Book Description

They were the unlikeliest of pairs—a handsome crooner and a skinny monkey, an Italian from Steubenville, Ohio, and a Jew from Newark, N.J.. Before they teamed up, Dean Martin seemed destined for a mediocre career as a nightclub singer, and Jerry Lewis was dressing up as Carmen Miranda and miming records on stage. But the moment they got together, something clicked—something miraculous—and audiences saw it at once.
Before long, they were as big as Elvis or the Beatles would be after them, creating hysteria wherever they went and grabbing an unprecedented hold over every entertainment outlet of the era: radio, television, movies, stage shows, and nightclubs. Martin and Lewis were a national craze, an American institution. The millions (and the women) flowed in, seemingly without end—and then, on July 24, 1956, ten years from the day when the two men joined forces, it all ended.
After that traumatic day, the two wouldn’t speak again for twenty years. And while both went on to forge triumphant individual careers—Martin as a movie and television star, recording artist, and nightclub luminary (and charter member of the Rat Pack); Lewis as the groundbreaking writer, producer, director, and star of a series of hugely successful movie comedies—their parting left a hole in the national psyche, as well as in each man’s heart.
In a memoir by turns moving, tragic, and hilarious, Jerry Lewis recounts with crystal clarity every step of a fifty-year friendship, from the springtime, 1945 afternoon when the two vibrant young performers destined to conquer the world together met on Broadway and Fifty-fourth Street, to their tragic final encounter in the 1990s, when Lewis and his wife ran into Dean Martin, a broken and haunted old man.
In Dean &Me, Jerry Lewis makes a convincing case for Dean Martin as one of the great—and most underrated—comic talents of our era. But what comes across most powerfully in this definitive memoir is the depth of love Lewis felt, and still feels, for his partner, and which his partner felt for him: truly a love to last for all time.

Customer Reviews (86)

Dean and Jerry
"Dean and Me: A Love Story" is an impeccably honest memoir of the Dean and Jerry years. This book made me laugh and cry as it brought back memories of my favorite comedy team. Any fan of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis will love Jerry's recollection of those days in the 50's when the Martin and Lewis team reigned supreme.

Dean & Me
Dean and Me: (A Love Story)
I found this to be a little dis-heartening.I love Dean Martin and from an interview I heard with Jerry Lewis, I felt he cared about him too.It wasn't what I expected.I honestly haven't finished the book.More about Jerry than Dean.I wish he were alive to comment on it.

Pretty good read.
It's written in Jerry's voice.It seems honest and straight from the heart.There wasn't a huge amount of information that I hadn't already heard or read elsewhere.

I've always disliked Dean Martin.I always felt that underneath the smiles there was a really cold human being. That drunk act he did for a lot of his later career I found really nauseating.That whole "rat pack" thing makes me gag.A bunch of greasy middle aged men trying to act hip and "groovy".There's nothing more tacky than Las Vegas.Yuch!

Jerry was an artist.Both as a comedian and as a filmmaker.The Dean and Jerry act was initiated and created by Jerry.Jerry was a genius.Dean just happened to be there.Jerry writes throughout the book about how much he loved Dean, how much Dean contributed to their success, how great Dean was at comedy.I think what Jerry was actually in love with was the "chemistry" between them, not with Dean.Jerry was still hilarious after he split up with Dean.Just like Lucy was still hilarious after she broke up with Desi.Just like Cher was still fabulous after she broke up with Sonny.Dean was never funny after he broke up with Jerry.I used to cringe when I saw Dean on those TV shows of his that he did for years.He was a "personality" and he had a passable singing voice.But he wasn't an artist.

I belive that if Jerry had never met Dean, Jerry still would have become a superstar.I also believe that if Jerry had never met Dean, Dean would have become nothing more than a 2nd rate lounge singer.

One of best showbiz tales I have come across
Heard DEAN & ME (A LOVE STORY) by Jerry Lewis and James
Kaplan, the story of how Lewis teamed with Martin to become
perhaps the most famous comedy team of all time. . . they
performed in nightclubs, theaters and on television between
1946 and 1956, while also making 16 widely popular movies.

Then, somewhat tragically, they parted ways . . . and though
both retained success on their own, many wondered what
exactly caused the breakup . . . and what would have happened
had they instead stayed together and/or at least reunited
from time to time.

I'm sad that this never happened, but after listening to
this account, I at least feel I have a better sense of
what happened--in large part because of the Lewis'
candor in telling the story . . . he doesn't mask the
fact that he was much of the blame, and he goes out
of his way to point out that Martin often didn't get the
credit that he deserved.

As might be expected, there's a great deal of name-dropping
in the book . . . but none of it is malicious and, in fact,
enhanced my enjoyment of DEAN & ME--one of the
best showbiz tales I have come across in quite some time.

I also liked Greogry Jbara's narration . . . he did not try
to imitate Lewis, per se; however, at times, there's a hint
of his spoiled-child voice that have me wanting to rent
a Martin and Lewis film in the near future.

He used Jesus Christ as a swear word a lot.
Christ was a person...why use his name as a swear word?It happens a lot in this book.

I loved the first CD.It was riveting.The inside information Lewis gave about his first encounter with Dean Martin and the first stage performance was awesome.Then each successive CD went downhill.He moaned about the big break up.Playing an amature Psychiatrist he constantly analyzed Dean Martin's sentences.Lewis would say...and then Dean saidthis...and this is why I think he said it.That was boring and dumb. ... Read more