Famous Musicians & Their Musical Kids Dean Martin, Part 2
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Thank you for including me in your Monday, kittens & dawgs! It’s “your choice mewsic” week. I kicked off a special theme project, Famous Musicians & Their Musical Kids and I featured the late 50s teen-idol Ricky Nelson and Sons, Part 1. This is going to be an involved series and hopefully chocked full of goodies for you to enjoy.
Born Dino Paul Crocetti, June 7, 1917, but the world knows him as Dean Martin, King of Cool. The man who delivered mewsic seemingly effortlessly to the listener’s ear was equally entertaining on screen. I loved watching Martin on screen in dozens of movies and TV shows (1946-1985). My favorite being the Dean Martin Show.
- Powder Your Face With Sunshine (1949) first solo hit, peaked #11 after breaking up the showbiz act with Jerry Lewis
- I Will Always Love You (1950), peaked #11
- You Belong To Me (1952) #12
- That’s Amore (1953 from the film, The Caddy) peaked #2 for 5 weeks
- Memories Are Made Of This (1955) peaked #1 for 6 weeks
- Volare (1958), #12
- Return To Me (1958) peaked #4
- Everybody Loves Somebody (1964) peaked #1 for 1 week
- The Door Is Still Open To My Heart (1964) #6
- I Will (1965) #10
If being married once isn’t enough, Martin married three times. His first marriage was to Betty McDonald in 1941. They had four children: Craig, Claudia, Gail, and Deana. The two divorced in 1949 after which Dean received custody of the children. Betty lived a quiet life in San Francisco until her death in 1987.
There isn’t a lot of info on the two oldest children. Craig (1942) worked behind scenes producing The Dean Martin Show and Claudia (Mar. 14, 1941) followed her dad into show biz as an actress. Sadly, she passed away from breast cancer in 2001
While filtering through YouTube vids, I stumbled on this video of Dean singing a medley with his second daughter, Gail (1945).
I thought it interesting to read an article which Gail had this to say about her dad.
“Dad wasn’t a big party animal so he’d sneak upstairs at 10 o’clock, phone the local cops and say, ‘Those Martins are having another wild party. Can you come round and break it up?’ He wanted a good night’s sleep so he could get up next morning to go play golf. He didn’t like mixing in big company or crowds. He gave it all on stage so at home he didn’t want to sit and chit-chat. Dad preferred to be alone.”
Ironically after the mental birth of this mewsic post series, we were watching TV when Deana Martin (August 19, 1948) popped on the screen. No doubt, DH was channel surfing. I had no clue Dean had children let along any that followed in his mewsical footsteps. As it turns out, Deana the youngest from his first marriage and is a moderately successful singer who still performs. I pulled together a short playlist with her singing two of her dad’s #1 hits and a couple of retro clips singing with Dino.
Moving to the second marriage, Dean weds Orange Bowl Beauty Queen, Jeanne Biegger in 1949. Their marriage lasted 24 years and produced three kids. This is Dean’s longest running relationship, so I have to believe she had to be the love of his life but why they split, I dunno. Jeanne passed away in August 2016 from cancer.
Firstborn in Dean’s second marriage was Dean “Dino” Paul, on November 17, 1951. Dino singer, actor, tennis pro, and pilot… what couldn’t this kid do? Prior to his occasional TV appearances on his dad’s TV variety show in the 70s, he and two of his closest friends Desi Arnz, Jr. and Billy Hinche formed the band, Dino, Desi & Billy in the 60s. They had one hit song, I’m a Fool.
He married twice (Olivia Hussey 1971-1979 and Dorothy Hamill 1982-1984) and tragically died at the young age of 35 on March 21, 1987 in a jet-fighter crash. He had one son, Alexander, from his first marriage.
Here’s a bit of interesting trivia, as a toddler one of Dino’s baby sitters was the blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe.
Dean’s 6th kiddo, Ricci (1953) formed The Pack in 1977 and with the help of Beach Boys, Carl Wilson produced BEACHED.
I couldn’t find a video of Ricci singing with his dad. In August 2016 before his mother’s death, the singer and book author was found dead (cause unknown) in his Hollywood home.
Dean’s daughter, Gina, (1956) married Carl Wilson in 1987. There’s no mention of mewsical interests but appears she’s done some acting.
Dean married Catherine Hawn in 1973. He adopted Hawn’s daughter, Sasha. They barely got out of the gate with their marriage before Martin filed for divorce three years later.
I wanted to include a photo of Sasha but I couldn’t find any of her on the net. Do you have any to share? Please share in comments or zip me an email. Anywho, Sasha did some acting. She appeared in the daytime soap, “Guiding Light” as Marina Cooper from 1996-2000 and Harold Stern’s 1997 movie, “Private Parts” in which she played his daughter.
A life time smoker, Dean Martin was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1993 but decided to not treat the disease. In the end, it was Jeanne who was at Martin’s bedside, remaining with him until he passed from this life to the next. According to an interview in People magazine, Dean told his second wife, “You’re the only girl I ever loved.” We said farewell to the King of Cool Christmas Day 1995 suffering from acute respiratory failure resulting from emphysema.
I invite you to hit the dance floor with XmasDolly, Stacy, Colette , and little ole me! This week’s theme is “your choice“.
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I hope you enjoyed Famous Musicians & Their Musical Kids Part 2. The series will continue in September. If you liked this edition and ya don’t want to miss the next, then consider joining my email subscription. 😉 Have a songtastic week and I’ll see ya back on the dance floor next week with “Tunes with Male Names in Them” on Monday’s Music Moves Me!
29 Comments
Colette S
Wow, he is quite a fascinating man! I didn’t know he sang “That’s amore! Love it.
Cathy Kennedy
Colette,
I enjoyed getting to know Dean Martin better through my research. It’s great fun to see what I discover and then to pass it on to others. Dean’s Italian heritage is felt in his “That’s Amore”. This became Dean’s signature song and as you, I pointed out a major hit for him in 1953. I’m glad you loved it!
Tonja Drecker
I haven’t seen or heard anything from Dean for years. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Cathy Kennedy
Tonja,
It was just that, wasn’t it? A trip down memory lane with the King of Cool!
Stacy Uncorked
I used to watch old movies/shows with my mom, and favorites included Dean Martin – lots of fun learning about him today, Cathy! Thank you for that! Loved all the tunes, too! Enjoy your weekend! 🙂
Cathy Kennedy
Stacy, I’m glad reading about and listening to Dean Martin reminds you of a sweet time spent with your mother. 🙂
Arlee Bird
Ol’ Dino was almost as prolific producing kids as he was music. Dean Martin’s TV show was among my favorites when it was on.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Cathy Kennedy
Lee,
Yep, he sure was! But, it seems rather common for male celebrities who marry multiple times to start a new family with his new wife. I think big families are really nice. At one time I thought I’d like to have six kids these days I’m happy that we kept to three. The thing with large families you have more concerns to fret over. 🙂
Birgit
This is a great post showcasing someone I really love, Dean Martin who was such an excellent singer but also a great, if under-rated actor. I would love to see more of his variety show and he clearly loved his children. He was so devastated when his son died and seemed to have given up after that. If Marilyn was a babysitter, it must have been around 1949 just before she started hitting it big.
Cathy Kennedy
Birgit,
Thanks for popping over this post. Many bloggers around our age love the old artists like Martin and you’re right he was an excellent singer. I love how his easy-going personality came through his mewsic and he was an excellent actor not only in comedies but dramas, too. I can only imagine how devastated he was after his son’s death. I read where someone said that he wasn’t the same after Dino died. It’s really sad when a parent out lives his/her kid. Dino was born 1951, I think I saw somewhere that he might have been a toddler when Monroe sat for him. It’s an interesting piece of trivia, isn’t it?
XmasDolly
So busy today sorry I’m so late. HOpe you had a nice day!!! I absolutely love your post. Reminds me of my grams and my mom, they loved both of these guys!!! BIG HUGS
Cathy Kennedy
Marie,
I’m assuming you’re referring to Dean and Frank when you said both guys, right? Anywho, there isn’t much to NOT like about either Martin or Sinatra. They were super talented men. That’s the amazing thing about entertainers from yesteryear, they could not only sing well but act and dance well. Sometimes they were mewsicians, too. You just can’t find that kind of talent in most entertainers now. Really, really sad that such an era of fine entertainers is slowly dying out.
15andmeowing
I enjoyed this post. It was like a Dean Martin Biography without the added fluff, just the facts 🙂
Cathy Kennedy
Ellen,
I’m happy you liked my no fluff post. I’m enjoying pulling these pieces together. It’s not only fun but educational. I like knowing more about some of my favorite artists. Thanks for stopping by!
John Holton
We were talking about Dean’s variety show the other day, and here he is. He was a fantastic entertainer, wasn’t he? Maybe not such a good person…
Have you ever seen the movie “Return To Me,” with Minnie Driver, David Duchovny, and Carroll O’Connor? That was the first time I heard the song. I’m not very much into romance movies, but that was a good one. Maybe because it was set in Chicago, I dunno…. anyway, it’s a good one…
15andmeowing
Sorry to intrude on your comment, but I just had to say I love that movie!
Cathy Kennedy
John,
I love catching the infomercials for Dean Martin’s Variety Show. The interviews with celebrities who appeared on the program are great but the clips usually kill me with laughter! I’m not sure what kind of person Dean Martin really was but I think he isn’t the person he appeared to be on screen, either. None of us are purrfect. I did not know there was movie by the same name as Dean song, “Return To Me”, but judging by the cast list I had to learn more and watched the trailer. Romantic comedies I really, really like. Heck, I’m getting to where I like romantic movies period. Last Christmas, we watched several which to my surprise I enjoyed a lot and so did DH which totally floored me. Anywho, if I can find “Return To Me” on Netflix or Amazon Prime then I’m gonna watch it. Thanks for sharing that tidbit with me. For anyone who hasn’t seen the flick, here’s the trailer for you to check out!
mimi
Dean has always been one of my favorites, even over Sinatra. He certainly has his share of heartache and tragedy.
Cathy Kennedy
Messymimi, I prefer Martin to Sinatra any day. Both are excellent singers but it’s Dean’s warm personality (it comes through his singing, too) that makes me like him more and maybe his good looks have something to do with it, too. lol Thanks for popping by!
Mary B
Such a wonderful post, Cathy! You really outdid yourself with this one! He wasn’t even on my radar 🙂 I remember Dean from the variety shows as well. I think that people who are part of variety shows are more prone to include their family and pass on the family traits more so than those who are simply artists. I do hope that you will stop by on Thursday – I’m doing my 3rd segment of Like Father, Like Son.
~Mary
Cathy Kennedy
Mary,
I’m tickled you enjoyed this segment and I definitely will try to make it over to your place on Thursday that is if I don’t forget. I’m goofy like that, you know? I will flag your email notification once I get it to help me remember, too. Have a good evening and thanks for the dance!
scr4pl80
I love Dean Martin. I had a crush on Dino Jr. and used to have his fan magazine pictures on my wall as a teen. Thanks for sharing!
Cathy Kennedy
Janet,
I think the first time I recall learning of Dino was when I read an article in Readers Digest on Dorothy Hamill and she mentioned the tragedy of his death. Then, I sorta forgot about him and when Deana popped up on TV in recent months it was like a light went on eager to want to know more about Dean Martin and his brood of kids. It was an interesting research.
Patrick Weseman
Dean Martin is always classic. Thanks for sharing all the tidbits about his family. I didn’t know any of this. Very cool. There will never be anything like him again.
Cathy Kennedy
Thanks for joining me on the dance floor, Patrick!
Thomas Anderson
Hi, Cathy!
This is a sensational post, my favorite kind, because it is loaded with interesting information, most of it new to me. Cool crooner Dean Martin was one of my mother’s favorite entertainers and I always liked him, too. I saw most of the Martin and Lewis films and was exposed to many of Dean’s records as a child because my mom collected them. As you mentioned, Dean’s gift was the ability to connect with listeners of his recordings and viewers of his movies and television shows by making his performances seem effortless. He always came across as mild mannered and laid back. It was interesting to learn that Dean was not the wild party animal he often portrayed in public appearances but instead was a devoted family man who valued his privacy.
I didn’t know much about Dean’s marriages or children and enjoyed learning about them. Seems the common themes running through Dean’s families were good looks, musical talent and tragedy. Of all his performing children I like Deana best. She has an excellent singing voice and diction and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her version of her dad’s signature song “Everybody Loves Somebody.”
Thank you very much, Cathy, for doing your homework and presenting this fabulous piece on Dean Martin and his many children. Have a wonderful week, dear friend!
Cathy Kennedy
Tom,
I’m delighted you enjoyed my mini-encyclopedia on Dean Martin and family. It was equally enjoyable for me to put this post together and to learn some of the things I shared. A few years back on one of the infomercials promoting the old Dean Martin Variety Show series, someone being interviewed shared that Dean Martin never showed up for rehearsal. He just showed up and did the show. His laid-back personality combined with his multi-talents worked purrfectly to his advantage in making his program such a huge success. It makes me happy to know that Dean Martin put family and his privacy first over showbiz. Thanks for stopping by, my friend!
Alana Mautone (@RamblinGarden)
Other than knowing about Dean Martin as a comedian and from his various roasts, I did not know much about him as a singer (or about his family). Thank you for a most informative post. Listening to the first song – he did have a nice voice. A multi talented entertainer.
Cathy Kennedy
Alana,
I grew up watching Dean Martin’s TV variety shows, roasts, and comedies, He’s a good drama actor, too. Check out some of his western flicks. I have one of his greatest hits albums and a Christmas album that I love but then I really love the older mewsicians. New artists today can’t match the talents of yesteryear singers.