Dean Martin opened his solo show at The Sands Hotel – on March 6, 1957. Everybody was there. He had split with Jerry Lewis the year before – and people had (wrongly) assumed that Martin might have a hard time going solo.
Check out this marquee. It makes me ache for a time machine. I love the “Maybe Frank … Maybe Sammy”.
It’s just flat out HOT.
And here’s one of the stills from his performance there that night – the night that would launch a spectacularly successful solo career. I just love his goofiness.
I love the fact that everyone is laughing – scan the faces.
Oh, and scan the audience for the famous folks. Ya see Lucy??
(These photos are from the collection at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas – they have a ton of great collections, well worth browsing through if you are interested in this sort of thing)
My gosh, what an awesome photo!
And everyone there looks so good, not like the ‘casual’ vagabonds/homeless couture folks you see out now.
Yeah – glamour. Love it.
Who are Frank Brascia and Sammy Tybee? =P
Swoon!!
This is how obsessive compulsive *I* am.
Do you guys see Debbie Reynolds in the second row? She’s leaning forward with such a great, great smile on her face. They were best friends for many years and Dino was right by her side when Liz Taylor took away Eddie Fisher.
In fact, she slept over at The Martin’s many nights when things got rough.
Look at what a great time she’s having! I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!
PS
Lucy….without Desi.
:-(
Alex –
hahahahahahahahahaha I love it, though, because whenever I find something new to be obsessed about – what I eventually find is that YOU were there long before I was – and now I’m just playing catch up!!
hahahhaa
Yup – Debbie Reynolds, looking sweet and happy – how awesome would it be to have been in that room? EVERYONE is laughing. Gorgeous!!
Alex – I’ve seen other pictures in this series and Desi actually is there – if you peek at the photograph, you can see a Brilliantined black curly head sitting next to her??? Do you see it? That’s him.
that’s not Jack Benny in front row with his hand on his chin is it?
Yup! That’s Jack Benny. Uhm – no pressure or anything, you just have Lucille Ball, Desi Arnez and Jack Benny in the front freakin’ row. No pressure, Dino!!
Hahahaha
I love that there other stars there enjoying themselves — I get the feeling today’s crop of ‘stars’ would be more self-conscious than to actually go and enjoy a Las Vegas show with such obvious gusto. You know what I mean? I don’t think you’d see Barbara Streisand in the front row of Celine Dion concert.
I say that, but I’m pretty sure Merle Haggard was sitting behind me at a Kenny Chesney / Gretchen Wilson concert a couple of weeks ago.
Dave
That’s sooooo true. Nowadays can you imagine Madonna going to see Beyonce with Brittany, Christina, Celine, and Mariah in tow?
I dont’ think so.
The only performers who seem to have that kind of class and sense of ensemble are the country stars.
I can imagine Reba, Shania, and Dolly packing up their duds and shlepping to see Loretta in her new, one woman Las Vegas show.
I can not only see it, I can smell the haispray from here.
Sheila
Is that Desi? Are you absolutely sure?
Well – I assumed it was, at least in this photo – His name is on the list of people who “were there” so I assumed slick-black-curl-man hidden behind that lady was Desi.
Sheila
And you’re right as well. Totally. I was talking more about the pop stars. You know how I feel about some of the attitude about today’s twelve year old.
Babs is another story. She comes from another era. We have to remember, the woman’s almost 65 years old. She’s been around the block. I just don’t know about today’s crop. They don’t seem to have the same sort of commraderie. Ya know?
I wonder who’ll be at Liza’s show?
Oh. Did I say that outloud?
The onyl reason I ask is cuz this was at a time when they were having serious problems and I wonder if infact she went with someone else.
I’m gonna check.
No seriously, now I have to know.
//Nowadays can you imagine Madonna going to see Beyonce with Brittany, Christina, Celine, and Mariah in tow?//
The only way I could see that happening would be if it were part of some reality show.
But also – the venues that Dean played – venues like that just don’t exist anymore, and it kind of sucks. I mean – yes, there are SOME awesome nightclubs around – but a place where you can go, and just listen to someone croon and tell jokes, and blah blah … that sort of show business experience is very VERY rare nowadays. You know? It’s all splashy sound and light shows – with back-up dancers – all engineered to kind of hide the fact that the person giving the concert can’t do it on their own.
I think Christina has one of the best voices in the music business today – but could she fucking do what Dino is doing in that photo above? Be at one with her audience? Be up there with nothing but a mike, and a small orchestra?
I don’t know – I’d actually love to see her try … but it’s such a NAKED experience, and those who were good at it (Judy, Frank, Dean) … were able to just face that naked-ness, and turn it into a joke, or something heartbreaking – and the audiences loved them for it.
That sort of performing (except for you, Alex, my dear, and a couple others) just isn’t done anymore.
Oh shit, I deleted my own comment. I’m an ass. I’m in a frenzy.
Alex – here’s a caption where it SAYS that Desi is there.
http://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/dino/photo64.html
?????
Yes, please check your multiple reference books right now and get back to me. I won’t sleep tonight otherwise.
I’m cross referencing as we speak.
hahahahahahahahaha I can SO SEE YOU. hahahaha
Basically, Dave, my deletedcomment was that stars do still come out to support each other and have fun (the image of Jack Nicholson with a shit-eating grin on his face, ear to ear, watching Barbra Streisand, etc.) – They’re just people, and they’re also FRIENDS. Like one of the reasons I enjoyed Meet the Fokkers (uhm, was I the only one?) – is because Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand have been friends since they were literally 19 years old. Hilarious. HILARIOUS.
But nowadays – show business is different – the venues are different – and also – the general atmosphere in the country is much different. Nowadays, everyone is much more worried about being “correct”. All that moral values shit. Everyone tiptoes, pussy foots, apologizaes, blah blah blah. Nowadays, nobody smokes, drinks, or whores around. Ah, the good old days of whoring around! So I do think that that atmosphere in Dean Martin’s day, pre-political correctness – added to much of the unselfconscious free joy that you see on the faces there. People actually COULD let loose. People drank. People smoked. Whatever. There were other societal pressures and restraints – but that kind of Uber health-conscious stick-up-the-ass correct personality was … well, they probably did exist, but they were square, and Dino never worried about the squares.
If you see stars at parties now? They’re all drinking water. It’s just a different world now.
That’s why I think it’s so hysterical and awesome that Sean Penn is causing a brou-haha by smoking at the toronto film festival. hahahaha KEEP SMOKIN, Sean.
..don’t get me started on Ontario’s smoking laws… sure we let pedophiles off with a ticket, but smoke? THE STOCKADES FOR YOU!
It is indeed Desi Sheila.
The night before this particular concert they had another big fight and ended up in seperate hotel rooms. They knew they had Dino’s gig to get to, and i they didn’t and they arrived with other people, the gossip mill would start again. So..they made up.
Ther’s a great article about how “Dean Martin Saved Our Marriage” in a Lucy book I found. It seems that they had such a good time at his show, they kissed and made up.
Also, at that concert, Dean asked both Debbie Reynolds and Desi to come up on stage and jam. I don’t know what they all sang together, but I wish I was sitting in that audience.
Wow.
Alex – seriously. Are we twins separated at birth? You are so insane. I love it. You have the necessary books AT YOUR FINGERTIPS to confirm or deny whether or not freakin’ Desi Arnez was at the Sands at a specific show on the evening of March 6, 1957. Seriously, that is so insane, and I so appreciate the informaiton.
So do you think that brilliantine hair we get a glimpse of (to Lucy’s left) is him????
I’m thinkin’ yeah….that’s him. Looks like his flip to me. I thought it might have been him when I first looked at it, but I also thought the flip might be a bit too high. Desi’s hair was never that “hip”. Elvis sort of brought that to the forefront, and Desi never really went that far.
Remember, they were both in their early 40’s/ late 30’s when they STARTED “I Love Lucy”, so they weren’t kids. They’d been in the business and pros for many, many years before TV sucsess came calling.
But yeah, it looks like his black sheen.
I think there’s something wrong with me, Sheila.
I can’t wait to see what you two cook up for the fiftieth anniversary of Dean’s big show at the Sands – I suggest some sort of role-playing dinner where you play Dean’s albums and listen in character as Lucy, Debbie, etc.
Ohmigod, that kind of needs to happen, doesn’t it, Nightfly?? The anniversary is NEXT YEAR! Alex, we need to get cracking.
Oh, and it looks like Alex and I are going to Vegas in october to see Liza. Yes, Alex, we’re a go. !!!!!!!!!!!! Alex and I will both bring laptops and blog our post-concert thoughts from our cheesy motel room.
I feel like I just eavesdropped on a Sheila/Alex B. telephone conversation reading this thread.
After the initial “Where’s Waldo” experience of finding Lucy, I can’t not see her. She pops.
And I don’t know about you guys, but after the Dino show, I would have stayed until the wee hours taking in the exotica you know Martin Denny was dishing out in the lounge afterward.
There’s something to be said for that time machine, Sheila.