Dean Martin

Dean Martin (June 7, 1917 in Steubenville, Ohio - December 25, 1995 in Beverly Hills, California) was an American comedian, actor, and singer.

He formed, together with Jerry Lewis, a successful artistic couple that triumphed during the fifties in clubs, film and television. After her separation from Lewis and under the orders of great directors such as Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, John Sturges or Vincente Minnelli, she played his most prominent roles in the cinema. He was a member of the so-called "Rat Pack", a group made up of the famous Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford, who were said to have close relations with the mafia and associated with the growth of the city of Las Vegas.^{[citation needed]}

From 1965 to 1973 he had his own television variety show, The Dean Martin Show, on NBC, and when the show's popularity began to decline, NBC launched the show The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, which enjoyed great popularity until its completion in 1984. In this program, a group of comedians, Hollywood personalities and politicians from the United States met in a ballroom at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada for a comedic, satirical and scathing review of a character of the week. Throughout his career, Martin has performed on concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings, and appeared in 85 film and television productions.^{[citation needed]}

Biography

Martin came from a family of Italian immigrants, his real name was Dino Paul Crocetti. He was born in Steubenville (Ohio). His mother, Angela Crocetti (Barra; maiden name), who was of Neapolitan and Sicilian ancestry, was a housewife and his father, Gaetano Crocetti, was from Montesilvano (Pescara, Abruzzo) and worked as a barber. Martin, who was the younger of two brothers, spoke almost only Italian until he started school. He attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville, and played drums as a hobby as a teenager. He was teased by his classmates because of his broken English and dropped out of Steubenville High School in the tenth grade.

He started working in different activities: as a laborer, at a gas station, as a croupier and there was a period in which he tried his luck as a boxer. In the ring he did well, fighting under the pseudonym Kid Crocetti.

Singer

Along with his dalliances in the ring, Dino began performing as a singer in clubs under the stage name Dino Martini.

Throughout his long singing career, Martin had huge hits with renditions of '"Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu)"' by Domenico Modugno, "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Sway" or "Italian Mambo". Over time, in his performances, in addition to singing, he also performed comic numbers.

Martin and Lewis, an unbeatable duo

In the mid-1940s, Martin met a rookie comedian named Jerry Lewis in the nightclub scene, with whom they quickly formed a personal friendship and a professional couple, who since the premiere of their first show comedy at the 500 club Atlantic City, in 1946, would become the most successful comedy duo in America for the next decade. Before long, Martin and Lewis began to gain recognition, and on June 20, 1948, they hit television as the guest comedians of a new variety show premiering on CBS, titled Toast of the Town., hosted by Ed Sullivan).

Martin and Jerry Lewis

In 1949, the duo's success was transferred to the cinema by the film production company Paramount, and they starred in a total of 18 profitable films, directed by filmmakers such as George Marshall, Hal Walker and Norman Taurog. The last of these tapes was Crazy About Anita, with Anita Ekberg, in 1956. At the same time, from 1951, the couple also had their own space on television, as the guest stars of the variety show The Colgate Comedy Hour, broadcast between 1950 and 1955 on NBC.

The friendship between the two artists began to suffer because the media attributed the duo's success largely to Lewis's talent. Martin bore the situation stoically until, in the face of Lewis's grown ego, he deemed it best to part ways. ^{[citation needed ]}

In 1976, after 20 years without speaking to each other in person (except for Martin's phone calls to Lewis, to wish him success in the new projects he was undertaking) they met again during the broadcast of the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon. There Frank Sinatra, a friend of both, brought Dean Martin as a surprise guest. Lewis said out loud there "I don't even know why we broke up", to which Martin, with a smile, replied "it was so we could grow up".. Indeed, both separately were very successful, and perhaps together, they would have fallen into decline at the end of their cycle.

Since the 1950s, Dean Martin was part of a group of actors known as the rat pack along with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis, Jr. They all coincided in the film The Gang of Eleven, 1960. The members of the rat pack were said to have close contacts with the mafia world; in fact, they were seen with known members of organized crime in Las Vegas, a city in which they felt like a fish in water.

Solo path

Martin wanted to maintain the level of popularity he had already acquired and continued his acting career alone, playing leading man and singer roles and leaving some memorable titles, such as the westerns Katie Elder's Four Children, by Henry Hathaway or Río Bravo (1959), by Howard Hawks, in which he plays an unforgettable drunken sheriff, punished by mockery and self-pity.

In a comedy tone, he played Kiss Me, Silly (1964), together with Kim Novack, directed by Billy Wilder, in which he played, in a parody of himself, a conquering singer of success that reaches a small town in the United States.

Other of his outstanding films were Like a torrent, by Vincente Minnelli and, especially, The Young Lions (1958) (titled in Spanish as El baile of the Damned-The Vanquished Gods), by Edward Dmytryk.

Their signature song: Everybody loves somebody

The song Everybody loves somebody (Spanish: Todos aman al alguien) was composed in 1947 and had been recorded by many artists, including Frank Sinatra, without great success.. During the recording of the album Dream with Dean and when they still had about an hour of studio time left to record, Ken Lane, Dean's pianist and one of the composers of the song, proposed to him to record this song in a calm and relaxed version, with a combination of piano, guitar, bass and drums, which Dean Martin liked very much. Reprise Records, excited by the song's potential, changed the name of the LP to Everybody Loves Somebody. Martin liked it so much that he almost immediately did a new version for his next album, but this time with full orchestra and backing vocals.

Though still a major artist in 1964, Dean Martin hadn't had a Top 40 hit since 1958. With the so-called "British Invasion" dominating the US charts, few believed that an Italian singer who had sung classical tunes for nearly twenty years would appeal to teenagers. Martin disliked rock n' roll and in fact created a small conflict with his son, Dean Paul Martin, then 12 years old, who, like many young people at the time, was a follower of groups like The Beatles. Martin is reported to have told his son, "I'm going to knock your buddies off the top of the charts." On August 15, 1964, he succeeded: Everybody Loves Somebody replaced the song A Hard Day's Night by The Beatles at the top of the popularity charts

Until then Martin's signature song had been That's Amore, but this soon fell behind the times as the popular artist performed Everbody loves somebody weekly as the theme of his television variety show between 1965 and 1974.

The Dean Martin Show

With Frank Sinatra at the show

In 1965, Dean Martin is hired by NBC and becomes the host of his own television show, which was called The Dean Martin Show. This variety show began airing on September 16, 1965.^{[citation needed]}

In 1973, after eight seasons on the air, The Dean Martin Show was losing audience, so the directors of the chain decided to give it a new air and thought about introducing weight stars to hook and attract viewers. However, it didn't work either and the program was cancelled.^{[citation needed]}

Instead of dismissing the issue and firing Dean Martin, NBC wanted to continue exploiting the popularity of its star, so it took up the idea of interviewing stars and signed Dean Martin to shoot a series of specials. The new show was titled The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.^{[citation needed]}

The decline of his stardom

In 1966 he played Matt Helm, a James Bond-esque spy, albeit humorously. He would give life to this hero in a series made up of four films, in chronological order: The Silencers and Matt Helm, Very Special Agent (both from 1966), The Ambush (1967) and The Mansion of Seven Pleasures (1969).

At the end of the fourth installment, a fifth film in the Matt Helm series was announced to be titled The Ravagers, after Hamilton's 1964 novel. However, Dean Martin requested to raise the content to comedy in the vein of James Bond, instead of mere rudimentary humor. When the request was not granted, he refused to reincarnate the character and the project was cancelled.

His last film for the cinema was Cannonball Run II (1984).

In 1985, NBC hired him to be part of the cast of a new series titled Half Nelson. The series, starring Joe Pesci, as Rock Nelson, was a sitcom, about a Beverly Hills detective who takes advantage of his short stature to solve cases. Martin's role was that of the detective's confidant. The series was canceled after only 6 episodes had aired.

His last years

On March 21, 1987, his son Dean was killed in a plane crash over the San Gorgonio Mountains, California. The loss was a blow to Dean Martin, who plunged into a deep depression from which he would never recover.

Dean Martin died, aged 78, on Christmas Day 1995 in Beverly Hills, California, from emphysema caused by his advanced lung cancer. His remains are in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California and his tombstone reads: "Everybody Loves Somebody."

Affective life

On October 2, 1941, he married Elizabeth Anne McDonald. They had four children; among them, the also singer Gail Martin. Dean divorced in 1949.

On September 1, 1949, he married Jeanne Biegger (she changed her name to Jeanne Martin). They separated in 1973. They had three children:

• Dean Paul Martin (Dino) (17 November 1951-21 March 1987)
• Ricci Martin (20 September 1953-3 August 2016)
• Gina Caroline Martin (20 September 1956)

Dean and Jeanne divorced on Valentine's Day 1973; just two days earlier, his grandson, actor Alexander Martin, son of Dean Paul Martin and actress Olivia Hussey, had been born. Despite the divorce, they maintained a good relationship.

In 1973, he married Catherine Hawn for the third time. They both adopted a girl Heather Lyn. The marriage lasted three years.

Personality

A lot has been said about Dean Martin, Dino to his friends. As a nice and affable person in social and party environments. Loyal and well-intentioned with his friends but, at the same time, being a person who required his distant and reserved space. Heavy smoker, playboy, inveterate womanizer, with a big ego and incapable of loving a single woman.^{[citation needed]}

His songs are still heard through radio, movies and commercials and his image will be forever remembered as "The Unique Dino".^{[citation needed]}

According to the well documented book Frank Sinatra and the Forgotten Art of Living by Bill Zehme, Dean Martin hardly drank, although he always had a glass of liquor (often juice apple) in hand to simulate it during his comedic performances.

Famous is the incident with the Rolling Stones on the Ed Sullivan Show on June 3, 1964, in which he openly mocked the young band as their popularity began to wane.^{[citation required ]}

Voice

Dean Martin sang in the baritone register. However, his voice color, both spoken and sung, was that of a tenor.^{[citation needed ]}

Filmography

• 1949 - My Friend Irma George Marshall (With Jerry Lewis).
• 1950 - My Friend Irma Goes West Hal Walker (With Jerry Lewis).
• 1950 - At War with the Army Hal Walker. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1951 - That's my boy Hal Walker. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1952 - What a pair of sailors! (Sailor BewareHal Walker. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1952 - Way to Bali (Road to BaliHal Walker. (With Jerry Lewis, both cameo).
• 1952 - Crazy air (Jumping JacksNorman Taurog. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1953 - The comic (The StoogeNorman Taurog. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1953 - The cursed castle (Scared Stiff) by George Marshall (With Jerry Lewis).
• 1953 - What a pair of golfers! (The Caddy) Norman Taurog. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1953 - Crazy rider (Money from Home) by George Marshall (With Jerry Lewis).
• 1954 - Living your life (Living It UpNorman Taurog. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1954 - The king of the circus (3 Ring CircusJoseph Pevney. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1955 - Fresh in trouble (You're Never Too YoungNorman Taurog. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1955 - Artists and models (Artists and ModelsFrank Tashlin. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1956 - Together with the danger (PardnersNorman Taurog. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1956 - Crazy by Anita (Hollywood Or BustFrank Tashlin. (with Jerry Lewis).
• 1957 - Ten Thousand Bedrooms Richard Thorpe.
• 1958 - Like a torrent (Some Came RunningVincente Minnelli.
• 1958 - The Young Lions (The fucking danceEdward Dmytryk.
• 1958 - The ambitious (CareerJoseph Anthony.
• 1959 - Rio Bravo (Rio BravoHoward Hawks.
• 1960 - The 11's squad (Ocean’s ElevenLewis Milestone.
• 1960 - Pepe by George Sidney.
• 1960 - Sounds like the phone. (Bells Are RingingVincente Minnelli
• 1960 - Who was that girl? ( Who Was That Lady?George Sidney.
• 1961 - The third man was a woman (AdaDaniel Mann.
• 1961 - All in one night (All in a Night's WorkJoseph Anthony.
• 1962 - Trap my husband (Who's Got the Action? Daniel Mann.
• 1962 - Two frescoes in orbit (The Road to Hong Kong) of Norman Panama (Cameo).
• 1962 - Something's Got to Give George Cukor. (Pelicle unfinished by Marilyn Monroe's tragic death).
• 1963 - Four Texas Guys (4 for TexasRobert Aldrich.
• 1963 - Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? Daniel Mann.
• 1963 - Sweetheart. (Toys in the Attic, in Spanish, also translated as: ConflictGeorge Roy Hill.
• 1963 - Gallard and skull (Come Blow Your HornBud Yorkin. (Change)
• 1963 - Canzoni nel mondo Vittorio Sala.
• 1964 - Kiss me, you fool. (Kiss Me, StupidBilly Wilder.
• 1964 - She and her husbands (What a Way to Go!J. Lee Thompson.
• 1964 - Four gangsters from Chicago (Robin and the 7 HoodsGordon Douglas.
• 1965 - Divorce to the American (Marriage on the RocksJack Donohue.
• 1965 - Katie Elder's four children (The Sons of Katie ElderHenry Hathaway.
• 1966 - The silencers (The SilencersPhil Karlson.
• 1966 - Matt Helm, very special agent. (Murderers’ Row, in Spanish, also translated as: Matt Helm Against MurderersHenry Levin.
• 1966 - Texas (Texas Across the RiverMichael Gordon.
• 1967 - Titan Night (Rough Night in JerichoArnold Laven.
• 1967 - The ambush (The Ambushers, in Spanish, also translated as: Embossed to Matt HelmHenry Levin.
• 1968 - The Poker of Death (5 Card StudHenry Hathaway.
• 1968 - Bandolero (Bandolero!Andrew V. McLaglen.
• 1968 - How to save a marriage (How to Save a Marriage (And Ruin Your Life)!Fielder Cook.
• 1969 - The mansion of the seven pleasures (The Wrecking CrewPhil Karlson.
• 1970 - Airport (AirportGeorge Seaton.
• 1971 - The first machine gun in the West (Something BigAndrew V. McLaglen.
• 1973 - Friends to death (ShowdownGeorge Seaton.
• 1975 - Challenge (Mr. RiccoPaul Bogart.
• 1981 - The Crazy Cannonball (The Cannonball RunHal Needham.
• 1984 - The Crazy Cannonball II (Cannonball Run IIHal Needham.

Discography

• 1965: Holiday Cheer
• Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne)
• The Things We Did Last Summer (Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne)
• I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm Irving Berlin (Dean Martin)
• June in January (Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin)
• Canadian Sunset (Norman Gimbel / Eddie Heywood)
• Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard / Dick Smith)
• Out in the Cold Again (Rube Bloom / Ted Koehler)
• Baby, It's Cold Outside (Frank Loesser)
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Johnny Marks)
• White Christmas (Irving Berlin)
• It Won't Cool Off (Sammy Cahn / Ken Lane)

Awards