something interesting I read about Dean and his show:
By 1973, however, the act grew tired, and revamping his program to feature weekly celebrity roasts only served to demonstrate that the fun was definitely over. Martin would be seen laughing at the antics of his cohorts on the dais, but it was all an illusion. Regardless of who was being roasted, Martin usually wasn’t even present, his reaction shots having been duplicated repeatedly and edited into the shows. The same television magic was at work in bringing the guests together at the same time. The shots of a laughing audience revealed the same faces (and the same outfits) week after week, and the home viewer quickly caught on, signaling the death knell for Martin’s TV career. Martin had taken his casual style to the outer reaches of laziness, and, instead of being fun, it turned contemptuous.
I've read that Dean Martin wasn't the partier his Rat Pack image would have you believe. His onstage drinks were either juice or iced tea, and offstage, if he couldn't get away with the iced tea, he'd order one drink and sip it all night. Frank Sinatra, on the other hand, not only partied as hard as it appeared, but expected it of everyone else. If you didn't get bombed each night and stay up until 4am, you weren't invited back. Only Dean Martin and Joey Bishop (who was even more of a non-drinking family man than Dean-o) were allowed to get away with this.
Dean Martin's T.V. shows were priceless and it is a shame they are not available in their entirety. His roster of guests, along with the Goldiggers, kept my parents coming back week after week to watch it.
I'm old enough to remember his ROAST shows and I always thought they were very funny, regardless of the editing involved.
Two of my favorite Dean Martin quotes:
1. "You're not really drunk if you can lay on the floor without holding on."
2. "With my luck, if they cut a girl in half - I'd get the half that eats."