Nicknamed the "King of Cool" [1][2], Dean Martin became a pop culture icon for his music, his trademark charm and his drinking, although his glass while on stage contained apple juice. He was much respected wherever he went, and became a sort of unofficial ambassador of the Italian-American community.
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 centered on 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", 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).
The Rat Pack were legendary for their Las Vegas performances, which were almost never preannounced. For example, the marquee at the Sands Hotel might read DEAN MARTIN---MAYBE FRANK---MAYBE SAMMY. 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 trios, along with much seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter. In the socially-charged 1960s, their jokes revolved around adult themes, such as Sinatra's infamous womanizing and Martin's legendary drinking, as well as many at the expense of Davis's race and religion. Davis famously practiced Judaism and used Yiddish phrases onstage, eliciting much merriment from both his stage-mates and his audiences.[citation needed] It was all good-natured male bonding, never vicious, rarely foul-mouthed,[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
Posthumously, the Rat Pack has experienced a popular revival, inspiring the George Clooney/Brad Pitt "Ocean's" trilogy. An HBO film, "The Rat Pack," starred Joe Mantegna as Martin, Ray Liotta as Sinatra and Don Cheadle as Davis. It depicted their contribution to JFK's election in 1960.
Actor, singer; born Dino Paul Crocetti, in Steubenville, Ohio on June 7, 1917, the younger of two sons born of Italian immigrants. Had one brother, Bill.
Best known for his comedic partnership with Jerry Lewis, as well as for his participation in the "Rat Pack," a group of entertainers—including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford—who performed together in Las Vegas and teamed up in several films in the early 1960s.
Martin attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville, Ohio, and took up the drums as a hobby as a teenager. After dropping out of Steubenville High School in the tenth grade, he worked odd jobs, including part-time as an amateur welterweight boxer under the name "Kid Crochet." Martin also dabbled in illegal activities, including driving liquor across state lines during prohibition, selling lottery tickets, acting as a bookie, and working as a card dealer and croupier in local gambling joints.
Martin began his show business career at age seventeen, singing in Ohio nightclubs near his hometown. During a stint with the Ernie McKay band, he was noticed by Cleveland bandleader Sammy Watkins, who hired him as the band's featured vocalist. He began touring with Watkins in 1938, and in 1940, changed his name to Dean Martin. In September 1943, Martin signed an exclusive contract with MCA to sing at the Riobamba Room in New York, and in 1944 he was given his own fifteen-minute radio program broadcasting from New York City, Songs by Dean Martin. In 1946 he signed a contract and recorded four songs with Diamond Records.
During a club engagement in 1946, Martin met Jerry Lewis and the two began joking around with each other during their respective acts. They teamed up in 1947, with Martin playing the straight man to Lewis's clown. NBC broadcast a regular thirty-minute radio program featuring the pair in 1949, and they made their television debut in the Colgate Comedy Hour in 1950. The immensely popular Martin and Lewis team made sixteen films together between 1949 and 1956.
Martin and Lewis last performed together at the Copacabana in New York, on July 24, 1956. After ten years as a team, they split up due to creative differences. Martin struck out on his own and resumed his singing career, recording such hit records for Capitol as "That's Amore," "Memories are Made of This," "When You're Smiling," and "Oh Marie." He also resumed acting in films, and in 1958, Martin received critical acclaim after appearing with Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando in The Young Lions.
