beverly Hills. In fact, for ten months now, the pretty arthritic aristocrat has not seen Peter or Pat, whom she still speaks of as "Miss Kennedy" ("We would have liked Peter to pick a bride from court circles"). Lady Lawford accused the Clan (Peter included) of trying to get her out of the country during the campaign by offering her an expense-paid tour of South Africa, explained: "They're very age-conscious, those Kennedys. They don't want me around because I don't look enough like Whistler's mother." If some wounds seemed too deep to heal, there were comedians around to pass the salt. Milton Berle: "Did you notice how modest Kennedy was during the campaign? He never once mentioned his father's wealth, though he did say if he got in he'd put the defense budget on his Diners' Club card." Joey Bishop: "How wonderful it would be if the Kennedy baby was born in the White House and moved to a log cabin." Even Flack Irving Hoffman had a joke: "The two Kennedy boys are arguing," he said. "Finally Jack bursts into tears. Mamma Rose takes him on her lap and asks, 'What's the matter, darling?' Jack whimpers, 'Bobby wants to play with my country.' "

*During the convention, Joseph Kennedy rented the Beverly Hills home of the late William Randolph Hearst's friend.

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