Thursday, May 30, 2024
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Alberto's Rancho Mirage
"The Rat Pack" Once upon a time in "Beautiful Downtown Burbank," I happened to be in the midst of "Old Blue Eyes," "The King of Cool," and the "Candy Man." Little did I know decades later I would be sitting in Alberto's Restaurant Rancho Mirage where my "Pallies" once enjoyed Calamari, Oso Buco, or Chicken Cacciatore. The bartender in that back room had plenty of stories, I relished them all. Alberto's is now closed, who bought that legendary booth?
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Sunday, May 26, 2024
Saturday, May 25, 2024
"Happy Wife Happy Life"
"Jeannie and I have a secret to making a marriage last. Two times a week, we go to a nice restaurant and have a little wine and good food. She goes on Tuesday's, I go on Fridays."
Friday, May 24, 2024
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Friday, May 17, 2024
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Friday, May 10, 2024
Dean and Frank
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Monday, May 6, 2024
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
When our Eyes Met!
Dean and Frank "Two Legends!" I was picking up material one Sunday afternoon from graphic arts, when I noticed Frank entering from the back parking lot with his entourage. Frank was in the lead, heading toward Dean's Studio. He's moving toward me....as I passed Frank, rather than "Hi Frank" I lifted my eyebrows to acknowledge him. I'll never forget, as Frank's eyes met mine with my eyebrows half way up my forehead, Frank returned the hello, our eyes and eyebrows met, did I know Frank Sinatra?..... Yes, I traded eyebrows with Frank Sinatra.
Monday, April 29, 2024
"Dino's Shadow"
Dino's Shadow! If you were Dean Martin's shadow in the mid 1960's think of folks you would have rubbed shoulders with. Sinatra, Sammy, Joey, Rowan and Martin, Lanie Kazan, Dom DeLuise, Pat Henry, Jackie Vernon, Johnathan Winters, Kenny Lane, Buddy Ebsen, Smothers Brothers, Vic Damone, Producer Greg Garrison, Paul Keyes, Harold Kemp, George Jessel, Johnny Carson, among others, The Marquis Chimps. And Yes, Mike Colonna, your loyal NBC Page. More to follow.
Monday, April 15, 2024
Sunday, April 14, 2024
My Favorites!!!
Dino was my favorite, as an NBC Page in Burbank, "back in the day," Frank on his way to studio 4 gave me a wink, Dino, I got to hold his drink while he did his monologue during my days on the Dean Martin Show, and Sammy? BS'd with him one Thursday nite at the Artist Entrance. He was there to see Dean, "but Sammy, Dean only works on Sunday's!" Three super memories!
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Elke Sommer meets Dean.
The 1st "Celeb" I met at NBC Burbank's Artist Entrance was Elke Sommer. Beautiful! She needed help getting to her dressing room for her appearence on the Dean Martin Show. She asked "where's Dean?" I replied ' he'll be here on Sunday." As usual for two seasons I finagled a way to stand next to Dino. That Sunday, Elke stood next to me waiting for her sketch w/Dino. It doesn't get better than that!
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Monday, April 1, 2024
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Monday, March 11, 2024
The Dean Martin Show
Mike Colonna
Walked by this set for many years. Since I worked on the show, standing next to Dino, my only regret was not chasing it down before NBC Burbank moved to Universal. The blueprints, for the set starting from the "fire pole" down to the set your viewing was legendary. It's sitting somewhere, would luv to chase it down.
Mike Colonna
It's now embeded on my desktop. Who could forget those days working on the Dean Martin Show.
4m
Reply
Gary Messerschmidt
I grew up around that set.
4m
Reply
Author
Mike Colonna
Your dad was a great guy. Talked to him many times during Dino's show and ditto for KNBC News w/Tom Brokaw and all the other big shows taped in Burbank.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Friday, February 16, 2024
Saturday, December 2, 2023
"Breaking Wind"
"Breaking Wind." Yep it happens to all of us!!! Could it be true? It was a busy Sunday on the Dean Martin set during an afternoon taping in the late 60's. Dean did a short monologue then finished singing "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You," then we went to a commercial. I was standing within a few feet of Dean with the cue card and makeup guy, Dean scooted up on his bar stool, we heard "squeak," Dino "cut one." I looked at the cue card guy, and the makeup guy, they looked at me, then I looked at Dean, and he winked. "The King of Cool" and the four of us "burst in laughter." "Let's have a Vino for Dino!
Friday, November 24, 2023
"The King of Cool"
Monday, November 20, 2023
Sands Hotel with Sammy!
"I want to thank the NAACP for this wonderful trophy!" Dino at the Sands Hotel Vegas.
Sunday, November 19, 2023
Monday, November 6, 2023
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Dean's Uncle Leonard Barr!
Working the Dean Martin Show. Dean's Uncle Leonard Barr (Barra) appeared several times on the show. His uncle's comedic schtick was one-liners; told with a straight face, and deliberately repeating a punchline. He's best remembered for his appearance in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever with Sean Connery in which he played Shady Tree, a stand-up comedian and smuggler in Las Vegas. Other credits included The Odd Couple, M*A*S*H as a USO comedian. He also made numerous guest appearances on The Tonight Show.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Dean Martin Blog "Scripts? What Scripts?
The Dean Martin Show. "Scripts? What Scripts?" Thursday nights were made for "Dino." Looking back it took an exceptionally talented personality to come in on a Sunday Morning, do a quick "run through" during rehearsals, then tape a Top Rated show for millions of viewers. . Talented people like Greg Garrison's "Girl Friday, " Janet Tighe, made the show click. She adored Dean. Always wondered what happened to her. I digress. It could be said, Dean instilled a little bit of himself in all of us. Again, thanks Paisan! "Let's have a Vino for Dino."
Thursday, October 26, 2023
"The King of Cool"
The Dean Martin Show. The drive from Beverly Hills was no more than 15 minutes. His convertable arrived in the back lot almost every Sunday morning during the season. I was not one of the lucky guys to meet Dean when he arrived that was Greg Garrisons job. My guess it was his son Craig or one of the Stage Managers. Arriving casually dressed, Dino was led to his dressing room from a back door hallway to studio 4. His makeup, and wardrobe assistants were waiting to transform Dino into "The King Of Cool!" His grand entrance was always an exciting event. Everyone stood glued to the walls as Dean walked by. "The King" had arrived. "Let's have a Vino for Dino!"
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Dino "Re-Incarnated!"
In a 2022 article. " Iconic's, " Jimmy Edwards says, “ he wants to make sure Dean Martin's legacy is preserved.” "Edwards has been thinking a lot about Dean Martin’s place in the modern media landscape — some 28 years after his death at age 78, and where he ought to be, last month, Edwards acquired an equity position in the rights held by the Dean Martin estate, which includes his music, vast amounts of work across the audiovisual spectrum, — and will use all that material to put Dean back in front of the whole world again." Dino Fans, What Say You? Mike Colonna
Guy Marks Roasts Michael Landon
You've heard that "Laughter is the best medicine," To watch Dean laugh was a site to remember. Only a few comics could make Dino physically "cry '' during a sketch. After witnessing Foster Brooks bring Dean to tears, during one Sunday afternoon taping then watching Dino and Don Rickles almost fall out of their chairs, during a Dean Martin Roast, in my view, was an unforgettable site!!! In my view, Guy Marks was the funniest of them all. He was born Mario Scarpa. Of course Dean loved him. Guy was the youngest of 11 children born to Ermelindo and Adelina Scarpa. Take a few minutes and watch this Roast, it'll make a believer out of you!
"The Butterfly Diaries"
Monday, October 16, 2023
Saturday, October 14, 2023
"Dino Lived Here"
The Dean Martin Show. Fate or Coincidence? My sis Carol's been living on Mariscal Road in Palm Springs in "Little Tuscany" for more than 20 years. Not long ago, I learned that Dino's second home was just across the street. Everytime I visit her now, another great memory from my days working on the Dean Martin Show crosses my mind. I was fortunate to be on set for this video. The ending tells the whole story about our pal Dean Martin.
Monday, October 2, 2023
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
The Dean Martin Show though the lens of an NBC Page.
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Dean Martin: Wine, Women and Song - documentary part 1 of 3
"a life lived hard, fast, and without apologies." No one really new Dino," he was a great entertainer, father, and never looked back! I think the word "charisma" was created for Dino Crocetti from birth. All of these "flashback's" keep reminding me of how lucky I was working on the Dean Martin Show. "Let's Have a Vino for Dino!"
Friday, September 22, 2023
Return To Me - Perry Como and Dean Martin
"Dean's Favorite Paisan" I looked forward to Sunday's when we taped the Dean Martin Show. During the week, we managed audiences on Let's Make a Deal, Hollywood Squares, Hope and Benny Specials. Standing outside of NBC w/ticket holders was an experience. They would often ask for our autographs. I guess they thought we were destined for "stardom," wearing our NBC Page blazers. It was late fall when I caught up to another childhood idol, Perry Como. He was leaving Studio 4 after taping his traditional Christmas Show, I caught him as he was walking toward the Artist Entrance with his agent. "Mr. Como, I've loved you since I was a young kid watching the Perry Como Show." Told him my name, like a long lost uncle he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, as we walked, he smiled, and said "that means a lot to me." "Let's have a Vino for Dino!"
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Dean Martin - “Just Say I Love Her”
The Dean Martin Show. Dino was never a man to mince words. Watching him on and off set you got the feeling that he was a genuine person. I remember this song, "Just Say I Love Her" sent chills up my spine. The song was an Italian melody written by Neapolitan composer Rodolfo Falvo in 1930. You know when Dean sang it was from the heart. I put this video together knowing that maybe, just maybe, there was something tugging in Dean's heart that reminded him of Jeannie. Deep Breath. "I'm ready for a Vino with Dino!"
"Non Dimenticar"
"Non Dimenticar, although you travel far my darling
It's my heart you own, so I'll wait alone Non Dimenticar"
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
The Birth of The Golddigers.
The Golddiggers and The Dean Martin Show. Leaving Belmont Shore in Long Beach, driving up the Long Beach Fwy, the Santa Ana Fwy, to the Ventura Fwy, Getting off on Hollywood Way, passing Disney and St. Joe's Hospital was one way to get to NBC Studio's. The Hollywood Fwy, to Barnham, driving past Hanna Barbera and Warner Bros. was my 2nd choice, you entered the world of "makebelieve." Loved it! One morning I arrived at NBC and around the corner and down the street, lines of `beautiful women' were waiting to audition for the Dean Martin Show. It was 1968, The Golddiggers were born! They soon became part of Dean's Shows in Vegas. One more reason it was a "gas" to work on The Dean Martin Show. "Let's Have A Vino for Dino."
Thursday, September 14, 2023
The Best Job Ever!
The Best Job Ever! I didn't make a lot of $$$ but 7 years working at NBC Burbank, as a page on The Dean Martin Show and Laugh-In, with two great talented producers, Greg Garrison and George Schlatter, was like earning a PHD in TV Production. Every big star from Carson, Andy Williams, Hope, Benny, Pat Boone, Monty Hall, Hollywood Squares was a bonus. Another great memory included working News Production at KNBC w/Tom Brokaw, Jess Marlow, and Ross Porter. Daydreams keep those days alive. "Let's Have a Vino for Dino!"
"An Evening in Roma"
Monday, September 11, 2023
Dean Martin Blog, Dean, Dan Rowan, Dick Martin
Friday, September 8, 2023
Dino and "The Fire Pole"
Claustrophobia was not Dean's friend. Two seasons of watching him slide down the fire pole made me nervous. It was an accident waiting to happen. The Cue Card, makeup guy and yours truly were the closest in the event he twisted an ankle or??? Dean was a "Daredevil!' Jumping on pianos, sliding down fire poles, no problem. "Let's have a Vino for Dino!"
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Riccio's Palm Springs, The "Pallies" met there!
Dino and his pals were regulars at the old Riccio's, up the street, in Palm Springs "back in the day." According to Danny, when his dad owned it, the " Rat Pack" were regulars. We ate at the new Riccio's last night, on N Palm Canyon Drive, and had a fabulous meal chased w/a Grey Goose "Dirty Martini." We shared some great stories about the "Great old Days" with Dean, and his "pallies." "The Ghosts of Palm Springs keep following us everywhere we go."
Monday, August 28, 2023
Jay Regas and Dino
We played each day with Don Cherry and a Las Vegan named Joe Snow whose father ran the Baccarat game at Caesars. There were other people that we played with when one of them didn't show up but I don't remember their names.. Dean had a favorite on the tee... LFF (Let the F'er Fly).
He was off the wall funny all day long. I think he used it to get us off our game.
Write to Jay Regas
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During the early 50s I was a street urchin selling newspapers on Reno’s casino row at two in the mornings and one of the joints I would hustle papers was owned by Sam Sarlo. Sam had grown up with and delt craps with Dean Martin in Steubenville, Ohio. Steubenville was a gaming and prostitution Mecca before the War and after the war gambling and bordellos were closed in those communities tolerating vices. Like Forth Worth, Texas; Butte, Montana; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Anchorage, Alaska; Chicago, New York, and Steubenville the gamblers headed to Nevada.
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Dino and Uncle Miltie!
"The King of Cool" meets "Uncle Miltie." Dino..."Milton is an inspiration to every young person that wants to get into show business. Hard work, perseverence, and discipline, all the things you need if you have no talent." Berle, "If opportunity doesn't knock build another door." Dino and Uncle Miltie, two of the "show biz" legends I felt proud to be the brunt of their jokes!
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Dean Martin Behind the Scenes
Dean couldn’t care less. He never looked nervous unless he was putting for a birdie. So I heard. He could have been the writer for that famous quote "frankly my dear i don't give a damn!" Nothing seemed to bother him before, during or after his show. Someone once wrote a piece that described Dean with one word in Italian menefreghista. I remember the only time he looked PO'd was when I answered a call from Danny Thomas in our hallway phone bank, he wanted to talk to Dean, I knocked on his dressing room door, told him who it was, and I immediately got the picture, "Dean can't talk to you right now." Let's have a Vino for Dino!"
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Saturday, August 5, 2023
Thinking about Dean
Thinking about Dean. Dino was a proud representation of his Italian heritage, He was a classic example of the American dream – the son of Italian immigrants who became one of the most recognizable and beloved entertainers of his time. His relaxed, casual singing style endeared him to audiences and made his songs instantly recognizable. Dino appeared in films, from dramas to comedies. He demonstrated his acting range and his ability to hold his own against other Hollywood heavyweights. "The Dean Martin Show," was a hit, due to Dino's humor and charm. His off-the-cuff wit and natural ease made him a legend. The camera loved him! He truly was an inspiration for those who aspire to succeed in the entertainment world, showing that talent, hard work, and authenticity can lead to great success. I was thrilled to work alongside Dean for two seasons which I will never forget! Let's have a Vino for Dino!
Monday, July 31, 2023
Friday, July 21, 2023
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Beverly Hills sign.
"You Know the Beverly Hills Police Commissioner did a really nice thing. He put a sign on my block that said "Crawl and Don't Crawl"
Friday, July 14, 2023
"I gonna go over to da "Gouch!"
"I gonna go over to da "Gouch!" Monday's around the artist entrance at NBC Burbank were hilarious. Our leaders, Rettig and Fanning would assign our week's tasks. They included "Let's Make a Deal, Hollywood Squares, Laugh-in, The Tonight Show, Jack Benny and Bob Hope Specials, Dennis James, PDQ, Lohman and Barkley, The Pat Boone Show, The Roger Miller Show, Chico and the Man, Morning Country, Colgate Comedy Hour (remake) Dom DeLuise,' but the one that we all loved most was the Dean Martin's Sunday taping. Old Dino was with us all week. When we passed each on our way to different studio's, everyone mimicked "The King of Cool!" We'd do our best impression, "I gonna go over to da "Gouch!" I think mine was the best! Let's have a Vino for Dino!
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Nobody Was A Cooler Cat Than Dean
Mike WilliamsonMy song writing collaborator, Bruce Warden and I wrote this tune as a tribute to Dean. A video is on my YouTube Channel; here's the link Mike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNx-zfBFMvU Hope you get a chance to watch. It's really a heartfelt tribute to on of my singing heroes.
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Playboy called him “the coolest man who ever lived.” Elvis Presley worshipped him. “He was the coolest dude I’d ever seen, period,” recalled Stevie Van Zandt, adding, “He wasn’t just great at everything he did. To me, he was perfect.”
That man is Dean Martin. SimPlayboy called him “the coolest man who ever lived.” Elvis Presley worshipped him. “He was the coolest dude I’d ever seen, period,” recalled Stevie Van Zandt, adding, “He wasn’t just great at everything he did. To me, he was perfect.”
That man is Dean Martin. Simply put, he was a great singer. The warm sensuality of his voice continues to beguile generations of music fans with a winning style and a touch of mystery.
Born Dino Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, his early autobiography is as gritty as that of any hip-hop star. He delivered bootleg liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier and blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill and briefly ruled the ring as boxing phenom Kid Crochet. Winning his share of bouts earned him little apart from a broken nose, but Dino’s speakeasy experience put him in contact with club owners, resulting in his first singing gigs.
With a fixed nose and a boost from his pals in the nightclub underworld, he became Dean Martin, styling himself after the top male vocalist of the time, Bing Crosby, and met Frank Sinatra in New York.
Martin released his first single, “Which Way Did My Heart Go?” and was first paired with comic Jerry Lewis. The two shared a bill at the 500 Club in Atlantic City, but the night they combined their acts into a combo of manic comedy and debonair music saw the birth of a phenomenon. They were the hottest ticket around and parlayed their onstage success into a string of hit movies and television appearances.
During Martin and Lewis’ decade-long partnership, Dean had such hits as “Memories Are Made of This,” “That’s Amore,” “Powder Your Face With Sunshine,” and “You Belong to Me,” among others, all for the Capitol label. Yet when their partnership dissolved, showbiz pundits predicted Lewis’ star would continue to rise and Martin’s would fizzle.
The singer confounded the skeptics. As a solo act he was wowing crowds in Vegas, impressing critics and audiences in a series of dramatic film roles, scoring on TV with Dean Martin Show specials for NBC, and hitting the charts again with “Return to Me” and “Volare.”
Not soon after, Martin’s affiliation with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and the rest of the fabled Rat Pack supplanted his earlier rep. He fueled his image as a boozing playboy in onstage antics with his pals and ring-a-ding ensemble films like Ocean’s Eleven, yet Martin later claimed his cocktail-swilling persona was largely a pose.
Though he left Capitol to sign with Sinatra’s fledgling Reprise label, Martin capped his tenure there with a bang, releasing two classic singles, “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” and “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You,” showcasing him at the height of his powers.
Even at the height of Beatlemania with the group topping the charts, Martin reasserted himself with typical aplomb knocking the Fab Four from their perch with the buttery anthem “Everybody Loves Somebody.” Several other hits, including “The Door Is Still Open to My Heart,” “I Will,” “Houston” and “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On,” followed during his years at Reprise.
Though he continued to perform, Martin’s visibility was greatest in films and on TV, where he nursed his lush-in-a-tux image with the long-running Dean Martin Variety Show and the hugely successful Dean Martin’s Celebrity Roast.
His effortless vocalizing has become a modern shorthand for cool, as evidenced by the use of his songs in films, television, and ad campaigns. Dino: The Essential Dean Martin, a recent collection of both the Capitol and Reprise eras, sold more briskly than any previous Martin recording, going gold within months and platinum within a year.
Biographer Nick Tosches (Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams) described Martin as a classic menefreghista, Italian for “one who does not give a f—.” The term, in Dean Martin’s case, conveys not indifference but a refusal to be beaten down by the world and a determination to greet life with an easy smile, a graceful melody and an aura of unflappable cool.ply put, he was a great singer. The warm sensuality of his voice continues to beguile generations of music fans with a winning style and a touch of mystery.
Born Dino Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, his early autobiography is as gritty as that of any hip-hop star. He delivered bootleg liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier and blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill and briefly ruled the ring as boxing phenom Kid Crochet. Winning his share of bouts earned him little apart from a broken nose, but Dino’s speakeasy experience put him in contact with club owners, resulting in his first singing gigs.
With a fixed nose and a boost from his pals in the nightclub underworld, he became Dean Martin, styling himself after the top male vocalist of the time, Bing Crosby, and met Frank Sinatra in New York.
Martin released his first single, “Which Way Did My Heart Go?” and was first paired with comic Jerry Lewis. The two shared a bill at the 500 Club in Atlantic City, but the night they combined their acts into a combo of manic comedy and debonair music saw the birth of a phenomenon. They were the hottest ticket around and parlayed their onstage success into a string of hit movies and television appearances.
During Martin and Lewis’ decade-long partnership, Dean had such hits as “Memories Are Made of This,” “That’s Amore,” “Powder Your Face With Sunshine,” and “You Belong to Me,” among others, all for the Capitol label. Yet when their partnership dissolved, showbiz pundits predicted Lewis’ star would continue to rise and Martin’s would fizzle.
The singer confounded the skeptics. As a solo act he was wowing crowds in Vegas, impressing critics and audiences in a series of dramatic film roles, scoring on TV with Dean Martin Show specials for NBC, and hitting the charts again with “Return to Me” and “Volare.”
Not soon after, Martin’s affiliation with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and the rest of the fabled Rat Pack supplanted his earlier rep. He fueled his image as a boozing playboy in onstage antics with his pals and ring-a-ding ensemble films like Ocean’s Eleven, yet Martin later claimed his cocktail-swilling persona was largely a pose.
Though he left Capitol to sign with Sinatra’s fledgling Reprise label, Martin capped his tenure there with a bang, releasing two classic singles, “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” and “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You,” showcasing him at the height of his powers.
Even at the height of Beatlemania with the group topping the charts, Martin reasserted himself with typical aplomb knocking the Fab Four from their perch with the buttery anthem “Everybody Loves Somebody.” Several other hits, including “The Door Is Still Open to My Heart,” “I Will,” “Houston” and “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On,” followed during his years at Reprise.
Though he continued to perform, Martin’s visibility was greatest in films and on TV, where he nursed his lush-in-a-tux image with the long-running Dean Martin Variety Show and the hugely successful Dean Martin’s Celebrity Roast.
His effortless vocalizing has become a modern shorthand for cool, as evidenced by the use of his songs in films, television, and ad campaigns. Dino: The Essential Dean Martin, a recent collection of both the Capitol and Reprise eras, sold more briskly than any previous Martin recording, going gold within months and platinum within a year.
Biographer Nick Tosches (Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams) described Martin as a classic menefreghista, Italian for “one who does not give a f—.” The term, in Dean Martin’s case, conveys not indifference but a refusal to be beaten down by the world and a determination to greet life with an easy smile, a graceful melody and an aura of unflappable cool.
A Fan writes about Dino.
A DREAM, AN APPARITION, AND FATE
(or How And Why I Found Dean Martin)
I’ve been a Dean Martin fan since I was a child in the early ‘60s. Handsome and sophisticated, he lived a swinging show biz life that fascinated me.
On March 23, 1987, I heard the horrible news. A fighter jet and its pilot, thirty-five-year-old United States Air Force Captain Dean Paul Martin, had disappeared from radar screens during a routine training mission two days earlier. My heart stopped. Not my Dino. It couldn’t be. From that moment on, I listened to all news reports, praying for his safety, feeling his family’s pain.
I’ve been a Dean Martin fan since I was a child in the early ‘60s. Handsome and sophisticated, he lived a swinging show biz life that fascinated me.
On March 23, 1987, I heard the horrible news. A fighter jet and its pilot, thirty-five-year-old United States Air Force Captain Dean Paul Martin, had disappeared from radar screens during a routine training mission two days earlier. My heart stopped. Not my Dino. It couldn’t be. From that moment on, I listened to all news reports, praying for his safety, feeling his family’s pain.
I’ve been a Dean Martin fan since I was a child in the early ‘60s. Handsome and sophisticated, he lived a swinging show biz life that fascinated me.
By the age of 10 in 1965, my attention had turned to the world of teen idols. Paul McCartney was my favorite, but his allure faded when I discovered a new face in the teen fan magazines I read religiously. One look at one grainy photograph and I was in love with the blond, blue-eyed boy who played bass guitar for a trio new to the music world. They called themselves Dino, Desi, and Billy.
It was quite a surprise when I learned that the boy I was dreaming about, thirteen-year-old Dino, was the son of my earlier hero, Dean. Their unexpected family ties excited me, adding to the mystique of both father and son.
Little girl fantasies filled my mind, evolving into the private, personalized fairy tales that helped me get through a troubled adolescence. Unlike reality, life was perfect in my imaginary world. Dean was king, Dino, my very own Prince Charming, and I was everything he wanted me to be in every scenario I created, each one ending with happily ever after.
Even after I married and started a family of my own, I found myself thinking about Dino every now and then, and he always made me smile. I had kept up with him over the years through magazine articles, and watched closely when he began an acting career. By then, he had dropped the nickname, Dino, in favor of his given name, Dean Paul. He’d always be Dino to me, though, and I clung to a lingering secret desire—the chance to meet him one day, if only to say thank you for some of my fondest childhood memories. Then I lost him before I found him. Dino was killed when his jet crashed. A piece of my heart, a part of my youth died too. The shock of losing my fantasy prince hit hard. I mourned him and missed him as I would an old friend, while time, a husband, and two young daughters keeping me busy softened my grief. I would never forget Dino and hoped for a chance to somehow say a proper goodbye to him.
In 1989, my husband, Mark, and I decided to visit Los Angeles during our family’s summer vacation. We wanted to see the sights, and I would finally have the opportunity to pay my respects to Dino, two years after he died. I never could have imagined the events about to unfold. When I called a travel agent in early May to arrange our trip, I learned that the hotel where we hoped to stay was full during the week we wanted to travel, so we agreed to go the following week. A few days later, while reading a jeweler’s trade magazine, Mark learned of a trade show to be held at our hotel, a week after our rescheduled visit. Once again, I called our travel agent, eager to take advantage of the chance to incorporate a little business into our plans. “Changing your reservations would normally be no problem,” he told me, “but our airline computers are down at the moment.” It was a Saturday, and the agent was apologetic for the inconvenience as he reminded me that by 9am Monday, our flight schedule would be locked in, as per airline policy. The agent sounded much more hopeful when he added, “If we do get back on line before close of business today, I’ll make sure to take care of it for you.” “I’d appreciate that,” I said. “And don’t worry about letting me know. I’ll call you Monday to find out.” Hanging up the phone, I wondered which week we’d be traveling, glad it really didn’t matter. That night, I had a cryptic dream. Dino was there and I was telling him of my plans, and all the other things I wanted him to hear—how much he meant to me, how much I missed him. “I know,” he assured me, flashing the smile I so lovingly remembered. “But you have to tell him.” “Tell who? Tell him what?” “My dad needs to know how you feel. It’ll help.” “Your father?” I asked, unable to hide my surprise. “What are you talking about? How can I tell Dean Martin anything? Where? When?” Even in a dream, I knew the idea was ridiculous. But Dino gave me an answer. “August twelfth,” he said. “At eight o’clock.” Then he faded away.
Seemingly so real, the image remained clear in my mind when I woke up the next morning, and I immediately checked the calendar. If my family and I went to Los Angeles for the jewelry show, I’d be home in Fort Lauderdale on August twelfth. But if a computer breakdown forced us into going the week that was now our third choice, I’d be in L.A. on that date. Suddenly recognizing the hands of fate at work, dictating the dates of our vacation, I was now certain I’d meet Dean Martin. Somehow. Somewhere.
When I told my husband about my dream, and my seemingly impossible expectations, he laughed. But I knew I was right. I felt it. As expected, we were in L.A. on August twelfth. That morning, at quarter to eight, I left my sleeping family in our hotel room and drove off to visit Dino’s grave. Having learned the location of the cemetery through news reports, I stood alone at his graveside for more than twenty minutes, hoping for further instructions while thinking back to the endless, wondrous hours Dino and I had happily shared in my childhood fantasies and dreams. When I returned to the hotel, I called my family in our room from the lobby. Ready to get started on another day, they promised to come right down. While I waited, I checked the hotel bulletin board. I read about a wedding to be held there that night, and a fund-raising dinner at eight o’clock to benefit St. Jude’s Hospital.
The announcements meant little to me, and as we were driving back to the hotel after another day of sightseeing, my husband had some questions for me.
“What are we doing tonight?” Mark asked. “Where are we supposed to be at eight o’clock?” His tone was sarcastic and I didn’t have an answer. If my dream had really meant something, as I firmly believed it had, I was certain I’d be led to the right place. That’s when it hit me. The information I’d read earlier finally registered in my brain. The fund-raising dinner at our hotel . . . would it be a star-studded affair? I was absentmindedly thinking out loud and my daughters jumped on my words. “What celebrities? Where? When? Will we see them?” When we arrived back at our hotel, my nine-year-old daughter, Lori, flew from the car and raced to the concierge desk, asking questions.
“Several celebrities are expected,” she was told. “They should start arriving in about two hours.” The four of us rushed to our room, showered and changed, and hurried back downstairs to the entrance with our camera and my daughters’ autograph books in hand. Once the guests began arriving around seven o’clock, my daughters kept busy collecting signatures while their dad snapped pictures at a furious pace. We were surrounded by major celebrities, the dreams of a starstruck tourist in Los Angeles fulfilled.
After a half hour or so, I began trembling and glanced at Mark. “If Dean Martin gets out of a car at eight o’clock,” I said breathlessly, “I think you’ll need to take me home in a straitjacket.” My premonition was suddenly frightening me.
When I told my husband about my dream, and my seemingly impossible expectations, he laughed. But I knew I was right. I felt it. As expected, we were in L.A. on August twelfth. That morning, at quarter to eight, I left my sleeping family in our hotel room and drove off to visit Dino’s grave. Having learned the location of the cemetery through news reports, I stood alone at his graveside for more than twenty minutes, hoping for further instructions while thinking back to the endless, wondrous hours Dino and I had happily shared in my childhood fantasies and dreams. When I returned to the hotel, I called my family in our room from the lobby. Ready to get started on another day, they promised to come right down. While I waited, I checked the hotel bulletin board. I read about a wedding to be held there that night, and a fund-raising dinner at eight o’clock to benefit St. Jude’s Hospital.
The announcements meant little to me, and as we were driving back to the hotel after another day of sightseeing, my husband had some questions for me.
“What are we doing tonight?” Mark asked. “Where are we supposed to be at eight o’clock?” His tone was sarcastic and I didn’t have an answer. If my dream had really meant something, as I firmly believed it had, I was certain I’d be led to the right place. That’s when it hit me. The information I’d read earlier finally registered in my brain. The fund-raising dinner at our hotel . . . would it be a star-studded affair? I was absentmindedly thinking out loud and my daughters jumped on my words. “What celebrities? Where? When? Will we see them?” When we arrived back at our hotel, my nine-year-old daughter, Lori, flew from the car and raced to the concierge desk, asking questions.
“Several celebrities are expected,” she was told. “They should start arriving in about two hours.” The four of us rushed to our room, showered and changed, and hurried back downstairs to the entrance with our camera and my daughters’ autograph books in hand. Once the guests began arriving around seven o’clock, my daughters kept busy collecting signatures while their dad snapped pictures at a furious pace. We were surrounded by major celebrities, the dreams of a starstruck tourist in Los Angeles fulfilled.
After a half hour or so, I began trembling and glanced at Mark. “If Dean Martin gets out of a car at eight o’clock,” I said breathlessly, “I think you’ll need to take me home in a straitjacket.” My premonition was suddenly frightening me.
At the same time, Lori had started a conversation with a friendly young girl named Susan, a professional photographer who made a living tracking celebrities around town. My daughter was asking her if she knew which celebrities were expected that night, mentioning several she hoped to see. When Lori brought up Dean Martin’s name, Susan couldn’t hide her surprise. “You’re interested in Dean Martin?” she asked, her wide eyes staring at the nine-year-old in front of her. “Sure,” Lori answered. “My mom’s always been a big fan and I love Martin and Lewis movies!” Standing nearby watching them, I walked closer.
“You want to meet Dean Martin?” Susan asked. “I’d love to,” I responded quickly, intrigued by her tone that implied she had reliable information. “Do you know how I could?”
That’s when Susan told me about La Famiglia, an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills that Mr. Martin frequented, adding he usually arrived there about 7:30. When I checked my watch, my pulses raced. This bit of crucial information had come to me at exactly 8pm, on August twelfth.
“You want to meet Dean Martin?” Susan asked. “I’d love to,” I responded quickly, intrigued by her tone that implied she had reliable information. “Do you know how I could?”
That’s when Susan told me about La Famiglia, an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills that Mr. Martin frequented, adding he usually arrived there about 7:30. When I checked my watch, my pulses raced. This bit of crucial information had come to me at exactly 8pm, on August twelfth.
As soon as that shock subsided, I called the restaurant for reservations. Because the establishment was closed the next day, I chose the night after that, which would be our last night in L.A. We arrived on schedule and, as Susan had suggested, we asked the parking valet if Mr. Martin was expected that night. He was, and at any moment. I knew he would be, and I could feel Dino with me as the tuxedoed maître d led us to our table. And I trembled when Lori questioned him about the possibility of our meeting Mr. Martin while we were there. “I’ll ask him,” the maître d replied. “He usually doesn’t mind, but sometimes, he’s just not in the mood.” When I glanced at the large front window of the restaurant, I spied Mr. Martin getting out of his car. My knees knocked together as he entered the room, and my heart skipped a beat when he sat alone at a booth, steps from our table. My confidence strong, I anxiously awaited the okay to fulfill my mission. It came within minutes. My husband, daughters, and I apprehensively approached Mr. Martin and introduced ourselves. Happily for all of us, he was most affable, engaging the girls in friendly conversation while my husband and I began our own conversation in glances over our daughters’ heads. His eyes pleaded with me not to mention Dino as he knew I wanted. My eyes told him I had to. Dino had told me to come, and in a sense, had led me to the opportunity. I only wished he told me what to say as my husband took the girls back to our table, leaving me alone with Dean. I didn’t know how to go further, and I felt shaky as I stared into his sad brown eyes. Finally, I stammered, “I wanted to tell you, Mr. Martin, that I was a big fan of Dino’s.” He returned my stare as I went on, trying to explain how much Dino had meant to me during the twenty-four years since I first saw him. When I noticed tears in Dean’s eyes, my heart broke for him, and I was overcome by guilt, feeling totally insensitive. I had hoped to comfort him somehow, but it wasn’t working out that way. Quivering, I searched for the proper words to end this meeting. “I just wanted you to know,” I said, “that there are people who still think about Dino, and miss him, and will always remember him. He was special and I just wanted to tell you that. Thank you for your time.” Silently, I added: Thank you, and Dino, for a lot of great memories. You’re both wonderful.
Rejoining my family, I gave them a condensed version of the mostly one-sided conversation. My husband quietly berated my intrusion into the Martin family’s personal tragedy, and I began to wonder if he was right as we finished our meal. Filing passed Dean’s table on our way out, we said goodbye as we moved along. He nodded and waved, and wished us a safe trip home the next day. At my daughters’ request, we took a walk before we got our car, browsing the store windows lining the street. And then, as we were nearing the restaurant entrance on our way back, the parking valet we had questioned earlier called to us. “Mr. Martin is getting ready to leave,” he said. “He should be right out if you’d like to see him again.” We didn’t even have time to answer. Dean was suddenly standing by Lori, and she asked if I could take a picture of them together. “It would be my pleasure,” he replied with a warm smile as he reached down and wrapped his arm around her.
When my husband noticed what was happening, he took the camera and pushed me and our younger daughter, Lindsay, into the picture. Overwhelmed by all that happened, I somehow found the courage to ask Mr. Martin if I could give him a kiss after the photo had been snapped. With the same roguish smile I had seen so often on TV and in movies, he bent down and offered his cheek. I didn’t tell him part of that kiss was from Dino, but there was a true warmth in his embrace as his arm encircled me, as if he had sensed it. I wanted to believe he had. I wanted to believe he felt Dino’s presence between us as much as I did.
“Thank you,” I said to him. “We really appreciate your kindness. It was a special pleasure to meet you.” “No,” he muttered softly. “Thank you.”
When my husband noticed what was happening, he took the camera and pushed me and our younger daughter, Lindsay, into the picture. Overwhelmed by all that happened, I somehow found the courage to ask Mr. Martin if I could give him a kiss after the photo had been snapped. With the same roguish smile I had seen so often on TV and in movies, he bent down and offered his cheek. I didn’t tell him part of that kiss was from Dino, but there was a true warmth in his embrace as his arm encircled me, as if he had sensed it. I wanted to believe he had. I wanted to believe he felt Dino’s presence between us as much as I did.
“Thank you,” I said to him. “We really appreciate your kindness. It was a special pleasure to meet you.” “No,” he muttered softly. “Thank you.”
I was shaking as I watched Dean get into his car and drive away.
“Maybe you did do the right thing,” my husband admitted as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “The tone of that Thank You certainly sounded like he really appreciated what you said.” I can only hope Mark was right this time. Still, for the rest of my life, I will fondly remember the evening, as well as both father and son, the king and my childhood prince. The only thing that could have made the night any more memorable or thrilling for me would have been having Dino there with us—healthy and alive . . . not just in our hearts.
“Maybe you did do the right thing,” my husband admitted as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “The tone of that Thank You certainly sounded like he really appreciated what you said.” I can only hope Mark was right this time. Still, for the rest of my life, I will fondly remember the evening, as well as both father and son, the king and my childhood prince. The only thing that could have made the night any more memorable or thrilling for me would have been having Dino there with us—healthy and alive . . . not just in our hearts.
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