The Dean Martin Show
| The Dean Martin Show | |
|---|---|
Martin with guest Florence Henderson, 1968.
|
|
| Genre | Variety/Comedy |
| Written by |
Arnie Kogen Ed. Weinberger |
| Directed by | Greg Garrison |
| Presented by | Dean Martin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 264 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Greg Garrison |
| Location(s) |
NBC Studios Burbank, California |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Distributor | NBC Universal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 16, 1965 – April 5, 1974 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast |
The Dean Martin Show, not to be confused with the The Dean Martin Variety Show (1959-1960), is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by entertainer Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves Somebody".
The series was a staple for NBC, airing Thursdays at 10:00 for 8 years, until its move to Fridays at 10:00 for the final season and change in format.
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, a series of specials spun off from the final season, generated solid ratings for 10 years on NBC.
Martin was initially reluctant to do the show, partially because he did not want to turn down movie and nightclub performances. His terms were deliberately outrageous: he demanded a high salary and that he need only show up for the actual taping of the show. To his surprise the network agreed. As daughter Deana Martin recalled after meeting the network and making his demands Martin returned home and announced to his family, "They went for it. So now I have to do it." (Contrary to his stated concerns, Martin's commitment to the program ultimately did not prevent him from appearing in a series of Matt Helm films concurrent with the show's run, as well as other projects such as a co-starring role in the first Airport film in 1970.)
Martin believed that an important key to his popularity was that he did not put on airs. His act was that of a drunken, work-shy playboy, although the ever-present old-fashioned glass in his hand often only had apple juice in it. The show was heavy on physical comedy rather than just quips (he made his weekly entrance by sliding down a fireman's pole onto the stage.) Martin read his dialogue directly from cue cards. If he flubbed a line or forgot a lyric, Martin would not do a retake, and the mistake—and his recovery from it—went straight to tape and onto the air.
The Dean Martin Show was shot on color videotape beginning in 1965 at Studio 4 inside NBC's massive color complex at 3000 West Alameda Avenue in Burbank, California. The same studio was used for Frank Sinatra's yearly TV specials in the late 1960s, and Elvis Presley's 1968 "Comeback Special". Studio 4 is currently one of two used in the production of the soap opera Days of Our Lives.
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