Dean Martin.

Dean Martin's footprints were immortalized at Grauman's Chinese Theater in 1964. Martin has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6519 Hollywood Boulevard, for movies; one at 1617 Vine, for recordings; and one at 6651 Hollywood Boulevard, for television.

Happy Birthday: Dean Martin!

Dean Martin (June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995). At the age of 15, he was a boxer that went by the name, "Kid Crochet". Of his twelve matches, he would later say "I won all but eleven." Eventually, Martin gave up boxing and began working at an illegal casino behind a tobacco shop where he had started as a stock boy. At the same time, he sang with local bands. Calling himself "Dino Martini" (after the then-famous Metropolitan Opera tenor, Nino Martini), he got his first break working for the Ernie McKay Orchestra. In the early 1940s, he started singing for bandleader Sammy Watkins, who suggested he change his name to Dean Martin.

In 1943, Martin bombed at the Riobamba, a high class nightclub in New York, where he met Frank Sinatra. Soon after he met Jerry Lewis, at the Glass Hat Club in New York, where both men were performing. Martin and Lewis formed a fast friendship which led to their music-comedy team.

Martin and Lewis's, official debut together was at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 24, 1946, where the owner, Skinny D'Amato, warned them that if they did not come up with a better act, they would be fired. Martin sang and Lewis came out dressed as a busboy, making fun of Martin's performance by doing whatever popped into his head. Their act led to triumphant run at New York's Copacabana.

The team made its TV debut on the very first broadcast of, Toast of the Town Program (later called the Ed Sullivan Show) with Ed Sullivan and Rogers and Hammerstein appearing on June 20, 1948 . A radio series began in 1949, the same year Martin and Lewis were signed by Paramount producer Hal B. Wallis, for the movie, My Friend Irma. A comedy film directed by George Marshall. The storyline follows two New York roommates, Irma Peterson and Jane Stacey. Irma is a blonde who has a good heart. Jane, has dreams of marrying a rich man and works as a secretary for a millionaire, Richard Rhinelander. Irma is in love with a con-artist named Al looking for a get rich scheme. Al visits the juice stand and over hears Steve Laird singing. He convinces him to leave his job and promises to make him famous. Steve and Seymour, end up living at Jane's apartment. She does not like the idea, but Irma convinces her to let them stay. Soon, Jane and Steve fall in love. After a successful singing debut, Steve, is heartbroken when he learns off Jane's wishes to marry a wealthy man and he leaves and returns to the juice stand. Meanwhile, Irma gets into trouble and decides to end it all. But... not before, she finds out a radio station is about to call her for a $50,000 question, so she rushes home to win the prize and all live happily ever after.

Their agent, Abby Greshler, negotiated for them one of Hollywood's best deals: 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.

Martin's first solo film, Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957). The story begins when millionaire hotel owner Ray Hunter flies to Rome to buy, the Regent. He is picked up at the airport by Maria Martelli, who works for the hotel's owner, the Countess Alzani. Ray is confronted by the Countess for his impersonal ways and he promises to change. Maria, works as Ray's translator while in town. He meets the Martelli family and Maria's youngest sister, 18-year-old Nina, takes a immediate liking to Ray. Maria's, boyfriend is Anton, a poor Polish count/sculptor. Nina, tries to catch Ray's eye, while his private pilot Mike is trying to catch hers. Nina sees the sights with Ray and wants to marry him, so she asks her father for permission. Papa Martelli forbids it, saying in this family all of the eldest daughters must be married before the youngest can. Ray, sends for two eligble bachelors from America which he introduces to the other two sisters of Maria and Nina.

He soon realizes he is with the wrong sister and does not know what to do.. At a party, Papa Martelli announes that Ray is engaged to daughter Nina, which upsets Mike, but everything finally works out. Ray finds a job for Anton that sends him to Bombay. Papa Martelli, finds himself planning four weddings.

Martin wanted to be known as a serious actor and was offered a role in the film, The Young Lions (1957), he was happy to land the part because he could now learn from Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. Tony Randall already had the part, but talent agency MCA replaced Randall and the film turned out to be the beginning of Martin's comeback.

Success would continue as Martin starred with Frank Sinatra for the first time in Vincente Minnelli drama, Some Came Running (1958). Which started out as a novel by James Jones, published in 1957. It is the story of a war veteran with literary aspirations who returns in 1948 to his hometown of Parkman, Indiana, after a failed writing career. A film version starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine was nominated for five Academy Awards.

Martin, is best known for his performance as Dude in the film, Rio Bravo (1959), directed by Howard Hawks and also starring John Wayne and singer Ricky Nelson. A film about a small-town sheriff who recives the help of a cripple, a drunk, and a gunfighter to hold a bad guy in jail..

He teamed up again with Wayne in The Sons of Katie Elder (1965). Directed by Henry Hathaway. The movie was filmed mostly in Mexico. The film is about Four Brothers, trying to make up for their sins to a saintly mother who has recently died.

In 1960, Martin was cast in the film,Bells Are Ringing. A film about Ella Peterson, who is a Brooklyn telephone answering service operator who gets involved with lives of her clients. She falls in love with one of her clients, the playwright Jeffrey Moss, and is determined to meet him. The trouble is, he calls "Mom."

Martin played a variation of his own womanizing persona as Vegas singer "Dino" in Billy Wilder's comedy, Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) with Kim Novak, and he was not above poking fun at his image in films such as the Matt Helm spy spoofs of the 1960s, in which he was a co-producer.

As Martin's solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became close friends. 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: Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, of which Sinatra had been a member.

The Martin-Sinatra-Davis-Lawford-Bishop group referred to themselves as "The Summit" or "The Clan" and never as "The Rat Pack". The men 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).

In 1965, Martin launched his weekly NBC comedy-variety series, The Dean Martin Show. There he perfected his famous laid-back persona of the half-drunk crooner hitting on beautiful women. Martin, did not rehearse because he believed his best performances were his first. Sometimes his remarks brought angry mail from offended, viewers.

Martin's idea of a good time was watching westerns, playing golf and had his own signature line of golf balls.

Martin starred in and co-produced a series of four Matt Helm super spy comedy adventures. A fifth, The Ravagers, was planned starring Sharon Tate and Martin in a dual role, one as a serial killer, but due to the murder of Tate and the decline of the spy genre the film was never made.

Please click here to learn more about Dean Martin.

To Classic Movie Fans:

Every couple of weeks, I enjoy spotlighting others blogs that have caught my interest.. This week.. I would like to spotlight a fun blog: I Love Dino Martin.

Dino Martin Peters, Is a dude who totally digs Dino Martin...the coolest, hippest, and randiest dude to ever walk the face of this planet. Long live our Master of Hip, our King of Cool, the one, the only DINO!!!!!

The Wreaking Crew(1968)

The Wrecking Crew (1968). Cast: Dean Martin, Elke Sommer and Sharon Tate. The fourth and final film in a series of comedy-spy-fi featuring Martin as secret agent Matt Helm. As with the first three movies (The Silencers, Murderers' Row and The Ambushers), the film is based on Donald Hamilton's 1960 novel of the same name.

The story is simular to the Bond novel/film, Goldfinger, Helm's assignment is to bring down the evil count who is trying to steal gold. Along the way, Helm is partnered with a British agent played by Sharon Tate an accident-prone spy. Chuck Norris makes his film debut in a small role. It was the first film in the series to not be written by comedy writer Herbert Baker but by former police reporter and crime novel author William P. McGivern. The Wreaking Crew, is best known for the perfomance of Sharon Tate, who performed her own stunts and martial arts scenes cheroeographed by Bruce Lee.

Please click here to learn more about Sharon Tate.

Please click here to learn more about Elke Sommers.
When this movie first came out I thought it was a little corny..but, now I really enjoy watching it.

Bells are Ringing(1960)

Bells Are Ringing (1960) Romantic/comedy/musical. Director: Vincente Minnelli. Cast: Judy Holliday and Dean Martin.

Brooklyn Switchboard operator Ella Peterson, works for telephone answering service Susanswerphone. Even though Sue's orders are only to "take and give" messages, Ella uses different voices to help her clients with their lives, even posing as Santa Claus to convince a small child to behave. Ella becomes interested in playwright Jeffrey Moss, who calls her "Mom". He just recently lost his writing partner and his having trouble finishing the outline for his play.. "Mom" tries to boost his ego, but instead.. Jeffrey drinks himself to sleep.



Meanwhile, Inspector Barnes and his assistant Francis, suspect that Susanswerphone is really a prostitution ring, pretend to be magazine reporters, interview Ella while wire-taping the switchboard.

Sue's boyfriend, J. Otto Prantz, moves into the apartment to run his music distribution business, Titanic Records, which is really a front for a bookkeeping operation. During a meeting with his bookies, Otto explains the new system: When customers place their bets, they will be translated into a classical music record album code for instance, "Beethoven" is really Belmont Park and "five hundred orders" is a $500 bet.

The next morning, when Jeffrey does not answer Ella's wake up call, she goes to his apartment, excited to finally to know what he looks like. The trouble is, how will she tell him who she really is?

I'm a huge Dean Martin fan!! I thought Holliday and Martin were soooo cute together. At first I thought it might be an odd paring.. The songwriting dentist will give you a few chuckles too.

Fun Facts:

This was Arthur Freed and Vincente Minnelli's last musical for MGM.

Judy Holliday's last film.

Jean Stapleton(born January 19, 1923). She is best known for her portrayal of  Edith Bunker,  in the 1970s TV comedy, All in the Family.

Dean Martin as Matt Helm in Murderers' Row (1966)

Just watched the guilty pleasure that is Murderers' Row, the second film in the Matt Helm 60's era spy series that starred the ever reliable Dean Martin. This series came about all due to that English gent across the water..James Bond. That franchise ignited the whole spy craze of the 60's and everything from Get Smart, I Spy, The Man From UNCLE, In Like Flint, and Helm all enjoyed success. Dean Martin's take as a super spy who always saved the world but he did it with a cavalier attitude. Always had time to drink and make merry for the women. And quick to drop a witty one liner. You ask how is that different from Bond. Well, where as Bond for the most part kept the humor and comedy to a minimal, that is until Roger Moore came along, Helm thrived on it. He seemed to be itching to crack a joke or take a drink even while the action is going on. And seemed to be having fun doing it.

In his second adventure, he travels to Monte Carlo to find out what happened to a Doctor Solaris, who has created this destructive helio beam that bad guy Julian Wall (a gung ho Karl Malden) wants to use to destroy Washington, DC. In Monte Carlo, Matt befriends Solaris daughter Suzie (Ann-Margret) and together they team up to find her missing dad. Matt also has to deal with a henchman who has a steel plate on his head (very Bondian) and a beguiling femme fatale named Coco (the fetching Camilla Sparv).

Murderers' Row is a lightweight caper, on par with the weakest Bond films. You could almost label it a comedy with some action scenes because there is an abundance of humor, mostly supplied by Martin, who is definitely the center of the movie. Ann-Margret gets several high energy dance scenes that you can tell the directors told her to go and just have fun. The age difference between Martin and Ann does make their relationship a tad creepy. Dean was 48 and Ann was 24. But they still make quite the team. It's strange seeing Malden as the villian but he is effective. His assistant Coco is a striking presence in the film. Every time she appears it seems the camera follows her around like a puppy in love. Sparv probably gives the best performance out of all the actors present here. And let me not forget Matt's assistant Lovey Kravezit (great name and played by Beverly Adams). She is like the 60's version of Iron Man's assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

This film is not be taken seriously, a film to be seen to have some laughs with and view a good representation of the 60's. Dean croons the energetic I'm Not The Marrying Kind which plays out several times during the film. And I'm not the one to point out fashion in film, but Ann-Margret wears this killer black and white top with pants that is to die for.

Check out the pic to your right. You know your clothes are awesome when the villianess says "I must say the girl
has great taste in clothes". Classic.


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