The Rat Pack (film) become a big success despite the breakup of his partnership with Jerry Lewis; Sinatra's career is at its peak; Sammy Davis, Jr., is making a comeback after a near fatal car crash, and standup comic Joey Bishop is gaining exposure as an opening act for the other three. The Pack becomes complete when Sinatra reconciles with actor Peter Lawford, who has been ostracized since being seen out publicly with Sinatra's ex-wife, Ava Gardner. Lawford has married Patricia Kennedy. Abandoning a notion to seduce Pat for his own amusement, Sinatra becomes more interested in her brother John F. Kennedy's political ambitions.
The Return of the Rat of the Rat" does not take the story up from where the previous film had ended, instead opening with a scenario which does not seem to flow logically from the previous film's conclusion. "The Triumph of the Rat" closes with Pierre destitute and on the street, a situation brought about mainly by Zélie's spite and vindictiveness, yet by the start of "The Return of the Rat" the couple are married. Contemporary reviewers noted that it seemed implausible in the extreme that the character of Pierre as previously portrayed would have sought charity from the very architect of his downfall, let