I had plenty of amore for Martin.

Hey pallies, likes let's the Dino-homagin' continue as we begin drawin' our days of Dino-winter month to close.  Today we takes you to the online presence of  the Los Angeles Times where contact report Miss Susan King asks the age old quire, "What was Dean Martin really drinking" in her touchin' and tender thoughts on "Remembering Dino."

Miss King speaks of her personal sadness when she "learned Christmas Day 20 years ago that Dean Martin had died of acute respiratory failure at age 78," and likes tons of Dino-holics everywhere speaks fondly of watchin' our most beloved Dino on the small screen, goin' to his big screen flicks and "totally enjoyed his songs."

Susan raises the issue of what liquid refreshment our Dino was imbibin' while performin' and notes that it was often apple juice, referrin' to it bein' 'bout his image.  We are thrilled to also point out that Susan points us, through an enclosed link, to our King of Cool's obit shared by the L.A. Times...very very helpful for those of us who want to continue to grow in deeper and deeper knowledge of our one and only Dino.

ilovedinomartin thanks Miss Susan King for reachin' out with this Dino-remembrance on this 20th anniversary of our Dino's departure from our presence.  To checks this out in it's original format, simply, per usual, clicks on the tag of this here Dino-message.  Dino-growin', DMP

Classic Hollywood: What was Dean Martin really drinking?

By Susan King  Contact Reporter

Remembering Dino

Rat Pack fans like myself were saddened when they learned Christmas Day 20 years ago that Dean Martin had died of acute respiratory failure at age 78. Though Frank Sinatra was my favorite Rat Packer, I had plenty of amore for Martin. As a kid I watched his NBC musical-variety series -- remember Ken Lane, the Golddiggers and the Dingaling Sisters? -- went to his films and totally enjoyed his songs.

A few years ago, I chatted with his daughter Deanna Martin, who is also a singer, about her dad. She noted that the whole "Dino" personality was a gimmick.



"When he started to redo his nightclub act, he started at the Sands Hotel and had some writers helping him," she said. "It was like Jack Benny who had the violin thing and made fun about being cheap. Dad was so handsome, so debonair. They just thought, 'We'll put a drink in his hand and a cigarette.' Every man wanted to be him, and every woman wanted to be with him."

The truth of the matter, she said, was her father was swigging apple juice and not liquor when he performed. "He would be home for dinner every night," Martin said. "He would come home, and he and mom would have their one cocktail at the bar. He was kind. He was so different from what everybody thought he was. There was no one who could do Dean Martin better than Dean Martin."

Here is the    L.A. Times obit of Martin, which appeared in the paper on Dec. 26, 1995.