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Post by *~Mrs. Cooper ~* on Aug 16, 2006 14:13:17 GMT -5
Encore Presentation: Family and Friends Remember Entertainer Dean Martin
Aired November 9, 2003
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, the real Dean Martin, as his family, friends and one-time partner, Jerry Lewis, all knew him. Go behind the "Rat Pack" image, learn about the tragedy that changed him forever and sharing the memories with Jerry Lewis -- he and Dean were one of the most successful teams in show business history -- Nancy Sinatra, grew up a Hollywood neighbor of the Martin family; Phyllis Diller, a fixture on the legendary Dean Martin roasts; Dom Deluise, Dean's close friend and frequent comedy partner. Plus Dean Martin's son, Ricci Martin, and daughter, Deana Martin, and Dean's long-time friend, producer-director Greg Garrison.
Dean Martin as you never knew him next on LARRY KING LIVE.
What a group to gather tonight to celebrate, and what a life we're going to celebrate, the life and times of Dean Martin. You can't do it one hour. We'll probably have to do more shows. But we've assembled seven people who knew and loved him pretty well.
They are, of course, Ricci Martin in Vegas, Dean Martin's son, Deana Martin, his daughter, is here with us in Los Angeles. In San Diego is Jerry Lewis. And here in Los Angeles is Nancy Sinatra and Phyllis Diller and Dom Deluise and Greg Garrison. They're all aboard. All played significant parts in Dean's life.
And I guess, when you think about it, the first one of this whole group to meet him had to be Jerry Lewis. Had to be. How did that happen, Jerry? How did you and Dean meat?
JERRY LEWIS, TEAMED WITH DEAN MARTIN FOR 11 YEARS: I don't want to discuss that with you, Larry.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Well, thanks.
LEWIS: Let's just say that we go back to 1946. Dean and I met at the Belmont Plaza Hotel, and I fell in love with my hero. I had never seen anyone so handsome, and he was just -- he was just sporting a new nose, and I didn't know it. The old one was on his back, but I learned that later.
(LAUGHTER)
LEWIS: And we just hit it off immediately.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to get something that looks human.
DAN MARTIN: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Human? Look at that. Genuine hair. Watch his head. Look.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS: Before long, I was in Atlantic City. He came there. I'm trying to abbreviate a long, long story.
KING: Yes. I understand.
LEWIS: And The rest is history. I must say, though, that the meeting provoked the one greatest comedy team that ever happened in show business because unlike all the others, this one was packed with passion, emotion, and the love between two men. That was what the people loved and paid to see all the time.
KING: Greg Garrison, his long-time friend, producer and director, how'd you meet Dean?
GREG GARRISON, DEAN'S CLOSE FRIEND, PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR: I was hired to do the show. It was...
KING: The TV show?
GARRISON: Yes, the TV show. That was 38 years ago, 1965. And I went up to Vegas to meet him. He was playing at the Sands Hotel, and I walked in and I watched the show, and he did a great job looking like he was half bombed.
(LAUGHTER)
GARRISON: And when it was all over, I went backstage and I walked in and I said to Dean, My name is Greg Garrison, and it's nice to see you. And he said, Hey, pal. Sit down. He said, You want a cup of coffee? And I looked at him and I said, You're cold sober. He said, yes. I said, It's the greatest drunk act I've ever seen. And we started to use a touch of it in the show.
KING: Did you hit it off right away?
GARRISON: Well, I did a special for him about two years before. And the reason I was hired was because somebody said to him, He got me out early.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: We're going to talk to the children last, since they got to know him last, I guess, among this group. Maybe not. How did you meet him, Dom?
DOM DELUISE, FRIEND OF DEAN MARTIN: I'll tell the you the truth. When Jerry said we were paying money -- I was playing hooky from school, and I went to the Paramount, and I would see a show. And they would do stuff, and I said, They're not -- they're not doing set material. Jerry Lewis was breaking a piano apart and throwing -- he had a baton, and he threw it in a box. And later on, I went and got that baton and I took it home with me. Then the next thing you know, Mr. Garrison hired me, and I was scared very much. I didn't finish the sentence correctly, but...
(LAUGHTER)
DELUISE: ... I was in a room, and I was supposed to perform and I was -- my mouth was dry. My tongue couldn't go. So he said, Come here, come here, come here. And after I failed in front of an audience, he took me into a room, and there was Dean Martin sitting on a couch, very relaxed. And I saw this coffee table with rolls and mustard and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and ham and cheese. And I said...
KING: Your kind of day.
DELUISE: Yes. This -- I could be friends with this guy.
(LAUGHTER)
DELUISE: You know what I mean? So -- and then I had 12 years of bliss.
KING: Bliss.
DELUISE: When you work with somebody who has no agenda, just, Let's do it, and he responds -- he responded to at the moment what was going on.
KING: Never heard a bad word about him. Nancy...
(CROSSTALK)
GARRISON: ... probably did the show more than any other performer.
KING: Yes, he was the most (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Nancy Sinatra, you met him through your dad?
NANCY SINATRA, FRANK SINATRA'S DAUGHTER: I met him when I was a little girl, and he was Uncle Dean, and he was always Uncle Dean. And then I fell in love with him one night at the Sands Hotel.
KING: Keeps going back to the Sands (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
SINATRA: The summit was meeting at the time, Frank and Dean and Sammy and Joey Bishop and a bunch of other people. I don't remember exactly. It could have been anybody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN MARTIN: Can't you sing your own song? Oh, don't talk back to me!
(END VIDEO CLIP) SINATRA: So all the rowdiness was over, and my dad was on stage alone. And the violins started to play "It Was a Very Good Year." And Daddy starts the song (SINGING) When I was 17 -- and he's supposed to sing, (SINGING) it was a very good year -- and off stage is a microphone with Dean's -- your father's voice -- (SINGING) You were a pain in the butt!
(LAUGHTER)
SINATRA: And then everybody just lost it for a brief -- you know, like, two minutes of laughter. And the rest of the song played seriously, absolutely straight serious. And then he got to the last chorus (SINGING) And now the days grow short -- and Dean -- (SINGING) you're still a pain in the butt...
(LAUGHTER)
SINATRA: It was the funniest moment I've ever seen.
KING: Phyllis Diller, how'd you meet him?
PHYLLIS DILLER, FRIEND OF DEAN MARTIN: Well, I got hired to do the show. It was a great thrill for me. In fact, I just realized he's the only person that ever played Fang on stage.
KING: Really?
DILLER: Yes.
KING: You mean he...
DILLER: Because Fang was supposed to be...
KING: The crazy husband's name of Fang.
DILLER: ... an unknown person. But we actually did a Fang and Phyllis thing -- in a kitchen, of course.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: He was very nice to you, though.
DILLER: Oh, I adored him!
KING: What kind of father was he, Ricci?
RICCI MARTIN, DEAN MARTIN'S SON: Well, you know what? You know, I -- he was my idol, Larry, without a doubt. And that's why I'm out doing what I'm doing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "THE DEAN MARTIN VARIETY SHOW")
DEAN MARTIN: I'm a little worried about my youngest boy, Ricci. Yesterday, a kid down the block told Ricci all about the birds and the bees. Today a bee stung him, and he thinks he's pregnant!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RICCI MARTIN: People have this concept of Dad of -- of him being out all the time, but we would have dinner at 6:00 o'clock every single night, short of him going out and doing a motion picture and dressing up like a cowboy, and so on. But he was the greatest guy on the world. We'd cuddle on the couch. And you know, one time, Dean Paul, my brother and I, kind of got a little rough with him and kind of banged into his throat. And he said, "Hey, pallies, not the throat. Look around. You see the tennis court and the chandelier? Stay away from the throat, boys."
(LAUGHTER)
RICCI MARTIN: We never got near that again, Larry.
KING: Do you and Jerry's son do an act?
RICCI MARTIN: Well, actually, you know, I have my show, the tribute. Gary has been doing his show with the Playboys for years, and they hooked us up in Buffalo last July, and now we're going to be at the Sun Coast, kind of putting our shows slightly together, doing a couple numbers. But the two shows are together, and it's an honor and a privilege, you know, to be working with Jerry's son. It's almost coming full circle again. It's marvelous.
KING: Great idea. And Deana?
DEANA MARTIN, DEAN MARTIN'S DAUGHTER: Yes?
KING: What kind of father was he?
DEANA MARTIN: What kind of a father was he? He was -- he was a lot of fun. You know, we would -- as Ricci was saying, you know, he would -- you know, we would roughhouse around. You know, we would be in the swimming pool. We would have dinner every night.
And one of my -- one of my memories is that Dad was always coming home right on time. He was like clockwork. Everything was, you know, meticulous for him. He would walk through that back door, and I could hear the taps on his shows. You could hear them echoing down the hallway. And he'd walk into the kitchen, get a piece of Wonder Bread out, put a little peanut -- you know, put a little butter on it, fold it in half, walk into the living room, sit down on the couch and maybe fall asleep for a half hour. And then, you know, we would come in and we would, you know, spend some time...
KING: He lived that kind of ritualistic life?
DEANA MARTIN: Yes. He did. And then Mother would come in and say, All right, I need -- you know, I'm going to have my half hour with your dad. So, you know, get lost. And then they'd go down and they'd have a drink at the bar. And then -- you know, then we'd come in. It was time for us to come back. And we'd have dinner and we'd just have a great time.
KING: When we come back, we're going to about what made Dean Martin special, what was his greatness, lots of aspects, as we look at an extraordinary life. Born "Dino" Paul Crocetti -- is that the way...
DEANA MARTIN: That's correct.
KING: ...on June 7, 1917, in Steubenville, Ohio. He worked at a local steel mill, was a gas station attendant, a store clerk and a shoeshine boy. The life and times of Dean Martin. We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "AT WAR WITH THE ARMY")
LEWIS: No, the whole band, they should play it together. And -- what are you waiting for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, buster, I don't do it unless the sergeant tells me.
DEAN MARTIN: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, folks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you in show business, too?
DEAN MARTIN: Are you kidding? Frank, Mrs. Lane -- Frank, show them your -- show her your dooby-dooby-doo.
FRANK SINATRA: Here?
DEAN MARTIN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you get your mind out of the gutter?
FRANK SINATRA: No, Mrs. Lane, what Dean means is that I sing just like him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, well, you have my deepest sympathy. Well, it's going to be a lovely party tonight. Some very nice girls are coming.
FRANK SINATRA: Do you have any trouble getting enough girls, Kenny?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course not! Girls are crazy about Kenny. All he has to do is call them.
DEAN MARTIN: Yes. Kenny sure has a way with call girls.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Dean, by the way, dropped out of high school in 10th grade. He said he thought he was smarter than his teachers. His first show business break, he worked in a casino on the outskirts of Steubenville. And Dean Martin was a very special guy, right until the day he passed away, which was on Christmas Day, right?
DEANA MARTIN: That's right. Yes.
KING: All right. Each will probably have a different aspect of this. Jerry, what made Dean special?
LEWIS: Why didn't you ask me what kind of a father he was?
KING: Jerry, what made...
(LAUGHTER)
KING: What made Dean special?
LEWIS: I wasn't being facetious, Larry. He was. He was that. He was my hero. He was my father, my brother, my friend. And what made him special was that he wasn't even clear about the magnificence of his basic talent that happened to have been in his bones. His sense of humor, his sense of time, his ability to do what he did under the conditions that Greg Garrison will tell you about made him not only special, but probably as unique as anyone that was ever in our business.
KING: You're saying he didn't know how good he was?
LEWIS: Nor do -- none of us do, really, except that Dean had dibs on it. He just never, ever needed to calculate his worth because he had such a deep sense of what he had to do, and he went out and he did it. And he wasn't like I was, because when the show was over, I would rerun it in my mind to make sure we'd do it again or eliminate or add. When he finished the show, he was a living, breathing human man with wonderful foibles and wonderful masculine needs, and he never allowed the business encumber his life.
KING: Well said. Greg, what was special about him?
GARRISON: He was the greatest performer I've ever seen in my life.
KING: Really?
(CROSSTALK)
GARRISON: And maybe the nicest -- maybe the nicest man I ever knew in my life. He was an incredible man. The man was just a giant star. The man did music. The man did, you know, shows with Jerry.
KING: Very funny.
GARRISON: Yes. And he was -- I mean, he did television. His records are now selling all over and over again because of the roasts and the variety show that's coming on the air. The man could do anything.
KING: How about the attitude that he didn't work hard?
(LAUGHTER)
GARRISON: He made it look easy.
KING: You know, I mean, it looked like he...
GARRISON: He made it look easy. One of the greatest fighters I ever saw was a guy by the name of Sugar Ray Robinson, and he was a counterpuncher. And that's what we did with Dean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "DEAN MARTIN CELEBRITY ROAST")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It takes many years to be a great comedian.
DEAN MARTIN: It sure does, and you haven't reached that year yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GARRISON: We just set him up in set-up situations, put him in those situations and watch him get cute and work himself out of it. I remember once when Dom first came to us on the show. And he said, My God, I'm working with Dean! I'm working with Dean! You know, Can I touch him? Can I touch him? And I said, Dom, don't worry about it. I went over to Dean and I said, The kid just got here. He's just a kid. He's one of your guys from New York. I said, Tell him to touch you. Handle him, anything. So he went over to Dom, he said, Push me, hit me, do me, whatever you want!
(LAUGHTER)
GARRISON: And then it lasted and it went on and on and on. And we had the greatest time because what you saw on the air was what this man was. There wasn't a fake movement.
KING: How about the drinking?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB HOPE: Dean has always made news. Even as a kid, he made medical history. He was the first 7-year-old to have a liver transplant. Yes, he's been drinking since he was 7. His family didn't know he drank until one day they saw him sucking on a popsicle with an olive in it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: He did drink.
GARRISON: But never ever on the air. Never, ever had a drink when we were on the air.
KING: So when we saw that on television, it was all... GARRISON: No. No. Absolutely.
LEWIS: I can answer that, Larry.
GARRISON: Maybe once in a while in the club, but mostly...
LEWIS: I guess we're not hot, huh?
GARRISON: ...it was apple juice.
KING: Jerry, what?
LEWIS: I said I can really tell you about the drinking. I put the grape juice -- I'm sorry -- the apple juice and grapefruit juice on the piano for five years.
KING: That's what it was.
(CROSSTALK)
GARRISON: The piano player did the drinking.
(LAUGHTER)
LEWIS: But after the show, he'd have a scotch and soda and rarely finish that because he was busily engaged in other activities.
KING: Dom Deluise?
DELUISE: Well, one of the things that I noticed about Dean was that he came unprepared, but he trusted his instrument. So if -- and one time, I walked in and I supposed to sing "As Long As He Needs Me." And I said, You rang, sir? Something got screwed up. And they said, do it again. You rang, sir? And then he sat in the chair, and I came in. And the third time, I said, You tinkled, sir?
(LAUGHTER)
DELUISE: And he laughed so much. And I tell you, we did the song right after that. And so you saw Dean having a wonderful time. And then there's one other thing that happened. He sang, "Set `em up, Joe. It's a quarter to 3:00 and I have no place to go," whatever that last song is -- sad, right? And I was so moved, I started to cry.
So after the show -- and I had been working with him 10 years already -- I said, That was really great. You did that wonderfully. And he said, Did I? And at that moment, I saw this little boy, Dean Martin as a little boy that lived in him. And that's the part that was so precious because he was always in communication with that. I didn't know it because I -- you mean, he -- he needs a compliment from me? You know what I'm saying? And when I saw that little -- Yes, was it good? Oh -- I said, Oh, my -- my heart just went.
LEWIS: Hey, Larry...
KING: What was it like to work with him -- yes, Jerry? LEWIS: Larry, you have to remember that Dean had 10 solid years of working with a 9-year-old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS: Would you like a walnut?
DEAN MARTIN: I don't like walnuts. Besides, we haven't got any nutcrackers.
LEWIS: Oh, we don't need one, Daddy. You know that I have a special way to open these up, like I do for my friend, Herbie.
DEAN MARTIN: Your friend Herbie?
LEWIS: Yes.
DEAN MARTIN: How do you do it?
LEWIS: Open your mouth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS: I have to give you one smile. Hello, Dom.
DELUISE: Hello.
LEWIS: I got to tell you about Dominic. He calls me one day to find out how I am. He said, How are you doing? I said, Fine. Thank you, Dom. He said, Let me ask you something. When you get well, can I have your clothes?
(LAUGHTER)
KING: What was he like to work with, Phyllis?
DILLER: Oh, he was the greatest. I mean, I always felt that he wasn't really working. He was just having fun. And we would all arrive early in the morning, and he would come around noon, and then we'd really start to do the show. He didn't seem to ever rehearse. And I hate rehearsing, and a lot of people -- my people do.
KING: He hated to rehearse, too?
DILLER: Well, I don't know. He didn't rehearse. But everything was so fresh and spontaneous. That's why I don't like to rehearse. I like to get it right the first time, and funny.
KING: Now, your father was a perfectionist, though, wasn't he?
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Frank was a perfectionist?
SINATRA: Very much so.
KING: But he...
GARRISON: Frank didn't do more than a couple of takes when he did movies, either, you know.
SINATRA: Well, no, that's not always true.
KING: But mostly true.
SINATRA: Yes. Mostly true.
KING: As we go to break, we're going to see a scene from the last movie Martin and Lewis made together. This is courtesy of Paramount Home Video. "Hollywood or Bust." Watch. We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN MARTIN: Don't drown them. Just make snake eyes.
LEWIS: Oh, well, I see them that do that in the movies, like the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
DEAN MARTIN: Make snake eyes -- 30 to 1.
LEWIS: Oh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snake eyes!
LEWIS: What happened? Oh! Oh! Steve, what's the matter?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Aired November 9, 2003
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, the real Dean Martin, as his family, friends and one-time partner, Jerry Lewis, all knew him. Go behind the "Rat Pack" image, learn about the tragedy that changed him forever and sharing the memories with Jerry Lewis -- he and Dean were one of the most successful teams in show business history -- Nancy Sinatra, grew up a Hollywood neighbor of the Martin family; Phyllis Diller, a fixture on the legendary Dean Martin roasts; Dom Deluise, Dean's close friend and frequent comedy partner. Plus Dean Martin's son, Ricci Martin, and daughter, Deana Martin, and Dean's long-time friend, producer-director Greg Garrison.
Dean Martin as you never knew him next on LARRY KING LIVE.
What a group to gather tonight to celebrate, and what a life we're going to celebrate, the life and times of Dean Martin. You can't do it one hour. We'll probably have to do more shows. But we've assembled seven people who knew and loved him pretty well.
They are, of course, Ricci Martin in Vegas, Dean Martin's son, Deana Martin, his daughter, is here with us in Los Angeles. In San Diego is Jerry Lewis. And here in Los Angeles is Nancy Sinatra and Phyllis Diller and Dom Deluise and Greg Garrison. They're all aboard. All played significant parts in Dean's life.
And I guess, when you think about it, the first one of this whole group to meet him had to be Jerry Lewis. Had to be. How did that happen, Jerry? How did you and Dean meat?
JERRY LEWIS, TEAMED WITH DEAN MARTIN FOR 11 YEARS: I don't want to discuss that with you, Larry.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Well, thanks.
LEWIS: Let's just say that we go back to 1946. Dean and I met at the Belmont Plaza Hotel, and I fell in love with my hero. I had never seen anyone so handsome, and he was just -- he was just sporting a new nose, and I didn't know it. The old one was on his back, but I learned that later.
(LAUGHTER)
LEWIS: And we just hit it off immediately.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to get something that looks human.
DAN MARTIN: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Human? Look at that. Genuine hair. Watch his head. Look.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS: Before long, I was in Atlantic City. He came there. I'm trying to abbreviate a long, long story.
KING: Yes. I understand.
LEWIS: And The rest is history. I must say, though, that the meeting provoked the one greatest comedy team that ever happened in show business because unlike all the others, this one was packed with passion, emotion, and the love between two men. That was what the people loved and paid to see all the time.
KING: Greg Garrison, his long-time friend, producer and director, how'd you meet Dean?
GREG GARRISON, DEAN'S CLOSE FRIEND, PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR: I was hired to do the show. It was...
KING: The TV show?
GARRISON: Yes, the TV show. That was 38 years ago, 1965. And I went up to Vegas to meet him. He was playing at the Sands Hotel, and I walked in and I watched the show, and he did a great job looking like he was half bombed.
(LAUGHTER)
GARRISON: And when it was all over, I went backstage and I walked in and I said to Dean, My name is Greg Garrison, and it's nice to see you. And he said, Hey, pal. Sit down. He said, You want a cup of coffee? And I looked at him and I said, You're cold sober. He said, yes. I said, It's the greatest drunk act I've ever seen. And we started to use a touch of it in the show.
KING: Did you hit it off right away?
GARRISON: Well, I did a special for him about two years before. And the reason I was hired was because somebody said to him, He got me out early.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: We're going to talk to the children last, since they got to know him last, I guess, among this group. Maybe not. How did you meet him, Dom?
DOM DELUISE, FRIEND OF DEAN MARTIN: I'll tell the you the truth. When Jerry said we were paying money -- I was playing hooky from school, and I went to the Paramount, and I would see a show. And they would do stuff, and I said, They're not -- they're not doing set material. Jerry Lewis was breaking a piano apart and throwing -- he had a baton, and he threw it in a box. And later on, I went and got that baton and I took it home with me. Then the next thing you know, Mr. Garrison hired me, and I was scared very much. I didn't finish the sentence correctly, but...
(LAUGHTER)
DELUISE: ... I was in a room, and I was supposed to perform and I was -- my mouth was dry. My tongue couldn't go. So he said, Come here, come here, come here. And after I failed in front of an audience, he took me into a room, and there was Dean Martin sitting on a couch, very relaxed. And I saw this coffee table with rolls and mustard and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and ham and cheese. And I said...
KING: Your kind of day.
DELUISE: Yes. This -- I could be friends with this guy.
(LAUGHTER)
DELUISE: You know what I mean? So -- and then I had 12 years of bliss.
KING: Bliss.
DELUISE: When you work with somebody who has no agenda, just, Let's do it, and he responds -- he responded to at the moment what was going on.
KING: Never heard a bad word about him. Nancy...
(CROSSTALK)
GARRISON: ... probably did the show more than any other performer.
KING: Yes, he was the most (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Nancy Sinatra, you met him through your dad?
NANCY SINATRA, FRANK SINATRA'S DAUGHTER: I met him when I was a little girl, and he was Uncle Dean, and he was always Uncle Dean. And then I fell in love with him one night at the Sands Hotel.
KING: Keeps going back to the Sands (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
SINATRA: The summit was meeting at the time, Frank and Dean and Sammy and Joey Bishop and a bunch of other people. I don't remember exactly. It could have been anybody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN MARTIN: Can't you sing your own song? Oh, don't talk back to me!
(END VIDEO CLIP) SINATRA: So all the rowdiness was over, and my dad was on stage alone. And the violins started to play "It Was a Very Good Year." And Daddy starts the song (SINGING) When I was 17 -- and he's supposed to sing, (SINGING) it was a very good year -- and off stage is a microphone with Dean's -- your father's voice -- (SINGING) You were a pain in the butt!
(LAUGHTER)
SINATRA: And then everybody just lost it for a brief -- you know, like, two minutes of laughter. And the rest of the song played seriously, absolutely straight serious. And then he got to the last chorus (SINGING) And now the days grow short -- and Dean -- (SINGING) you're still a pain in the butt...
(LAUGHTER)
SINATRA: It was the funniest moment I've ever seen.
KING: Phyllis Diller, how'd you meet him?
PHYLLIS DILLER, FRIEND OF DEAN MARTIN: Well, I got hired to do the show. It was a great thrill for me. In fact, I just realized he's the only person that ever played Fang on stage.
KING: Really?
DILLER: Yes.
KING: You mean he...
DILLER: Because Fang was supposed to be...
KING: The crazy husband's name of Fang.
DILLER: ... an unknown person. But we actually did a Fang and Phyllis thing -- in a kitchen, of course.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: He was very nice to you, though.
DILLER: Oh, I adored him!
KING: What kind of father was he, Ricci?
RICCI MARTIN, DEAN MARTIN'S SON: Well, you know what? You know, I -- he was my idol, Larry, without a doubt. And that's why I'm out doing what I'm doing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "THE DEAN MARTIN VARIETY SHOW")
DEAN MARTIN: I'm a little worried about my youngest boy, Ricci. Yesterday, a kid down the block told Ricci all about the birds and the bees. Today a bee stung him, and he thinks he's pregnant!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RICCI MARTIN: People have this concept of Dad of -- of him being out all the time, but we would have dinner at 6:00 o'clock every single night, short of him going out and doing a motion picture and dressing up like a cowboy, and so on. But he was the greatest guy on the world. We'd cuddle on the couch. And you know, one time, Dean Paul, my brother and I, kind of got a little rough with him and kind of banged into his throat. And he said, "Hey, pallies, not the throat. Look around. You see the tennis court and the chandelier? Stay away from the throat, boys."
(LAUGHTER)
RICCI MARTIN: We never got near that again, Larry.
KING: Do you and Jerry's son do an act?
RICCI MARTIN: Well, actually, you know, I have my show, the tribute. Gary has been doing his show with the Playboys for years, and they hooked us up in Buffalo last July, and now we're going to be at the Sun Coast, kind of putting our shows slightly together, doing a couple numbers. But the two shows are together, and it's an honor and a privilege, you know, to be working with Jerry's son. It's almost coming full circle again. It's marvelous.
KING: Great idea. And Deana?
DEANA MARTIN, DEAN MARTIN'S DAUGHTER: Yes?
KING: What kind of father was he?
DEANA MARTIN: What kind of a father was he? He was -- he was a lot of fun. You know, we would -- as Ricci was saying, you know, he would -- you know, we would roughhouse around. You know, we would be in the swimming pool. We would have dinner every night.
And one of my -- one of my memories is that Dad was always coming home right on time. He was like clockwork. Everything was, you know, meticulous for him. He would walk through that back door, and I could hear the taps on his shows. You could hear them echoing down the hallway. And he'd walk into the kitchen, get a piece of Wonder Bread out, put a little peanut -- you know, put a little butter on it, fold it in half, walk into the living room, sit down on the couch and maybe fall asleep for a half hour. And then, you know, we would come in and we would, you know, spend some time...
KING: He lived that kind of ritualistic life?
DEANA MARTIN: Yes. He did. And then Mother would come in and say, All right, I need -- you know, I'm going to have my half hour with your dad. So, you know, get lost. And then they'd go down and they'd have a drink at the bar. And then -- you know, then we'd come in. It was time for us to come back. And we'd have dinner and we'd just have a great time.
KING: When we come back, we're going to about what made Dean Martin special, what was his greatness, lots of aspects, as we look at an extraordinary life. Born "Dino" Paul Crocetti -- is that the way...
DEANA MARTIN: That's correct.
KING: ...on June 7, 1917, in Steubenville, Ohio. He worked at a local steel mill, was a gas station attendant, a store clerk and a shoeshine boy. The life and times of Dean Martin. We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "AT WAR WITH THE ARMY")
LEWIS: No, the whole band, they should play it together. And -- what are you waiting for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, buster, I don't do it unless the sergeant tells me.
DEAN MARTIN: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, folks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you in show business, too?
DEAN MARTIN: Are you kidding? Frank, Mrs. Lane -- Frank, show them your -- show her your dooby-dooby-doo.
FRANK SINATRA: Here?
DEAN MARTIN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you get your mind out of the gutter?
FRANK SINATRA: No, Mrs. Lane, what Dean means is that I sing just like him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, well, you have my deepest sympathy. Well, it's going to be a lovely party tonight. Some very nice girls are coming.
FRANK SINATRA: Do you have any trouble getting enough girls, Kenny?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course not! Girls are crazy about Kenny. All he has to do is call them.
DEAN MARTIN: Yes. Kenny sure has a way with call girls.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Dean, by the way, dropped out of high school in 10th grade. He said he thought he was smarter than his teachers. His first show business break, he worked in a casino on the outskirts of Steubenville. And Dean Martin was a very special guy, right until the day he passed away, which was on Christmas Day, right?
DEANA MARTIN: That's right. Yes.
KING: All right. Each will probably have a different aspect of this. Jerry, what made Dean special?
LEWIS: Why didn't you ask me what kind of a father he was?
KING: Jerry, what made...
(LAUGHTER)
KING: What made Dean special?
LEWIS: I wasn't being facetious, Larry. He was. He was that. He was my hero. He was my father, my brother, my friend. And what made him special was that he wasn't even clear about the magnificence of his basic talent that happened to have been in his bones. His sense of humor, his sense of time, his ability to do what he did under the conditions that Greg Garrison will tell you about made him not only special, but probably as unique as anyone that was ever in our business.
KING: You're saying he didn't know how good he was?
LEWIS: Nor do -- none of us do, really, except that Dean had dibs on it. He just never, ever needed to calculate his worth because he had such a deep sense of what he had to do, and he went out and he did it. And he wasn't like I was, because when the show was over, I would rerun it in my mind to make sure we'd do it again or eliminate or add. When he finished the show, he was a living, breathing human man with wonderful foibles and wonderful masculine needs, and he never allowed the business encumber his life.
KING: Well said. Greg, what was special about him?
GARRISON: He was the greatest performer I've ever seen in my life.
KING: Really?
(CROSSTALK)
GARRISON: And maybe the nicest -- maybe the nicest man I ever knew in my life. He was an incredible man. The man was just a giant star. The man did music. The man did, you know, shows with Jerry.
KING: Very funny.
GARRISON: Yes. And he was -- I mean, he did television. His records are now selling all over and over again because of the roasts and the variety show that's coming on the air. The man could do anything.
KING: How about the attitude that he didn't work hard?
(LAUGHTER)
GARRISON: He made it look easy.
KING: You know, I mean, it looked like he...
GARRISON: He made it look easy. One of the greatest fighters I ever saw was a guy by the name of Sugar Ray Robinson, and he was a counterpuncher. And that's what we did with Dean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "DEAN MARTIN CELEBRITY ROAST")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It takes many years to be a great comedian.
DEAN MARTIN: It sure does, and you haven't reached that year yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GARRISON: We just set him up in set-up situations, put him in those situations and watch him get cute and work himself out of it. I remember once when Dom first came to us on the show. And he said, My God, I'm working with Dean! I'm working with Dean! You know, Can I touch him? Can I touch him? And I said, Dom, don't worry about it. I went over to Dean and I said, The kid just got here. He's just a kid. He's one of your guys from New York. I said, Tell him to touch you. Handle him, anything. So he went over to Dom, he said, Push me, hit me, do me, whatever you want!
(LAUGHTER)
GARRISON: And then it lasted and it went on and on and on. And we had the greatest time because what you saw on the air was what this man was. There wasn't a fake movement.
KING: How about the drinking?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB HOPE: Dean has always made news. Even as a kid, he made medical history. He was the first 7-year-old to have a liver transplant. Yes, he's been drinking since he was 7. His family didn't know he drank until one day they saw him sucking on a popsicle with an olive in it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: He did drink.
GARRISON: But never ever on the air. Never, ever had a drink when we were on the air.
KING: So when we saw that on television, it was all... GARRISON: No. No. Absolutely.
LEWIS: I can answer that, Larry.
GARRISON: Maybe once in a while in the club, but mostly...
LEWIS: I guess we're not hot, huh?
GARRISON: ...it was apple juice.
KING: Jerry, what?
LEWIS: I said I can really tell you about the drinking. I put the grape juice -- I'm sorry -- the apple juice and grapefruit juice on the piano for five years.
KING: That's what it was.
(CROSSTALK)
GARRISON: The piano player did the drinking.
(LAUGHTER)
LEWIS: But after the show, he'd have a scotch and soda and rarely finish that because he was busily engaged in other activities.
KING: Dom Deluise?
DELUISE: Well, one of the things that I noticed about Dean was that he came unprepared, but he trusted his instrument. So if -- and one time, I walked in and I supposed to sing "As Long As He Needs Me." And I said, You rang, sir? Something got screwed up. And they said, do it again. You rang, sir? And then he sat in the chair, and I came in. And the third time, I said, You tinkled, sir?
(LAUGHTER)
DELUISE: And he laughed so much. And I tell you, we did the song right after that. And so you saw Dean having a wonderful time. And then there's one other thing that happened. He sang, "Set `em up, Joe. It's a quarter to 3:00 and I have no place to go," whatever that last song is -- sad, right? And I was so moved, I started to cry.
So after the show -- and I had been working with him 10 years already -- I said, That was really great. You did that wonderfully. And he said, Did I? And at that moment, I saw this little boy, Dean Martin as a little boy that lived in him. And that's the part that was so precious because he was always in communication with that. I didn't know it because I -- you mean, he -- he needs a compliment from me? You know what I'm saying? And when I saw that little -- Yes, was it good? Oh -- I said, Oh, my -- my heart just went.
LEWIS: Hey, Larry...
KING: What was it like to work with him -- yes, Jerry? LEWIS: Larry, you have to remember that Dean had 10 solid years of working with a 9-year-old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS: Would you like a walnut?
DEAN MARTIN: I don't like walnuts. Besides, we haven't got any nutcrackers.
LEWIS: Oh, we don't need one, Daddy. You know that I have a special way to open these up, like I do for my friend, Herbie.
DEAN MARTIN: Your friend Herbie?
LEWIS: Yes.
DEAN MARTIN: How do you do it?
LEWIS: Open your mouth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS: I have to give you one smile. Hello, Dom.
DELUISE: Hello.
LEWIS: I got to tell you about Dominic. He calls me one day to find out how I am. He said, How are you doing? I said, Fine. Thank you, Dom. He said, Let me ask you something. When you get well, can I have your clothes?
(LAUGHTER)
KING: What was he like to work with, Phyllis?
DILLER: Oh, he was the greatest. I mean, I always felt that he wasn't really working. He was just having fun. And we would all arrive early in the morning, and he would come around noon, and then we'd really start to do the show. He didn't seem to ever rehearse. And I hate rehearsing, and a lot of people -- my people do.
KING: He hated to rehearse, too?
DILLER: Well, I don't know. He didn't rehearse. But everything was so fresh and spontaneous. That's why I don't like to rehearse. I like to get it right the first time, and funny.
KING: Now, your father was a perfectionist, though, wasn't he?
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Frank was a perfectionist?
SINATRA: Very much so.
KING: But he...
GARRISON: Frank didn't do more than a couple of takes when he did movies, either, you know.
SINATRA: Well, no, that's not always true.
KING: But mostly true.
SINATRA: Yes. Mostly true.
KING: As we go to break, we're going to see a scene from the last movie Martin and Lewis made together. This is courtesy of Paramount Home Video. "Hollywood or Bust." Watch. We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN MARTIN: Don't drown them. Just make snake eyes.
LEWIS: Oh, well, I see them that do that in the movies, like the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
DEAN MARTIN: Make snake eyes -- 30 to 1.
LEWIS: Oh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snake eyes!
LEWIS: What happened? Oh! Oh! Steve, what's the matter?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
