One of the staples of American TV for decades has been the talk show.
During the ‘60s and ‘70s big band royalty graced one such show, “The Dean Martin Show” on a weekly basis. Technically speaking, the show was a “variety” show, which featured more skits and comedy routines, as opposed to the coffee table chats of many talk shows.
Today’s generation recognizes the name Dean Martin (“Cannonball Run II”) for classic songs like “That’s Amoré,” as well as his association with fellow big band favorite Frank Sinatra. However, Martin also starred as the host of the show for over 250 episodes in a span of nine years.
Although there were several components that made the show enjoyable, the primary one was unquestionably the music. Not only were there regular performances by Dean Martin himself, there were also regular appearances by musical talents from Tony Bennett to Ella Fitzgerald.
The music may have been the focal point of the show, but Martin hosted a fair number of renowned comedians and actors as well. This was not surprising considering the clout Martin’s own name carried. However, it may come as a surprise that Martin was a bit of a comedy and acting wiz himself. The art of the joke may have been his hidden talent and he had more than enough wit to for when guests started acting funny.
Martin’s comfort on set and the number of A-list guest appearances made the show his most successful visual production.
In his nine-year tenure as host, Martin won one Golden Globe out of three nominations and was nominated for three primetime Emmys.
Despite these achievements, both Martin and his show had some definite shortcomings.
For all his talents, Martin’s ability to dance is underwhelming and that’s being rather generous. Whether on the show or in movies like “Robbo and the Seven Hoods” (1964), the most suave move Martin could muster was turning around. This does not mean clicking his heels while walking a circle or even spinning on one foot; it literally means turning in a circle.
The most glaring flaw the variety show presented was the lack of a diverse guest list. Almost all appearances made were by comedians, big band musicians or actors. There were a few appearances by famed New York Jets quarterback “Broadway” Joe Namath, but even Broadway Joe was a personal friend of Martin’s. Completely devoid from the list were any blues or rock musicians. Save for Broadway Joe, there were not even any baseball players featured on the show, even though baseball was the most popular sport in the country at the time. Not even American darlings like Elvis Presley or Joe DiMaggio ever graced “The Dean Martin Show.”
Even taking into account the imperfections of Martin and the show, the show remained popular for the majority of its run and Martin was far from the end of his career. The best indicator of this was the creation of “Dean Martin Celebrity Roast,” which ran from 1974 when “The Dean Martin Show” was cancelled until ‘84.
