who became (by his partner’s own admission) the greatest straight man in history for one of the top show-biz acts of legendary lore,
who defied all expectations that he’d be the one left in the forgotten lurch once their team-up evaporated.
He was the Ultimate Mister Cool Who Didn’t Give a Damn, the one Sinatra most wanted to be like (as well as the mobsters who also admired his toughness).
During the mid-to-late ‘60s, he had a run of almost unparalleled success in every medium conceivable (that none of his peers ever achieved or came close to), whether twas records,
his variety teevee show (no host has EVER enjoyed himself with such hilarity – and a spontaneous, ad-lib, free-style virtually unrehearsed program that would be the envy of those “cutting-edge” clowns of today).
Not to mention his Matt Helm (which offends the purists from the books – us, too – but are grandly guilty pleasures all on their own).
Plus having worked with some of the heavyweights in the industry and more than holding his under-rated own.
And there was also that thoroughly unexpected and touching grand reunion of 1976 that the Chairman of the Board slyly brokered.
There’s never been another like him …
and, because the times and the industry he soared to the top of has changed irreversibly, we shan’t see his like again, either …
Love him as a singer and icon of the 1950s and early sixties, but lose interest around the time of his TV show, when he convinced millions of younger baby boomers (staying up past their bedtime) that he was perpetual drunk. Plus, the man was emotionally barren, with even his own wife not really knowing him. Still, a strange and fascinating man, whose rendition of "You Belong To Me" (to name but one title) is absolutely beautiful. I also love the fact that his "Everybody Loves Somebody" kicked the Beatles off the #1 spot--was it "A Hard Day's Night"?
Nick Tosches' DINO book is a mesmerizing read. A revealing look into that whole era.
makes some compelling points and insights but his know-it-all-omnipotent-mind-reader-of-motivations style (yeah, right, look who's callin' the kettle black! Hah! Beat ya to it, ya mugs!) wears tiresomely thin after awhile.
As for Jeanne Martin,
there's no denying (which even he admitted) she was the stabilizing, foundational rock of the family while he was away playing (with the apple juice that oft-times substituted for "booze" - not that he wasn't partial to the real stuff).
That he wore his emotions terrifically close-to-his-turtleneck is equally unmistakable - but not surprising given the conventional Old World Italian Male background he sprung from (not an excuse, mind u, just an observation).
Still, it's also equally true the death of son Dean-Paul in that military plane crash
shattered what remained of Dean's spirit and, as many attested, he was never the same afterward ...
I recently catalogued my CDs of Dino ... some 233 different recordings (and many repeats).
So you could say I'm a fan. I can't put him in the same class as Ol' Blue Eyes but that takes nothing away from him.
I love his easy-going, free-style of singing (which probably took a lot of talent and practice) and I've always found him watchable - that said I don't recall too many (any?) of his movies with Jerry Lewis.
I think he scored very well with some of his 60's self-deprecating songs - such as: - Little ole wine drinker, me - (Remember me)I'm the one who loves you - Houston and I particluarly like some of his fine Capitol recordings, such as: - Just in time - Sway - Goodnight sweetheart.
I have a couple of CDs which are recordings of live shows from the early 60s with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jnr - whilst not regular players, in the right mood, they provide superb entertainment.
We saw very few of his TV shows here in the UK; I'd certainly tune-in if some were broadcast now.
Still One of the Most Under-Rated Actors in Hollywood History Department:
Granted, when not so inclined (which was often if he didn’t cotton to the director), he took the low road and simply got by on his charm, but there were those occasions when he could rise to the material – especially if he was playing opposite someone whom he respected.
(Behave yourself, HooRaq).
There are a coupla sequences in
that showcase some of his best work, particularly his reunion scene with brother James Stewart, and he’s taken to task for probably hastening their mother’s death when she heard of his Civil War deeds alongside Quantrill.
Martin’s silent, tear-filled eyes says all that needs to be how he feels inside about the revelation (which is also Jerry Goldsmith’s longest and most affecting cue).
Hey, but don’t take our profoundly prejudicial word
for it. It’s available on DVD for those with a hankering for a healthy, heaping full of Raquel at her most beautiful
Thanks to the German Bear Family cd sets I have his whole catalog on cd.
I'm disappointed that the postal service has yet to release a Dino stamp, though they wasted no time in releasing a Sinatra stamp on the 10th anniversary of his death.
I love Dino's Matt Helm and the book version. It's possible to like 2 different interpretations of a character-like Adam West's Batman and the serious Batman of the comics.
GERALDINE PAGE once talked about DEAN MARTIN to me . she said when they made TOYS IN THE ATTIC together , he was almost laughed off the set . they considered him nothing more than the second half of a comedy team . yet she said that , although she did not like her performance in that film , she was always too critical of her own work, MARTIN was so natural u did not know he was acting, he always knew his lines , his marks on the set and always wanted to improve himself . just watch him in SOME CAME RUNNING, he steals every scene he is in from SINATRA and MACLAINE. his performance in RIO BRAVO speaks for itself . a true acting talent .
Appreciate the professionally-personal confirmation, Mike, re
We’d heard similar tales re the disrespectful disdain Mr. Martin was so unceremoniously (to say nothing and everything about unfairly) greeted with. Evidently, something permanently switched off in him, too – that “don’t give a damn” public persona he so peerlessly cultivated always hid an innate sensitivity his tough upbringing didn’t usually allow outsiders to see or penetrate – and, exceptions aside, wanted nothing ever after to do with the so-called “serious” theatre artistes.
Was Ms. Page specific about what she didn’t care about re her own contribution? We feel her assessment was far too critical (tho, strangely enuff, listening to her we can’t help but hear
We wonder if mebbe Ms. Page’s reservations had more to do with how she was handled (or not) by her director, ya think?
At any rate, when we was working with those HE respected, Dino not only more than held his own but had their admiration, also
His own Mr. Fantastic elastic ego aside, Mr. Lewis is quite candid
that the true SPINE of their act was his (definitively deceptive) “laid-back” partner,
who was “the best straight man” ever.
And, we admiringly add, one’a the most naturally FUNNIEST men ever with such an exquisite sense of timing 99.9% of these contemporary so-called comedians (try comedi-ain'ts!) will never even come close to approximating, forget about equalling.
I didn't know this. He had a fear of elevators and a love of comic books, which he read his entire life.
Neither did we, Patch, tho we were aware he never trusted or flew in airplanes (arriving on the midwest location for "Airport" via train!) ...
neo, geraldine was critical of almost all her work. she thought she could have done the last scene in TOYS IN THE ATTIC much better. i praised her work in THREE SISTERS and she said to me u liked my hair falling down all the time??? she did not like SUMMER AND SMOKE because she said that they changed the character from a plain woman in the play to one that was pretty and then they wanted the audience to believe that LAURENCE HARVEY would spurn her. she said she just did not know how to play this knew person after doing it so long on broadway the way tennessee williams wrote it. same with SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, the character was so changed from the way she did on broadway with PAUL NEWMAN. and of all things she said she did the pouring of the earth dirt in front of her home over her head was all wrong.in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL. i could go on and on, but my personal take is that she loved the theater first and foremost, and movies were a hard adjustment to make for her. BUT when i finally backed her into to a corner, and asked if she liked anything she did in films ,,,,,, oddly she said yes,,,, PETE N TILLIE ,,,,, : i was perfect in every frame, she did not elaborate . . as for DEAN MARTIN she called him one of the best actors she ever worked with. so there u have it.
My, isn’t it amazing how some thesps are uncarnally critical to such an extreme point it beggars belief whilst others haven’t the faintest trace of disciplined discernment re their abilities (or infinite lack of)?
It’s too bad a production diary wasn’t kept for the Broadway version of “Sweet Bird” as that’s one of the shows we’d love to have had an inside (rehearsal) catbird seat on.
And if you haven’t caught her DELICIOUS comedy tour-de-force in
please do so post-haste; That Scene which won her the Oscar nomination oughta be shown in acting classes the universe over for how tapping into the rich reality of a character (not reaching for “intense” results) can leave an audience howling with laughter – and colleagues agog with acclaim at what was being demonstrated with such deft brilliance.
She also had a director who knew how to fine-tune her special gift to an almost zen-degree that accentuated what made her so unique.
Speaking of which, drop us a (non-Nobel) line at theyearoftheone@hotmail.com and we’ll tell ya why this flick has a seminal place in our heart – and career – second to none …
Personal Quotes If people want to think I get drunk and stay out all night, let 'em. That's how I got here, you know.
I've got seven kids. The three words you hear most around my house are 'hello,' 'goodbye,' and 'I'm pregnant.
To those who felt he joked his way through songs during concert and nightclub appearences: "You wanna hear it straight, buy the album."
Upon filing for divorce from his second wife: "I know it's the gentlemanly thing to let the wife file. But, then, everybody knows I'm no gentleman."
I drink because my body craves, needs alcohol. I don't drink, my body's a drunk.
On Joey Bishop: Most people think of Joey Bishop as just a replacement for Johnny Carson. That's NOT true. We in show business know better: we don't think of him at ALL.
On Phyllis Diller: Phyllis is the women of about whom Picasso once said, "Somebody throw a drop cloth over that."
On Frank Sinatra: In high school, Frank never participated in extra-curricular activities, like nature study, paintings or ceramics. Frank's hobby was a most interesting one: he was an amateur gynecologist.
On James Stewart: There's a statue of Jimmy Stewart in the Hollywood Wax Museum, and the statue talks better than he does.
On Orson Welles: What can you say about Orson Welles that Don Rickles hasn't already said about him?!
On Bob Hope: As a young boy, Bob didn't have much to say. He couldn't afford writers then.
On Don Rickles: Don's idea of a fun evening is to show home movies of the attack on Pearl Harbor...with a laugh track.
On Johnny Carson: Johnny Carson is a comedian who is seen every night in millions of bedrooms all over America...and that's why his last wife left him.
On Milton Berle: Milton Berle is an inspiration to every young person that wants to get into show business. Hard work, perseverance, and discipline: all the things you need...when you have no talent.
On his tee-total friend Pat Boone: "I once shook hands with Pat Boone, and my whole right side sobered up!"
I'd hate to be a teetotaler. Imagine getting up in the morning and knowing that's as good as you're going to feel all day.
I can't stand an actor or actress who tells me acting is hard work. It's easy work. Anyone who says it isn't never had to stand on his feet all day dealing blackjack.
Motivation is a lotta crap.
"Someone else, would have laid around, feeling sorry for himself, for a year. But Duke, he just doesn't know, how to be sick ... he's recuperating the hard way. He's two loud speaking guys in one. Me, when people see me, they sometimes say, 'Oh, there goes Perry Como.' But there's only one 'John Wayne', and nobody makes any mistakes about that." - On The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
[On Shirley MacLaine] Shirley, I love her, but her oars aren't touching the water these days.
[On singer Eddie Fisher] The reason I drink is because, when I'm sober, I think I'm Eddie Fisher.
[On Frank Sinatra] When he dies, they're giving his zipper to the Smithsonian.
[On Jerry Lewis] At some point, he said to himself, "I'm extraordinary, like Charles Chaplin". From then on, nobody could tell him anything. He knew it all.
will never even come close to approximating, forget about equalling.
