Ain't That A Kick In The Head - Dean Martin, 1960
How lucky can one guy be |
As part of the soundtrack for Ocean's Eleven, this song was not a big hit for Dean Martin back in 1960. "Ain't That a Kick" has done well, however, as the revival of his music lives on. The movie was re-done as well; in fact, there have been several sequels. Dino Paul Crocetti's early years consisted of dropping out of grade 10, delivering bootleg liquor, and trying his hand at boxing - but all this earned him was a broken nose. Fortunately for us, he took up the stage name "Dino Martini", and entered the entertainment business in the early 40s...of course, the name was soon watered down to Dean Martin. Despite perceived "mob links", Dean's career covered some 49 years with appearances in over 60 movies. He released 38 albums, not counting live and re-releases. His earlier years were spent playing the the straight guy for the antics of Jerry Lewis. They were good friends at the start, but the pressure of fame and creative differences led to a rather unpleasant break-up. Such is show business, I guess. By the early 60s, Martin had formed a lose partnership with Frank Sinatra. With the addition of friends Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr., the Rat Pack was born - although they preferred "The Summit" or "The Clan". From there, he launched The Dean Martin Show on NBC. It was a huge success from 1965 to 1974. Despite being out of TV, he still ran the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts well into the 1980s. On the whole, I think Dean Martin is best remembered for his persona of the laid-back, drunken ladies-man, although, in reality, this wasn't necessarily true. He was the father of eight children with three wives, the second marriage having lasted 24 years. Eight children? Ain't THAT a kick in the head! Connections: Check out Dean's fellow Rat Packer, Frank Sinatra. |
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