Hey pallies, likes happy Dino-eve to all you dudes...and likes to helps us rin' out the old year in true Dino-style, likes here is 'nother clip from the Dino-show that features the antics of our beloved Dino, the frankie, and Miss Ruth Buzzi (obviously from the same edition of the Dino-show as yester-Dino-day's post).
This time 'round the frankie has been throwin' a NYE party at his hotel pad...where there's been likes 87 chicks, only two pounds of potato salad, the frankie and, likes of course, our Dino......and likes you can be sure what our great man has been puttin' likes his hands on... Well as our Dino and the frankie leaves the party to gets some rest in the frankie's bedroom, likes who is under the covers but Miss Ruth Buzzi who has had a bit too too much liquid refreshments.
Watch as our Dino and the frankie likes tries everythin' to get rid of the buzzed Buzzi....and likes note how much fun our Dino has tryin' to does it! Nobody, and likes I means nobody, has as much fun entertainin' the masses thens our beloved Dino!
Enjoys Dino-evenin' pallies o'mine....keeps lovin' our beloved Dino! Dino-stoned, DMP
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Dean Martin Dies… This Week In 1995
Hey pallies, was just doin' some Dino-searchin' of blogs and likes came across this Dino-remembrance at a pad tagg "Ask Mr. Pop History." This is quite nicely written and includes some Dino-details that are new to this Dino-holic.It is always so special to find others honorin' our beloved Dino and spreadin' some Dino-love 'round. So, ilovedinomartin sez our thanks to the blogger of "Ask Mr. Pop History" for doin' their part to help the Dino-light continue to glow and grow. TO view this in it's original format, just clicks on the tagg of this Dino-post. Dino-learnin' and Dino-growin', DMP
Dean Martin Dies… This Week In 1995 – News and Pop The Week Of December 25, 1995…
Passing – singer/actor Dean Martin (Dino Paul Crocetti) (78) dies at his Beverly Hills Home of acute respiratory failure. Known as the “chief-deputy” to the chairman of the board in Sinatra’s “Rat Pack,” Martin started out as a solo singer in records and radio. (He did a 15-minute late-afternoon show on WMCA in NewYork City in the late 40′s.) Teaming up with Jerry Lewis, the pair was unstoppable in movies and as a night-club act from 1946-1956. As a solo artist,Martin scored on the charts during this period with huge hits on Capitol Records -hits like “Return To Me,” “That’s Amore,” “Memories Are Made of This” and “Volare.” After the pair split up in 1956, Martin continued his recording and movie career, often appearing in dramas such as “The Young Lions” in 1958, “Some Came Running” in 1959 and “Rio Bravo” in 1959. The late 50′s and early 60′s saw Martin team with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop for several movies and nightclub appearances (esp in Las Vegas) as “The Rat Pack.” In the middle of the Rock n Roll British invasion – he scored a #1 record with “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime” and other top-10 records during the mid-60′s “The Dean Martin” variety show, was one of the top television shows through the 60′s and into the 70′s.
Some Dean Martin quotes through the years- “Two of the greatest turnin’ points in my career were, first, meetin’ Jerry Lewis. Second, leaving Jerry Lewis. I became a real actor because of these two things.” About acting – “And if any actor tells you it’s tough, tell ‘em they ‘re full of beans … To become half a success in what you do, you have to enjoy it or else you become a griper. The good Lord gave me a talent and I’ll use it until I run dry.” “I like people. I love what I am doing and I think people can tell that. You know more men want to see me than girls. You know why? I never sing to the girl. I figure that some guy is paying the bill and here I am singing to his girl, then he’s gong to get threatened. I don’t flirt with the girls like Wayne Newton does. I sing over their heads”
Martin’s second wife – onetime Orange Bowl queen Jeanne Beigger – “I married him knowing nothing about him. I divorced him 23 years later and I still know nothing about him.” Condolences – Frank Sinatra – “Dean was my brother -not through blood but through choice. Our friendship has traveled down many roads over many years and there will always be a special place in my heart and soul for Dean. He has been like the air I breathe, always there, always close by.” Jerry Lewis, according to his manager Joe Stabile is “completely shattered and grief stricken.”
Said comedian Alan King: “I am going to have a drink right now for him. Goodbye Dino – Jerry Lewis, closing his tribute to his longtime partner said – “Rest well and don’t forget to short-sheet my bed when I get there.” Also paying tributes to the superstar at his funeral – Shirley MacLaine andRosemary Clooney. Other attendees included Barbara Sinatra (Frank couldn’t make it and was said to be too overwrought to attend), Angie Dickinson, Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, Robert Stack, Tony Danza, Edie Adams and Cyd Charisse. Las Vegas hotels including the Sands, Stardust and Flamingo dimmed their lights on Thursday evening for 10 minutes, in Martin’s memory.
Beginnin' The Dino-eve Celebratin'
Hey pallies, on this eve of Dino-eve, we've got quite the Dino-treat for all you Dino-holics. Direct from the Dino-show is this stellar clip of our Dino with the frankie, Miss Ruth Buzzi, and the Golddiggers pretendin' to be puttin' on a NYE radio programme.
Our Dino and the frankie each portray a variety of famous entertainers...but likes I loves the most when the frankie introduces our great man...."And, now staggerin' up to the microphone, direct from the three month tour of his wine cellar, the baritone of the breweries, Mr. Blinky Tomlin"....and our Dino begins sings the ditty "The Object Of My Affections," with all those great moves that only our Dino has...and likes pallies it is so so totally Dino-rad dudes!
So, sits back and likes enjoys some Dino-funnin' Dino-eve-style! Tune in again tomorrow for more Dino-eve funnin' as only our Dino does it! Dino-stuck, DMP
Our Dino and the frankie each portray a variety of famous entertainers...but likes I loves the most when the frankie introduces our great man...."And, now staggerin' up to the microphone, direct from the three month tour of his wine cellar, the baritone of the breweries, Mr. Blinky Tomlin"....and our Dino begins sings the ditty "The Object Of My Affections," with all those great moves that only our Dino has...and likes pallies it is so so totally Dino-rad dudes!
So, sits back and likes enjoys some Dino-funnin' Dino-eve-style! Tune in again tomorrow for more Dino-eve funnin' as only our Dino does it! Dino-stuck, DMP
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Our Dino On Global Warmin'
Hey pallies, today's Dino-treasure likes begins at the self-tagged blog "Tom Nelson" where Mr. Nelson addresses the issue of Global Warmin' from both serious and more fun lovin' perspectives .....the serious....it's potential impact on the output of rice, wheat, and corn in China...and the fun-lovin'....the 1990 SNL: Global Warmin' Christmas Special featurin' Mr. Tom Hanks as our Dino.
In addition to Nelson's post, I clicked on the link to the SNL archive and am sharin' with all you pallies likes the printed version of the original Dino-script.
As, we edge our way to Dino-eve, ilovedinomartin thanks Mr. Tom Nelson for helpin' put the accent on our Dino and remindin' all us pallies of that classic SNL Dino-parody on Global Warmin' To view Nelson's original post, just clicks on the tagg of this Dino-gram. To see the SNL script in it's original format, likes just clicks on the link provided by Nelson. Dino-diggin', DMP
Monday, December 27, 2010
Govt plans for output losses due to climate change - China.org.cn
"But the output of the country's three main foods - rice, wheat and corn - may suffer a 37 percent decline in the second half of this century if the government fails to take effective measures to address climate change's impact," Tang said.
1990, Saturday Night Live: The Global Warming Christmas Special
Carl Sagan: Good evening, and welcome to my first Global Warming Christmas Special. It's a tradition which I fear will continue for years to come, because, the way things are going, global warming will be around for a long time. Now, here's someone else who's been around for a long time, a man who's hosted many a Christmas show himself - Mr. Dean Martin.
The Global Warming Christmas Special
Carl Sagan.....Mike Myers
Dean Martin.....Tom Hanks
Sally Struthers.....Victoria Jackson
Crystal Gayle.....Jan Hooks
Isaac Asimov.....Phil Hartman
Paul McCartney.....Dan Carvey
George Hamilton.....Kevin Nealon
.....Ralph Nader
.....Dom DeLuise.....Chris Farley
Petula Clark.....Julia Sweeney
Announcer: It's The Global Warming Christmas Special, with Carl Sagan. Starring Kirstie Alley, Dr. William R Keeler from the Chicago Institute of Meteorological Studies, funnyman Louie Anderson, Professor I. Bennet Eckling, Chief Atmospheric Physicist from the World Resources Institute, Jamie Farr and many, many more. And now, here he is - Carl Sagan!
[ Carl Sagan enters the summer-styled Christmas village set ]
Carl Sagan: Good evening, and welcome to my first Global Warming Christmas Special. It's a tradition which I fear will continue for years to come, because, the way things are going, global warming will be around for a long time. Now, here's someone else who's been around for a long time, a man who's hosted many a Christmas show himself - Mr. Dean Martin.
[ Dean Martin enters with a glass of vodka and a lit cigarette ]
Carl Sagan: Welcome, Dean. I hope this special will prove to be enlightening and entertaining.
Dean Martin: Hello there, Carl. You just show me where the cue cards and we'll take care of this whole thing.
Carl Sagan: Okay, Dean, because after all..
[ singing ]
"The Earth's atmosphere operates
as a greenhouse, if you will."
Dean Martin:
"When there's too much carbon dioxide
it blocks out all the.."
Carl Sagan:
"Our CO2 concentration
has risen to 350 parts per million
mostly due to the fossil fuel,
consumption and horizon other trace gases."
Dean Martin:
"Methane, nitrogen oxide
and cho-based molecules.."
Carl Sagan: [ interrupting ] Excuse me, Dean. Dean, that's not "cho", that's "C-H-O-H", a base molecule for all chlorofloral carbons. I wish you'd shown up for rehearsal.
Dean Martin: Well, it sure looks like "cho" to me, Professor! [ laughs ]
Carl Sagan: Well, perhaps we should simply proceed to the final refrain.
Dean Martin: Oh, lead the way!
Together: "'Cause you just can't tell it's Christmas anywhere!!"
Carl Sagan: Thank you. Dean, join me as we examine Christmas in an artificially-warmed envorimnoent.
Dean Martin: Oh now, hold on there, Einstein! Where's all the snow?
Carl Sagan: Well, Dean, if you'd paid attention to the lyrics you just sang, you'd realize that in a greenhouse climate, the chief precipitant would be rain.
Dean Martin: Ooh, that ain't right!
Carl Sagan: Cheer up, Dino. Let's decorate the greenhouse-affected Christmas tree, shall we? [ they walk over to a group of kids and Sally Struthers decorating a two-foot tall Christmas tree ] Believe it or not, Dean, you're looking at the world's largest Christmas tree in our new twisted eco-system.
Dean Martin: Ooh now, that's so upsetting!
Carl Sagan: And look who's here trimming the tree. It's Archie Bunker's daughter, Sally Struthers. Welcome, Sally.
Sally Struthers: [ visibly upset ] Carl, can I say something?
Carl Sagan: Please.
[ close-up of Sally's tear-streaked face ]
Sally Struthers: We can't allow this to happen.. Won't you please, please send money.. to wherever.. money is sent.. to fix.. this terrible.. tree thing.. Please..!
Carl Sagan: Thank you, Sally. Thank you. So you see, folks, if the poles continue to melt as they are, we'll all be in hot water! [ chuckles at his inane joke ]
Dean Martin: Well, now, what about the folks like me, who already live in the desert?
Carl Sagan: Dean, the mean temperature in Las Vegas will one day rise to 156 degrees, making it uninhabitable and rendering such landmarks as the Aladdin Hotel stark monuments to an age of self-indulgence.
Dean Martin: Ooh, well what about Tahoe?
Carl Sagan: It'll be fine. Now, here to sing a Yuletide classic, Crystal Gayle and popular science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.
[ Crystal Gayle and Isaac Asimov enter, singing ]
Crystal Gayle: Pretty sidewalks
Isaac Asimov: In the air, there's a feeling
Crystal Gayle: Silver bells
Isaac Asimov: Tiny silver bells
Crystal Gayle: Silver bells
Isaac Asimov: Tiny silver bells
Crystal Gayle: It's Christmas time in the city!
[ Carl throws red paint onto Crystal's fur coat ]
Crystal Gayle: [ outraged ] Wha-? Hey! What's this?
Carl Sagan: I'm sorry, Crystal. I realize that global warming is the theme of this special. However, fur is indeed murder!
Crystal Gayle: You got paint in my hair, you nerd! God!
Carl Sagan: Now, then, it's time for the traditional gift exchange. And look who's joined us. Former Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife, Linda.
Paul McCartney: Well, we just thought we'd drop by and do our part, 'cause you know, it's global warming, it's madness! You know, it's killing us! You know, thec other day I said to Linda, "We're losing the bloody planet!" And after the planet, what have you got? You can't live in the sky or in the sun! There's nowhere to stand! you know, you'd just be falling all the time, and then what have you got? I mean, think about it, you know? You could bring a chair, so that you could have a sit. But if you think that chair's not gonna fall, you'd be bloody wrong. 'Cause it will, and then what have you got? You're right back where you started, standing in the sun without a chair.
Carl Sagan: Thank you, Paul.
Paul McCartney: It's bloody madness!
Dean Martin: [ interrupting ] Aw, let's open the presents, Ringo!
Carl Sagan: Very well, Dean. But remember, these gifts have been altered by our environmental neglect.
Dean Martin: Oh yeah, yeah. You sound like a broken record! Now, which one is mine?
Carl Sagan: [ hands Dean a present ] Okay, here you go, Dean. It's peanut brittle.
Dean Martin: [ excited ] Oh, man, I loves the peanut brittle now.. [ reaches into the box to find a sticky mess ] Oh, wait, hey, hey, what's going on here now?
Carl Sagan: In the atmosphere greenhouse of tomorrow, molasses-based candies will liquify, even on the mildest days.
Dean Martin: Hmm..
Paul McCartney: It's madness, I tell you!
Sally Struthers: [ sobbing ] People, we can't let this happen..!
Dean Martin: [ eating his peanut brittle anyway ] Mmm, well, it's not bad! [ wipes off his sticky peanut butter fingers in Crystal Gayle's hair ]
Crystal Gayle: [ annoyed ] What are you doing?! What are you doing?!
Dean Martin: Oh.. sorry..
Carl Sagan: Okay, everybody, we've had some fun, but now it's time for a special Christmas message from our guest, Mr. George Hamilton.
[ dissolve to George Hamilton's pre-taped message ]
George Hamilton: Hello, everyone. Does my tan frighten you? Perhaps, it should. What you're looking at is the tan of the future. Unless America changes it ways, when I look at a knockout babe like Dyan Cannon, and I see the ravages that ozone depletion has wrought on her leathery, flaking skin, I think, "My God, what have these fools done?" For those of my generation - for John Derek, for Bob Guccione - it may be too late. But who will speak for the Rob Lowes? For the Chad Lowes? For the Lorenzo Lamas'? Or the two Coreys? What kind of tan can they expect? Certainly not a healthy, golden tan. Not even a tawny bronze. The best they can hope for is a light cocoa. Think about that this Christmas.
[ dissolve back to Carl Sagan standing next to Ralph Nader in the Christmas village ]
Carl Sagan: Now, we will enjoy a rendition of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", by my colleague Ralph Nader.
[ drunken Dean Martin rushes into the scene ]
Dean Martin: Oh now, alright boy, alright, that's very nice! Now, you're a nice fella, but we all get the idea! Now, let's do a real Christmas show! Ladies and gentlemen, The Vogue Gold Diggers!
[ Vogue Gold Diggers dance into the Christmas village ]
Dean Martin: Mr. Dom DeLuise!
[ Dom DeLuise enters, tosses a rubber chicken and blows a kiss to the audience ]
Dean Martin: Miss Petula Clark!
[ Petula Clark runs into the Christmas village ]
Dean Martin: [ to Carl Sagan, pleased ] Well, now, boy.. boy, what did you think there?
Carl Sagan: Interesting. It harks back to a time when Christmas specials were wasteful and excessive.
Dean Martin: Oh, that's right. [ to one of the Vogue Gold Diggers ] Oh, Lydia? Take care of my friend here.
[ Lydia hugs Carl ]
Carl Sagan: Thank you, Dean!
Dean Martin: Don't mention it. We'll be right back!
In addition to Nelson's post, I clicked on the link to the SNL archive and am sharin' with all you pallies likes the printed version of the original Dino-script.
As, we edge our way to Dino-eve, ilovedinomartin thanks Mr. Tom Nelson for helpin' put the accent on our Dino and remindin' all us pallies of that classic SNL Dino-parody on Global Warmin' To view Nelson's original post, just clicks on the tagg of this Dino-gram. To see the SNL script in it's original format, likes just clicks on the link provided by Nelson. Dino-diggin', DMP
Monday, December 27, 2010
Govt plans for output losses due to climate change - China.org.cn
"But the output of the country's three main foods - rice, wheat and corn - may suffer a 37 percent decline in the second half of this century if the government fails to take effective measures to address climate change's impact," Tang said.
1990, Saturday Night Live: The Global Warming Christmas Special
Carl Sagan: Good evening, and welcome to my first Global Warming Christmas Special. It's a tradition which I fear will continue for years to come, because, the way things are going, global warming will be around for a long time. Now, here's someone else who's been around for a long time, a man who's hosted many a Christmas show himself - Mr. Dean Martin.
The Global Warming Christmas Special
Carl Sagan.....Mike Myers
Dean Martin.....Tom Hanks
Sally Struthers.....Victoria Jackson
Crystal Gayle.....Jan Hooks
Isaac Asimov.....Phil Hartman
Paul McCartney.....Dan Carvey
George Hamilton.....Kevin Nealon
.....Ralph Nader
.....Dom DeLuise.....Chris Farley
Petula Clark.....Julia Sweeney
Announcer: It's The Global Warming Christmas Special, with Carl Sagan. Starring Kirstie Alley, Dr. William R Keeler from the Chicago Institute of Meteorological Studies, funnyman Louie Anderson, Professor I. Bennet Eckling, Chief Atmospheric Physicist from the World Resources Institute, Jamie Farr and many, many more. And now, here he is - Carl Sagan!
[ Carl Sagan enters the summer-styled Christmas village set ]
Carl Sagan: Good evening, and welcome to my first Global Warming Christmas Special. It's a tradition which I fear will continue for years to come, because, the way things are going, global warming will be around for a long time. Now, here's someone else who's been around for a long time, a man who's hosted many a Christmas show himself - Mr. Dean Martin.
[ Dean Martin enters with a glass of vodka and a lit cigarette ]
Carl Sagan: Welcome, Dean. I hope this special will prove to be enlightening and entertaining.
Dean Martin: Hello there, Carl. You just show me where the cue cards and we'll take care of this whole thing.
Carl Sagan: Okay, Dean, because after all..
[ singing ]
"The Earth's atmosphere operates
as a greenhouse, if you will."
Dean Martin:
"When there's too much carbon dioxide
it blocks out all the.."
Carl Sagan:
"Our CO2 concentration
has risen to 350 parts per million
mostly due to the fossil fuel,
consumption and horizon other trace gases."
Dean Martin:
"Methane, nitrogen oxide
and cho-based molecules.."
Carl Sagan: [ interrupting ] Excuse me, Dean. Dean, that's not "cho", that's "C-H-O-H", a base molecule for all chlorofloral carbons. I wish you'd shown up for rehearsal.
Dean Martin: Well, it sure looks like "cho" to me, Professor! [ laughs ]
Carl Sagan: Well, perhaps we should simply proceed to the final refrain.
Dean Martin: Oh, lead the way!
Together: "'Cause you just can't tell it's Christmas anywhere!!"
Carl Sagan: Thank you. Dean, join me as we examine Christmas in an artificially-warmed envorimnoent.
Dean Martin: Oh now, hold on there, Einstein! Where's all the snow?
Carl Sagan: Well, Dean, if you'd paid attention to the lyrics you just sang, you'd realize that in a greenhouse climate, the chief precipitant would be rain.
Dean Martin: Ooh, that ain't right!
Carl Sagan: Cheer up, Dino. Let's decorate the greenhouse-affected Christmas tree, shall we? [ they walk over to a group of kids and Sally Struthers decorating a two-foot tall Christmas tree ] Believe it or not, Dean, you're looking at the world's largest Christmas tree in our new twisted eco-system.
Dean Martin: Ooh now, that's so upsetting!
Carl Sagan: And look who's here trimming the tree. It's Archie Bunker's daughter, Sally Struthers. Welcome, Sally.
Sally Struthers: [ visibly upset ] Carl, can I say something?
Carl Sagan: Please.
[ close-up of Sally's tear-streaked face ]
Sally Struthers: We can't allow this to happen.. Won't you please, please send money.. to wherever.. money is sent.. to fix.. this terrible.. tree thing.. Please..!
Carl Sagan: Thank you, Sally. Thank you. So you see, folks, if the poles continue to melt as they are, we'll all be in hot water! [ chuckles at his inane joke ]
Dean Martin: Well, now, what about the folks like me, who already live in the desert?
Carl Sagan: Dean, the mean temperature in Las Vegas will one day rise to 156 degrees, making it uninhabitable and rendering such landmarks as the Aladdin Hotel stark monuments to an age of self-indulgence.
Dean Martin: Ooh, well what about Tahoe?
Carl Sagan: It'll be fine. Now, here to sing a Yuletide classic, Crystal Gayle and popular science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.
[ Crystal Gayle and Isaac Asimov enter, singing ]
Crystal Gayle: Pretty sidewalks
Isaac Asimov: In the air, there's a feeling
Crystal Gayle: Silver bells
Isaac Asimov: Tiny silver bells
Crystal Gayle: Silver bells
Isaac Asimov: Tiny silver bells
Crystal Gayle: It's Christmas time in the city!
[ Carl throws red paint onto Crystal's fur coat ]
Crystal Gayle: [ outraged ] Wha-? Hey! What's this?
Carl Sagan: I'm sorry, Crystal. I realize that global warming is the theme of this special. However, fur is indeed murder!
Crystal Gayle: You got paint in my hair, you nerd! God!
Carl Sagan: Now, then, it's time for the traditional gift exchange. And look who's joined us. Former Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife, Linda.
Paul McCartney: Well, we just thought we'd drop by and do our part, 'cause you know, it's global warming, it's madness! You know, it's killing us! You know, thec other day I said to Linda, "We're losing the bloody planet!" And after the planet, what have you got? You can't live in the sky or in the sun! There's nowhere to stand! you know, you'd just be falling all the time, and then what have you got? I mean, think about it, you know? You could bring a chair, so that you could have a sit. But if you think that chair's not gonna fall, you'd be bloody wrong. 'Cause it will, and then what have you got? You're right back where you started, standing in the sun without a chair.
Carl Sagan: Thank you, Paul.
Paul McCartney: It's bloody madness!
Dean Martin: [ interrupting ] Aw, let's open the presents, Ringo!
Carl Sagan: Very well, Dean. But remember, these gifts have been altered by our environmental neglect.
Dean Martin: Oh yeah, yeah. You sound like a broken record! Now, which one is mine?
Carl Sagan: [ hands Dean a present ] Okay, here you go, Dean. It's peanut brittle.
Dean Martin: [ excited ] Oh, man, I loves the peanut brittle now.. [ reaches into the box to find a sticky mess ] Oh, wait, hey, hey, what's going on here now?
Carl Sagan: In the atmosphere greenhouse of tomorrow, molasses-based candies will liquify, even on the mildest days.
Dean Martin: Hmm..
Paul McCartney: It's madness, I tell you!
Sally Struthers: [ sobbing ] People, we can't let this happen..!
Dean Martin: [ eating his peanut brittle anyway ] Mmm, well, it's not bad! [ wipes off his sticky peanut butter fingers in Crystal Gayle's hair ]
Crystal Gayle: [ annoyed ] What are you doing?! What are you doing?!
Dean Martin: Oh.. sorry..
Carl Sagan: Okay, everybody, we've had some fun, but now it's time for a special Christmas message from our guest, Mr. George Hamilton.
[ dissolve to George Hamilton's pre-taped message ]
George Hamilton: Hello, everyone. Does my tan frighten you? Perhaps, it should. What you're looking at is the tan of the future. Unless America changes it ways, when I look at a knockout babe like Dyan Cannon, and I see the ravages that ozone depletion has wrought on her leathery, flaking skin, I think, "My God, what have these fools done?" For those of my generation - for John Derek, for Bob Guccione - it may be too late. But who will speak for the Rob Lowes? For the Chad Lowes? For the Lorenzo Lamas'? Or the two Coreys? What kind of tan can they expect? Certainly not a healthy, golden tan. Not even a tawny bronze. The best they can hope for is a light cocoa. Think about that this Christmas.
[ dissolve back to Carl Sagan standing next to Ralph Nader in the Christmas village ]
Carl Sagan: Now, we will enjoy a rendition of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", by my colleague Ralph Nader.
[ drunken Dean Martin rushes into the scene ]
Dean Martin: Oh now, alright boy, alright, that's very nice! Now, you're a nice fella, but we all get the idea! Now, let's do a real Christmas show! Ladies and gentlemen, The Vogue Gold Diggers!
[ Vogue Gold Diggers dance into the Christmas village ]
Dean Martin: Mr. Dom DeLuise!
[ Dom DeLuise enters, tosses a rubber chicken and blows a kiss to the audience ]
Dean Martin: Miss Petula Clark!
[ Petula Clark runs into the Christmas village ]
Dean Martin: [ to Carl Sagan, pleased ] Well, now, boy.. boy, what did you think there?
Carl Sagan: Interesting. It harks back to a time when Christmas specials were wasteful and excessive.
Dean Martin: Oh, that's right. [ to one of the Vogue Gold Diggers ] Oh, Lydia? Take care of my friend here.
[ Lydia hugs Carl ]
Carl Sagan: Thank you, Dean!
Dean Martin: Don't mention it. We'll be right back!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
"My memories of the good are my best friends. And Dino provided the soundtrack."
Hey pallies, likes here is more homage to our beloved Dino from our Dino-lovin' lady of the "Longshot's Blog" whose outstandin' Dino-trib," Oh! Dino How I Miss You," was featured yester-Dino-day here at ilovedinomartin.
Upon my speakin' some Dino-patter of Dino-appreciato at her blog, this Dino-diggin' lady shared more with me 'bout the history of her Dino-yearnin' and the amazin' depth of her Dino-devotion!
I trust likes you will revel in her Dino-prose as much as I does. Ain't nothin' like findin' kindred Dino-spirits to share our common Dino-adulation. And, likes the Dino-link she mentions to 'nother great piece of Dino-prose will no doubt appear soon here at ilovedinomartin.
ilovedinomartin sends our Dino-thanks to his Miss Longshot for sharin' boldly and beautifully her profoundly pure Dino-passion with us. To view the "Longshot's Blog" just clicks on the tagg of this Dino-post. Dino-sweet, DMP
Thank You kentsmokerguy,
This man’s music affected me from a very very young age. I’d say like 3. As I said in the blog my Aunt Annie had two 45s ( In reality both my Aunts had every album he made ) of An Evening in Roma, and the one playing. I fell in love with Professor! Professor! and it will always have a place in my heart until the day I die.
The memories from this music can bring on crying because I miss my Aunt so much. And Dean Martin I was bonkers about. My Mom would take me to the show to see his movies. I specifically remember ” How to save a marriage and ruin your life ” and ” Airport “. I got yelled at more times on Thursday nights when Dino came on than any other. When I was coming up in 60s, you butt had better been in bed when your parents said so. I’d always be sneaking around the corner to watch his show. Sometime I got caught other times I lucked out. Then there were times they knew but let it go.
I absolutely adored Dean Martin. What girl wouldn’t of? lol
Well nothing has changed 3 years old or 53. I remember when he died and on Christmas of all days. The first one I called was my Aunt Annie. I swear it felt like we lost a family member. A year later I lost her.
My memories of the good are my best friends. And Dino provided the soundtrack.
I hope you click on to this link, I know you would enjoy it. Thanks again for the response.
http://longshotsblues.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/the-best-moment-of-television-history-jerry-lewis-labor-day-telethon/
Upon my speakin' some Dino-patter of Dino-appreciato at her blog, this Dino-diggin' lady shared more with me 'bout the history of her Dino-yearnin' and the amazin' depth of her Dino-devotion!
I trust likes you will revel in her Dino-prose as much as I does. Ain't nothin' like findin' kindred Dino-spirits to share our common Dino-adulation. And, likes the Dino-link she mentions to 'nother great piece of Dino-prose will no doubt appear soon here at ilovedinomartin.
ilovedinomartin sends our Dino-thanks to his Miss Longshot for sharin' boldly and beautifully her profoundly pure Dino-passion with us. To view the "Longshot's Blog" just clicks on the tagg of this Dino-post. Dino-sweet, DMP
Thank You kentsmokerguy,This man’s music affected me from a very very young age. I’d say like 3. As I said in the blog my Aunt Annie had two 45s ( In reality both my Aunts had every album he made ) of An Evening in Roma, and the one playing. I fell in love with Professor! Professor! and it will always have a place in my heart until the day I die.
The memories from this music can bring on crying because I miss my Aunt so much. And Dean Martin I was bonkers about. My Mom would take me to the show to see his movies. I specifically remember ” How to save a marriage and ruin your life ” and ” Airport “. I got yelled at more times on Thursday nights when Dino came on than any other. When I was coming up in 60s, you butt had better been in bed when your parents said so. I’d always be sneaking around the corner to watch his show. Sometime I got caught other times I lucked out. Then there were times they knew but let it go.
I absolutely adored Dean Martin. What girl wouldn’t of? lol
Well nothing has changed 3 years old or 53. I remember when he died and on Christmas of all days. The first one I called was my Aunt Annie. I swear it felt like we lost a family member. A year later I lost her.
My memories of the good are my best friends. And Dino provided the soundtrack.
I hope you click on to this link, I know you would enjoy it. Thanks again for the response.
http://longshotsblues.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/the-best-moment-of-television-history-jerry-lewis-labor-day-telethon/
Monday, December 27, 2010
Oh! Dino How I Miss You.
Hey pallies, likes it is always so so refreshin' to discover 'nother pallie who is truly full of passion for our beloved Dino. Today's Dino-gram comes from the blog, "Longshot's Blog" where the chick-writer declares, "Oh! Dino How I Miss You."
As you will read, this Dino-lovin' lady has known, loved, and honored our Dino for a number of decades, and has done so since a tender age...."I absolutely adored this man from the time I was a little girl." It is so heart-warmin' to read the impact that our Dino has had on this lady's life...and the life of her family...and how our Dino continues to help her connect to wonderful memories of the past.
It brings likes such happiness to hear how our beloved Dino has impacted her life and to hear her Dino-testimonal of deep, pure, full, and true Dino-devotion. Readin' others liftin' up the name of our Dino with such passion simply affirms the reason that ilovedinomartin exists...to help others to celebrate the life and legacy of our beloved Dino.
ilovedinomartin expresses our deepest Dino-appreciato to the author of "Longshot's Blog" for givin' unabashedly sharin' her Dino-love with all her readers. To view this in it's original format, please clicks on the tagg of this Dino-post. Dino-awed, DMP
Oh! Dino How I Miss You. ~
Dean Martin
Christmas day unfortunately was the 15th anniversary of Dean Martin’s death Dec. 25th, 1995. I absolutely adored this man from the time I was a little girl. Everyone talked about Sinatra and yes he was a Singers singer. But if you wanted an Italian singer of Italian songs, then for me it was Dino. I’ll never forget wearing out two 45s when we lived at my grandma’s 65-68. Professor, Professor & An Evening in Roma. I could sing the Italian part of the first to perfection. It was then and still now to this day my favorite Italian record. When we moved, my favorite aunt knowing how much I loved these two records gave them to me. When I sit and think about it I laugh, saying to myself did she really give them to me because she knew how much I loved them. Or did she give them to me because after me playing them ( on their old Hi-Fi ) 100 times a day for three straight years, and her listening to them a 100 times a day for three straight years, was just plain SICK OF HEARING THEM. LOL
I still have the records and they still get played, although when I listen to Professor, Professor tears at times start flowing because of the memories of where I played and listened to them. That particular Aunt died in 1996. So if there is anybody my age ( 53 ) and no doubt anybody from my parents era reading this. This is my tribute to one of my favorite singers. A 1,000 times better looking than Sinatra, and more smoother. He might have been part of one of the best comedy acts in show biz history, but to me he was just my favorite Italian singer. Girls screamed for Sinatra in their day, and every Thursday night at 10:00 pm growing up. I tried to not get caught sneaking around the corner to watch Dean Martin, otherwise a lot of yelling and hitting occurred. ( Yes we had a specific time you had to go to bed when young ). I’d gladly be willing to be screamed at now if only Dino was here to sneak around and watch. How I Miss that man.
Born Dino Paul Crocetti
And the moment that made television history that many longed for in 1976.
Everybody loved Dean Martin. And this person misses and loved him very much. 15 years ago he left this world, 15 years later his music keeps many memories alive.
In the Heart where it counts. Somebody may wonder why post an In Memory on Christmas Day.
For me more than Dino’s music some beautiful memories were made.
My Dad and his whole side are gone. There is an empty void on Christmas for me that can never again be replaced. Dino’s Music reminds me of how good Christmas Eve and Day was at a time when younger when they were all here. I miss that house on the East Side of Detroit. I miss the homemade Macaroni’s, Vino, all the Italian Cookies and baked goods my Aunt Bridget made for the entire family.
So when you no longer can be with whom you want because they’ve gone beyond your reach. You reach out to them anyway you can. This Singer and the memories from his songs is my homage to whom I will always miss at Christmas. And it is his music that still allows a little piece of all of them to always remain with me. So here’s to some beautiful memories.
The song playing I can’t explain it’s meaning to you in words. It’s contained in my heart of a specific memory of my favorite Aunt Anna ( Annie ). How I miss her and the Chistmas that once upon a time that was.
La Famiglia “ vivi, ridi, & ama “.
Mi manchi, ti voglio bene, Sei in mio cuore.
“Salute”
As you will read, this Dino-lovin' lady has known, loved, and honored our Dino for a number of decades, and has done so since a tender age...."I absolutely adored this man from the time I was a little girl." It is so heart-warmin' to read the impact that our Dino has had on this lady's life...and the life of her family...and how our Dino continues to help her connect to wonderful memories of the past.
It brings likes such happiness to hear how our beloved Dino has impacted her life and to hear her Dino-testimonal of deep, pure, full, and true Dino-devotion. Readin' others liftin' up the name of our Dino with such passion simply affirms the reason that ilovedinomartin exists...to help others to celebrate the life and legacy of our beloved Dino.
ilovedinomartin expresses our deepest Dino-appreciato to the author of "Longshot's Blog" for givin' unabashedly sharin' her Dino-love with all her readers. To view this in it's original format, please clicks on the tagg of this Dino-post. Dino-awed, DMP
Oh! Dino How I Miss You. ~
Dean Martin
Christmas day unfortunately was the 15th anniversary of Dean Martin’s death Dec. 25th, 1995. I absolutely adored this man from the time I was a little girl. Everyone talked about Sinatra and yes he was a Singers singer. But if you wanted an Italian singer of Italian songs, then for me it was Dino. I’ll never forget wearing out two 45s when we lived at my grandma’s 65-68. Professor, Professor & An Evening in Roma. I could sing the Italian part of the first to perfection. It was then and still now to this day my favorite Italian record. When we moved, my favorite aunt knowing how much I loved these two records gave them to me. When I sit and think about it I laugh, saying to myself did she really give them to me because she knew how much I loved them. Or did she give them to me because after me playing them ( on their old Hi-Fi ) 100 times a day for three straight years, and her listening to them a 100 times a day for three straight years, was just plain SICK OF HEARING THEM. LOL
I still have the records and they still get played, although when I listen to Professor, Professor tears at times start flowing because of the memories of where I played and listened to them. That particular Aunt died in 1996. So if there is anybody my age ( 53 ) and no doubt anybody from my parents era reading this. This is my tribute to one of my favorite singers. A 1,000 times better looking than Sinatra, and more smoother. He might have been part of one of the best comedy acts in show biz history, but to me he was just my favorite Italian singer. Girls screamed for Sinatra in their day, and every Thursday night at 10:00 pm growing up. I tried to not get caught sneaking around the corner to watch Dean Martin, otherwise a lot of yelling and hitting occurred. ( Yes we had a specific time you had to go to bed when young ). I’d gladly be willing to be screamed at now if only Dino was here to sneak around and watch. How I Miss that man.
Born Dino Paul Crocetti
And the moment that made television history that many longed for in 1976.
Everybody loved Dean Martin. And this person misses and loved him very much. 15 years ago he left this world, 15 years later his music keeps many memories alive.
In the Heart where it counts. Somebody may wonder why post an In Memory on Christmas Day.
For me more than Dino’s music some beautiful memories were made.
My Dad and his whole side are gone. There is an empty void on Christmas for me that can never again be replaced. Dino’s Music reminds me of how good Christmas Eve and Day was at a time when younger when they were all here. I miss that house on the East Side of Detroit. I miss the homemade Macaroni’s, Vino, all the Italian Cookies and baked goods my Aunt Bridget made for the entire family.
So when you no longer can be with whom you want because they’ve gone beyond your reach. You reach out to them anyway you can. This Singer and the memories from his songs is my homage to whom I will always miss at Christmas. And it is his music that still allows a little piece of all of them to always remain with me. So here’s to some beautiful memories.
The song playing I can’t explain it’s meaning to you in words. It’s contained in my heart of a specific memory of my favorite Aunt Anna ( Annie ). How I miss her and the Chistmas that once upon a time that was.
La Famiglia “ vivi, ridi, & ama “.
Mi manchi, ti voglio bene, Sei in mio cuore.
“Salute”
Friday, December 24, 2010
Payin' Homage to our Dino on Dino-winter-day
Hey pallies, likes unfortunately I will not have access to a 'puter tomorrow on Dino-winter-day, so likes am postin' my Dino-winter-day homage to our beloved Dino on this eve of the remembrance day of our Dino's departure from his pallies. I hope all you pallies will join in honorin' our great man and celebratin' his incredible life and times on Dino-winter-day. Dino-only, DMP
DINO, likes it will be fifteen long years tomorrow that you went away. After livin' your life to the fullest, your physical body was tired and worn out, and you were ready to depart the planet. Even though you are no longer with us, you spirit glows ever brightly in our midst.
Everytime we hear one of your songs, everytime we watch one of your movies, everytime we see a clip of your incredible television show, we continue to stand in awe of you and what you mean in our lives. Elvis dubbed you the King of Cool, and indeed you were, indeed you still are, indeed you always will be. No one ever has or ever will capture cool like you.
So our beloved DINO, likes know that each new day you are more loved and appreciated then ever. You will ever put a smile on our faces and a song in our hearts. Thank you for lovin' us, and know that we truly love you. You sang "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime." Well DINO, likes we will always remember.... and we will always love you.
DINO, likes it will be fifteen long years tomorrow that you went away. After livin' your life to the fullest, your physical body was tired and worn out, and you were ready to depart the planet. Even though you are no longer with us, you spirit glows ever brightly in our midst.
Everytime we hear one of your songs, everytime we watch one of your movies, everytime we see a clip of your incredible television show, we continue to stand in awe of you and what you mean in our lives. Elvis dubbed you the King of Cool, and indeed you were, indeed you still are, indeed you always will be. No one ever has or ever will capture cool like you.
So our beloved DINO, likes know that each new day you are more loved and appreciated then ever. You will ever put a smile on our faces and a song in our hearts. Thank you for lovin' us, and know that we truly love you. You sang "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime." Well DINO, likes we will always remember.... and we will always love you.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Deathday: Dean Martin
Hey pallies, on this day-before-the-eve of Dino-winter day, likes I have decided to repost an amazin' tribute to our Dino (first share here on the day after Dino-winter-day 2009).
From a blog tagged "Poe Forward" a dude tagged Mr. Poe shares likes his most worderfully massive Dino-remembrance....full of lovin' commentary on our Dino's life and times with a huge number of heart-warmin' Dino-clips and Dino-pixs to enhance the Dino-presentation.
To view this in it's original format, just clicks on the tagg of this Dino-gram. A few of the stellar Dino-clips shared originally likes have been deleted from youtube, so I have removed 'em from the trib.
I likes simply can't express my likes total Dino-delight to see a blogger likes this Poe man showin' such interest in honorin' our Dino is such an outstandin' way. It just so so warms my Dino-heart likes to see others so so tenderly rememberin' our Dino. Hopes all you pallies will likes takes the time to read each and every Dino-word hear and enjoys the Dino-clips and Dino-images as well.
My deep thanks to Dino-lovin' Poe for showin' such unabashed Dino-affection! Dinodevotedly, DMP
Friday, December 25, 2009
Deathday: Dean Martin
Dean Martin (June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, film actor and comedian. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That A Kick In The Head?". One of the leaders of the "Rat Pack", he was a major star in four areas of show business: concert stage/night clubs, recordings, motion pictures, and television.
Nicknamed the "King of Cool," Dean Martin became a pop culture icon for his music, his trademark charm and his drinking, although his glass while on stage contained apple juice. He was much respected wherever he went, and became a sort of unofficial ambassador of the Italian-American community.
Early life
Born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio to Italian immigrant parents, Gaetano and Angela Crocetti (née Barra), his father was an immigrant from Abruzzo, Italy and his mother was an Italian American of part Neapolitan and part Sicilian. Martin was the younger of two sons. He had one brother, Bill. Martin spoke only Italian until he started school at the age of five. He attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville, Ohio and took up the drums as a hobby as a teenager. He was the target of much ridicule for his broken English and ultimately dropped out from Steubenville High School in the 10th grade because he thought that he was smarter than his teachers. He delivered bootleg liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, wrote crafty anecdotes, was a blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill and boxed as welterweight. He grew up a neighbor to Jimmy the Greek. At the age of 15, he was a boxer who billed himself as "Kid Crochet". His prizefighting years earned him a broken nose (later fixed), a permanently split lip, and many sets of broken knuckles (a result of not being able to afford the tape used to wrap boxers' hands). He lost 11 of his 12 bouts. For a time, he roomed with Sonny King, who, like Martin, was just starting in show business and had little money. It is said that Martin and King held bare-knuckle matches in their apartment, fighting until one of them was knocked out; people paid to watch. Eventually, Martin gave up boxing. He worked as a roulette stickman and croupier in an illegal casino behind a tobacco shop where he had started as a stock boy. At the same time, he sang with local bands. Calling himself "Dino Martini" (after the then-famous Metropolitan Opera tenor, Nino Martini), he got his first break working for the Ernie McKay Orchestra. He sang in a crooning style influenced by Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers), among others. In the early 1940s, he started singing for bandleader Sammy Watkins, who suggested he change his name to Dean Martin.
In October 1941, Martin married Elizabeth Anne McDonald. During their marriage (ended by divorce in 1949), they had four children. Martin worked for various bands throughout the early 1940s, mostly on looks and personality until he developed his own singing style. Martin famously flopped at the Riobamba when he succeeded Frank Sinatra there in 1943, but it was the setting for his introduction.
Martin repeatedly sold 10 percent shares of his earnings for up front cash. He apparently did this so often that he found he had sold over 100 percent of his income. Such was his charm that most of his lenders forgave his debts and remained friends.
Drafted into the United States Army in 1944 during World War II, Martin served a year stationed in Akron, Ohio. He was then reclassified as 4-F (possibly due to a double hernia; Jerry Lewis referred to the surgery Martin needed for this in his autobiography) and was discharged.
By 1946, Martin was doing relatively well, but was still little more than an East Coast nightclub singer with a common style, similar to that of Bing Crosby. He drew audiences to the clubs he played, but he inspired none of the fanatic popularity enjoyed by Sinatra.
Mafia Connections
A biography on Martin titled Dean Martin: King of the Road by Michael Freedland alleges he had links to the Mafia early in his career. Martin allegedly was given help with his singing career by mob bosses who owned saloons in Chicago, Illinois. In return, he later performed in shows hosted by these bosses when he was a star. The mob bosses were Tony Accardo and Sam Giancana. The author suggests Martin felt little sympathy for the Mafia and only did them small favors if it was not inconvenient for him. Reportedly, the FBI's bugs once picked up a mafioso making plans to injure or even kill Martin because of a perceived lack of gratitude. Another book, The Animal in Hollywood by John L. Smith, depicted Dean Martin's longtime friendship with Mafia mobsters Johnny Roselli and Anthony Fiato. The author suggests Anthony Fiato (a/k/a "the Animal") did Dean Martin many favors, such as getting back money from two swindlers who had cheated Betty Martin, Dean's ex-wife, out of thousands of dollars of her alimony.
Teaming with Jerry Lewis
Martin attracted the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Pictures, but a Hollywood contract was not forthcoming. He seemed destined to remain on the nightclub circuit until he met a comic named Jerry Lewis at the Glass Hat Club in New York, where both men were performing. Martin and Lewis formed a fast friendship which led to their participation in each other's acts and the ultimate formation of a music-comedy team. More than a few people dubbed them "The Organ Grinder and the Monkey".
Martin and Lewis' official debut together occurred at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 24, 1946, and they were not well received. The owner, Skinny D'Amato, warned them that if they did not come up with a better act for their second show later that night, they would be fired. Huddling together in the alley behind the club, Lewis and Martin agreed to "go for broke", to throw out the pre-scripted gags and to improvise. Dean sang and Jerry came out dressed as a busboy, dropping plates and making a shambles of both Martin's performance and the club's sense of decorum until Lewis was chased from the room as Martin pelted him with breadrolls. They did slapstick, reeled off old vaudeville jokes, and did whatever else popped into their heads at the moment. This time, the audience doubled over in laughter. This success led to a series of well-paying engagements on the Eastern seaboard, culminating in a triumphant run at New York's Copacabana. Patrons were convulsed by the act, which consisted primarily of Lewis interrupting and heckling Martin while he was trying to sing, and ultimately the two of them chasing each other around the stage and having as much fun as possible. The secret, both said, is that they essentially ignored the audience and played to one another.
A radio series commenced in 1949, the same year Martin and Lewis were signed by Paramount producer Hal Wallis as comedy relief for the movie My Friend Irma.
Martin liked California which, because of its earthquakes, had few tall buildings. Suffering as he did from claustrophobia, Martin almost never used elevators, and climbing stairs in Manhattan's skyscrapers was not his idea of fun.
Their agent, Abby Greshler, negotiated for them one of Hollywood's best deals: although they received only a modest $75,000 between them for their films with Wallis, Martin and Lewis were free to do one outside film a year, which they would co-produce through their own York Productions. They also had complete control of their club, record, radio and television appearances, and it was through these endeavors that they earned millions of dollars.
Although there had been hugely successful film teams before, Hollywood had not seen anything like Martin and Lewis. The fun they had together set them apart from everything else done at the time. Both were talented entertainers, but the fact that they were good friends on and off stage took their act to a new level.
Martin and Lewis were the hottest act in America during the early 1950s, but the pace and the pressure took its toll. Most critics underestimated Dean's contribution to the team, as he had the thankless job of the straight man, and his singing had yet to develop into the unique style of his later years. Critics praised Lewis, and while they admitted that Martin was the best partner he could have, most claimed Lewis was the real talent and could succeed with anyone. However, Lewis always praised his partner, and while he appreciated the attention he was getting, he has always said the act would never have worked without Dean Martin. In Dean & Me, he calls Martin one of the great comic geniuses of all time. But the harsh comments from the critics, as well as frustration with the formulaic similarity of Martin & Lewis movies, which producer Hal Wallis stubbornly refused to change, led to Martin's dissatisfaction. He put less enthusiasm into the work, leading to escalating arguments with Lewis. They finally could not work together, especially after Martin told his partner he was "nothing to me but a dollar sign." The act broke up in 1956, 10 years to the day from the first official teaming.
Splitting up their partnership was not easy. It took months for lawyers to work out the details of terminating many of their club bookings, their television contracts, and the dissolution of York Productions. There was intense public pressure for them to stay together.
Lewis had no trouble maintaining his film popularity alone, but Martin, unfairly regarded by much of the public and the motion picture industry as something of a spare tire, found the going hard. His first solo film, Ten Thousand Bedrooms, was a box office failure. He was still popular as a singer, but with rock and roll surging to the fore, the era of the pop crooner was waning. It looked like Martin's fate was to be limited to nightclubs and to be remembered as Jerry Lewis's former partner.
The CBS film, "Martin and Lewis", a made-for-TV movie about the famous comedy duo, starred Jeremy Northam as Martin, and Sean Hayes as Lewis. It depicted the years from 1946-1956.
Solo career
Never totally comfortable in films, Martin wanted to be known as a real actor. Though offered a fraction of his former salary to co-star in a war drama, The Young Lions (1957), he agreed so he could learn from Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. Tony Randall already had the part, but talent agency MCA realized that with this movie, Martin would become a triple threat: they could make money from his work in night clubs, movies, and records. Martin replaced Randall in one of the best dramatic roles of the decade and the film turned out to be the beginning of Martin's spectacular comeback. Success would continue as Martin starred alongside Frank Sinatra for the first time in a highly acclaimed Vincente Minnelli drama, Some Came Running. By the mid '60s, Martin was a top movie, recording, and nightclub star, while Lewis' film career declined. Martin was acclaimed for his performance as Dude in Rio Bravo (1959), directed by Howard Hawks and also starring John Wayne and singer Ricky Nelson. He teamed up again with Wayne in The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), somewhat unconvincingly cast as brothers.
In 1960, Dean Martin was cast in the motion picture version of the Judy Holliday hit stage play Bells Are Ringing. Martin played a satiric variation of his own womanizing persona as Vegas singer "Dino" in Billy Wilder's adult comedy Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) with Kim Novak, and he was not above poking fun at his image in films such as the Matt Helm spy spoofs of the 1960s, in which he was a co-producer.
As a singer, Martin copied the styles of Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers), Bing Crosby, and Perry Como until he developed his own and could hold his own in duets with Sinatra and Crosby. Like Sinatra, he could not read music, but he recorded more than 100 albums and 600 songs. His signature tune, "Everybody Loves Somebody," knocked The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" out of the number-one spot in the United States in 1964. This was followed by the similarly-styled "The Door is Still Open to My Heart," which reached number six later that year. Elvis Presley was said to have been influenced by Martin, and patterned "Love Me Tender" after his style. Martin, like Elvis, was influenced by country music. By 1965, some of Martin's albums, such as Dean "Tex" Martin, The Hit Sound Of Dean Martin, Welcome To My World and Gentle On My Mind were composed of country and western songs made famous by artists like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Buck Owens. Martin hosted country performers on his TV show and was named "Man Of the Year" by the Country Music Association in 1966.
"Ain't That a Kick in the Head," a song Martin performed in Ocean's Eleven that never became a hit at the time, has enjoyed a spectacular revival in the media and pop culture (which can be traced to its usage in 1993's A Bronx Tale).
For three decades, Martin was among the most popular acts in Las Vegas. Martin sang and was one of the smoothest comics in the business, benefiting from the decade of raucous comedy with Lewis. Martin's daughter, Gail, also sang in Vegas and on his TV show, co-hosting his summer replacement series on NBC. Though often thought of as a ladies' man, Martin spent a lot of time with his family; as second wife Jeanne put it, prior to the couple's divorce, "He was home every night for dinner."
The Rat Pack
As Martin's solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became close friends. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Martin and Sinatra, along with friends Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr. formed the legendary Rat Pack, so called by the public after an earlier group of social friends, the Holmby Hills Rat Pack centered on Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, of which Sinatra had been a member.
The Martin-Sinatra-Davis-Lawford-Bishop group referred to themselves as "The Summit" or "The Clan" and never as "The Rat Pack", although this has remained their identity in the popular culture. The men made films together, formed an important part of the Hollywood social scene in those years, and were politically influential (through Lawford's marriage to Patricia Kennedy, sister of President John F. Kennedy).
The Rat Pack were legendary for their Las Vegas performances, which were almost never preannounced. For example, the marquee at the Sands Hotel might read DEAN MARTIN---MAYBE FRANK---MAYBE SAMMY. Las Vegas rooms were at a premium when the Rat Pack would appear, with many visitors sleeping in hotel lobbies or cars to get a chance to see the three men together. Their act (always in tuxedo) consisted of each singing individual numbers, duets and trios, along with much seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter. In the socially-charged 1960s, their jokes revolved around adult themes, such as Sinatra's infamous womanizing and Martin's legendary drinking, as well as many at the expense of Davis's race and religion. Davis famously practiced Judaism and used Yiddish phrases onstage, eliciting much merriment from both his stage-mates and his audiences. It was all good-natured male bonding, never vicious, rarely foul-mouthed, and the three had great respect for each other. The Rat Pack was largely responsible for the integration of Las Vegas. Sinatra and Martin steadfastly refused to appear anywhere that barred Davis, forcing the casinos to open their doors to African-American entertainers and patrons, and to drop restrictive covenants against Jews.
Posthumously, the Rat Pack has experienced a popular revival, inspiring the George Clooney/Brad Pitt "Ocean's" trilogy. An HBO film, "The Rat Pack," starred Joe Mantegna as Martin, Ray Liotta as Sinatra and Don Cheadle as Davis. It depicted their contribution to JFK's election in 1960.
The 1960s and 1970s
In 1965, Martin launched his weekly NBC comedy-variety series, The Dean Martin Show, which exploited his public image as a lazy, carefree boozer. It was there that he perfected his famous laid-back persona of the half-drunk crooner suavely hitting on beautiful women with hilarious remarks that would get anyone else slapped, and making snappy if slurred remarks about fellow celebrities during his famous roasts. During an interview he stated, and this may have been tongue-in-cheek, that he had someone record them on cassette tape so he could listen to them; this is evidenced by his comments to this effect on the British TV documentary 'Wine, Women and Song' which was aired in 1983.
The TV show was a huge hit. Dean prided himself on memorizing whole scripts – not merely his own lines. He disliked rehearsing because he firmly believed his best performances were his first. The show's loose format prompted quick-witted improvisation from Dean and the cast. On occasion, he made remarks in Italian, some mild obscenities that brought angry mail from offended, Italian-speaking viewers. This prompted a battle between Martin and NBC censors, who insisted on more scrutiny of the show's content. The show was often in the Top Ten. Martin, deeply appreciative of the efforts of the show's producer, his friend Greg Garrison, later made a handshake deal giving Garrison, a pioneer TV producer in the 1950s, 50% ownership of the show. However, the validity of that ownership is currently the subject of a lawsuit brought by NBC Universal.
Despite Martin's reputation as a heavy drinker — a reputation perpetuated via his vanity license plates reading 'DRUNKY' — he was remarkably self-disciplined. He was often the first to call it a night, and when not on tour or on a film location liked to go home to see his wife and children. Shirley MacLaine in her autobiography confirmed that Martin was sipping apple juice (not liquor) most of the time onstage. He borrowed the lovable-drunk shtick from Joe E. Lewis, but his convincing portrayals of heavy boozers in Some Came Running and Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo led to unsubstantiated claims of alcoholism. More often than not, Martin's idea of a good time was playing golf or watching TV, particularly westerns – not staying with Rat Pack friends Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. into the early hours of the morning.
Martin starred in and co-produced a series of four Matt Helm superspy comedy adventures. A fifth, The Ravagers, was planned starring Sharon Tate and Martin in a dual role, one as a serial killer, but due to the murder of Tate and the decline of the spy genre the film was never made.
By the early 1970s, Martin seemed to have the Midas touch, The Dean Martin Show was still earning solid ratings, and although he was no longer a Top 40 hitmaker, his record albums continued to sell well. His name on a marquee could guarantee casinos and nightclubs a standing-room-only crowd. He found a way to make his passion for golf profitable by offering his own signature line of golf balls. Shrewd investments had greatly increased Martin's personal wealth; at the time of his death, Martin was reportedly the single largest minority shareholder of RCA stock. Martin even managed to cure himself of his claustrophobia by reportedly locking himself in the elevator of a tall building and riding up and down for hours until he was no longer panic-stricken.
Despite his success Martin retreated from show business by the early 1970s. The final (1973-74) season of his variety show would be retooled into one of celebrity roasts, requiring less of Martin's involvement. After the show's cancellation, NBC continued to air the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast format in a series of TV specials through 1984. In those 11 years, Dean and his panel of pals successfully ridiculed and made fun of legendary stars like Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and Ronald Reagan, to name a few. For nearly a decade, Dean had recorded as many as four albums a year for Reprise Records. That stopped in November 1974, when Martin recorded his final Reprise album - Once In A While, released in 1978. His last recording sessions were for Warner Brothers Records. An album titled The Nashville Sessions was released in 1983, from which he had a hit with "(I Think That I Just Wrote) My First Country Song," which was recorded with Conway Twitty and made a respectable showing on the country charts. A follow up single "L.A. is my home / Drinking Champagne" came in 1985. The 1975 film Mr. Ricco marked Martin's final starring role, and Martin limited his live performances to Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
Martin seemed to suffer a mid-life crisis. In 1972, he filed for divorce from his second wife, Jeanne. A week later, his business partnership with the Riviera was dissolved amid reports of the casino's refusal to agree to Martin's request to perform only once a night. He was quickly snapped up by the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and signed a three-picture deal with MGM Studios. Less than a month after his second marriage had been legally dissolved, Martin married 26-year-old Catherine Hawn on April 25, 1973. Hawn had been the receptionist at the chic Gene Shacrove hair salon in Beverly Hills. They divorced November 10, 1976. He was also briefly engaged to Gail Renshaw, Miss USA-World 1969.
Eventually, Martin reconciled with Jeanne, though they never remarried. He also made a public reconciliation with Jerry Lewis on Lewis' Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon in 1976. Frank Sinatra shocked Lewis and the world by bringing Martin out on stage. As Martin and Lewis embraced, the audience erupted in cheers and the phone banks lit up, resulting in one of the telethon's most profitable years. Lewis reported the event was one of the three most memorable of his life. Lewis brought down the house when he quipped, "So, you working?" Martin, playing drunk, replied that he was "at the Meggum" – this reference to the MGM Grand Hotel convulsed Lewis. This, along with the death of Martin's son Dean Paul Martin a few years later, helped to bring the two men together. They maintained a quiet friendship but only performed together again once, in 1989, on Dean's 72nd birthday.
Later years
On December 1, 1983 while gambling at the Golden Nugget casino in Atlantic City, Martin and Sinatra intimidated the dealer and several employees into breaking New Jersey laws by making the dealer deal the cards by hand instead of by a shoe, as is required by law. Although Sinatra and Martin were implicated as the cause of the violation, neither was fined by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. The Golden Nugget, on the other hand, received a $25,000 fine and four employees including the dealer, a supervisor and pit boss were suspended from their jobs without pay. It's said that Sinatra and Martin picked up the tab for the suspended employees' pay.
Martin returned to films briefly with appearances in the two star-laden yet critically panned Cannonball Run movies,. He also had a minor hit single with "Since I Met You Baby" and made his first music video, which appeared on MTV. The video was created by Martin's youngest son, Ricci.
On December 8, 1989, Martin attended Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Special.
Decline
On March 21, 1987, Martin's son Dean Paul (formerly Dino of the 60s "teeny-bopper" rock group Dino, Desi & Billy) was killed when his F-4 Phantom II (jet) fighter crashed while flying with the California Air National Guard.
A much-touted tour with Davis and Sinatra in 1988 sputtered. On one occasion, he infuriated Sinatra when he turned to him and muttered "Frank, what the hell are we doing up here?" Martin, who always responded best to a club audience, felt lost in the huge stadiums they were performing in (at Sinatra's insistence), and he was not the least bit interested in drinking until dawn after their performances. His final Vegas shows were at the Bally's Hotel in 1989. It was there he had his famous final reunion with Jerry Lewis on his 72nd birthday. Martin's last appearance was on December 1990, as he congratulated Frank Sinatra on his 75th birthday.
In addition to never completely recovering from losing his son, Martin was suffering from emphysema. He kept his private life to himself, emerging briefly for a public celebration of his 77th birthday with friends and family.
In September 1993, Martin was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had been told he needed surgery on his kidneys and liver to prolong his life, but he refused. It was widely reported, though never confirmed, that Martin had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1991.
At his side in his last years was ex-wife Jeanne (Biegger) Martin, whom he had divorced years earlier.
Martin died of acute respiratory failure at his home on Christmas morning 1995, at the age of 78. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor.
Tributes
In 2005, Las Vegas renamed Industrial Road as Dean Martin Drive. A similarly named street was christened in 2008 in Rancho Mirage, California.
Martin's family was presented a gold record in 2004 for Dino: The Essential Dean Martin, his fastest-selling album ever, which also hit the iTunes Top 10. For the week ending December 23, 2006, the Dean Martin and Martina McBride duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" reached #7 on the R&R AC chart. It also went to #36 on the R&R Country chart - the last time Martin had a song this high in the charts was in 1965, with the song "I Will", which reached #10 on the Pop chart.
An album of duets, Forever Cool, was released by Capitol/EMI in 2007. It features Martin's voice with Kevin Spacey, Shelby Lynne, Joss Stone, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Robbie Williams, McBride and more.
His footprints were immortalized at Grauman's Chinese Theater in 1964. Martin has not one but three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: One at 6519 Hollywood Blvd. (for movies), one at 1817 Vine (for recordings) and one at 6651 Hollywood Boulevard (for television).
In February 2009, Martin was honored with a posthumous Grammy award for Lifetime Achievement. Four of his surviving children, Gail, Deana, Ricci and Gina, were on hand to accept on his behalf.
Personal life
Martin was married three times. Martin's first wife, Betty McDonald, tried by all accounts to be a good wife and mother to their four children, but her efforts were ultimately undone by her alcoholism. It remains a matter of speculation whether her alcoholism led to the failure of the marriage, or whether Dean's infidelities led to Betty's alcoholism. Subsequent to their divorce, Martin gained custody of their children; Betty lived out her life in quiet obscurity in San Francisco. In the 2002 CBS film Martin and Lewis she is portrayed by Paula Cale. Their children were Stephen Craig (born June 29, 1942), Claudia Dean (March 16, 1944 - 2001 from breast cancer), Barbara Gail (born April 11, 1945) and Deana (Dina) (born August 19, 1948).
Martin's second wife was Jeanne Biegger. A stunning blonde, Jeanne could sometimes be spotted in Martin's audience while he was still married to Betty. Their marriage lasted twenty-four years (1949-1973) and produced three children. She is portrayed by Kate Levering in Martin and Lewis. Their children were Dean Paul (November 17, 1951 - March 21, 1987 plane crash), Ricci James (born September 20, 1953) and Gina Caroline (born December 20, 1956).
Martin's third marriage, to Catherine Hawn, lasted three years. One of Dean's managers had spotted the young beauty working the desk at a swank salon on Rodeo Drive, then arranged a meeting. Martin adopted Hawn's daughter, Sasha, but their marriage also failed. Dean initiated divorce proceedings.
Dean Martin's uncle was Leonard Barr, who appeared in several of his shows.
Popular culture
Martin was portrayed by Joe Mantegna in an HBO movie about Sinatra and Martin titled The Rat Pack. Mantegna was nominated for both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the role.
In the movie A Bronx's Tale, Dean Martin's song, "Ain't That A Kick In The Head?", was featured during the scene when C was playing dice.
British actor Jeremy Northam portrayed the entertainer in a made-for-TV movie called, Martin and Lewis, alongside Will & Grace's Sean Hayes as Jerry Lewis.
Danny Gans portrayed Martin in the miniseries, Sinatra.
For the week ending December 23, 2006, the Dean Martin and Martina McBride duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" reached #7 on the R&R AC chart. It also went to #36 on the R&R Country chart. The last time Martin had a song this high in the charts was in 1965, with the song "I Will," which reached #10 on the Pop chart.
A Budweiser TV commercial that premiered during Super Bowl XLI featured Martin's "Ain't That A Kick In The Head?"
In a trailer for the 2009 video game The Godfather II, Martin's "Ain't That A Kick In The Head?" is heard throughout the trailer showing the gangster lifestyle of the 50's.
A compilation album called, Amore! debuted at Number One on Billboard magazine's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart in its February 21, 2009 issue.
Martin is mentioned in the Simpsons episode Apocalypse Cow
Bart: So Dean Martin would show up at the last minute and do everything in just one take?
Homer: That's right!
Bart: But Wikipedia said he was "passionate about rehearsal."
Homer: Don't you worry about Wikipedia. We'll change it when we get home. We'll change a lot of things.
In the Meter Made episode of American Dad, Martin's Ain't That a Kick in the Head? is played during a montage in which Stan and Francine are destroying furniture items they bought with illegally obtained money.
Posted by Poe Forward at 12:10 AM
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To view this in it's original format, just clicks on the tagg of this Dino-gram. A few of the stellar Dino-clips shared originally likes have been deleted from youtube, so I have removed 'em from the trib.
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My deep thanks to Dino-lovin' Poe for showin' such unabashed Dino-affection! Dinodevotedly, DMP
Friday, December 25, 2009
Deathday: Dean Martin
Dean Martin (June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, film actor and comedian. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That A Kick In The Head?". One of the leaders of the "Rat Pack", he was a major star in four areas of show business: concert stage/night clubs, recordings, motion pictures, and television.
Nicknamed the "King of Cool," Dean Martin became a pop culture icon for his music, his trademark charm and his drinking, although his glass while on stage contained apple juice. He was much respected wherever he went, and became a sort of unofficial ambassador of the Italian-American community.
Early life
Born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio to Italian immigrant parents, Gaetano and Angela Crocetti (née Barra), his father was an immigrant from Abruzzo, Italy and his mother was an Italian American of part Neapolitan and part Sicilian. Martin was the younger of two sons. He had one brother, Bill. Martin spoke only Italian until he started school at the age of five. He attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville, Ohio and took up the drums as a hobby as a teenager. He was the target of much ridicule for his broken English and ultimately dropped out from Steubenville High School in the 10th grade because he thought that he was smarter than his teachers. He delivered bootleg liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, wrote crafty anecdotes, was a blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill and boxed as welterweight. He grew up a neighbor to Jimmy the Greek. At the age of 15, he was a boxer who billed himself as "Kid Crochet". His prizefighting years earned him a broken nose (later fixed), a permanently split lip, and many sets of broken knuckles (a result of not being able to afford the tape used to wrap boxers' hands). He lost 11 of his 12 bouts. For a time, he roomed with Sonny King, who, like Martin, was just starting in show business and had little money. It is said that Martin and King held bare-knuckle matches in their apartment, fighting until one of them was knocked out; people paid to watch. Eventually, Martin gave up boxing. He worked as a roulette stickman and croupier in an illegal casino behind a tobacco shop where he had started as a stock boy. At the same time, he sang with local bands. Calling himself "Dino Martini" (after the then-famous Metropolitan Opera tenor, Nino Martini), he got his first break working for the Ernie McKay Orchestra. He sang in a crooning style influenced by Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers), among others. In the early 1940s, he started singing for bandleader Sammy Watkins, who suggested he change his name to Dean Martin.
In October 1941, Martin married Elizabeth Anne McDonald. During their marriage (ended by divorce in 1949), they had four children. Martin worked for various bands throughout the early 1940s, mostly on looks and personality until he developed his own singing style. Martin famously flopped at the Riobamba when he succeeded Frank Sinatra there in 1943, but it was the setting for his introduction.
Martin repeatedly sold 10 percent shares of his earnings for up front cash. He apparently did this so often that he found he had sold over 100 percent of his income. Such was his charm that most of his lenders forgave his debts and remained friends.
Drafted into the United States Army in 1944 during World War II, Martin served a year stationed in Akron, Ohio. He was then reclassified as 4-F (possibly due to a double hernia; Jerry Lewis referred to the surgery Martin needed for this in his autobiography) and was discharged.
By 1946, Martin was doing relatively well, but was still little more than an East Coast nightclub singer with a common style, similar to that of Bing Crosby. He drew audiences to the clubs he played, but he inspired none of the fanatic popularity enjoyed by Sinatra.
Mafia Connections
A biography on Martin titled Dean Martin: King of the Road by Michael Freedland alleges he had links to the Mafia early in his career. Martin allegedly was given help with his singing career by mob bosses who owned saloons in Chicago, Illinois. In return, he later performed in shows hosted by these bosses when he was a star. The mob bosses were Tony Accardo and Sam Giancana. The author suggests Martin felt little sympathy for the Mafia and only did them small favors if it was not inconvenient for him. Reportedly, the FBI's bugs once picked up a mafioso making plans to injure or even kill Martin because of a perceived lack of gratitude. Another book, The Animal in Hollywood by John L. Smith, depicted Dean Martin's longtime friendship with Mafia mobsters Johnny Roselli and Anthony Fiato. The author suggests Anthony Fiato (a/k/a "the Animal") did Dean Martin many favors, such as getting back money from two swindlers who had cheated Betty Martin, Dean's ex-wife, out of thousands of dollars of her alimony.
Teaming with Jerry Lewis
Martin attracted the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Pictures, but a Hollywood contract was not forthcoming. He seemed destined to remain on the nightclub circuit until he met a comic named Jerry Lewis at the Glass Hat Club in New York, where both men were performing. Martin and Lewis formed a fast friendship which led to their participation in each other's acts and the ultimate formation of a music-comedy team. More than a few people dubbed them "The Organ Grinder and the Monkey".
Martin and Lewis' official debut together occurred at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 24, 1946, and they were not well received. The owner, Skinny D'Amato, warned them that if they did not come up with a better act for their second show later that night, they would be fired. Huddling together in the alley behind the club, Lewis and Martin agreed to "go for broke", to throw out the pre-scripted gags and to improvise. Dean sang and Jerry came out dressed as a busboy, dropping plates and making a shambles of both Martin's performance and the club's sense of decorum until Lewis was chased from the room as Martin pelted him with breadrolls. They did slapstick, reeled off old vaudeville jokes, and did whatever else popped into their heads at the moment. This time, the audience doubled over in laughter. This success led to a series of well-paying engagements on the Eastern seaboard, culminating in a triumphant run at New York's Copacabana. Patrons were convulsed by the act, which consisted primarily of Lewis interrupting and heckling Martin while he was trying to sing, and ultimately the two of them chasing each other around the stage and having as much fun as possible. The secret, both said, is that they essentially ignored the audience and played to one another.
A radio series commenced in 1949, the same year Martin and Lewis were signed by Paramount producer Hal Wallis as comedy relief for the movie My Friend Irma.
Martin liked California which, because of its earthquakes, had few tall buildings. Suffering as he did from claustrophobia, Martin almost never used elevators, and climbing stairs in Manhattan's skyscrapers was not his idea of fun.
Their agent, Abby Greshler, negotiated for them one of Hollywood's best deals: although they received only a modest $75,000 between them for their films with Wallis, Martin and Lewis were free to do one outside film a year, which they would co-produce through their own York Productions. They also had complete control of their club, record, radio and television appearances, and it was through these endeavors that they earned millions of dollars.
Although there had been hugely successful film teams before, Hollywood had not seen anything like Martin and Lewis. The fun they had together set them apart from everything else done at the time. Both were talented entertainers, but the fact that they were good friends on and off stage took their act to a new level.
Martin and Lewis were the hottest act in America during the early 1950s, but the pace and the pressure took its toll. Most critics underestimated Dean's contribution to the team, as he had the thankless job of the straight man, and his singing had yet to develop into the unique style of his later years. Critics praised Lewis, and while they admitted that Martin was the best partner he could have, most claimed Lewis was the real talent and could succeed with anyone. However, Lewis always praised his partner, and while he appreciated the attention he was getting, he has always said the act would never have worked without Dean Martin. In Dean & Me, he calls Martin one of the great comic geniuses of all time. But the harsh comments from the critics, as well as frustration with the formulaic similarity of Martin & Lewis movies, which producer Hal Wallis stubbornly refused to change, led to Martin's dissatisfaction. He put less enthusiasm into the work, leading to escalating arguments with Lewis. They finally could not work together, especially after Martin told his partner he was "nothing to me but a dollar sign." The act broke up in 1956, 10 years to the day from the first official teaming.
Splitting up their partnership was not easy. It took months for lawyers to work out the details of terminating many of their club bookings, their television contracts, and the dissolution of York Productions. There was intense public pressure for them to stay together.
Lewis had no trouble maintaining his film popularity alone, but Martin, unfairly regarded by much of the public and the motion picture industry as something of a spare tire, found the going hard. His first solo film, Ten Thousand Bedrooms, was a box office failure. He was still popular as a singer, but with rock and roll surging to the fore, the era of the pop crooner was waning. It looked like Martin's fate was to be limited to nightclubs and to be remembered as Jerry Lewis's former partner.
The CBS film, "Martin and Lewis", a made-for-TV movie about the famous comedy duo, starred Jeremy Northam as Martin, and Sean Hayes as Lewis. It depicted the years from 1946-1956.
Solo career
Never totally comfortable in films, Martin wanted to be known as a real actor. Though offered a fraction of his former salary to co-star in a war drama, The Young Lions (1957), he agreed so he could learn from Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. Tony Randall already had the part, but talent agency MCA realized that with this movie, Martin would become a triple threat: they could make money from his work in night clubs, movies, and records. Martin replaced Randall in one of the best dramatic roles of the decade and the film turned out to be the beginning of Martin's spectacular comeback. Success would continue as Martin starred alongside Frank Sinatra for the first time in a highly acclaimed Vincente Minnelli drama, Some Came Running. By the mid '60s, Martin was a top movie, recording, and nightclub star, while Lewis' film career declined. Martin was acclaimed for his performance as Dude in Rio Bravo (1959), directed by Howard Hawks and also starring John Wayne and singer Ricky Nelson. He teamed up again with Wayne in The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), somewhat unconvincingly cast as brothers.
In 1960, Dean Martin was cast in the motion picture version of the Judy Holliday hit stage play Bells Are Ringing. Martin played a satiric variation of his own womanizing persona as Vegas singer "Dino" in Billy Wilder's adult comedy Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) with Kim Novak, and he was not above poking fun at his image in films such as the Matt Helm spy spoofs of the 1960s, in which he was a co-producer.
As a singer, Martin copied the styles of Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers), Bing Crosby, and Perry Como until he developed his own and could hold his own in duets with Sinatra and Crosby. Like Sinatra, he could not read music, but he recorded more than 100 albums and 600 songs. His signature tune, "Everybody Loves Somebody," knocked The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" out of the number-one spot in the United States in 1964. This was followed by the similarly-styled "The Door is Still Open to My Heart," which reached number six later that year. Elvis Presley was said to have been influenced by Martin, and patterned "Love Me Tender" after his style. Martin, like Elvis, was influenced by country music. By 1965, some of Martin's albums, such as Dean "Tex" Martin, The Hit Sound Of Dean Martin, Welcome To My World and Gentle On My Mind were composed of country and western songs made famous by artists like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Buck Owens. Martin hosted country performers on his TV show and was named "Man Of the Year" by the Country Music Association in 1966.
"Ain't That a Kick in the Head," a song Martin performed in Ocean's Eleven that never became a hit at the time, has enjoyed a spectacular revival in the media and pop culture (which can be traced to its usage in 1993's A Bronx Tale).
For three decades, Martin was among the most popular acts in Las Vegas. Martin sang and was one of the smoothest comics in the business, benefiting from the decade of raucous comedy with Lewis. Martin's daughter, Gail, also sang in Vegas and on his TV show, co-hosting his summer replacement series on NBC. Though often thought of as a ladies' man, Martin spent a lot of time with his family; as second wife Jeanne put it, prior to the couple's divorce, "He was home every night for dinner."
The Rat Pack
As Martin's solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became close friends. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Martin and Sinatra, along with friends Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr. formed the legendary Rat Pack, so called by the public after an earlier group of social friends, the Holmby Hills Rat Pack centered on Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, of which Sinatra had been a member.
The Martin-Sinatra-Davis-Lawford-Bishop group referred to themselves as "The Summit" or "The Clan" and never as "The Rat Pack", although this has remained their identity in the popular culture. The men made films together, formed an important part of the Hollywood social scene in those years, and were politically influential (through Lawford's marriage to Patricia Kennedy, sister of President John F. Kennedy).
The Rat Pack were legendary for their Las Vegas performances, which were almost never preannounced. For example, the marquee at the Sands Hotel might read DEAN MARTIN---MAYBE FRANK---MAYBE SAMMY. Las Vegas rooms were at a premium when the Rat Pack would appear, with many visitors sleeping in hotel lobbies or cars to get a chance to see the three men together. Their act (always in tuxedo) consisted of each singing individual numbers, duets and trios, along with much seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter. In the socially-charged 1960s, their jokes revolved around adult themes, such as Sinatra's infamous womanizing and Martin's legendary drinking, as well as many at the expense of Davis's race and religion. Davis famously practiced Judaism and used Yiddish phrases onstage, eliciting much merriment from both his stage-mates and his audiences. It was all good-natured male bonding, never vicious, rarely foul-mouthed, and the three had great respect for each other. The Rat Pack was largely responsible for the integration of Las Vegas. Sinatra and Martin steadfastly refused to appear anywhere that barred Davis, forcing the casinos to open their doors to African-American entertainers and patrons, and to drop restrictive covenants against Jews.
Posthumously, the Rat Pack has experienced a popular revival, inspiring the George Clooney/Brad Pitt "Ocean's" trilogy. An HBO film, "The Rat Pack," starred Joe Mantegna as Martin, Ray Liotta as Sinatra and Don Cheadle as Davis. It depicted their contribution to JFK's election in 1960.
The 1960s and 1970s
In 1965, Martin launched his weekly NBC comedy-variety series, The Dean Martin Show, which exploited his public image as a lazy, carefree boozer. It was there that he perfected his famous laid-back persona of the half-drunk crooner suavely hitting on beautiful women with hilarious remarks that would get anyone else slapped, and making snappy if slurred remarks about fellow celebrities during his famous roasts. During an interview he stated, and this may have been tongue-in-cheek, that he had someone record them on cassette tape so he could listen to them; this is evidenced by his comments to this effect on the British TV documentary 'Wine, Women and Song' which was aired in 1983.
The TV show was a huge hit. Dean prided himself on memorizing whole scripts – not merely his own lines. He disliked rehearsing because he firmly believed his best performances were his first. The show's loose format prompted quick-witted improvisation from Dean and the cast. On occasion, he made remarks in Italian, some mild obscenities that brought angry mail from offended, Italian-speaking viewers. This prompted a battle between Martin and NBC censors, who insisted on more scrutiny of the show's content. The show was often in the Top Ten. Martin, deeply appreciative of the efforts of the show's producer, his friend Greg Garrison, later made a handshake deal giving Garrison, a pioneer TV producer in the 1950s, 50% ownership of the show. However, the validity of that ownership is currently the subject of a lawsuit brought by NBC Universal.
Despite Martin's reputation as a heavy drinker — a reputation perpetuated via his vanity license plates reading 'DRUNKY' — he was remarkably self-disciplined. He was often the first to call it a night, and when not on tour or on a film location liked to go home to see his wife and children. Shirley MacLaine in her autobiography confirmed that Martin was sipping apple juice (not liquor) most of the time onstage. He borrowed the lovable-drunk shtick from Joe E. Lewis, but his convincing portrayals of heavy boozers in Some Came Running and Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo led to unsubstantiated claims of alcoholism. More often than not, Martin's idea of a good time was playing golf or watching TV, particularly westerns – not staying with Rat Pack friends Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. into the early hours of the morning.
Martin starred in and co-produced a series of four Matt Helm superspy comedy adventures. A fifth, The Ravagers, was planned starring Sharon Tate and Martin in a dual role, one as a serial killer, but due to the murder of Tate and the decline of the spy genre the film was never made.
By the early 1970s, Martin seemed to have the Midas touch, The Dean Martin Show was still earning solid ratings, and although he was no longer a Top 40 hitmaker, his record albums continued to sell well. His name on a marquee could guarantee casinos and nightclubs a standing-room-only crowd. He found a way to make his passion for golf profitable by offering his own signature line of golf balls. Shrewd investments had greatly increased Martin's personal wealth; at the time of his death, Martin was reportedly the single largest minority shareholder of RCA stock. Martin even managed to cure himself of his claustrophobia by reportedly locking himself in the elevator of a tall building and riding up and down for hours until he was no longer panic-stricken.
Despite his success Martin retreated from show business by the early 1970s. The final (1973-74) season of his variety show would be retooled into one of celebrity roasts, requiring less of Martin's involvement. After the show's cancellation, NBC continued to air the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast format in a series of TV specials through 1984. In those 11 years, Dean and his panel of pals successfully ridiculed and made fun of legendary stars like Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and Ronald Reagan, to name a few. For nearly a decade, Dean had recorded as many as four albums a year for Reprise Records. That stopped in November 1974, when Martin recorded his final Reprise album - Once In A While, released in 1978. His last recording sessions were for Warner Brothers Records. An album titled The Nashville Sessions was released in 1983, from which he had a hit with "(I Think That I Just Wrote) My First Country Song," which was recorded with Conway Twitty and made a respectable showing on the country charts. A follow up single "L.A. is my home / Drinking Champagne" came in 1985. The 1975 film Mr. Ricco marked Martin's final starring role, and Martin limited his live performances to Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
Martin seemed to suffer a mid-life crisis. In 1972, he filed for divorce from his second wife, Jeanne. A week later, his business partnership with the Riviera was dissolved amid reports of the casino's refusal to agree to Martin's request to perform only once a night. He was quickly snapped up by the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and signed a three-picture deal with MGM Studios. Less than a month after his second marriage had been legally dissolved, Martin married 26-year-old Catherine Hawn on April 25, 1973. Hawn had been the receptionist at the chic Gene Shacrove hair salon in Beverly Hills. They divorced November 10, 1976. He was also briefly engaged to Gail Renshaw, Miss USA-World 1969.
Eventually, Martin reconciled with Jeanne, though they never remarried. He also made a public reconciliation with Jerry Lewis on Lewis' Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon in 1976. Frank Sinatra shocked Lewis and the world by bringing Martin out on stage. As Martin and Lewis embraced, the audience erupted in cheers and the phone banks lit up, resulting in one of the telethon's most profitable years. Lewis reported the event was one of the three most memorable of his life. Lewis brought down the house when he quipped, "So, you working?" Martin, playing drunk, replied that he was "at the Meggum" – this reference to the MGM Grand Hotel convulsed Lewis. This, along with the death of Martin's son Dean Paul Martin a few years later, helped to bring the two men together. They maintained a quiet friendship but only performed together again once, in 1989, on Dean's 72nd birthday.
Later years
On December 1, 1983 while gambling at the Golden Nugget casino in Atlantic City, Martin and Sinatra intimidated the dealer and several employees into breaking New Jersey laws by making the dealer deal the cards by hand instead of by a shoe, as is required by law. Although Sinatra and Martin were implicated as the cause of the violation, neither was fined by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission. The Golden Nugget, on the other hand, received a $25,000 fine and four employees including the dealer, a supervisor and pit boss were suspended from their jobs without pay. It's said that Sinatra and Martin picked up the tab for the suspended employees' pay.
Martin returned to films briefly with appearances in the two star-laden yet critically panned Cannonball Run movies,. He also had a minor hit single with "Since I Met You Baby" and made his first music video, which appeared on MTV. The video was created by Martin's youngest son, Ricci.
On December 8, 1989, Martin attended Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Special.
Decline
On March 21, 1987, Martin's son Dean Paul (formerly Dino of the 60s "teeny-bopper" rock group Dino, Desi & Billy) was killed when his F-4 Phantom II (jet) fighter crashed while flying with the California Air National Guard.
A much-touted tour with Davis and Sinatra in 1988 sputtered. On one occasion, he infuriated Sinatra when he turned to him and muttered "Frank, what the hell are we doing up here?" Martin, who always responded best to a club audience, felt lost in the huge stadiums they were performing in (at Sinatra's insistence), and he was not the least bit interested in drinking until dawn after their performances. His final Vegas shows were at the Bally's Hotel in 1989. It was there he had his famous final reunion with Jerry Lewis on his 72nd birthday. Martin's last appearance was on December 1990, as he congratulated Frank Sinatra on his 75th birthday.
In addition to never completely recovering from losing his son, Martin was suffering from emphysema. He kept his private life to himself, emerging briefly for a public celebration of his 77th birthday with friends and family.
In September 1993, Martin was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had been told he needed surgery on his kidneys and liver to prolong his life, but he refused. It was widely reported, though never confirmed, that Martin had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1991.
At his side in his last years was ex-wife Jeanne (Biegger) Martin, whom he had divorced years earlier.
Martin died of acute respiratory failure at his home on Christmas morning 1995, at the age of 78. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor.
Tributes
In 2005, Las Vegas renamed Industrial Road as Dean Martin Drive. A similarly named street was christened in 2008 in Rancho Mirage, California.
Martin's family was presented a gold record in 2004 for Dino: The Essential Dean Martin, his fastest-selling album ever, which also hit the iTunes Top 10. For the week ending December 23, 2006, the Dean Martin and Martina McBride duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" reached #7 on the R&R AC chart. It also went to #36 on the R&R Country chart - the last time Martin had a song this high in the charts was in 1965, with the song "I Will", which reached #10 on the Pop chart.
An album of duets, Forever Cool, was released by Capitol/EMI in 2007. It features Martin's voice with Kevin Spacey, Shelby Lynne, Joss Stone, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Robbie Williams, McBride and more.
His footprints were immortalized at Grauman's Chinese Theater in 1964. Martin has not one but three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: One at 6519 Hollywood Blvd. (for movies), one at 1817 Vine (for recordings) and one at 6651 Hollywood Boulevard (for television).
In February 2009, Martin was honored with a posthumous Grammy award for Lifetime Achievement. Four of his surviving children, Gail, Deana, Ricci and Gina, were on hand to accept on his behalf.
Personal life
Martin was married three times. Martin's first wife, Betty McDonald, tried by all accounts to be a good wife and mother to their four children, but her efforts were ultimately undone by her alcoholism. It remains a matter of speculation whether her alcoholism led to the failure of the marriage, or whether Dean's infidelities led to Betty's alcoholism. Subsequent to their divorce, Martin gained custody of their children; Betty lived out her life in quiet obscurity in San Francisco. In the 2002 CBS film Martin and Lewis she is portrayed by Paula Cale. Their children were Stephen Craig (born June 29, 1942), Claudia Dean (March 16, 1944 - 2001 from breast cancer), Barbara Gail (born April 11, 1945) and Deana (Dina) (born August 19, 1948).
Martin's second wife was Jeanne Biegger. A stunning blonde, Jeanne could sometimes be spotted in Martin's audience while he was still married to Betty. Their marriage lasted twenty-four years (1949-1973) and produced three children. She is portrayed by Kate Levering in Martin and Lewis. Their children were Dean Paul (November 17, 1951 - March 21, 1987 plane crash), Ricci James (born September 20, 1953) and Gina Caroline (born December 20, 1956).
Martin's third marriage, to Catherine Hawn, lasted three years. One of Dean's managers had spotted the young beauty working the desk at a swank salon on Rodeo Drive, then arranged a meeting. Martin adopted Hawn's daughter, Sasha, but their marriage also failed. Dean initiated divorce proceedings.
Dean Martin's uncle was Leonard Barr, who appeared in several of his shows.
Popular culture
Martin was portrayed by Joe Mantegna in an HBO movie about Sinatra and Martin titled The Rat Pack. Mantegna was nominated for both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the role.
In the movie A Bronx's Tale, Dean Martin's song, "Ain't That A Kick In The Head?", was featured during the scene when C was playing dice.
British actor Jeremy Northam portrayed the entertainer in a made-for-TV movie called, Martin and Lewis, alongside Will & Grace's Sean Hayes as Jerry Lewis.
Danny Gans portrayed Martin in the miniseries, Sinatra.
For the week ending December 23, 2006, the Dean Martin and Martina McBride duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" reached #7 on the R&R AC chart. It also went to #36 on the R&R Country chart. The last time Martin had a song this high in the charts was in 1965, with the song "I Will," which reached #10 on the Pop chart.
A Budweiser TV commercial that premiered during Super Bowl XLI featured Martin's "Ain't That A Kick In The Head?"
In a trailer for the 2009 video game The Godfather II, Martin's "Ain't That A Kick In The Head?" is heard throughout the trailer showing the gangster lifestyle of the 50's.
A compilation album called, Amore! debuted at Number One on Billboard magazine's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart in its February 21, 2009 issue.
Martin is mentioned in the Simpsons episode Apocalypse Cow
Bart: So Dean Martin would show up at the last minute and do everything in just one take?
Homer: That's right!
Bart: But Wikipedia said he was "passionate about rehearsal."
Homer: Don't you worry about Wikipedia. We'll change it when we get home. We'll change a lot of things.
In the Meter Made episode of American Dad, Martin's Ain't That a Kick in the Head? is played during a montage in which Stan and Francine are destroying furniture items they bought with illegally obtained money.
Posted by Poe Forward at 12:10 AM
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The Night Before Christmas......Dino-style
Hey pallies, today's Dino-patter again comes from our outstandin' Dino-holic pallie Danny G., who not only is doin' an amazin' Dino-job of leadin' his young boy and girl pallie in the Dino-way, but as it turns out is an up-and-comin' proser of hip, cool, and randy Dino-parodies as well.
Today Danny G. shares with us likes his totally totally rad Dino-style version of that old chestnut, "The Night Before Christmas." Checks out the action at our Dino's swingin' pad as he and his pallies wait for the comin' of the jolly ol' man in red....
ilovedinomartin sends mucho Dino-appreciato to our amazin' Dino-devotee Danny G. for this coolest of the cool Dino-seasonal Dino-cheer comin' our way....enjoys pallies...and why not share some personal Dino-patter with our Danny G. to lets him know how much you also appreciate his efforts in celebratin' our beloved Dino. Dino-cheerin'ly, DMP
Twas the night before Christmas
at the Dean Martin pad
chicks and pallies were groovin'
the music was rad.
Martinis were pourin'
shaken not stirred
Dino's "White Christmas'
was all that was heard.
The stockings were stuffed
with vodka and gin
Ol' blue eyes and Sammy
just stumbled in.
The boys in their tuxes
broads wrapped in their minks
Sir Dino was mixin'
some holiday drinks.
Then up on the roof
they heard a hell of a smash
Sammy yelled out
"Hey man, Santa just crashed!"
Frank invited him in
for a drink and a smoke
Santa said "Sure!
I'll take a rum and a coke!"
A bundle of booze
he had on his back
the tag on the bag
said "For the Rat Pack"
Dean gave Jeannie her gift
"To the one I love most"
"It's just what I wanted,
The Dean Martin Roasts!"
Dino caught Santa's eye
and gave him a wink
straightened his bow tie
and finished his drink.
The party still swingin'
Dino snuck up to bed
while visions of showgirls
danced in his head.
As St. Nick jumped in his sleigh
and rose to the heavens
They all gathered round'
to watch "Ocean's Eleven".
But they heard him exclaim
as he flew through the sky
"Merry Christmas Dino Crocetti,
your my kinda guy!!!"
Today Danny G. shares with us likes his totally totally rad Dino-style version of that old chestnut, "The Night Before Christmas." Checks out the action at our Dino's swingin' pad as he and his pallies wait for the comin' of the jolly ol' man in red....
ilovedinomartin sends mucho Dino-appreciato to our amazin' Dino-devotee Danny G. for this coolest of the cool Dino-seasonal Dino-cheer comin' our way....enjoys pallies...and why not share some personal Dino-patter with our Danny G. to lets him know how much you also appreciate his efforts in celebratin' our beloved Dino. Dino-cheerin'ly, DMP
Twas the night before Christmas
at the Dean Martin pad
chicks and pallies were groovin'
the music was rad.
Martinis were pourin'
shaken not stirred
Dino's "White Christmas'
was all that was heard.
The stockings were stuffed
with vodka and gin
Ol' blue eyes and Sammy
just stumbled in.
The boys in their tuxes
broads wrapped in their minks
Sir Dino was mixin'
some holiday drinks.
Then up on the roof
they heard a hell of a smash
Sammy yelled out
"Hey man, Santa just crashed!"
Frank invited him in
for a drink and a smoke
Santa said "Sure!
I'll take a rum and a coke!"
A bundle of booze
he had on his back
the tag on the bag
said "For the Rat Pack"
Dean gave Jeannie her gift
"To the one I love most"
"It's just what I wanted,
The Dean Martin Roasts!"
Dino caught Santa's eye
and gave him a wink
straightened his bow tie
and finished his drink.
The party still swingin'
Dino snuck up to bed
while visions of showgirls
danced in his head.
As St. Nick jumped in his sleigh
and rose to the heavens
They all gathered round'
to watch "Ocean's Eleven".
But they heard him exclaim
as he flew through the sky
"Merry Christmas Dino Crocetti,
your my kinda guy!!!"
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
THE LAST DAYS OF DEAN MARTIN
Hey pallies, likes we are now only 4 days away now from Dino-winter-day and I am likes so pleased to present today's Dino-prose to you from our Dino-lovin' pallie David Lobosco at his outstandin' blog "THE GREAT ENTERTAINERS MEDIA ARCHIVE."
In his entry, THE LAST DAYS OF DEAN MARTIN, pallie Lobosco shares his from-the-heart tribute of amore to our beloved Dino. David recounts likes some of the last events of our Dino's life and times and also shares a fab Dino trib vid featurin' our beloved Dino's "For The Good Times"....and likes we all knows that nobody and likes I mean nobody shares the "Good Times" likes our great man.
ilovedinomartin thanks our pallie David Lobosco for sharin' his Dino-devotion in this lovin' Dino-way and likes hopes that many of his faithful readers will becomed inspired to know, love, and honor our great man in the great way that Lobosco obviously does! To view this in it's original format, likes just clicks on the tag of this Dino-gram. Dino-honorin', DMP
THE LAST DAYS OF DEAN MARTIN
Christmas Day is supposed to be one of those few days a year where you are always happy. Surrounded by family, you cherish the times you have with them. However, each Christmas Day since 1995 I take a moment to remember the great talent that left us...now fifteen years ago. For on Christmas Day of 1995, Dean Martin passed away.
He was the quintessential "Cool Cat". He was the link between the evolution of Bing Crosby's crooning and the newer style of Elvis Presley. In 1987, Dean's son Dino Jr., 35, a part time actor, was killed in a National Guard jet crash. It is common knowledge that this incident was the beginning of the end for Dino.
Skip ahead a few years, and on September 16th of 1993, Dean Martin went into Cedars Sinai Medical Center for tests. Doctors found that his lungs were "riddled with tumors." Supposedly, the doctors gave him only a few months to live. Dean walked out, and continued drinking and partying for over 2 more years. When Frank Sinatra turned 80 on December 12, 1995 there was speculation that maybe Dino would make an appearance - he did at his favorite restaurant. He ate alone, and it would be one of the last times he was seen publicly.
There are two conflicting reports about his death. One says that he spent his last evening alone, sipping red wine, and watching television until 2 AM. The "help" heard him hacking, and knew he was restless, and in the morning, they checked on him, and found him dead. The other report came from his ex-wife Jeanne, who was still close with Dean. She stated that she was with him when he died, and then she crawled into bed with him, and just hugged him. Whatever the truth, on Christmas Morning 1995, at 3:30 AM, Dino passed away. He was 78 years old. Merry friggin' Christmas.
The memorial service was held in the chapel at Westwood Memorial Park on December 28th. Dean's body wasn't there, just an Italian flag and a photograph of the star. Along with Dean's family and various ex-wives, others who attended included Jerry Lewis, Rosemary Clooney, Shirley MacLaine (who cracked a joke, "I talked to Dean an hour ago." Priceless.), Tony Danza, Bob Newhart, Charles Nelson Reilly, Dorothy Hamill, Don Rickles, and Robert Stack. Sinatra skipped it. He sent his wife. Sinatra, having health issues himself, said it was too much to bear.
The Dino I like to remember is the happy-go-lucky crooner of the 1950s and 1960s. Men aspired to be like him, and women aspired to be with him. Now fifteen years after Dino's death it is hard not to think of him at Christmas time and remember what a great talent we lost.
Posted by Lobosco at 12:50 PM
In his entry, THE LAST DAYS OF DEAN MARTIN, pallie Lobosco shares his from-the-heart tribute of amore to our beloved Dino. David recounts likes some of the last events of our Dino's life and times and also shares a fab Dino trib vid featurin' our beloved Dino's "For The Good Times"....and likes we all knows that nobody and likes I mean nobody shares the "Good Times" likes our great man.
ilovedinomartin thanks our pallie David Lobosco for sharin' his Dino-devotion in this lovin' Dino-way and likes hopes that many of his faithful readers will becomed inspired to know, love, and honor our great man in the great way that Lobosco obviously does! To view this in it's original format, likes just clicks on the tag of this Dino-gram. Dino-honorin', DMP
THE LAST DAYS OF DEAN MARTIN
Christmas Day is supposed to be one of those few days a year where you are always happy. Surrounded by family, you cherish the times you have with them. However, each Christmas Day since 1995 I take a moment to remember the great talent that left us...now fifteen years ago. For on Christmas Day of 1995, Dean Martin passed away.
He was the quintessential "Cool Cat". He was the link between the evolution of Bing Crosby's crooning and the newer style of Elvis Presley. In 1987, Dean's son Dino Jr., 35, a part time actor, was killed in a National Guard jet crash. It is common knowledge that this incident was the beginning of the end for Dino.
Skip ahead a few years, and on September 16th of 1993, Dean Martin went into Cedars Sinai Medical Center for tests. Doctors found that his lungs were "riddled with tumors." Supposedly, the doctors gave him only a few months to live. Dean walked out, and continued drinking and partying for over 2 more years. When Frank Sinatra turned 80 on December 12, 1995 there was speculation that maybe Dino would make an appearance - he did at his favorite restaurant. He ate alone, and it would be one of the last times he was seen publicly.
There are two conflicting reports about his death. One says that he spent his last evening alone, sipping red wine, and watching television until 2 AM. The "help" heard him hacking, and knew he was restless, and in the morning, they checked on him, and found him dead. The other report came from his ex-wife Jeanne, who was still close with Dean. She stated that she was with him when he died, and then she crawled into bed with him, and just hugged him. Whatever the truth, on Christmas Morning 1995, at 3:30 AM, Dino passed away. He was 78 years old. Merry friggin' Christmas.
The memorial service was held in the chapel at Westwood Memorial Park on December 28th. Dean's body wasn't there, just an Italian flag and a photograph of the star. Along with Dean's family and various ex-wives, others who attended included Jerry Lewis, Rosemary Clooney, Shirley MacLaine (who cracked a joke, "I talked to Dean an hour ago." Priceless.), Tony Danza, Bob Newhart, Charles Nelson Reilly, Dorothy Hamill, Don Rickles, and Robert Stack. Sinatra skipped it. He sent his wife. Sinatra, having health issues himself, said it was too much to bear.
The Dino I like to remember is the happy-go-lucky crooner of the 1950s and 1960s. Men aspired to be like him, and women aspired to be with him. Now fifteen years after Dino's death it is hard not to think of him at Christmas time and remember what a great talent we lost.
Posted by Lobosco at 12:50 PM
Monday, December 20, 2010
At The Home Of Danny G.: Dino and Popeye and Dino-gingerbread-men
Hey pallies, it is every daddy-o's dream that his prodigy follow in his footsteps....knowin' what he knows, lovin' what he loves, honorin' what he honors....and it is the wise father who sets a straight path for his boy and girl pallies to follow as early as possible in their life journeys.
Today's Dino-prose is 'bout such a wise father, a daddy-o with children of tender age who is already seein' his dreams come true...reapin' the benefits of instillin' his values in his young son and daughter.
Our outstandin' pallie, Danny G. began his devotion to our Dino at his father's knee...watchin' dem Martin and Lewis flicks on Saturday mornin's with his daddy-o...and, now Danny is passin' on his passion for all thin's Dino to his own boy and girl pallie....with amazin' Dino-results!
My Dino-bro Danny made mention of the followin' recent Dino-experience with his young-in-Dino boy and girl, and I asked him to relate his Dino-tale to the wider Dino-community...which he has so graciously consented to do.
What makes today's Dino-words ever more poignant is today, December 20, is our Danny G.'s birthday...likes how cool that on one of ilovedinomartin's most Dino-devoted pallie's birthday, we are able to share how he is so carefully and coolly passin' on his Dino-passion...the knowin', lovin', and honorin' of our Dino to his wee boypallie Nick and girlpallie Stella.
Thanks Danny G. for your shinin' Dino-example of unabashedly makin' sure that the next generation of G.'s are learnin' the Dino-way likes so so early in their Dino-lives! Have a Dino-delightful day of celebratin' and keeps lovin' our Dino and sharin' that love of our beloved Dino with your beloved.... Dino-reportin', DMP
btw, pallies, likes I was able to find a little clip of that Popeye cartoon featurin' our beloved Dino and the jer...enjoys the Dino-difference...
Hey pallies, just wanted to share a quick Dino moment at the Danny G. house. I have two small Dino-holics runnin' around, Stella whose 6 and Nick whose 4. Needless to say, they are die-hard Dean Martin fanatics! The other night, I was gettin' ready for dinner, listenin' to Dino's "Winter Romance." The kiddies were watchin' the old Popeye cartoons from the 1950's. I actually just got to my laptop to do some quick surfin' on the ol' Ilovedinomartin site, when all of a sudden they starts yellin', "Daddy daddy, look...it's Dean Martin!!!" I couldn't believe it! The cartoon had Popeye at a sort of award ceremony. He was dressed in a tux and was seated at a head table. I had to laugh when they showed the other award attendees...Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope and...and...you guessed it, Dean Martin and the Jer! The cartoon looked pretty good too! Good enough for my little Dino-holics to recognize. Gotta admit pallies, they makes their daddy Dino-proud!!! BTW, Stella is decoratin' gingerbread men as I'm typin' this. Guess who she made...Dean Martin. Who else?! Merry Christmas and happy Dino month to all my pals!Danny G.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday Serenade with Dino: "Silver Bells"
Hey pallies, likes time for 'nother special Dino-cheerin' edition of our "Sunday Serenade with Dino." Today's guest Dino-commentator is our Dino-passionate pallie Miss AOW from the premier politico pad "Always On Watch." If you clicks on the tagg of this Dino-patter you will gets to Miss AOW's site and her original Dino-post that this special edition of the Dino-serenade is based on.
Today's Dino-winter-tune is truly 'nother amazin' Dino-classic....."Silver Bells." Truly loves how our Miss AOW speaks of our "Dino's velvet crooning"....a wonderfully Dino-description of how our great man sings this great Dino-seasonal tune.
It's so cool that Miss AOW associates wonderful memories of her "deartest aunt" with our Dino's rendition of "Silver Bells." And ain't that the case with many of us Dino-holic pallies....hearin' our Dino's masterful voice singin' a Dino-seasonal selection oftens brings back such heartfelt memories of Dino-winter's past.
Likes pallies, woulda loves to hear some patter from you 'bout this or any other Dino-winter-tune that evokes wonderful Dino-memories for you dudes. Drop a line and let's all us Dino-holics hear your Dino-tales of past Dino-winter-month Dino-memories.
Now likes sits backs and enjoy our pallie Miss AOW's thoughts on our Dino's croonin' of "Silver Bells", and likes of course the Dino-tune itself.... Dino-rememberin', DMP
My dearest aunt, a second mother to me, who recently passed away at the age of 94. This beloved aunt of mine loved "Silver Bells," especially the version our Dino did.
Every time I hear "Silver Bells," I think of my aunt. In fact, when she was over at my house for Christmas Eve in 2008, her last visit to my home, I played the song on the piano especially for her, and she sang along. Good memories.
Besides, who can be sad when listening to our Dino's velvet crooning? Just the sound of his voice makes the season merry!
Silver Bells
City sidewalks busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing people passing meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you hear
Silver bells
Silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling
Hear them sing
Soon it'll be Christmas day
Silver bells
Silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling
Hear them ring
Soon it'll be Christmas day
Today's Dino-winter-tune is truly 'nother amazin' Dino-classic....."Silver Bells." Truly loves how our Miss AOW speaks of our "Dino's velvet crooning"....a wonderfully Dino-description of how our great man sings this great Dino-seasonal tune.
It's so cool that Miss AOW associates wonderful memories of her "deartest aunt" with our Dino's rendition of "Silver Bells." And ain't that the case with many of us Dino-holic pallies....hearin' our Dino's masterful voice singin' a Dino-seasonal selection oftens brings back such heartfelt memories of Dino-winter's past.
Likes pallies, woulda loves to hear some patter from you 'bout this or any other Dino-winter-tune that evokes wonderful Dino-memories for you dudes. Drop a line and let's all us Dino-holics hear your Dino-tales of past Dino-winter-month Dino-memories.
Now likes sits backs and enjoy our pallie Miss AOW's thoughts on our Dino's croonin' of "Silver Bells", and likes of course the Dino-tune itself.... Dino-rememberin', DMP
My dearest aunt, a second mother to me, who recently passed away at the age of 94. This beloved aunt of mine loved "Silver Bells," especially the version our Dino did.
Every time I hear "Silver Bells," I think of my aunt. In fact, when she was over at my house for Christmas Eve in 2008, her last visit to my home, I played the song on the piano especially for her, and she sang along. Good memories.
Besides, who can be sad when listening to our Dino's velvet crooning? Just the sound of his voice makes the season merry!
Silver Bells
City sidewalks busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing people passing meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you hear
Silver bells
Silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling
Hear them sing
Soon it'll be Christmas day
Silver bells
Silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling
Hear them ring
Soon it'll be Christmas day
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Dino-comics from "Ty Templeton's Art Land"
Hey pallies, likes today's Dino-winter-time post just blows me away 'cause, likes I've often said, likes you just never ever know where our Dino will likes turns up next. From the create cartoonist pad "Ty Templeton's Art Land" comes a winter-time Dino-themed comic that is truly truly such a delectably delightful Dino-treat.
Mr. Templeton has such style as he presents comic character "Sid Meshkin" who was in charge of the "Martin and Lewis" DC Comics...and who speaks of how our Dino wanted to makes it a Dean Martin Comic only after the split with Lewis...and likes you can read the Dino-delightfully way Ty Templeton weaves the Dino-tale from there.
Today's Dino-gram just goes to show that there is simply no end to the creative ways that pallies continue to lift up the name of our Dino and draw new pallies to true and pure Dino-devotion.
To view the Dino-strip at full size, clicks on the comic once, and one you does that, clicks on that size...and likes Dino-magic you'll gets the full sized Dino-strip!
ilovedinomartin sez our heartfelt Dino-thanks to Mr. Ty Templeton for this stunnin' way of introducin' our Dino to his comics constituency! To view this in it's original format, just likes clicks on the tagg of this Dino-prose.
And, likes pallies likes don't forget to feast your eyes on the cool moment of Dino-comic zen at the end....loves it pallies, loves it...and likes keeps lovin' our Dino!
Dino-funnin', DMP
Saturday Christmas Comics YAY!
Posted on December 18, 2010 by Ty Templeton
Just like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...
‘Tis the season to be jolly, and what better way is there to usher in that feeling than a visit from Santa’s agent, Sid Meshkin?
More Christmas silly as the week continues…we’re counting down to the big day when Merry Kringle comes to visit. See you ’round Art Land.
Here now, your comic book moment of zen:
Dean Martin, during his nine year stint as a Howling Commando.
Mr. Templeton has such style as he presents comic character "Sid Meshkin" who was in charge of the "Martin and Lewis" DC Comics...and who speaks of how our Dino wanted to makes it a Dean Martin Comic only after the split with Lewis...and likes you can read the Dino-delightfully way Ty Templeton weaves the Dino-tale from there.
Today's Dino-gram just goes to show that there is simply no end to the creative ways that pallies continue to lift up the name of our Dino and draw new pallies to true and pure Dino-devotion.
To view the Dino-strip at full size, clicks on the comic once, and one you does that, clicks on that size...and likes Dino-magic you'll gets the full sized Dino-strip!
ilovedinomartin sez our heartfelt Dino-thanks to Mr. Ty Templeton for this stunnin' way of introducin' our Dino to his comics constituency! To view this in it's original format, just likes clicks on the tagg of this Dino-prose.
And, likes pallies likes don't forget to feast your eyes on the cool moment of Dino-comic zen at the end....loves it pallies, loves it...and likes keeps lovin' our Dino!
Dino-funnin', DMP
Saturday Christmas Comics YAY!
Posted on December 18, 2010 by Ty Templeton
Just like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...
‘Tis the season to be jolly, and what better way is there to usher in that feeling than a visit from Santa’s agent, Sid Meshkin?
More Christmas silly as the week continues…we’re counting down to the big day when Merry Kringle comes to visit. See you ’round Art Land.
Here now, your comic book moment of zen:
Dean Martin, during his nine year stint as a Howling Commando.
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