Friday, October 31, 2008

Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Are Scared Stiff - Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween! I hope that all of you will have a spooky cool holiday in whatever way you choose to celebrate it. Have fun and be safe. I thought it would be cool to post something from the Martin-Lewis comedy Scared Stiff. I love this movie. It's got laughs and scares. It's the perfect movie to watch with that special someone this Halloween season. I hope you enjoy this poster and movie trailer.

ScaredStiff


Thursday, October 30, 2008

Watch Out Dean Martin! Jerry Lewis Looks Like He Wants To Strangle You!

Jerry Lewis looks like he's going a little mad in this picture. Dean Martin looks oblivious to the crazed Jerry about to strangle his neck.

dino-jer-frommichael

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra Are Out & About

dean-martin-frank-sinatra

dino_frankie

Here are a couple of nice photos of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. These two cool cats are really dressed quite stylish. I love their suits and hats. They both definitely knew how to dress up like a gent. Guys today could really take some fashion cues from Dino and Frankie. I hope you like these pictures.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Favorite Album Covers: Sammy Davis Jr. - The Goin's Great

sammyalbumcover

I hadn't posted any of my favorite Sammy Davis Jr. album covers yet, so I thought it was about time. This is the cover for The Goin's Great. I really dig this image of Sammy. He is definitely one cool cat. I hope you like it. Cheers!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Tom Jones - Fly Me To The Moon

Here's a clip of Tom Jones singing Fly Me to the Moon. It take scenes of Tom from both 1969 and 2007. I hope you enjoy it.



That's actually always been one of my favorite songs by Frank Sinatra. It's really cool hearing Tom's take on this classic tune. He does a really good job. I especially love the scenes from the 1969 performance. I dig that cool space age set. Cheers!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Dean Martin: What A Smile!

dinogrin

Check out that smile. I'll be having a huge grin on my face too if I was Dean Martin and lived the life he did. Dino really knew how to live life to the fullest. He indulged in and enjoyed the pleasures that this world had to offer. Have a great weekend. Cheers!

P.S. I think I'm going to start taking the weekends off from posting new entries up here. I hate to swamp you guys with new posts all the time. I know you've got busy lives. I'm going to continue to post on weekdays. I'll give the blog a breather on the weekends. It will also give me a chance to relax. I'll still check to see what comments I've been left, plus I'll respond to those comments. I just won't usually add any new posts during the weekend anymore. I hope that makes sense. Thanks for all your support. I appreciate it.


Dean Martin Having Fun With Shirley MacLaine & Frank Sinatra

frank_shirley_dino

I love this picture of Dean Martin with Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra. These three look like they are having such a great time together. Dino's got a smoke in one hand, while his other arm is around Shirley's waist. Frank and Shirley both have drinks. All three have big grins on their faces. I wonder if Dino told them a joke. I bet it would have been so much fun hanging out with this crowd. Cheers!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Dean Martin & Sammy Davis Jr. Team Up In Cannonball Run II

Cannonball Run II was released in 1984. The film is considered by most critics and fans to be inferior to the original movie. There were a couple of things I enjoyed about this one. There were some great cast additions, such as Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra. It was neat to see them acting alongside Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. While I think Dino and Sammy had some great lines in the first movie, they also had some really cool ones this time around too. Here's a clip of a scene between Sammy (as Morris Fenderbaum) and Dean Martin (as Jamie Blake). It's when Fenderbaum is trying to convince Blake to team up again for the latest Cannonball race. This scene really plays up on some of the qualities many of us find so cool about Dino. I really love the part about the dry martinis. I hope you enjoy it.



Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Dean Martin Fights Back

silencers6

I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Sammy Davis Jr. On Playboy After Dark

This photo is from when Jerry Lewis surprised Sammy Davis Jr. during his appearance on Playboy After Dark. I'm a big fan of this cool and hip show. I would love to have been able to attend one of these swanky tapings. There was so much to look forward to, everything from the stars of that era, lots of pretty girls, cocktails, cool tunes, and so much more. Plus you got to chill out with Hef. What a blast it must have been!

playboyafterdark

P.S. For those you haven't done it yet, please head over to my latest blog Sugar & Spice. It's my blog honoring the beautiful women, famous and non-famous, of the swinging 60's and groovy 70's. I hope you will check it out and leave some comments on any of the posts you like. Thanks. Cheers!

Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. & Frank Sinatra: The Golden Years

olderpack

Whether young or old, these cool cats still have it!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Sammy From Mia

These pictures of Sammy Davis Jr. come courtesy of my pallie Mia.

sammy-mia2

sammy-mia

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Louis Armstong Performs When The Saints Go Marching In

Here's a clip of Louis Armstrong performing When The Saints Go Marching In. I'm not sure where this performance comes from. Please let me know if you have any sort of idea. I love it. I've always loved this song. I thought it was a nice song to post on a Sunday. I hope you enjoy. Take care.


Saturday, October 18, 2008

Dean Martin Signs Autographs For Lucky Fans

dino_fans

Dean Martin greets his fans, signing autographs for some lucky ones. Does anybody know where this was?

Friday, October 17, 2008

The Martin Family: Dean, Jeanne & Baby Ricci

Here's Dino with his wife # 2 Jeanne and their baby Ricci. They make such a good-looking family. Ricci actually just celebrated his 55th birthday a few weeks back. Time sure has flown by. Not sure about you guys, but I've often wondered what it would have been like to be Dean Martin's son. It had to be awesome.

dino_family

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Diddy Channels Sinatra In Ciroc Vodka Commercial

Diddy

I saw this commercial the other day on television. I loved it so much that I had to post in on this blog. It's Sean "Diddy" Combs advertising for Ciroc Vodka. The commercial has a Rat Pack vibe to it, including using Frank Sinatra's
Come Fly With Me (one of my favorite Frankie tunes). It's a pretty cool and hip commercial. I love it. I know that Combs is a big fan of the Rat Pack, especially Sinatra. I think it's amazing that so many of the stars of today want to emulate the Rat Pack. I sure can't blame them one bit. Cheers!


Favorite Album Covers: Dean Martin - Once In A While

It's time for another one of my favorite Dean Martin album covers. This is Once In A While. Dino's chillin' out with a smoke and a drink. I hope you like it. Cheers!

dino_while

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Diana Ross & Sammy Davis Jr.

Diana-Sammy

I love this photo of Diana Ross and Sammy Davis Jr. Does anybody know when and where this was?

P.S. This is an addition to the post already set up. I've also got some really bad news. I'm really ticked off over this. I've got an idea of who it might be, but that doesn't change anything. Somebody hacked into my Blogger account and MySpace account. They deleted both of my That Black Magic pages. I have changed my password. I'm very upset. I had spent a lot of time and energy on those pages. I was really excited about the prospects of what I could do with this new endeavor of mine. If it's the person I think it is, they did it out of hatred and prejudice. I actually had a couple of racists angry with me that I, as a white man, would want to do such a page. They said I should be ashamed of myself for what I was doing. They called me a traitor to my own race and a bunch of other horrible stuff. I ignored it. I've been called much worse in the past. I didn't think they would so something like this. I have no proof it was them. I can't see who it would have been otherwise. I wanted to let all of you know what's going on.


Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Silencers & Murderers' Row Poster

Thanks to everybody for your great response to my reviews of The Silencers and Murderers' Row. I really appreciate it. I'm glad you enjoyed both of those posts so much. I had a lot of fun doing both of them. I'm going to try to get started on The Ambushers very soon.

matt_helm

Monday, October 13, 2008

I've Launched A New Blog - Sugar & Spice

ursula-header

I've started a new blog. It's called Sugar & Spice. Click on the picture above or the link to go to it. It's a blog about the beautiful women of the swinging 60's and groovy 70's. I've have crushes since I can remember on many of the female stars of that era, including Ann-Margret, Raquel Welch, Sharon Tate, Ursula Andress, etc. I plan to post pictures, videos, movie reviews, and much more. I will update it fairly regularly. I'll try to do at least one post a day. I hope you will check it out. I know I've already got two blogs. I hope I'm not asking too much of my friends and readers to check out another blog of mine on a regular basis. This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Please feel free to leave comments on any of the posts you like. I really dig hearing from people. I do hope you enjoy my latest blog. Thanks. Cheers!


Dean Martin & Louis Armstrong

Here's a clip of Dean Martin and Louis Armstrong from The Dean Martin Variety Show. I hope you enjoy it. I certainly did.



There's a new biopic being made about Louis Armstrong. I think that's great news. Here's some information about it.

From
ET Online:

After winning an Oscar for his intense portrayal of Idi Amin in 'The Last King of Scotland,' Forest Whitaker will transform himself into another historic figure, jazz great Louis Armstrong.

Whitaker will direct and star in the Armstrong biopic 'What a Wonderful World,' says Daily Variety. The film will follow the legendary trumpeter and singer's rise from a poor New Orleans' youth to a music icon. (you dont have to change i guess)

"Armstrong left a monumental mark on our lives and our culture," said Whitaker, who also played jazz man Charlie Parker in 1988's 'Bird.' "He lived an amazing life and, through his art, shifted the way music was played and would be heard after him, not just here in the U.S. but all over the world."

The film begins shooting next summer in Louisiana, says Variety.

I've been a big fan of Louis Armstrong since I was a little kid. He was an incredible trumpeter and singer. What A Wonderful World is one of my favorite songs of all time. His music always puts a smile on my face when I hear it.

I'm very pleased to hear that Forest Whitaker will play him in this biopic. Whitaker is an amazing actor. The Oscar winner has also directed a couple of films that I enjoyed. I think he's definitely up to the challenge of starring and directing this film. I'm sure he'll give a remarkable and outstanding performance.

forest-whitaker

Sunday, October 12, 2008

It's Showtime!

jack_entratter-pack

I wonder what those fellas are doing out there on the stage!?! lol

Has anybody else noticed that Joey never seems too happy. I don't I ever saw him smile or laugh. I'm sure he wasn't the lifeblood of any party. I'd be thanking my lucky stars that I got to hang out with cool cats like the other guys in the Rat Pack.

Cheers!


Saturday, October 11, 2008

Have A Cool & Swingin' Weekend!

Dean and the ladies wanna wish you all a cool & swingin' weekend!

dino_diggers

If you have some free time this weekend, you should check out this Golddiggers site. It's got pictures and a video about Dean Martin and his Golddiggers. It's cool to read about these hot girls who would sing, dance, etc. on The Dean Martin Variety Show with Dino. I learned much more about them. I hope you enjoy it.


Friday, October 10, 2008

Dean Does Some Witchcraft With Diahann & Frank

dino_diahnn_frankie

I really love this picture and the following video clip. It's Dino with his guests Diahann Caroll and Frank Sinatra on The Dean Martin Variety Show. They are performing Witchcraft. This has actually always been one of my favorite Sinatra songs. I love these three doing the song together. I hope you enjoy it too.





Raquel Welch & A Coke

adcokeraquel-russell

I love the new look of Coke, if Raquel comes along with the bottle. ;-)

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Favorite Album Covers: Frank Sinatra - Come Dance With Me!

sinatra-comedancewithme

I wanted to post about some album covers of other members of the Rat Pack. This is actually probably my favorite album cover by Frank Sinatra. I really like his hat and suit. I think they're cool. I also dig the way he's winking, smiling, and trying to get some chick to come dance with him. I own this CD. I love it. The music definitely makes me wanna dance with some beautiful woman. Put on this album, down a drink, and find a dame to bust some moves with. :-)


Ne-Yo Is A Fan Of Sammy Davis Jr.

ne-yo

I was flipping through a recent issue of People magazine that someone had left at work. I came across this quote from Ne-Yo, referring to Mr. Bojangles by Sammy Davis Jr.

That song was from the era of the gentleman. That era personifies what it is to have charm and charisma - "swag' is what we call it today.

There have been quite a few articles where Ne-Yo has talked about how much of a fan he is of Sammy Davis Jr. I can't blame him. I'm a huge fan of Sammy myself. There aren't many cats cooler than Sammy. I really love Mr. Bojangles. It's my favorite song by Sammy. I've posted a video clip of it before, but here's another performance by Sammy of this classic tune.






P.S. Here's a picture I've had for some time of Sammy. I'm not sure where I got it, but I thought it was time to post it. I thought it was pretty cool. Do you like it?

showbiz-sammy_davis_jr

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Rat Pack Pallie Sonny King - I Cried For You

The following video was originally posted on one of my favorite blogs, Planet Mondo. I had to share it here since the singer does have a connection with Dean Martin and the Rat Pack. The song is I Cried For You by Sonny King.



That was Sonny King. I hope you enjoyed that. I thought it was really cool. I had never seen it before. It's pretty hilarious. Check out those clothes on Sonny. There are definitely some hot chicks in this video. I love the girls shaking their sexy bottoms around. Now that's my kind of video. ;-)

So how was Sonny connected with Dean Martin and the Rat Pack? He once shared a New York pad with Dino back in the early days of their careers. Sonny's given credit for introducing Dino and Jerry Lewis. He was friends with the members of the Rat Pack. He even appeared in Robin and the Seven Hoods and Sergeants 3.

What did you think of that song and video?


Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Dean Martin Is Guilty Of (You Fill In The Blank)

trio

Take a look at Dino's facial expression. Sammy and Frank are giving him quite a look themselves. He looks like he's in trouble with his pallies. I do wonder what Dino's been up to. :-)


You Are Dean Martin - I Wish!

dinoposter

I've always enjoyed this graphic.
I definitely aspire to be more like Dean Martin. Man, Dino is one cool cat.


Monday, October 6, 2008

Sammy Davis Jr. Has That Black Magic

sammy - that black magic

I've started a new blog called That Black Magic. You can click on the link or the picture itself to be taken there. This blog, and its companion page on MySpace, are a tribute to the wonderful contributions made by black entertainers in the world of cinema, television, music, etc. throughout the years.

I've been wanting to do such a blog for quite some time. I wanted to get settled in with this blog before I started up another one. I posted my first blog post this morning there. It explains the love and admiration I've had for black entertainment since I was a kid. Much of that started with my family. I can remember listening to the records of Sammy Davis Jr. at my grandmother's house.

The new blog will feature pictures, videos, movie reviews, celebrity gossip, and much more. I will cover black entertainers of the past and present. I know many of my readers here are mostly into just retro entertainment. I do plan to cover everything from blaxploitation films to the music of Motown over there as far as the past is concerned. I also want to share items about what's going on among black celebrities of today. There is so much wonderful music, whether it be jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, etc., coming from black musical acts out there now. There have also been some very amazing acting performances by black actors and actresses in Hollywood today. Oscars have been awarded to several black actors and actresses over this decade. It's been way past time. I want to cover the full spectrum of black entertainment whether it was in the 60's/70's or today.

I hope that many of you will be interested enough to at least check it out. I plan to update it fairly regularly. Maybe there will be some things there that you will like. I know not all of you will follow me over to that blog. I totally understand that. I don't want you to feel pressured. I wanted to offer something different than what I'm doing here. I also have plans for another blog in the near future. I just want to get this one up and running before then. If you think it's something that you might like, or are at least intrigued by the prospect, then I ask that you pay me a visit at my newest blog. Even if it's not a blog that you can see becoming a regular visitor and commentor at, maybe you'll at least stop in from time to time. You never know what you'll see there.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post. I appreciate it. I do look forward to seeing any of you over there that come aboard. I've really enjoyed doing this blog so far. It's been so much fun. It's been a pleasure talking to you all about the Rat Pack. Maybe some of us will find some common interests at my other blog as well. Thanks so much for all your continued support here at this blog. I always love reading your comments. You guys mean a lot to me. Take care. Cheers!



Sunday, October 5, 2008

The Cool Style Of Dean Martin

This is another picture of Dean Martin in that jacket I mentioned liking so much.

dinoshow2

Matt Helm's Slaygirls

If I was Dean Martin surrounded by all these hot babes, I would think I had died and gone to heaven.

HELM12

Saturday, October 4, 2008

The Matt Helm Lounge

matthelmlounge

I love this collection. It comes with all four of the Matt Helm spy capers. I think it's the only way to get them all on DVD.



Friday, October 3, 2008

Sammy Davis Jr. Gets Groovy With For Once In My Life

The following clip was brought to my attention by one of my pallies here. They were planning to post it at their blog Planet Mondo. You can check out their blog post at that link. I wanted to post it here as well. I love this clip so much. I had never seen it before, but I can't stop watching it. This is Sammy Davis Jr. singing For Once In My Life. This is one awesome tune, plus it's one groovy performance. Check out those clothes on Sammy. Pallies, I really love Sammy. He is one of the coolest cats ever. The man is one of my favorite entertainers of all time. He's great in any era or doing any style of music. I hope you enjoy this clip too. Cheers!


Thursday, October 2, 2008

The Dino Lounge

This comes courtesy of my pallie Russell.

dinolounge-fromrussell

Dean Martin & Raquel Welch From Bandolero

This was sent to me by my pallie Bill.

DeanRaquel-frombill

I assume this was taken as a promo photo for Dean Martin and Raquel Welch's western Bandolero. Dino is one cool and tough dude, while Raquel is one sexy chick. I hope you like it. I know I sure do.


Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Dean Martin & Ann-Margret Clips From Murderers' Row

Since I posted my review of Murderers' Row yesterday, I thought I would post some videos from the movie.

Here is the trailer for the movie. You can tell that they really blur the lines between Dean Martin and Matt Helm. There's really no difference between the Dino persona and the Matt Helm character.



Now here are a few clips from Murderers' Row:







I hope you enjoy those clips. I know I did. I really love this movie so much.