Customer Reviews

Backstage at the Dean Martin Show

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Where's Dean? That seems to be the main question asked by everyone who ever appeared on the Dean Martin Show. Lee Hale gives us a behind the scenes look, hence the title, at the inner workings of a show that had phenomenal run for a period of 10 years. Mr. Hale shows us how hard everyone around Dean had to work so that Dean looked like he didn't have to work. Although much is said about the fact that Dean never rehearsed prior to taping the show, it was for the very same reason that the show was a success. The main theme of the show; let Dean do what he did best: Be Dean Martin. As the show's producer, Greg Garrison, would say when it was time for Dean's appearance on the show; "Bring in the Italian". And sliding down his fireman's pole would come Dean right into our living rooms and our hearts. Not only does the book take a look at the success that was the Dean Martin Show, but looks at the long gone genre of the "variety show". I can remember watching Dean, the Carol Burnett Show and Red Skelton. That was some great T.V. Overall, the book is a good read and it is full of photos that remind us how much fun it was to have Dean around.

"Backstage at the Dean Martin Show" is a body of work with three bloodlines...

TV variety shows,talented stars, and Dean Martin. If you are a fan of any three, you will find how they mixed together through the 'heart' of the "Dean Martin Show", with the 'eyes and ears' of Lee Hale, musical director-turned-producer.

Starting his internship with the credit "Special Musical Material By...", Mr. Hale was responsible for every note that was heard on the series. He was also the one responsible for choosing every girl that provided the'skin' (Deanís Golddiggers and Dingaling Sisters), and later utilized his 'hands' at editing, which won Mr. Hale an Emmy nomination (one of many).

The 'guts' of the Dean Martin show had a lot of vital parts, and Mr. Hale tells us which ones were kept and which were operated on or replaced. Of course,the heart of the book is in the soul of Dean Martin, the body whom Lee Hale also stood in for six days a week, dancing, singing and joking with EVERY guest star that was admitted through those star crossed doors at NBC.

The whole operation was a phenomenal success and now you can see the itemized bill... from who was admitted, who paid their dues, to the life support and what led to everyone finally being discharged.

This book won't be in anyone's waiting room... it will always be in someone's hands reading it!

Lee Hale lived, breathed, and helped run the Dean Martin Show for its duration, even when the variety show was no more, replaced by the Dean Martin Roasts. Lee actually played Dino during rehearsals, so got to meet and know all of the stars that guested on his show. If you loved the show, as I did growing up, you will be fascinated by this inside look (Dino's wife Jeannie loved it, as she knew nothing about it either! )into one of the most successful variety shows of all history. A warning, however, is: don't expect to learn a lot about Dino; his manager didn't let Lee (or anyone else) get especially close to him, just small talk from time to time; the only extraordinary insight from Lee regarding Dino was that YES, that WAS scotch in his glass! Actually, Lee, an observant man, made several interesting observations of this legenday performer as he drifted away from his wife and pursued what can only be describecd as a mid-life crisis, "Rat Pack Style", which in the end, he seemed to highly regret. To wrap it up, the book was a lot of fun, its a good read; its chock full of photos of the likes of Duke Wayne, Orson Welles, etc, so you can't lose! Give it a try!

"Backstage at the Dean Martin Show" took me back 30 years, when I watched Dino with my dad on Thursday nights. As a teen, I knew Dean looked relaxed, fresh and spontaneous...now I know why! The biggest surprise in this book is the stunning collection of color photographs, from hundreds of episodes of the show. All the showbiz heavies from the 60's and 70's are included. Let's face it, every man wanted to BE Dean Martin. Now we get an insider's look at the folks behind the scene who allowed "Dean to be Dean." You gotta give the Italian credit. How many of us do our jobs well with virtually no preparation! And in this era of over-rehearsed, mediocre "let's take out the mistakes" sitcoms, Dean's "show up on tape day and let's see who's on the show this week" mentality makes one wax nostalgic. I hope Lee Hale's fun book will encourage producer Greg Garrison to put Dean's variety shows (not just the roasts) back on the syndication or cable TV market. Thanks to TV Land, one can see Flip, Sonny and Cher, and the Smothers Brothers from time to time, but it sure would be nice to see Dino slide down that pole again!

This is a must read for any admirer of all those great television variety shows, as well as the many fans of Rat Packer Dean Martin. The ONLY book written by anyone who EVEN MET Dean Martin, author Lee Hale spent nearly two decades with him as musical director and later his producer. Aptly titled, "Backstage at the Dean Martin Show" is an exciting and loving inside look behind the scenes documenting this great top ten show and its star, with fascinating anecdotes of the biggest names in the business. I caught myself laughing out loud, then I would turn a page and be totally blown away by something that I didn't expect.

Mr. Hale divides his book into one chapter for each TV season, with extra ones going beyond to 'The Golddiggers', 'The Roasts' and 'The Specials', with over 200 color and b&w photos of great stars, most never before seen. The index itself lists hundreds of celebrities from Hank Aaron to Ed Wynn.

As chairman of the current 'Dean Martin Fan Center', and someone who was actually there at NBC during those golden years, I was lucky to have a firsthand look at the Dean Martin Show phenomenon, but Lee Hale uses a magnifying lens... and no one can get closer than this! It is truly a wonderful story from the bizaare beginnings to the touching end. I can't say enough!

admin@deanmartinfancenter.com

This is one of those books you will find difficult to put down once started. It is an entertaining account of what went on "behind the scenes" of the very successful Dean Martin TV show which ran for nine years. Well written by Lee Hale it is an authentic record of those years as Lee actually worked on the shows he writes about and therefore saw everything for himself first hand. The book is easy to read and is illustrated with many photographs - one particular section shown in the centre of the book in full colour is absolutely stunning. Everyone has heard the stories of how Dean disliked to rehearse but it was news to me that he only turned up on the day of the taping usually not even aware who the guest stars were!! In fact Lee Hale used to stand in for Dean at all the rehearsals so he had the opportunity to work with most of the guest stars personally - some were not too happy about this but you will have to read the book for more details! What fantastic guest stars appeared with Dean on those shows - it was virtually a "who's who" of Hollywood - Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Jack Benny, James Stewart, John Wayne, Gene Kelly, Alice Faye, Van Johnson, Lucille Ball, Frank Gorshin, Gordon MacRae, Ginger Rogers, Orson Welles, Goldie Hawn and many many more. No wonder the show was such a ratings winner!! The book is packed with many interesting anecdotes and stories about these famous guests and inside information of how the shows were made and some of the problems that were encountered too. Most of the stars were easy to get on with but a few were somewhat difficult according to Mr Hale. If you are a fan of Dean Martin or just interested in those wonderful entertainers of that era then buy this book without further delay - you will be pleased that you did.

I buzzed through this book and was completely fascinated by the backstage comedy/dramas of putting on "The Dean Martin Show." I'm still floored by a Jimmy Stewart quote on page 131 of the hardback edition: wow. Thank you, Lee Hale, for naming names.

If you were around to see Dino's shows or the roasts, this book will open your eyes to a lot of what happened behind the scenes and give you some insights into many celebrities who showed up on these stages.
And at the center is the enigmatic King of Cool himself, the star who breezed in and out only for the show's taping, kept a photo of himself with Cardinal Spellman over his dressing room bar, kept even the closest people guessing whether that was apple juice or liquor in his glass.
The more you learn about Dino, the less you knew him--and the cooler he seems for it.

I read the other reviews and was really looking forward to reading this book. I was very disappointed. After you have read one chapter, you have read the whole thing. Let me summarize for you: Dean is super talented and didn't like to, or need to rehearse. Greg Garrison is a genius. All of the guest stars were wonderful and were amazed that Dean did not rehearse. All the women loved Dean. The end. I just saved you several hours.

Excellent but sad chronology of the end of the variety era. Very well written, insightful and seemingly accurate portrayal of the times. Worth it for the Dean Martin fan. It certainly was for me. Devoured it in a few days.

This year-by-year account of the making of the Dean Martin Show may be too much on the rah-rah, "everyone was great" side, but there is a large amount of detail regarding the hundreds of stars and sketches. Written by the man who was the show's special music coordinator, it helps that he was also Martin's stand-in during rehearsals, which leads to some inside-stories about the stars.

There isn't a lot of dirt here--most every celebrity is praised and Dean treated like a revered icon--but the stories keep the book humming along quickly. There are a couple minor errors and a few times the author goes off on a tangent in the middle of a season, but there is so much material covered that (like the show) even with some weaker material the good stuff shines through.

One complaint would be that we never really get to know anyone, especially Dean--and that's because the author never really knew Martin despite working with him for years. Since Dean only showed up for a few hours once a week, it was difficult to get to know the star. So if you are looking for insight into Martin, you won't find it here. But if you enjoy reading about 60s and 70s stars and the production of a TV variety show, it's an enjoyable read.