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After the breakup of Martin and Lewis, Dino has to figure out how to stand on his own as a solo act. He ends up developing an on-stage persona as a happy drunk, while at the same time, developing a resume as a serious actor in some of the biggest hits of the late 1950s, such as Some Came Running and Rio Bravo, through which he emerged as a kind of icon for the white masculinity crisis of the 1950s. How did Dino pull this off, and why was his interest in being taken seriously so apparently short-lived?
Dean Martin onstage at the Sands Copa Room, 1957
SHOW NOTES:
Sources for the entire season:
Dino by Nick Tosches
Jerry Lewis In Person by Jerry Lewis and Herb Gluck
In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr. by Will Haygood
Yes I Can: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis Jr. by Sammy Davis Jr., Burt Boyar and Jane Boyar
Sammy: An Autobiography by Sammy Davis Jr. and Jane and Burt Boyar
Rat Pack Confidential by Shawn Levy
His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra by Kitty Kelley
Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob by Matt Birkbeck
Sinatra: The Voice by James Kaplan
Sinatra: The Chairman by James Kaplan
Memories are Made of This by Deana Martin
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years by David Talbot
Making Movies Black by Thomas Cripps
Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro by Thomas Maier
My Lucky Stars by Shirley Maclaine
Sources specific to this episode:Some Came Running by James Jones
Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad
Marlon Brando, Dean Martin and Montgomery Clift in The Young Lions, 1958
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
Kevin_MacLeod - Monkeys Spinning Monkeys
Calgary Sweeps - Vermouth
Laser Focus (Piano Improv) - TinyTiny Trio
Single Still - Vermouth
25 Peaceful Piano
60 Easy Listening in Jazz
Babble Babble Brook (Soft Horn) - High Horse
Luper - Sketchbook
The Big Ten - Warmbody
Ranch Hand - Truck Stop
Thule Racer - Glacier Quartet - Araby
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in Some Came Running, 1958
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
Dean Martin in Rio Bravo, 1959