..... In My Life With Dean.....,And.....

Hey pallies,  likes we gotta begins today's Dino-devotion that we oh to deep desires that we coulda be in Palm Desert on the morrow to attend a very special performance by a lovely lady that spent 17----count 'em 17 glorious Dino-years performin' as a Golddigger with our most most beloved Dino.
Likes our perfect pallies over at google Dino-'lerts sent us a Dino-gram sendin' over to the online presence of "Broadway World Palm Springs" where their news desk awesomely announced that former Golddigger Miss Peggy Gohl" will perform her swank show, "Peggy Gohl In My Life With Dean, And...." in Palm Desert at the "Arthur Newman Theater located in the Joslyn Center, 73750 Catalina Way."

For some reason the pallies at "Broadway World" failed to mention a day and time for this marvelous musical event, so usin' the wonderful wonders of google we found at the pad "Desert Sun" that this potent program of Dino-adulation on Peggy's part will be at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Sunday, September 22.
If youse clicks HERE youse can read all the info.

Likes what a awesomely amazin' opportunity to hear first hand 'bout our most beloved Dino from Miss Peggy who as the powerful prose below states had "the longest run as a Golddigger" and who clearly did and does absolutely adulate our King of Cool.  We loves the incredible image of Miss Gohl with our Dino" that is sweetly shared makin' us ever more deeply desirous to be 'mong those in the audience to hear Peggy share such touchin' 'n tender moments of workin' with our mighty majestic marvelous Dino!

We thanks Miss Peggy Gohl for this doin' this delightful Dino-centric program and to the pallies at "Broadway World Palm Desert" for makin' the news known and the pallies at "Desert Sun" for all the details.  To checks this out in it's original source, likes simply clicks on the tag of this Dino-report.

btw pallies, in doin' a wee bit more Dino-research we are able to share a poster advert for this swank show at the beginnin' and the coolest of cool candid of our Dino and Miss Peggy at the endin'.

We Remain,

Yours In Dino,

Dino Martin Peters




Peggy Gohl In My Life With Dean, And.... Comes To Palm Desert

by BWW News Desk Sep. 19, 2019

   
Peggy Gohl In My Life With Dean, And.... Comes To Palm Desert

Peggy Gohl has been performing internationally most of her adult life. As a featured soloist she has worked alongside stars such as Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, George Burns, Regis Philbin, Jackie Gleason, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, The Inkspots, Patrick Swayze, Louis Prima, and Joan Rivers, just to name a few! She studied at the Civic Light Opera, and worked alongside Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston in "Damn Yankees", portrayed Ellie in "Showboat" with Mickey Rooney and Ado Annie in "Oklahoma" with John Davidson. Peggy was also the opening act for Magician David Copperfield as well as being featured at Radio City Music Hall (backed by a 65-piece orchestra).

But Peg's favorite performances were the 17 consecutive years she spent as one of the famous Dean Martin Golddiggers. Peg had the longest run as a Golddigger, and was given a nickname by Dean himself, who graced her with the moniker, "Crazy."

For this show Peggy will sing some of her favorite songs and tell some backstage stories about many of the stars she's worked with and will be joined by Joel Baker on piano. Tickets are $15 cash only at the door at the Arthur Newman Theater located in the Joslyn Center, 73750 Catalina Way in Palm Desert.

On This Day In Dino-history: September 20, 1953

 Hey pallies, likes today  is 'nother huge huge day in Dino-history, the remembrance of the birth of our Dino's youngest boypallie Ricci James......the day of Ricci  joinin' fam Martin.  The remembrance of Ricci James entry into the world takes on a real bitter sweet quality 'gain  this year as it was just over three years 'go on August 3 that our Dino's boypallie passed from this life into the next.

 It was 66 years 'go today, on September 20, 1953, that our Dino's youngest boypallie, Ricci James, made his entrance into the world.  Ricci  had shown his deep, pure, and true devotion to his daddy-o by scribin' a wonderful bio of what it was like livin' in fam Martin. Likes if you haven't read "That's Amore," we would hugely hugely energetically encourage you to gets yourself a copy and supremely soak deeply in Ricci's  most reverent remembrances of bein' a prodigy  of the King of Cool.

And, since 2003 Ricci James had toured the globe helpin' keep his father's amazin' life, times, and legacy alive doin' his very own outstandin' Dino-trib. Likes for us Dino-holics, likes Ricci's greatest effort in showin' amore to his father was when he created our Dino's one and only MTV music vid, "Since I Met You Baby" in 1983...and he tells such wonderful tales 'bout the filmin' of the vid in his Dino-bio.

Below are some fav pixs of Dino's youngest male prodigy, as well as a couple of clips of Ricci's Dino-trib. And, likes we  just couldn't resist again sharin' two versions of our Dino at his finest in the "Since I Met You Baby" MTV vid.  Likes if you clicks on the tag of this here Dino-gram you will be transported to Ricci's own pad and his bio.

ilovedinomartin  wants to reverently remember Ricci on this anniversary of his day of birth, with mucho mucho Dino-appreciato for likes all he did in his lovin' lifetime  to lift up the name of his most beloved daddy-o and helpin' likes tons 'n tons more pallies to come to know, love, and honor our most amazin' Dino!

We Remain,

Yours In Dino,

Dino Martin Peters

Dean Martin - Since I Met You Baby by mimivar83

Hey pallies, likes Dino-philes every-Dino-where know that tons of pallies new to our Dino are bein' drawn deeply into the Dino-fold each and every Dino-day, and many many more pallies  are renewin' their devotion to our one and only Dino daily as well.  Likes today we hear from Mr. Tim Bryce whose Dino-prose tagged "Another Look At The Dean Martin Show" appeared on the online presence of  "NEWS TALK FLORIDA" on January 30 of this very Dino-year, 2019.

Likes as youse will read below, Mr. Bryce and his wife have "rediscovered the Dean Martin Show on Youtube.  Tim, bein' turned off by many of the offerin's current on the small screen are bein' turned on once 'gain by our most most beloved Dino and as Mr. Bryce sez, "enjoying every minute" of Dino-viewin' pleasure.

Our fav quotation from Tim's remarkable reflections is "In hindsight, I think the reason for the show’s success was simply due to Martin’s on-screen playfulness, something appreciated by both men and women.  We couldn't 'gree more with Mr. Bryce's wise words of Dino-appreciato and this particular Dino-offerin' makes us ever ever eager to continue our work of liftin' of the life, times, and teachin's of our Dino here at ilovedinomartin and bein' a  continual conduit of Dino-devotion.

We thanks Mr. Tim Bryce for this powerfully personal, terrific testimonial to the supreme stayin' power of our King of Cool.  And, we thanks the pallies at "NEWS TALK FLORIDA" for puttin' Tim's refreshin' reflections into print.  To checks this out in it's original source, likes simply clicks on the tag of this Dino-report.

We Remain

Yours In Dino,

Dino Martin Peters

Another Look At The Dean Martin Show

By News Talk Florida -

January 30, 2019

Dean Martin Show

Recently, my wife and I rediscovered the Dean Martin Show on Youtube. For those of you too young to remember, Dean’s show was one of the most successful variety shows on television, and broadcast “in living color” on NBC on Thursday nights. The show ran for nine seasons (1965 to 1974).

Due to his other entertainment obligations, such as movies, nightclubs and Las Vegas, Martin initially didn’t want to do the show. He demanded an exorbitant salary, refused rehearsals, insisted on a prime time slot, and only showed up on the day the show was taped (which was on Sundays). Surprisingly, NBC agreed to his terms and the show quickly became a favorite in America.

We hadn’t seen the show in many years, but after watching the latest set of reality shows on television, featuring pimple poppers, obese women, hoarders, naked survivalists, and talent shows, I started fishing around Youtube where I came across the Martin show by accident. Since then, we have been slowly going through the catalog of shows and enjoying every minute.

In hindsight, I think the reason for the show’s success was simply due to Martin’s on-screen playfulness, something appreciated by both men and women. In a way, the show was derived from his Rat Pack years in Las Vegas with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop, all of which featured bawdy behavior and some rather outstanding entertainment. They were portrayed as “rascals” on the loose, which was carried forward by Martin on his show. Not surprising, Sinatra was a frequent guest on the show.

The format of the Rat Pack shows called for the performers to be dressed in black tux and bow tie, which was standard issue back in the Vegas of the 1960’s. Dean carried this dress forward to his own show.

Like many variety shows of the time, it featured singing, dancing, stand-up comedy, skits, and an occasional serious piece. In this way, it was like a vaudeville show from yesteryear offering a plethora of entertainment to suit just about everyone. The list of guests appearing on the Martin show represented a veritable “Who’s Who” of the entertainment world, featuring big name headliners, up-and-comers, and veteran entertainers in the twilight of their careers, all of which Martin had a fondness for.

The show would certainly not be considered politically correct by today’s standards. Martin smoked incessantly, he put on a lovable-drunk shtick (he was actually quite sober), there was ribald humor, and scantily clad dancers a la Las Vegas, all of which would be criticized today as vulgar and sexist. Back then though, it was considered all rather classy and just plain fun; kind of like getting a sneak peak at a Las Vegas show back then.

Today, the music would likely be considered archaic, the humor corny, and the dancing behind the times. Regardless, the show was a delight to watch, which explains why it was popular for so long. It also speaks volumes in terms of how our entertainment culture has evolved over the years. Today, it is a pleasant distraction from the political turmoil of the day.

 I’m not sure such a show would succeed today as we seem to be inclined more towards crass reality shows. Besides, there aren’t too many people who could pull off the Martin playfulness, sing well and be loved by the performers appearing on the show. The one exception might be Michael Bublé who has a fine voice and tries to have fun in his specials. If NBC ever approached him to do a similar show, I would recommend he demand an exorbitant salary, refuse rehearsals, insist on a prime time slot and only show up on the day of the show’s taping. Maybe then he could capture the magic of Dean Martin.

Keep the Faith!

Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.

Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb1557@gmail.com

For Tim’s columns, see:   timbryce.com

Copyright © 2019 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Listen to Tim on WZIG-FM (104.1) in Palm Harbor,FL; Or tune-in to Tim’s channel on YouTube. Click for TIM’S LIBRARY OF AUDIO CLIPS.

And my favorite show (even as a kid) was the “Dean Martin Hour” every Thursday night on NBC.

Hey pallies, likes in this wonderfully wonderful week that we are completely celebratin' the 54th  awesome anniversary of the delightful debut of our most beloved Dino's most beloved small screen show we are totally totally thrilled to share with all youse Dino-philes the delightful Dino-testimony of a pallie who recently proudly professed that like all of us deep deep Dino-diggers, he still misses watchin' the Dino-show every Thursday night.

Likes from the online presence of  Oneonta, New York's "The Daily Star" comes 'Big Chuck' D-Imperio's (pictured on the right) coolest of cool column, "Big Chuck: I miss many things, including hitchhiking, answering phone."  And, likes youse guessed it pallies one of Mr. D'Imperio's quintessential quintet of thin's he missed is our most beloved Dino and his swank show.  As 'Big Churk' states it, "And my favorite show (even as a kid) was the “Dean Martin Hour” every Thursday night on NBC."

We gotta 'fess up that mere words fail to express how marvelously  moved we are to read the deep depth of  D'Imperio's amazin' attachment to our one and only Dino's weekly visit with his fans via the Peacock network and his wonderful willingness to share it with his remarkable readership!  We supremely salute Mr. 'Big Chuck' D'Imperio and all the pallies at "The Daily Star" for spreadin' this Dino-revelation.  To checks this out in it's original source and to read all  the thin's that D'Imperio misses, likes simply clicks on the tag of this Dino-gram.

We Remain,

Yours In Dino,

Dino Martin Peters

Big Chuck: I miss many things, including hitchhiking, answering phone

By 'Big Chuck' D'Imperio Sep 15, 2019

Here are five things that I miss from the old days.

And my favorite show (even as a kid) was the “Dean Martin Hour” every Thursday night on NBC.

"Big Chuck" D'Imperio's morning radio show can be heard weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. on WDOS-AM 730 in Otsego County, WDLA-AM 1270 in Delaware County and WCHN-AM 970 in Chenango County.

On This Day In Dino-history: September 17, 1950

Hey pallies, likes today we deeply delighted to remind all youse Dino-holics that it was this very Dino-day, September 17 in the year of our Dino 1950 that Martin and Lewis first appeared on the "Colgate Comedy Hour" on NBC.  This noteworthy news was discovered at the 'net pad "RVM.pm"

Likes below is the wonderfully wacky, vivacious vid showin' our most beloved Dino and his most beloved partner, Mr. Jerry Lewis in all their grand glory on this delightful debut  episode.  We are awesomely appreciative to the pallies at "RVM.pm" for puttin' us on to this day and to providin' the vid of these historical moments in the life and times of our one and only Dino!

To checks this out in it's original source, likes simply clicks on the tag of this here Dino-gram.

We Remain,

Yours In Dino,

Dino Martin Peters

On TV today, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis begin on NBC (1950)

 

September 17, 1950 – you do not want to miss Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis first appearance at “The Colgate Comedy Hour” on NBC

Yesterday In Dino-history: September 15, 1965

Hey pallies, likes there's yet  'nother notable Dino-event on this great date in all of Dino-history.   For this news we once 'gain visit at "The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac, where our pallie Mr. Bob Dearborn holds forth.

Likes  Mr. Dearborn has informed his remarkable readership that our most most beloved Dino recorded 'nother of his coolest of cool classic croons, "I Will" at United Recording Studios in Hollywood on September 15 in the year of our Dino 1965.  We gotta 'fess up that we find it incredibly intriguin' that our great man recorded this swank song on the eve  of his debut on the  peacock channel with "The Dean Martin Variety Show," which we  shared earlier this very Dino-day.

Our Dino had said "I Will" to the pallies at NBC months earlier and as all us Dino-holics know it propelled our Dino into millions of households once a week for the nine followin' years.  Likes, as a special treat, we found a vibrant vid of our Dino and Miss Tanya Tucker duetin' on "I Will" for an edition of the 1980 TV Show tagged "The Big Show," and we have shared it below.

Hats off to our pallie of pallies Mr. Bob Dearborn for puttin' us on to 'nother deeply delightful day in Dino-history.  To checks this out in it's original source, likes simply clicks on the tag of this particular Dino-devotion.

We Remain,

Yours In Dino,

Dino Martin Peters


Dean Martin duet with Tanya Tucker "I Will" (The Big Show) 1980 [Remastered]

September 15, 1965…At United Recording Studios in Hollywood, Dean Martin recorded "I Will."

Today In Dino-history: September 16, 1965

Hey pallies, likes this very Dino-day  is likes the 54th anniversary of our golden voiced Dino's entrance onto weekly television,........yet  'nother deeply delightful  day in the life, the times, and the teachin's of our most beloved Dino.  It was 54---count 'em---54  years ago on September 16 in the year of our Dino 1965 that The Dean Martin Show premiered on the peacock channel and as they say, the rest is Dino-history.  The show ran for nine swankly supreme seasons and aired for a grand total of 264 episodes.

Likes we all know the story of how our Dino really didn't want to do a weekly television show and how he made what woulda seemed to have been outrageous demands of NBC likes only workin' one day a week...the day of recordin' the show with no other rehearsin'....and the wise wise folks at NBC consented to all of our Dino's demands...and for those nine glorious years our Dino crooned his way into our hearts, givin' us tons of laughs, and much much wonderous wit and wisdom to profoundly  ponder as well.

Likes we are so so grateful that slowly but surely parts of the series have been released on DVDs for us to continue to soak in all the glories of our King of Cool.  Our hugest  hope of hopes and our deepest dream of dreams is that one day, all 264 episodes in their full length will find there way into general release so that each and every moment of deep Dino-wonderment will be ours forever!

In honor of this most festive of festive Dino-occasions we first share with all youse Dino-holics a couple of vid clips of that first broadcast featurin' our most beloved Dino, his bestest of best pallie Mr. Frank Sinatra and a ton of other other celebrities all wishiin' our King of Cool the best on his new small screen effort.  And, we have also chosen a quintet of just a few of our most fav of fav moments from our great great man's great great show.

We Remain,

Yours In Dino,

Dino Martin Peters









 

 





September 16, 1965 "The Dean Martin Show" premiered on NBC, Thursday nights at 10 p.m. It was one of the highest-rated shows of the 1965-66 season and runs for nine seasons

Danny G's Sunday Serenade with Dino: "The Things We Did Last Summer"

Well well well...Here we are...once ‘gain, my friends...windin' down our Sunday Serenades of Summer.

 Man!

 Time TRULY does fly!

We biddin' “adieu” to 'nother BEA U TI FUL sunny season & lookin' ahead to cooler breezes & shorter days.

Hope youse JAM-PACKED these last few months with sun-shiny fun & ALL THINS' DINO! Haha!!

I'm sure youse did, pals.
We're Dino-holics...that's what we do!
Ha!

Hard to believe, just the same.

 Time to trade in the pool swimmin' & sun-bakin' for apple pickin' & leaf-rakin'!
 Hahaha!!!

Only a week or so,  left...& Autumn will be sneakin' in.

Catches us when we leasts expects it! 

We'll be ready though, pallies!

We gonna store as MUCH summery memories as possible...keeps ALL those SWINGIN' Dino-tunes in mind.
Gonna create a "go-to" section in our brains that will be  COM PLETE LY STUFFED with warm Dino thoughts!

Dino-tunes & cookouts...
Dino-tunes & fireworks...
Dino-tunes & walks on the beach...
O...did I mention the tunes?
Yea...I did.
 Haha!!

Well, mi amici...seems pretty obvious to me...that there's only ONE very special croon that can keep ALL these very special memories simmerin' on low...'til next year.

"The Things We Did Last Summer", will be that life-line we can reach for when thins' get a wee bit too tough to bare...
when the chilly weather seems to be hangin' 'round a little too long...
when we find ourselves longin' for a sunny day & a yummy drink in the shade!

Yea, pals...we'll be just fine.

Just keep those hot Summer days in mind...& Dean is NEVER too far behind!

Now go squeeze the last few drops outta this season...& I'll see youse next week for our Summer finale!

 Enjoy! 

Still, Dean Martin makes this picture work and it’s hard to deny his charm and his ability to command the screen and make his audience smile along with him.

Hey pallies, likes here we are with our third and last intriguin' installment of powerfully pure Dino-lovin' by the unnamed blogger who calls "Talking Pulp" his personal pad.  Likes this wise writer of Dino-prose is in accord that Helmer tres in his words "falls off a bit" and not up to the bright brilliance of the first two in the Dino-series.

That said, this Dino-phile still has more rad reflections on our Dino as Helm....

Still, Dean Martin makes this picture work and it’s hard to deny his charm and his ability to command the screen and make his audience smile along with him.

Sure, we get to see Dean Martin hamming it up and flirting with good looking ladies at the agency’s HQ in the first act...

This Dino-delighter's thoughts are fewer 'cause as he sez, "The Ambushers is certainly a step down."  We likes a guy who speaks the Dino-truth and indeed the third installment of the Helms is the weakest link in the Dino-chain of the Helmers.   Likes once 'gain Mr. Talking Pulp" is on the Dino-mark and we eagerly awake a review of the last of the Helmers, "The Wrecking Crew."

ilovedinomartin is greatly grateful to have fantastically found and sweetly shared this trio of Dino-grams showin' so so much Dino-insight on and Dino-devotion to our one, our only Dino as swingin' spyster Matt Helm.  Thanks yet 'gain Mr. Talking Pulp for spreadin' so so much Dino-love with your remarkable readership so we coulda pass it on to our ilovedinomartin readership as well.
To checks this out in it's original format, simply clicks on the tag of this Dino-gram.

We Remain,

Yours In Dino,

Dino Martin Peters

Film Review: The Ambushers (1967)

June 11, 2019 by Talking Pulp in Film Review, Reviews and tagged 1960s, 1967, action, adventure, comedy, crime, Dean Martin, drama, film, Matt Helm, review, sci-fi, spy, thriller, Tiki

Release Date: December 20th, 1967 (Chicago premiere)
Directed by: Henry Levin
Written by: Herbert Baker
Based on: The Ambushers by Donald Hamilton
Music by: Herbert Baker, Hugo Montenegro
Cast: Dean Martin, Senta Berger, Janice Rule, James Gregory, Albert Salmi, Kurt Kasznar, Beverly Adams, John Brascia

Columbia Pictures, 102 Minutes

Review:

[a new female recruit gets turned on by Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” playing in the background] “You really like Perry Como that much?” – Matt Helm

The first two Matt Helm films were a lot of fun and really capture the magic and charisma of Dean Martin. I thought the first two were pretty consistent, overall. This one, however, falls off a bit and it looks as if the formula is running out of steam.

Still, Dean Martin makes this picture work and it’s hard to deny his charm and his ability to command the screen and make his audience smile along with him.

As far as the story goes, this one was weak. It features a government made UFO for some reason and a lot of wacky stuff that doesn’t work as well as the wacky stuff we saw in the installments before this chapter in the franchise.

Also, the intro to the film and the title are confusing, as we’re introduced to the idea of this all female assault team called “The Ambushers” but really, they don’t exist in the film in any sort of meaningful way to justify the title or the movie’s awesome opening credits sequence.

Sure, we get to see Dean Martin hamming it up and flirting with good looking ladies at the agency’s HQ in the first act but once he’s off to Mexico, that’s pretty much it for Dean Martin being a guy in a sea of hot women.

The film does have some strengths apart from Martin.

I thought that the Mexican brewery shootout and fisticuffs were well done and the environment was used superbly within the sequence.

Also, the big climax was well written, well structured, executed nicely and pretty energetic. It had a lot of good hilarious bits in it and it sort of makes up for the duller parts of the film.

Now there aren’t many dull moments but the film feels as if they blew most of the good jokes in the first two pictures and didn’t have a lot left to work into this one. But Martin did his best.

I thought the special effects came off well. There is a lot of cheese with it though, like the sparkler guns that levitate objects and the weirdly out of place UFO but some of the levitation gags worked. Well, except for the parts where you could clearly see wires lifting up people and objects. I was pretty impressed with how well the bar scene came out though. The sequence with the bottle pouring and the floating glasses moving across the room and into people’s hands looked perfect.

The Ambushers is certainly a step down. But it still entertains and keeps the party going.

Rating: 7/10
Pairs well with: The Silencers, Murderers’ Row or The Wrecking Crew: the other Matt Helm films.

Dean Martin is just the epitome of cool, even more so than anyone who ever played the James Bond character.

Hey pallies, likes we warmly welcome all youse Dino-holics back for a second incredible installment of remarkable rad reflections powerfully praisin' our most beloved Dino as swingin' spyster Matt Helm from the beautiful blog "Talking Pulp."  This time 'round our unknown but much appreciated (by ilovedinomartin) reviewer shares his tremendous thrillin' thoughts on Helm duo, "Murders' Row."

Likes let's cut to the Dino-chase and simply share this powerful proser's Dino-delight....

Dean Martin is just the epitome of cool, even more so than anyone who ever played the James Bond character. Martin existed on an otherworldly level when it came to cool and because of that, these films sort of have an edge even on the James Bond franchise. Well, at least in the realm of pure coolness.

 Martin is just a lovable guy, even with his womanizing ways. He exudes a certain kind of panache that is missing in modern times because such characters aren’t considered “socially acceptable” anymore. While some may consider Dean Martin a relic of a bygone chauvinistic era, I think he’s a harmless and wholesome guy that just appreciates a pretty girl and isn’t afraid to express his admiration.

Likes if there ever was a Dino-reviewer that we woulda loves to be in Dino-communicato with it would be Mr. Talking Pulp dude!  His amazin' adulation of our one and only Dino is so so beautiful to behold and we knows we woulda have the deepest of Dino-delight in talkin' Dino together!  We couldn't 'gree more that we digs our Dino the mostest as Helm as this reflective reviewer sez, "I love seeing him play a fun loving super spy probably more than any other role he’s had."  And, to add to our Dino-happiness, this delightful dude also loves "Murders' Row" the mostest as he sez, "And as much as I loved the first film, this one is a wee bit better.

Once 'gain we woulda loves to the name the name of this awesome adulator of our Dino as swingin' spyster Matt Helm and let's him keenly know how mucho much we are one-in-Dino with him.  To checks this out in it's original source, simply clicks on the tag of this Dino-message.  Stop by on the morrow for the last but not least Dino-report on "The Ambushers."

We Remain,

Yours In Dino,

Dino Martin Peters

Film Review: Murderers’ Row (1966)

March 5, 2018 by Talking Pulp in Film Review, Reviews and tagged 1960s, 1966, action, adventure, comedy, crime, Dean Martin, drama, film, Matt Helm, review, sci-fi, spy, thriller, Tiki

Release Date: December 20th, 1966
Directed by: Henry Levin
Written by: Herbert Baker
Based on: Murderers’ Row by Donald Hamilton
Music by: Lalo Schifrin
Cast: Dean Martin, Ann-Margret, Karl Malden, Camilla Sparv, Dean Paul Martin, Desi Arnaz Jr.

Columbia Pictures, 105 Minutes

Review:

“Well what shall I do with the costume?” – Miss January, “Drop it in the ashtray.” – Matt Helm

Man, I really love these Matt Helm movies with Dean Martin. There is also four of them so this is really a quadrilogy of James Bondparodies three decades before the more famous parody trilogy Austin Powers.

Dean Martin is just the epitome of cool, even more so than anyone who ever played the James Bond character. Martin existed on an otherworldly level when it came to cool and because of that, these films sort of have an edge even on the James Bond franchise. Well, at least in the realm of pure coolness.

They also have a ’60s go-go vibe, mixed with a Tiki aesthetic and feel like they could fit within the same universe as the 1960s Batman television show. These movies are fun, entertaining and pretty hilarious. Martin is just a lovable guy, even with his womanizing ways. He exudes a certain kind of panache that is missing in modern times because such characters aren’t considered “socially acceptable” anymore. While some may consider Dean Martin a relic of a bygone chauvinistic era, I think he’s a harmless and wholesome guy that just appreciates a pretty girl and isn’t afraid to express his admiration. Granted, if he existed today, he’d probably be one of the dozens upon dozens of Hollywood men accused of something naughty.

In this film, Martin is joined by Ann-Margret, who was a mega star at the time. Despite the significant age difference, which was never really an issue for James Bond, it was cool seeing Dean Martin and Ann-Margret come together and star in this film, almost working as a tandem in the second half of the story.

Karl Malden plays the villain and he was a well-known veteran actor at the time that brought some extra gravitas and legitimacy to this production. While his role here wasn’t as challenging as his roles in On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire or Patton, he looked to be having fun and he really brought something to the picture that was lacking in the first film, even though I liked Victor Buono as the bad guy in that one.

These Matt Helm movies aren’t necessarily cinematic masterpieces but they are a blast to watch. Dean Martin was always great but I love seeing him play a fun loving super spy probably more than any other role he’s had. And as much as I loved the first film, this one is a wee bit better.

Rating: 8/10
Pairs well with: The Silencers, The Ambushers or The Wrecking Crew: the other Matt Helm films.