I had something that brought back some very good memories for me, and thought I would tell you about it.
How many of you remember "The Dean Martin Variety Show" that aired in 1965? Well, I do, and the main reason I remember it is because I would sit beside my mother in the living room of our house, and tried to figure out what was so entertaining to her. Now I can relate, being more mature than my thirteen year old self at the time. It seems as if Dean Martin was to my mother what Robert Redford has been for me during my life, a favorite entertainer. Even though Redford does not sing, I just like to see his movies. Dean did it all.
He always had a cigarette in his hand on the show, and sometimes my mother would say "He's drunker than Cooter Brown!" Whoever that was, and he did act like that a lot. And if you remember his show, do you remember he would always have a secret visitor behind a door on his stage that he would open up never knowing what or who he would see? That was one of my mom's favorite parts. Another was when he would sing with all the beautiful girls that surrounded him, and screw up at least once or twice a show, simply because it was in his contract that he would NOT rehearse. Since it was live television, anything could happen.
My mother acquired a nice little portable record player from her younger brother one year as a gift. Before the variety show was put on televison, she would spend many hours of the day with Dean Martin and Englebert Humperdink crooning in the background as she did her daily chores of cooking, and cleaning the house, or maybe while she was at her sewing machine sewing.
It seems today I know just about every word to all Dean's songs, and that was just because they played so often while I was at home with her. However, when daddy came home from work, it seems like the record player got to rest until the next day, as daddy would sit in "his" recliner and watch shows like Bonanza, The Rifleman, and Sea Hunt.
It was a family thing back then. There was only one television in our home, not one in every room like there is today. It was our family entertainment, something we all sat around and watched together. I don't recall us being able to pick the shows, it was whatever daddy wanted to watch.
Anyway, back to my story. On television a few months back, there was an offer on where one could purchase "The Best of the Dean Martin Variety Show". I thought about ordering it then, but for some reason decided against it. Then just a few weeks later, I saw the offer again, and decided what the heck.......and ordered it.
Last Wednesday, when the kids brought the mail in, there was the colorized CD in the mail. I was a bit excited about it, I must admit. The following day I was home by myself, and decided to take a quick look. I put it in the CD player in my bedroom, sat down in one of favorite chairs, and hit play. Man was I surprised! I laughed my butt off at these very funny entertainers, plus Dean was good looking and could sing too! I found myself singing along on some of the songs in my mind, and was astounded that I remembered the words.
I know my mother was laughing out loud at me! I thoroughly enjoyed this, and could even remember bits of conversations we had about this show. The CD I had purchased shoed out-takes from favorite shows, but in this one hour of sitting and watching, I saw Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Ann Margaret, Goldie Hawn, Frank Sinatra, Johnnie Carson, Dom DeLuise, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Stewart, Orson Wells, Jack Benny, Jimmy Stewart, just to name a few. It was great fun to remember what they had looked like back then too.
When it finally came to an end, I found myself a bit disappointed. It made my mother's presence very real to me in my bedroom, and that was wonderful in itself! A few of her favorite's "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", and a particular one that I remember old Dean crooning to us was "Thank Heaven For Little Girls". It was as though it was just yesterday when I was laying on our couch with my head in her lap, and she was smoothing my long long hair singing along with Dean.
I looked at some of her things that I kept, and sure enough, there was a few alblums of her favorite singers, and a bunch from Dino! Just wish I knew whatever happened to her record player. For sure, I'm going to find one soon.
Now I find myself looking forward to the next edition to arrive. Isn't it strange the memories that are stirred in us over something just as simple as this? I think so. Just when I think my memory bank is at zero, I remember something like this.
Thanks for coming back to my thirteen year old self and visiting out living room. I can still smell her perfume and hear her singing along!
Have a good night and a better tomorrow!
Sunny
How many of you remember "The Dean Martin Variety Show" that aired in 1965? Well, I do, and the main reason I remember it is because I would sit beside my mother in the living room of our house, and tried to figure out what was so entertaining to her. Now I can relate, being more mature than my thirteen year old self at the time. It seems as if Dean Martin was to my mother what Robert Redford has been for me during my life, a favorite entertainer. Even though Redford does not sing, I just like to see his movies. Dean did it all.
He always had a cigarette in his hand on the show, and sometimes my mother would say "He's drunker than Cooter Brown!" Whoever that was, and he did act like that a lot. And if you remember his show, do you remember he would always have a secret visitor behind a door on his stage that he would open up never knowing what or who he would see? That was one of my mom's favorite parts. Another was when he would sing with all the beautiful girls that surrounded him, and screw up at least once or twice a show, simply because it was in his contract that he would NOT rehearse. Since it was live television, anything could happen.
My mother acquired a nice little portable record player from her younger brother one year as a gift. Before the variety show was put on televison, she would spend many hours of the day with Dean Martin and Englebert Humperdink crooning in the background as she did her daily chores of cooking, and cleaning the house, or maybe while she was at her sewing machine sewing.
It seems today I know just about every word to all Dean's songs, and that was just because they played so often while I was at home with her. However, when daddy came home from work, it seems like the record player got to rest until the next day, as daddy would sit in "his" recliner and watch shows like Bonanza, The Rifleman, and Sea Hunt.
It was a family thing back then. There was only one television in our home, not one in every room like there is today. It was our family entertainment, something we all sat around and watched together. I don't recall us being able to pick the shows, it was whatever daddy wanted to watch.
Anyway, back to my story. On television a few months back, there was an offer on where one could purchase "The Best of the Dean Martin Variety Show". I thought about ordering it then, but for some reason decided against it. Then just a few weeks later, I saw the offer again, and decided what the heck.......and ordered it.
Last Wednesday, when the kids brought the mail in, there was the colorized CD in the mail. I was a bit excited about it, I must admit. The following day I was home by myself, and decided to take a quick look. I put it in the CD player in my bedroom, sat down in one of favorite chairs, and hit play. Man was I surprised! I laughed my butt off at these very funny entertainers, plus Dean was good looking and could sing too! I found myself singing along on some of the songs in my mind, and was astounded that I remembered the words.
I know my mother was laughing out loud at me! I thoroughly enjoyed this, and could even remember bits of conversations we had about this show. The CD I had purchased shoed out-takes from favorite shows, but in this one hour of sitting and watching, I saw Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Ann Margaret, Goldie Hawn, Frank Sinatra, Johnnie Carson, Dom DeLuise, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Stewart, Orson Wells, Jack Benny, Jimmy Stewart, just to name a few. It was great fun to remember what they had looked like back then too.
When it finally came to an end, I found myself a bit disappointed. It made my mother's presence very real to me in my bedroom, and that was wonderful in itself! A few of her favorite's "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", and a particular one that I remember old Dean crooning to us was "Thank Heaven For Little Girls". It was as though it was just yesterday when I was laying on our couch with my head in her lap, and she was smoothing my long long hair singing along with Dean.
I looked at some of her things that I kept, and sure enough, there was a few alblums of her favorite singers, and a bunch from Dino! Just wish I knew whatever happened to her record player. For sure, I'm going to find one soon.
Now I find myself looking forward to the next edition to arrive. Isn't it strange the memories that are stirred in us over something just as simple as this? I think so. Just when I think my memory bank is at zero, I remember something like this.
Thanks for coming back to my thirteen year old self and visiting out living room. I can still smell her perfume and hear her singing along!
Have a good night and a better tomorrow!
Sunny
