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Enjoying great success in music, film, television, and the stage, Dean Martin was less an entertainer than an icon, the eternal essence of
cool. A member of the legendary Rat Pack, he lived and died the high life of booze, broads and bright lights, always projecting a sense of
utter detachment and serenity; along with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and the other chosen few who breathed the same rarefied air,
Martin -- highball and cigarette always firmly in hand -- embodied the glorious excess of a world long gone, a world without rules or
consequences. Throughout it all, he remained ...read more
Enjoying great success in music, film, television, and the stage, Dean Martin was less an entertainer than an icon, the eternal essence of
cool. A member of the legendary Rat Pack, he lived and died the high life of booze, broads and bright lights, always projecting a sense of
utter detachment and serenity; along with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and the other chosen few who breathed the same rarefied air,
Martin -- highball and cigarette always firmly in hand -- embodied the glorious excess of a world long gone, a world without rules or
consequences. Throughout it all, he remained just outside the radar of understanding, the most distant star in the firmament; as his
biographer Nick Tosches once noted, Martin was what the Italians called a menefreghista -- "one who simply does not give a f***."
Dino Paul Crocetti was born on June 7, 1917 in Steubenville, Ohio; the son of an immigrant barber, he spoke only Italian until the age of five,
and at school was the target of much ridicule for his broken English. He ultimately quit school at the age of 16, going to work in the steel
mills; as a boxer named Kid Crochet, he also fought a handful of amateur bouts, and later delivered bootleg liquor. After landing a job as a
croupier in a local speakeasy, he made his first connections with the underworld, bringing him into contact with club owners all over the
Midwest; initially rechristening himself Dean Martini, he had a nose job and set out to become a crooner, modeling himself after his
acknowledged idol, Bing Crosby. Hired by bandleader Sammy Watkins, he dropped the second "i" from his stage name and eventually
enjoyed minor success on the New York club circuit, winning over audiences with his loose, mellow vocal style.
Despite his good looks and easygoing charm, Martin's early years as an entertainer were largely unsuccessful. In 1946 -- the year he issued
his first single, "Which Way Did My Heart Go?" -- he first met another struggling performer, a comic named Jerry Lewis; later that year,
while Lewis was playing Atlantic City's 500 Club, another act abruptly quit the show, and the comedian suggested Martin to fill the void.
Initially, the two performed separately, but one night they threw out their routines and teamed on-stage, a Mutt-and-Jeff combo whose wildly
improvisational comedy quickly made them a star attraction along the Boardwalk. Within months, Martin and Lewis' salaries rocketed from
$350 to $5000 a week, and by the end of the 1940s they were the most popular comedy duo in the nation. In 1949, they made their film
debut in My Friend Irma, and their supporting work proved so popular with audiences that their roles were significantly expanded for the
sequel, the following year's My Friend Irma Goes West.
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