The Sheila Variations

but his happiness just radiates from the still, in an almost ridiculous way... don't worry, it made me happy too.

"Welcome to my world... won't you come on in..."

I mean, look at the couch. And the cow-hide chair thing. And his cigarette. And his eyes.

Sheila,
I don't know if I ever told you this story before -- one Saturday, the local PBS station was having a marathon of Brat Pack bios. One of the commentators was this fat, boisterous Italian-American guy who obviously thought Frank and Dean and pals crapped gold. They weren't just great singers, they were the greatest of ALL TIME.

During the one about Dean, the guy starts going on about how Dean would be the perfect guest to have at a backyard BBQ. Frank, you'd constantly have to bring him drinks and check if he's comfortable, but Dean, DEAN would be Mr. Relaxed that you didn't have to worry about. I just thought that comparative point was pretty funny. Who would be the better guest at a BBQ?

hahahahahahaha I love that!! This guy had obviously put a ton of thought into his "ideal backyard BBQ".

I think that is part of the appeal of Dean Martin (and part of why he might be a bit under-rated) - how AMUSING he must have been, and how self-sufficient.

I remember being in junior high and thinking Dean Martin was the coolest guy I'd ever seen. For a while there I wanted to be Dean Martin. Kinda scary to think how far I fell short on that objective!

He is under-rated - fortunately we have a nerdy redhead to help rectify that situation. ;-)

Miker - HA!

No - what I'm gonna do - is just type out some excerpts from Bogdonavich's really good essay on him - it seems to capture what the HELL was going on with Dean Martin, and why people love him so much.

I know a couple guys who wanted to BE Dean Martin too, mike. You are not alone!!

How tall is this man? I can't figure out if he's just surrounded by doll house furniture or if he's just ginormously tall....

I believe that Dean Martin was very tall.

Can anyone confirm this, please?

IMDb says 5'10".

Wow. Not as tall as I would have imagined. Of course he hung out with shorties like Sammy Davis and Frank and Shirley MacLaine - so it must have just enhanced his size.

He always seemed larger than life. 5'10" is the same height as my dad. :P Weird.

I love the way he's standing. With his feet turned out.

Shelia,
I can add a true Dino story. I was out in L.A. having a blast staying at the BH Hotel. I decided to give NYC a break and leave town for a month. I needed a change of view. On my first night I decide to have a little vino. I'm sitting by myself. The piano was playing "Fairy Tales Can Come True" when who walks into the Polo Lounge but the man himself. He was alone. I was wearing a sweater that was too tight and he was wearing a smile. We laughed for hours. He was a really, really nice man. We ended up eating pancakes at some place in Malibu. Let me tell ya, dreams come true!

My dad used to drink with Dean in Steubenville, before he was famous. He always said that he was a really easy to talk to kind of guy. If I recall correctly, dad used to beat him in poker (my dad was a terrific player).

What I love most about Dean Martin was his absolute lack of pretentiousness. Not that he didn't take what he did seriously (he did), he just wasn't about to wear the effort on his sleeve or make a spectacle of it. He had that same No B.S. attitude about what he did as artists like Robert Mitchum or Howard Hawks, but he brought a fine good humor to it that no one else could touch.

If you haven't read it, I highly recommend Nick Tosches' 1992 biography, 'Dino'. Apart from being extraordinarily well-written ('magisterial' is a word I'd use for some of its passages), it makes as convincing a case for Martin's place in American culture as anyone could ask for.

I think people got the idea that Martin was tall because, in their act, Jerry Lewis would almost instinctively hunch down to make himself appear a few inches shorter (they were both around the same height). 5'10'' is what I've always heard as his height.

Susan - I love it!!

Tom - David Thomson absolutely raves about that Dino book you mention and says it is one of the best entertainment biographies he has ever read. I actually own it - just haven't read it, believe it or not. Since I'm having a Dean Martin manic episode RIGHT NOW maybe I should pick it up!

Hey pallies, all that really matters in DINO!!!! Dino's the man, and I am his fan.

Hey pallies, all that really matters is DINO!!!! Dino's the man, and I am his fan.

here's a pic with Jerry, Cary and Dino.

Cary was reportedly 6'1, but is 13 years older than Dino, maybe he'd lost a bit of height by this time. Jerry and Dean are the same height.

I had to buy a copy of this picture when it was available because I wanted to know whose hands were where -- both Cary and Dino had marvelous hands... one of my personal obsessions.

The feet. I'm glad you posted that whole pic -- it's just beautiful.

sorry -- here's a tiny url for a link to the picture I was talking about

http://tinyurl.com/rnlrt