Dean loved comedians!

Dean's guest list always included great comedians. George Burns, Jackie Mason, Flip Wilson, Rowan and Martin, Foster Brooks, Dom Deluise, Guy Marks, you name it. The comic I remember best was a little short guy named Jackie Vernon. His dry sense of humor was hilarious. He would go on and on, one of his funniest lines was "they named a lake after him in Wisconson, called "Lake Stupid." Don't know why, it's stuck in my mind after all of these years. It was a treat to watch Dean "adlib" with the best. Dean always got big laughs when they wandered "off script."

Dean Martin & Jackie Mason - Barbershop

Mr. Charisma

"Strangers in The Night" They say opportunity Knocks Once? In my case it kept knocking. I was fortunate to get up close and personal to Dino, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Joey Bishop. One night, right before L.A.'s KNBC News at 11 with Tom Brokaw, I was coming back from the graphics dept. Frank Sinatra walks through the back doors leading a large entourage on his way to a Mia Frarrow special in Studio 4, Dean Martin's Studio. We're on a collision course. I pulled an old Ross Porter trick. Ross would walk through the newsroom reading research for his sportscast. We would pass each other, I 'd say "Hi, Ross," He'd look at me, and "flutter" his eyebrows twice. That was a Ross saying "Hi." One night before the KNBC Local News w/Tom Brokaw, Frank Sinatra enters from the side parking lot. The doors open, he leads a large entourage down the hall to Studio 4, Dean's studio. I'm alone walking toward him, we're on a collision course, I looked at Frank, he looks at me, I gave him the old Ross Porter "eyebrow flutters," he smiled and "fluttered" back. It worked! I laughed all the way to the newsroom. Frank was "The Man. " Mr. Charisma!"

Dean Martin - “Just Say I Love Her” - LIVE

Dean Martin - Live at Westchester Music Theatre in New York 1977

Dean Martin Ain't That A Kick In The Head.

Let's Have a Vino for Dino!

Dean Martin was 49 when I finagled my way next to his bar stool on the Dean Martin Show. When I first saw Dean, slide down the "fire poll," my life flashed before me, a young kid in Chicago, w/my brother Frank, under the dining room table, watching Dean and Jerry on the Ed Sullivan Show. Fast forward, we moved to Long Beach, Ca. As a teenager I spent my spare hours, emulating Dean's moves and lip-sinking "Money Burns a Hole in My Pocket," " An Evening in Roma, " and all the "Pretty Baby" album songs in front of my bedroom mirror. I had the look and the sound! Father Hanson, who loved Italians, talked me into joining the St. Anthony Hi Glee Club. I could have been a teenage "heart throb" singing "Dark Town Strutters Ball, That's Amore and Hey Compare." Fogettaboutit! My family was proud. Especially my dad who sang during the 30's on Chicago's Italian radio hour. 4 years, two concerts each year before packed houses in our gym, were fun years. After graduating from Long Beach State, my old "Frat Bro" and later N.Y. Metro Media News Anchorman, John Roland got me an interview at NBC. I got my foot in the door. I was now an NBC Page, working on the Dean Martin Show. You're kidding me, I came a long way just to meet Dino Crocetti. It was worth it.

The trip from Belmont Shore on Ocean Blvd. to the 710 Freeway to the Santa Ana Freeway to the Hollywood Freeway then off on Barnham. The Sunday morning trip took about 45 minutes in my 65' VW Beetle. I would pass Hanna Barbara and Warner Brothers Studios.  I drove to NBC Studios and  parked in the employees lot. I entered the Artist Entrance,  checked my messages, then on to Studio 4, Dean's "digs," took about 2 minutes. I had to pinch myself walking past the "Days of our Lives, Tonight Show" studios, as I walked,  on my left was the large warehouse where all the sets were built. I passed two large rehearsal halls to Studio 4. It seemed like a dream. A left turn then  on to Studio 4's hallway.  Midway was Dean's dressing room  on the right, makeup was on the left. I  took a deep breath and walked through the swinging doors.  I just entered the world of the "Dean Martin Show." On my right was the set up for "Les Brown and his Band of Renown." To my left was Dean's bar stool and the famous stairway up to the "firepoll." Across the large studio  was the library set w/Kenny Lane's piano and Dean's famous "Gouch." Later that morning the studio would come alive and rehearsal would begin.

Jonathan Winters and Dean Martin

Dino kept looking at us to see if his jokes were right on!

Dean Martin - TOP 20 Funniest Duets

Sunday morning, I arrive in Studio 4, open the two singing doors, I'm in awe of the Dean Martin set. There's action between the stage manager, camera men, boom mike, stage hands moving equipment, yep, I'm part of the Dean Martin Show. First the "blocking" begins. Greg Garrison stands in for Dean. The guys in the control room are following the production script. I could do a pretty good Dean Martin impersonation, since I memorized all of the lyrics on Dean's first album, I kept watching Garrison, hoping he would say "Mike" stand here and act like Dean. Never happened. A few hours later, excitement starts, Dean's in the building off to his dressing room. The morning moved quickly, the audience slowly comes in for rehearsal and taping. I'm glued to my spot next to Dean. Kenny Lane is traveling back and forth from "Les Brown and his band of Renown," "magic" is about to happen. Dean walks in, climbs the stairs, goes up to the "fire pole," the intro. Dean slides down holding a cigerette, bounces over to his stool, the audience is mesmorized, Dean," You know I slept like a baby last night, I woke up this morning with a bottle in my mouth." You know, the president of NBC sent me a present last night, Candy, the girl from the movie." "You know....of course you know, you would'nt be here unless you know, I might be married but I'm not a finatic about it." "I want thank the Mayor of Beverly Hills he changed the street signs on my block, to Crawl and Don't Crawl." The audence was hysterical. "Jeannie and I never took a honey moon, she's going in June and I'm going in July!" Every time he told a joke, he looked me and the makeup guy, to see if we got it. Dino, looking at me? Wow!!!!