- 1/10
- He was a Boy Scout.
- 2/10
- He was once an amateur boxer. Fighting under the name “Kid Crotchet,” Dean was reputedly a very good welterweight boxer.
- 3/10
- He hated the Martin and Lewis movies.
- 4/10
- He hated parties. “I was shy,” he said candidly. Another time, Dean said, “I was ashamed of the way I spoke.”
- 5/10
- He didn't speak English until he was five. Dean Martin grew up in a very Italian family and never spoke a word of English until he was five years old.
- 6/10
- He loved his comics.
- 7/10
- He changed his name twice. Dean was born Dino Paul Crocetti. Upon entering show business, he changed his name to Dino Martini.
- 8/10
- He got $34 million for not rehearsing. A stand-in took over Dean's role at rehearsals, while Dean played golf Monday through Thursday. He'd look over his lines during the week, but mostly he'd golf. Then on Friday, he would show up and tape the show.
- 9/10
- He always said his prayers. Surprisingly, perhaps because of his "bad boy" reputation, Dean was a devout Catholic.
- 10/10
- He had a severe case of claustrophobia. Dean was absolutely terrified of close spaces. He almost always refused to ride in elevators (“It's a like a coffin in there,” he said). Reputedly, Dean once walked 18 flights of stairs to avoid riding the elevator.
While Dean Martin wasn't playing Mr Hollywood suave - he was a bit of an odd chap. We learnt some rather shocking facts about him such as the fact that he hated parties... Who would've known?
[Photos: Getty]
