Thursday, July 13, 2017

Above all else it was Dean Martin’s personality that made him such an icon.

Hey pallies, likes we're back with 'nother in our on-goin' series of centennial celebrations of our most beloved Dino who came to planet earth on June 7, 1917.  Today we visit with the blog "Patterico's Pontifications - Harangues that Just Make Sense," which appears to be a blog often dedicated to thin's politico in most cases.

Well 'though our Dino mostly stayed outta politics and ilovedinomartin tries to 'specially emulate him in this, we are deeply delighted to share "Patterico's Pontifications" excellent efforts in hugely homagin' our King of Cool with wisely written words and coolly chosen classic video moments with Dino in their perfect post, "EVERYBODY LOVES SOMEBODY: DINO AT 100," supremely scribed by guest poster JVW.

Likes JVW reports on many of the standard Dino-notes on his life and times, but we are most impressed how JVW's personal passion for our Dino comes shinin' through his potent prose.  We 'specially appreciate JVW's  touchin' testimonial to his "own personal favorite Dean Martin album," one that tons and tons of Dino-holics also have amazin'ly awesome affection for, the 1964 classic al-b-um, "Dream With Dean."

We also are deeply delighted that JVW has shared with his remarkable readership a link to Mr Mark Steyn  recent awesome article "about Dino’s movie career" at his blog, "The Mark Steyn Club" that we will not be able to share directly here at ilovedinomartin, but we eagerly encourage you to check out via's the provided link.   Likes we sez our thankful thanks to Dino-adulator JVW for his time, energy, and talent poured into his swank salute to our one and only Dino and helpin' the readership of "Patterico's Pontifications" grow deeper in their devotion to our Dino.
To checks this out in it's original format, simply clicks on the tag of this here Dino-report.

We remain,

Yours in Dino,

Dino Martin Peters

Everybody Loves Somebody: Dino at 100

Filed under: General — JVW @ 6:03 am
[guest post at JVW]
Dino Paul Crocetti was born one hundred years ago yesterday in Steubenville, Ohio. His Abruzzian father, Guy, worked as a barber and his first-generation American mother, Angela, kept the family home. Italian was the language spoken in the Crocetti household, and young Dino dropped out of school early to work as a boxer, bootlegger, and card dealer and croupier at one of Steubenville’s many unlicensed casinos.
But young Dino also loved to sing, and began appearing behind local bands in the city’s nightclubs, and changed his name first to Dino Martini and then finally Anglicized it to Dean Martin. Handsome and charismatic, his easygoing singing style was influenced heavily by hitmakers Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and, especially, Harry Mills of the Mills Brothers. Years later when the Mills Brothers would appear on his television show, Dean’s abiding respect and affection for the older man would be evident, as seen on this clip:
Classified as 4-F during World War II (as was his later friend Frank Sinatra), Martin had a middling career singing in nightclubs all along the Eastern seaboard through the war years. In 1946, he met young comedian Jerry Lewis and after convincing Skinny D’Amato of the 500 Club in Atlantic City that they two of them had a great duo act (which they largely improvised on the spot), the Martin & Lewis comedy team was born. With Dean playing the suave, worldly singer and Jerry playing the clown, the team became one of the most sought-after acts in the country with bookings from coast-to-coast, seventeen movies together, and a weekly television hour. In 1956, ten years after they first paired together, the act broke up after filming their final movie, Hollywood or Bust.
After splitting from Lewis, Martin launched himself into a movie career where his natural charm became a box office draw. Mary Steyn wrote earlier this week about Dino’s movie career in an article typical of Steyn’s vast knowledge and keen insight. At the same time as his movie career, Martin became a mainstay on the Las Vegas where he would remain a top-grossing act for three decades. (Interesting aside: while Sinatra continually broke new ground on the weekly fee that an entertainer could command, Martin became the first major entertainer to sign a contract which stipulated that he would only be required to do one show per night, even on weekends). A good example of his stage act was captured for the 1964 Billy Wilder film, Kiss Me, Stupid, in which Dean played a smug and decadent nightclub singer named Dino:
Dino was in fact a fine comedian with impeccable timing and an uncanny ability to play the straight man. One of the main challenges of being the straight man is to allow the funny guy to do his thing and have the punchline while still making your own contribution to the sketch. Famously unrehearsed as his television contract only required him to show up on the day of the show’s taping, watch Dino work with the great Bob Newhart here.
As a singer, Martin was in many respects the anti-Sinatra. Whereas Frank was a perfectionist, known for pushing for dozens of takes in studio sessions, Dean was the laid-back crooner who was generally happy with just a few run-throughs being captured on tape (“I hate guys who sing serious,” he once told an interviewer). Whereas Frank was the vocal acrobat whose clear tones and intricate phrasing is hard to emulate, Dean’s best-known song is an easy sing-along that even the most novice caterwauler can belt out without much problem. Whereas Sinatra did not speak Italian and thus did not sing Italian songs, Dean cut several songs in his first language many of which are compiled on an excellent collection. In 1964 his biggest hit, “Everybody Loves Somebody,” pushed “A Hard Day’s Night” out of the Number One spot on Billboard’s Top Hits (“I’m going to knock your little pallies right off of the charts,” Dean had promised his Beatles-loving son) and held the spot for seven weeks. It became the theme song to his massive television hit variety show, “The Dean Martin Show” which ran for ten seasons on NBC and made its host a very wealthy man (at one point, Dean Martin was the single largest individual shareholder of GE, NBC’s former parent company).
But my own personal favorite Dean Martin album is one he recorded in 1964 with a bare-boned backing crew of Ken Lane on piano, Barney Kessell on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Irving Cottler on drums. Dream with Dean contains the first version of “Everybody Loves Somebody” before it was re-recorded with a full orchestra and started on its Billboard climb, and it also has what is, for my money, the very finest version of Rube Bloom’s “Fools Rush In” ever recorded as well as wonderful renditions of “I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You)” and “I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do).” The album is out of print, but it’s worth tracking down especially if you can buy it in the two-for with the follow-up collection Everybody Loves Somebody. Have a listen:
Above all else it was Dean Martin’s personality that made him such an icon. It’s fitting that a recent re-release of some of his biggest hits was titled The King of Cool. It was said that the difference between Frank and Dean is that Frank always wanted to be like the gangsters and made men that hang around the entertainers but the gangsters and made men all wanted to be as suave and unflappable as Dean. From fashion to comportment and everything in between, Dean Martin set an example of confident manliness that is still appealing today. One last clip from his television show demonstrates his undeniable sex appeal, as he charms the gorgeous Ann-Margret in a duet of the great Merle Haggard song, “I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am”:
Like many other famous and wealthy people, especially in entertainment, Dean’s life was marked by marriages and divorces, problems with drinking and pills, and family tragedy. He was devastated when his son Dean Paul was killed in a crash while flying with the California Air National Guard in 1987, and after that tragedy Dean cut back on his public appearances and had pretty much retired by the end of 1990. He died from emphysema on Christmas Day 1995. In marking his death, National Review pointed out that Dean was one of those entertainers who never tried to tell us how we should vote. Dean Martin was successful at pretty much everything he tried, and I hope that we are still watching his shows and listening to his music for the next 100 years.
– JVW

11 comments:

Always On Watch said...

At Patterico's Pontifications? Amazing!

As a political blogger myself, I've long been familiar with Patterico's Pontifications. How gratifying to see that site paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of our Dino's birth! And I see that the blog post got several supportive comments.

Our Dino transcends politics and political division.

Too bad that he's not around these days to ease all the crazy political yammering going on. Maybe our Dino could broker a peace! Or at least a cease fire. Everybody could lay back, listen to Dino tunes, and drink favorite beverages.

Always On Watch said...

In marking his death, National Review pointed out that Dean was one of those entertainers who never tried to tell us how we should vote.

At National Review? I wonder if a copy of National Review's tribute is posted online. Probably not.

Danny G. said...

Man, pallies!!! Could Dino get the ladies SWOONIN' with his ever-so-suave way of CROONIN' or what?! Ann is clearly meltin' in his arms! I haven't seen her have that look since Elvis swept her up in Viva Las Vegas! Great post, pal!

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie, likes Miss AOW, we were quite certain that you woulda have awesome affection for this powerfully potent piece of Dino-adulation. We couldn't agree more with your Dino-perspective when you sez, "Too bad that he's not around these days to ease all the crazy political yammering going on. Maybe our Dino could broker a peace! Or at least a cease fire. Everybody could lay back, listen to Dino tunes, and drink favorite beverages." Keeps lovin' our most beloved Dino!

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie, likes Danny-o, per usual, you likes speaketh the Dino-truth. Keeps lovin' 'n sharin' our most most beloved Dino!

Unknown said...

There were many singers who were more famous than Dean Martin such as his best friend Frank Sinatra, his idol Bing Crosby and the rock n roll singer Elvis Presley (who btw was a huge Martin fan). But all those big name singers admired Dean and some even wished they could be like him. (Dean def was famous during his time, no doubt, but some singers had bigger names than him if you get what I mean.) Dean Martin definitely deserves more respect, he has mine for sure.

Our Dino transcends politics and political division.

Yes, yes he did. People liked Dean because he had a good voice, a carefree and laid-back personality and was handsome, not because of his political views. (I read that he was Republican but he kept his views private. He wasn't heavily involved in politics unlike Sinatra.)

Unknown said...

Great write up indeed pallies!

Unknown said...

You said it Mabel! He was admired most of by his peers!

Always On Watch said...

Mabel,
I read that he was Republican but he kept his views private. He wasn't heavily involved in politics unlike Sinatra.

I've read that, too -- several times.

What our Dino as far as politics goes: love America.

As the child of immigrants, he was particularly patriotic because if his parents had not come to our shores, our Dino likely would never have been able to climb the ladder of success and fulfill his dreams. In Europe, upward mobility is rare as hen's teeth.

Unknown said...

Oh I do believe we know his TRUE opinions of politicians, LOL!

Always On Watch said...

Ed,
Our Dino knew con men when he saw them!