The Dean Martin show was one of the last variety television shows. Martin was a master entertainer and full of charm even when his show was often politically incorrect and sometimes sexist. He had a very relaxed attitude on stage and this helped bring out the best in his guests. The show had a set formula as well as people knew what to expect i.e. a song or two from Martin, his mystery guest, his appearance as the aging DJ ending with a duet of some description with this guests.

He didn’t appear to take himself too seriously as evidenced by the fact he did everything in one take. This went back to his initial refusal to come to any rehearsals when he was hoping to persuade the TV Company not to go ahead with the idea for this show.

So regardless of the fact he often made mistakes probably as he wouldn’t rehearse and insisted on ready cue cards, nothing was redone. He did make life difficult for the people who worked on the show with them as although they had rehearsed together as Martin never joined them, they never knew quite what to expect.
But using his charm, he recovered from any obvious mistakes and just kept going with his charming smile carrying him through. Most of the big names of the day appeared on the show which goes to prove how popular it was. Often Martin didn’t know who his mystery guest was. He liked it this way as it kept him on this toes.

The show was politically incorrect but that didn’t harm its popularity. Aired at the height of the Vietnam War, at a time America was in political turmoil, it was seen as a safe haven. A guaranteed laugh at a time when everyone could do with laughing as real life was so depressing. Martin sent himself up, making fun of his drinking, his large Italian family and his friends the Rat Pack. He acted as if he was drunk when often his glass contained apple juice. But the image America had of him was as a womanizing drunk and he played up to this. He didn’t mind the fact that he was often at home with his wife and six kids when the press suggested he was out on the town with Sinatra or Sammy Davis Jr.

Each guest did their own solo number and where else would you find Sinatra singing or Orson Wells practicing Magic but on the Dean Martin show. John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart also starred as did anyone who was already somebody in the world of show business and included a few who were just getting started. All guests sang a duet with Martin unless they couldn’t sing a note then they would mime!

When the Dean Martin show finally ended it had more to do with the decline in popularity of variety shows rather than Dean Martin’s personal popularity. America still loved him and continues to do so to this day.

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