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Dean Martin

Background information
Birth name Dino Paul Crocetti
Also known as Dean Martin
The King of Cool
Dino
Born June 7, 1917(1917-06-07)
Steubenville, Ohio, United States
Died December 25, 1995 (aged 78)
Beverly Hills, California, USA
Genre(s) Big band, pop
Years active 1940-1989
Label(s) Capitol, Reprise

Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti, June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an Italian-American singer, film actor, television personality, and comedian. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio, in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late Traditional pop or Classic pop or Standards music denotes in general Western (and particularly American popular music that either wholly predates the advent of In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Capitol Records is a major United States -based Record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood California and New York City as Reprise Records is an American Record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra, which is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 An Italian American is an American of Italian descent and/or dual citizenship An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh He was one of the most well known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included the songs "Memories Are Made Of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head". " Memories Are Made of This " is a popular Song written by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller in 1955 " That's Amore " is a 1952 Song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Jack Brooks. " Everybody Loves Somebody " is a song written in 1947 by Irving Taylor and Ken Lane. " Mambo Italiano " is a popular Song arranged by Bob Merrill in 1954. " Sway " is the English version of " ¿Quién será? " a 1953 mambo song by Mexican composer and bandleader Pablo Beltrán Ruiz " Nel blu dipinto di blu " (literally "In the blue painted blue" popularly known as " Volare " ( Italian for the infinitive form of the One of the organizers of The Rat Pack, he was a major star in four areas of show business: concert stage, recordings, motion pictures, and television. The Rat Pack was a group of popular entertainers most active between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s

Contents

Early life

Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio. Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio, in the United States. His parents were Gaetano Crocetti, a barber from Abruzzo, Italy, and Angela Barra, an Italian American from Fernwood, Ohio. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest An Italian American is an American of Italian descent and/or dual citizenship [1] He spoke only Italian until age five. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy.

Martin dropped out of school in the 10th grade because, in his own words, he thought that he was smarter than the teachers. Tenth grade (called Grade 10 or Senior 2 in some regions also known as sophomore year in the U He delivered bootleg liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, wrote crafty anecdotes, and was a blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill and boxed as welterweight. At the age of 15, he was a boxer who billed himself as "Kid Crocett" (Kro-Shey). Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, From his prizefighting years, Martin earned a broken nose (later fixed), a permanently split lip, and many sets of broken knuckles (as a result of not being able to afford the tape used to wrap boxers' hands). He won one of his 12 bouts [2] The prize money was small. For a while, he roomed with Sonny King, who like Martin, was just starting out in show business and had little money. Sonny King ( April 1, 1922 &ndash February 3, 2006) was an American Lounge singer. Martin and King held bare-knuckle matches in their apartment, fighting until one of them was knocked out; people paid to watch the sight.

Eventually, Martin gave up boxing. He worked as a roulette stickman and croupier in an illegal casino located behind a tobacco shop where he had started out as a stock boy. A croupier or dealer is a Casino employee who takes and pays out bets or otherwise assists at a gaming table At the same time, he sang with local bands. Billing himself as "Dino Martini" (after the then-famous Metropolitan Opera tenor, Nino Martini), he got his first break working for the Ernie McKay Orchestra. Ernie McKay is an American musician who led a Territory band in Columbus Ohio. He performed in a crooning style heavily influenced by Bing Crosby and Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers), among others. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular The Mills Brothers were a major African-American Jazz and pop vocal Quartet of the 20th century producing more than 2000 recordings that sold In the early 1940s, he started singing for bandleader Sammy Watkins, at which time Watkins suggested that he change his name to Dean Martin. Sammy Watkins was the leader of the Sammy Watkins Orchestra, popular during the 1930s and 1940s

In October of 1941, Martin married Elizabeth Anne McDonald, and during their marriage (ended by divorce in 1949), they had four children. Martin worked for various bands throughout the early 1940s, more on looks and personality than vocal ability until he developed his own smooth singing style. Martin famously flopped at the Riobamba when he succeeded Frank Sinatra there in 1943, but it was the setting for the two men's introduction. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor

To earn extra money, Martin repeatedly sold 10 percent shares of his earnings for up front cash. Martin apparently did this so often that he found he had sold over 100 percent of his income. Such was the power of his charm that most of his lenders forgave his debts and remained friends.

After being drafted into the United States Army during World War II, Martin served a year (1944–1945) in Akron, Ohio. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Akron is a city in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Summit County. He was then classified 4-F (possibly due to a double hernia; Jerry Lewis referred to the surgery Martin needed for this in his autobiography) and was discharged. The Selective Service System is the means by which the United States administers military Conscription. A hernia is a protrusion of a tissue, structure or part of an organ through the muscular tissue or the membrane by which it is normally contained Jerry Lewis (born March 16, 1926) is an American Comedian, award-winning actor producer writer and director best-known for his slapstick

By 1946, Martin was doing relatively well, but he was still little more than an East Coast nightclub singer with an all-too-common style, similar to that of Bing Crosby. He could draw 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 in his earlier career. The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century Martin was allegedly given help with his early singing career by mob bosses who owned saloons in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Outfit shortened to " the Outfit " is a Crime syndicate based in Chicago Illinois, USA. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. In return, he performed in shows hosted by these bosses later when he was a star. The author suggests that Martin felt little loyalty to or sympathy for the Mafia and that he only did such people small favors if it were of little inconvenience to him. Reportedly, the FBI's bugs once picked up a mafioso making plans to injure or 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. John Lansing Smith (born November 15, 1948 in Idaho Falls Idaho) is a former College football coach most recently the Head coach There is also a professional wrestler named John Roselli John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli (sometimes spelled Rosselli Anthony "Tony" Fiato aka Tony the Animal and Tony Rome (b Anthony Fiato (a/k/a "the Animal") did 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. His daughter Deana Martin was friendly with Detroit mob boss Peter Licavoli. Peter Joseph Licavoli ( June 7, 1902 &ndash January 11, 1984) aka " Horseface " was an organized crime figure in St

Teaming with Jerry Lewis

Martin attracted some attention from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Pictures, but a Hollywood contract was not forthcoming. }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company He appeared destined to remain on the nightclub circuit until he met a young comic named Jerry Lewis at the Glass Hat Club in New York, where both men were performing. Jerry Lewis (born March 16, 1926) is an American Comedian, award-winning actor producer writer and director best-known for his slapstick The City of New York 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. This article is about the American comedy duo Martin & Lewis For the British-born humorist writer producer and TV/radio host - see Martin Lewis. 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. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The owner, Skinny D'Amato, warned them that if they didn't 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 that hadn't worked and to basically just 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. They did slapstick, reeled off old vaudeville jokes, and did whatever else popped into their heads at the moment. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s This time, the audience doubled over in laughter. Their success at the 500 led to a series of well-paying engagements up and down the Eastern seaboard, culminating with a triumphant run at New York's Copacabana. Copacabana (often referred to as The Copa) was a famous New York City Nightclub. Club 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 motion picture My Friend Irma. This article is about the American comedy duo Martin & Lewis For the British-born humorist writer producer and TV/radio host - see Martin Lewis. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Hal B Wallis, CBE ( September 14, 1899 &ndash October 5, 1986) was an Academy Award -winning American My Friend Irma, created by Writer - director - producer Cy Howard was a top-rated long-run radio situation comedy so popular in the late 1940s

Martin was thrilled to be out of New York. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous He liked California which, because of its earthquakes, had few tall buildings. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Suffering as he did from claustrophobia, Martin almost never used elevators, and climbing stairs in Manhattan's skyscrapers was not his idea of fun. Claustrophobia (from Greek κλειστο closed is the fear of enclosed spaces

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 Martin and Lewis earned millions of dollars.

Although there had been a number of 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 being done at the time. Both were talented entertainers, but the fact that they were such 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 of the time underestimated Dean's contribution to the team, as he usually had the thankless job of the straight man, and his singing had yet to develop into the unique style of his later years. Most critics praised Lewis, and while they admitted that Martin was the best partner he could have, most claimed Lewis was the real talent of the team and could succeed with anyone. It is worth noting that 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 Martin. In the book 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 with the team. He put less enthusiasm into the work, leading to escalating arguments with Lewis. The two finally couldn't work together, especially when Martin told his partner he was "nothing to me but a dollar sign". The act broke up in 1956, 10 years to the day after the first official teaming.

But 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. Dean tired of being second fiddle to Jerry's antics, as when Martin tried to sing and Lewis poured buckets of cold water over his head or slapped him. It took its toll and Dean had had enough.

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. Ten Thousand Bedrooms ( 1957) was Dean Martin 's first movie in the wake of the dissolution of his partnership with Jerry Lewis in the team He was still popular as a singer, but with rock and roll surging to the fore, the era of the pop crooner appeared to be waning. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African It looked like Martin's fate was to be limited to nightclubs and to be remembered as Jerry Lewis's former partner.

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 the war drama The Young Lions (1957), he eagerly agreed so that he could learn from Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. This article is about the novel by Irwin Shaw For the Australian television series see Young Lions (TV series The Young Lions is a Marlon Brando Jr (April 3 1924 – July 1 2004 was an Academy Award -winning American Actor, whose body of work spanned over half a century Edward Montgomery Clift ( October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American film actor 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. Tony Randall ( February 26, 1920 &ndash May 17, 2004) was an American comic and Actor. Martin replaced Randall in one of the best dramatic roles of the decade and the film turned out to be the cornerstone of Martin's spectacular comeback. Success on the big screen would continue as Martin starred alongside Frank Sinatra for the first time in the highly acclaimed Vincente Minnelli drama Some Came Running. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor Vincente Minnelli ( February 28, 1903 &ndash July 25, 1986) was a famous Academy Award -winning Hollywood director Spurred on by the sales and the critical acclaim of his best-selling From Here to Eternity, James Jones set out to write yet another great American novel By the mid '60s, he was a top movie, recording, and nightclub attraction, while Lewis's 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. Rio Bravo is a 1959 Western Film, directed by Howard Hawks. The script was written by Jules Furthman and Leigh Howard Winchester Hawks ( May 30, 1896 &ndash December 26, 1977) was an American Film director, producer and John Wayne ( May 26, 1907 &ndash June 11, 1979) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning American Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson, later known as Rick Nelson ( May 8, 1940 &ndash December 31, 1985) was an He teamed up again with Wayne in The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), somewhat unconvincingly cast as brothers. The Sons of Katie Elder is a 1965 western film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring John Wayne and Dean Martin.

Martin played a satiric variation of his own smoothly womanizing persona as Vegas singer "Dino" in Billy Wilder's adult comedy Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) with Kim Novak, and he was never above poking sly fun at his image in films such as the Matt Helm spy spoofs of the 1960s, on which he had status of a co-producer. Billy Wilder ( June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian born Jewish - American Journalist Kiss Me Stupid is a 1964 American comedy film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Dean Martin and Kim Novak Kim Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American actress, who was one of her nation's most popular movie stars in the late 1950s Matt Helm is a fictional character created by author Donald Hamilton. A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject

As a singer, Martin copied the styles of Bing Crosby and Perry Como until he arrived at his own and he could hold his own in countless duets over the decades with Sinatra and Crosby. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como ( May 18 1912 &ndash May 12 2001) was an Italian-American singer and television personality Like The Beatles, he couldn't read music, but he recorded more than 100 albums and 600 songs. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 His signature tune, "Everybody Loves Somebody", knocked The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" out of the number-one spot in the USA 1964. " Everybody Loves Somebody " is a song written in 1947 by Irving Taylor and Ken Lane. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 " A Hard Day's Night " is a song by British rock band The Beatles. Elvis Presley was said to have been influenced by Martin, and patterned "Love Me Tender" after his style. " Love Me Tender " is a song sung by Elvis Presley, to the tune of " Aura Lee " (or "Aura Lea" a sentimental Civil War ballad Martin, like Elvis, was influenced by country music. By 1965, some of Martin's albums, such as The Hit Sound Of Dean Martin, Welcome To My World and Gentle On My Mind were composed of popular country and western songs made famous by artists like Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Buck Owens. Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. Merle Ronald Haggard (born April 6, 1937) is an American Country music Singer, Guitarist and Songwriter. Alvis Edgar "Buck" Owens Jr, (August 12 1929 – March 25 2006 was an American Singer and Guitarist, with 20 number-one hits on the 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 in the mid-2000s (which can be traced back to its usage in 1993's A Bronx Tale). Ocean's Eleven (or Ocean's 11) is a 1960 Heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers Frank A Bronx Tale is a 1993 film set in New York City during the turbulent era of the 1960s

For three decades, Martin was among the most popular acts in Las Vegas. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally Martin sang and was one of the smoothest comics around, benefiting from the decade of raucous comedy with Lewis. Martin's daughter Gail occasionally opened for him in Vegas and sang on his TV show. 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. "

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).

The Rat Pack

Main article: The Rat Pack

As Martin's solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became close friends. The Rat Pack was a group of popular entertainers most active between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s 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. Joey Bishop ( February 3 1918 &ndash October 17 2007) was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member Peter Sydney Lawford (September 7 1923 &ndash December 24 1984 was an English-born American Actor, member of the " Rat Pack," and brother-in-law Samuel George “Sammy” Davis Jr (8 December 1925 &ndash 16 May 1990 was an American Entertainer. The Rat Pack was a group of popular entertainers most active between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s Holmby Hills is an affluent neighborhood in western Los Angeles.

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). John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of

The Rat Pack were legendary for their Las Vegas performances, which were almost never preannounced. The Las Vegas Strip (also known as The Strip) is an approximately 4 mile (6 For example, the marquee at the Sands Hotel might read DEAN MARTIN---MAYBE FRANK---MAYBE SAMMY. The Sands Hotel was an historic Las Vegas Strip hotel/casino that operated from December 15, 1952 to June 30, 1996. 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 triplets, along with much seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter. In the socially-charged 1960s, their jokes revolved around adult themes, such as Frank's infamous womanizing and Martin's legendary drinking, as well as many at the expense of Davis' race and religion. Davis famously practiced Judaism and used Yiddish phrases onstage, elicting much merriment from both his stage-mates and his audiences. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Yiddish (yi [[wiktייִדיש ייִדיש]] yidish or yi [[wiktאידיש אידיש]] idish, literally "Jewish" is a nonterritorial High 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. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************

Posthumously, the Rat Pack has experienced a popular revival, inspiring the George Clooney/Brad Pitt "Ocean's" trilogy. George Timothy Clooney (born May 6 1961 is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe award-winning American actor director, producer, William Bradley "Brad" Pitt Pitt received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys An HBO film, "The Rat Pack," starred Joe Mantegna as Dean, Ray Liotta as Frank and Don Cheadle as Sammy. Joseph Anthony “Joe” Mantegna Jr (born November 13, 1947) is an American Tony Award -winning Actor, producer, Raymond Liotta (born December 18, 1954) is an Emmy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated American Actor, best known Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle (born November 29, 1964) is an Academy Award -nominated and Golden Globe Award -winning American It depicted their contribution to JFK's election in 1960. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

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. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's The Dean Martin Show is a TV variety - comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974, for 245 episodes 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. A roast, in North American English, is an event in which an individual is subject to publicly bearing comedic Insults praise outlandish true and untrue stories and Few entertainers worked as hard to make what they were doing look so easy. During an interview he stated, and this may have been tongue-in-cheek, that although he didn't attend rehearsals he had someone record them on cassette tape so he could listen to them.

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. Greg Garrison ( -) was a pioneer producer and director in Television, directing nearly 4000 shows in his career However, the validity of that ownership is currently the subject of a lawsuit brought by NBC Universal. NBC Universal is a media and Entertainment company formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electric 's NBC with Vivendi 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. Apple juice is the Fruit juice product manufactured from the pressing of Apples Production Apple juice is produced by the crushing of apples 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. A shtick ( Yiddish: שטיק) (or schtick) is a comic theme or Gimmick. Joe E Lewis ( January 12, 1902 &ndash 4 June, 1971) born Joseph Klewan in New York City, was an American Spurred on by the sales and the critical acclaim of his best-selling From Here to Eternity, James Jones set out to write yet another great American novel Rio Bravo is a 1959 Western Film, directed by Howard Hawks. The script was written by Jules Furthman and Leigh Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions 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. The Rat Pack was a group of popular entertainers most active between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s Samuel George “Sammy” Davis Jr (8 December 1925 &ndash 16 May 1990 was an American Entertainer.

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. Claustrophobia (from Greek κλειστο closed is the fear of enclosed spaces

Despite his enormous 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, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and Ronald Reagan, to name a few. Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky February 14, 1894 - December 26, 1974) was an American Comedian, vaudevillian Lucille Ball (August 6 1911 – April 26 1989 was an American comedienne, film television stage and radio Actress, model, film For nearly a decade, Dean had recorded as many as four albums a year for Reprise Records. Reprise Records is an American Record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra, which is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated That stopped in November of 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. Conway Twitty (born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, September 1 1933; died June 5 1993) was one of the United States ' most successful 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. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally

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. This article is about the first MGM Grand in Las Vegas See MGM Grand Las Vegas for the current hotel and casino 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 1969. The Miss World USA titleholder Gail Renshaw, was 1st runner-up at the 1969 Miss World competition The Miss USA Beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant

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. Jerry Lewis (born March 16, 1926) is an American Comedian, award-winning actor producer writer and director best-known for his slapstick The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon is hosted by Jerry Lewis to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Frank Sinatra shocked Lewis and the world by bringing Martin out on stage. Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor 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. Dean Paul Martin ( November 17, 1951 – March 21, 1987) was an American They maintained a quiet friendship but only performed together again once, in 1989, on Dean's 72nd birthday.

Later years

Rat Pack Album cover, early 1980s.
Rat Pack Album cover, early 1980s.

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. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) The Golden Nugget Atlantic City was built owned and operated by Golden Nugget Companies before selling it to Bally's Entertainment Corporation which changed the name to Bally's New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. A dealing shoe or dealer's shoe is a gaming device mainly used in casinos to hold multiple decks of Playing cards. Although Sinatra and Martin were implicated as the cause of the violation, neither was fined by the New Jersey Gaming 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. A Pit boss (more commonly known today as the pit manager) is the person who looks after the employees who work in a Casino pit. 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 all-star Cannonball Run movies, but being a movie star no longer excited him and he found life on the set to be more tedious than ever. He did step back into a recording studio to score a minor hit single with "Since I Met You Baby" and made his first music video, which appeared on MTV. "Since I Met You Baby" is an American Rhythm and blues song written and recorded by pianist Ivory Joe Hunter. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. The video was created by Martin's youngest son, Ricci.

Decline

Martin's world began to crumble on March 21, 1987, when his son Dean Paul was killed when his jet fighter crashed while flying with the Air National Guard. Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The Air National Guard ( ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the several states and A much-touted tour with Davis and Sinatra in 1988 sputtered, with Martin's heart just not into it. 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. Jerry Lewis (born March 16, 1926) is an American Comedian, award-winning actor producer writer and director best-known for his slapstick His last television appearance was in 1990 on the Sammy Davis Jr 60th Anniversary Celebration special (also Sammy's last TV appearance. ) By 1991, Martin had unofficially retired from performing.

In addition to never completely recovering from losing his son, Martin was suffering from emphysema. Emphysema is a chronic obstructive Pulmonary disease ( COPD) formerly termed a chronic obstructive Lung disease (COLD In September 1993, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Lung cancer is a Disease of uncontrolled Cell growth in tissues of the Lung. He kept his private life to himself, emerging briefly for a public celebration of his 77th birthday with friends and family.

He had been told he needed surgery on his kidneys and liver to prolong his life, but he refused. The kidneys are complicated organs that have numerous biological roles The liver is a vital organ in the human body and is present in Vertebrates and some other animals It was widely reported, though never confirmed, that Martin had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1991. Alzheimer's disease ( AD) also called Alzheimer disease or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of Dementia.

At his side in his last years was ex-wife Jeanne (Biegger) Martin, whom he had divorced years earlier. The pair became close again, although they resisted suggestions that they wed.

Martin died of respiratory failure, at his home on Christmas morning 1995. It was widely believed, and perpetuated by Jeanne herself, that she was at his side at his death. However, she was giving her annual Christmas party into the late hours of the night and therefore was at her home with her daughter, Deana until about 4 a. m. , with Dean having died about 3:15 am. Deana has attested to this on many occasions, including in her biography of her father.

The lights of the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor. The Las Vegas Strip (also known as The Strip) is an approximately 4 mile (6 In 2005, Las Vegas renamed Industrial Road as 'Dean Martin Drive'.

Martin received a gold record in 2004 for 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. " I Will " (released b/w "I Catch Myself Crying" Liberty 55707 is a song by Dick Glasser, a ballad about one of his sister's relationships

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.

Marriages and children

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 Betty's alcoholism led to the failure of her marriage to Dean, 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.

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.

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. Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills, California is a shopping district famous for Designer label and Haute couture fashion Martin adopted Hawn's daughter, Sasha, but their marriage did not succeed. Dean initiated divorce proceedings.

Martin was the father of seven naturally born children and one adopted child.

First wife: Elizabeth (Betty) Anne McDonald

Second wife: Jeanne Biegger

Third wife: Catherine Mae Hawn

Dean Martin's uncle was Leonard Barr who appeared in several of his shows. An aviation accident is defined in the International Civil Aviation Organization Annex 13 Leonard Barr ( September 27 1903 &ndash November 22 1980) was an old-style one-liner standup American comic in the tradition

Discography

Filmography

Features:

Short Subjects:

References

  1. ^ cleveland.com: Homegrown Heroes
  2. ^ (Kehoe, John. The year 1975 in film involved some significant events Events January 28 - George Lucas creates the second draft Events January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. See also Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash Cannonball Run II (1984 Twentieth Century Fox Like the original Cannonball Events The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name The year 1946 in film involved some significant events Events Top grossing films (U The year 1950 in film involved some significant events Events February 15 - Walt Disney Studios The year 1956 in film involved some significant events Events August 4 - The last film serial Blazing the Overland The year 1968 in film involved some significant events Events October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter "Dean Martin. . " Biography 4. 10 (2000): 124. History Reference Center)

Further reading

External links

The Biography Channel (or simply bio) is an American Digital cable Television channel owned by A&E and based on the television Find A Grave is a Website allowing its users to access maintain and expand an online Database of Burial records The Archive of American Television is a division of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation that films interviews with notable people from all aspects of the
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