Dean Martin: King of the Road

Legendary Rat Pack member Martin cultivated an image of a happy drunk, but once said, "If I drank as much as they said I did, I would have been dead thirty years ago." Freedland, biographer of Doris Day, Liza Minnelli, Gregory Peck and others, queried acquaintances (including Martin's second wife, Jeanne) on the true contents of Martin's ubiquitous whiskey bottle—and reveals that it usually contained apple juice. The deception was deliberate: Martin (1917–1995), Freedland shows, wanted to cover up the insecurity of his lower-class Steubenville, Ohio, childhood. "I was afraid to open my mouth because I knew I wasn't speaking correctly," he admitted. But the smalltown boy made the most of his talents, and Freedland carefully charts Martin's career from croupier to his famed partnership with Jerry Lewis. After their acrimonious breakup, Martin became a successful headliner on the nightclub circuit and starred in several films, including 1959's Rio Bravo and the original Ocean's Eleven (1960). Later, his TV variety show led to the popular Dean Martin Celebrity Roast . Though Freedland has written a stimulating tale, he whitewashes Martin's image. Fans will enjoy the ride, as long as they remember it includes wearing rose-colored glasses. Photos. (Jan. 15)