Guest William Bendix (Aired March 24, 1949)
Martin and Lewis were an American comedy duo, comprising singer Dean Martin (as the "straight man") and comedian Jerry Lewis (as his stooge). The pair first met in 1944; their debut as a duo occurred at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 24, 1946. They worked together in nightclubs, on radio (starting in 1949) and in television and film. The team was always billed as "Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis," which helped them launch their successful solo careers after breaking up ten years to the day from their initial pairing.
A radio series commenced in 1949, the same year that Martin and Lewis were signed by Paramount producer Hal Wallis as comedy relief for the film My Friend Irma. Martin was thrilled to be out of New York City, a place he had developed a lifelong hatred for. He liked it that California, because of its earthquakes, had few tall buildings. Suffering as he did from claustrophobia, Martin almost never used elevators, and having to climb multiple flights of stairs in Manhattan's skyscrapers was not his idea of fun. Their agent, Abby Greshler, negotiated for them one of Hollywood's best deals: although they received only a modest $75,000 between them for their films with Wallis, Martin and Lewis were free to do one outside film a year, which they would co-produce through their own York Productions. They also had complete control of their club, record, radio and television appearances, and it was through these endeavors that Martin and Lewis earned millions of dollars. Although there had been a number of hugely successful film teams before, Hollywood had not seen anything like Martin and Lewis. The fun they had together set them apart from everything else being done at the time. Both were talented entertainers, but the fact that they were such good friends on and off stage took their act to a new level. Martin and Lewis were the hottest act in America during the early '50s.
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