The actor was born in small-town Steubenville, Ohio, which honors their celebrity with an annual festival, named in his honor. Events at the festival include impersonators, a film festival, and a meatball eating contest.
There is also an occasional horse race at the local racetrack and gaming resort.
Comic Books
Martin was never a very big fan of reading. In fact, he only ever read one throughout the entirety of his life, which was Black Beauty. He did love his comic books, though. But even though he enjoyed reading them, he didn’t like going into the store to buy them.
So, he had his friend, comedian Jerry Lewis, get them for him and slip them to him in private. Then, he’d sneak off and read them alone in some quiet area.
The Adventures of Dean Martin
He loved comic books so much that it’s only fitting he’d wind up starring in his own. In the early 1950s, The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis was released by DC Comics. And it wasn’t just a one-time deal.
The series would run from 1952-to 1957 until the dynamic duo broke up. Then, the series was renamed to just: The Adventures of Jerry Lewis.
Three Stars
In order for a celebrity to get a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, there’s an entire (lengthy) process they have to go through. The first step is being nominated in one of several categories, and then it has to go through a number of other people, including the celebrity and their representation, along with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Most celebrities only ever go through this process once, occurring in a single star along the famed path. Dean Martin, however, earned himself three throughout his career.
Looking Up to Jimmy the Greek
Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder was a famous sports commentator and Las Vegas bookie. He would eventually be canned from CBS for his unsavory remarks, but when Martin was younger, he looked up to him.
Snyder was a regular commentator on The NFL Today and has been parodied in a number of TV shows, including The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live.