Urban Scrawl — John Katsilometes: Persistent Cassidy shows fighting side

Monday, March 27, 2000 | 8:25 a.m.

John Katsilometes is the Sun assistant features editor. His column appear Mondays. Reach him at kats@vegas.com or 259-2327.

He's donned in Rat Pack black -- a '50s-style leather jacket, a button-down, short-sleeved shirt and denim pants -- and the room is murkily lit. The small, delicate-looking figure is difficult to distinguish through the dark.

Even David Cassidy's mood seems a bit shadowed. He's in that in-between mode, amped after singing and dancing for a near-capacity crowd at the Rio's Copacabana Showroom, but weary from a hard day of work and needing late-night nourishment.

Cassidy is hastily delivered a light pasta dish, an order placed for him earlier by an associate, and dumps two heaping spoonfuls of Parmesan cheese on the steaming plate. He then jokes about trying to keep his weight in the 130s.

"I keep so active," he says. "I have to eat to keep my weight up. I'm one of the lucky ones."

But over the next hour the frank and often defiant Cassidy shows he's no lightweight.

"The reason I'm successful and I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world is because almost no one has gone through what I've gone through," he says, lurching forward for emphasis. "I've been through the teen idol period and all of that stuff and I've survived. ... (but) once you become mainstream famous again, people start shooting at you. It's exactly like it was in the '70s for me."

It's a particularly vital time on several fronts for the former Keith Partridge. "The Rat Pack Is Back," which he co-produced with Don Reo, returned to the Strip on Saturday at the Sahara.

Also, Cassidy's new show at the Rio, "David Cassidy At the Copa, Co-starring Sheena Easton" has been drawing large, enthusiastic crowds heavily populated by his loyal supporters. Cassidy is constantly tinkering with the production, a whirlwind romantic tragedy starring Cassidy as busboy-turned-singing sensation Johnny Flamingo and Easton as his sugar-voiced sweetheart, Ruby Bombay.

"We've cut 15, 20 minutes and tightened everything up," Cassidy says. "We want to keep it moving, bang-bang-bang, here's a song, here's a sound bite of dialogue, here's another song, like that."

Despite reviews suggesting that Easton and the powerhouse Lon Bronson Orchestra are the performance's strongest points, Cassidy is in healthy voice and is impressive for his boundless kinetic energy. He has also tersely refuted speculation that he and Easton are sniping at each other, saying, "We've never even raised our voices to each other. We get along great and you can see it on stage. You couldn't fake that type of chemistry."

Cassidy reserves his most barbed comments for the ongoing trademark infringement lawsuit involving "The Rat Pack Is Back," filed by the families of former Packers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. The estates are targeting the Desert Inn, which was home to "The Rat Pack Is Back" until the show closed there earlier this year.

Las Vegas attorney Mort Galane was retained by the estates back in September and has been busy recently serving depositions in the case.

"I've been deposed this week for nine hours for a lawsuit I'm not being sued over," Cassidy says as he stabs at his dinner. "I know now for a fact that what it's coming down to is, someone wants a piece of our show."

Galane has consistently stated that the only entity named in the lawsuit is the D.I., for alleged infringement upon the Rat Pack's name and likenesses. Unconcerned, Cassidy, advised by Mark Tratos (the Las Vegas attorney who wrote the Nevada "right of publicity" statute that protects tribute shows) and the Sahara are going forward with "The Rat Pack Is Back."

Cassidy is clearly treating the challenge to his show as a personal affront.

"I'm not named in the lawsuit, but anyone in America can sue anyone else," Cassidy says. "It's a sad fact. It's a sad, sad fact."

Cassidy doesn't attempt to mask his ire when describing the Martin and Sinatra family members who have taken in the show and heaped praise upon the performance while concurrently seeking legal action.

"It's certainly a flattering tribute, but (the lawsuit) has tainted it very, very much," Cassidy says. "The controversy is about us supposedly doing something wrong when we aren't. We're not using any last names ... and unfortunately all over the world there are Rat Pack lounges, bars, with photographs of all those people on the planet who were part of that era, the people we're paying homage to."

Cassidy lets out a long sigh. It is suggested he seems to be digging in his heels while protecting his Las Vegas universe.

Without hesitation the onetime teen idol says, "You bet I am."