From left: comedy team of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, 1946 poster

The duo of Dean Martin (“straight man”) and Jerry Lewis (“comedian”) first
met in 1945 and staged their first show together as a replacement act when
the scheduled singer was unable to perform at Club 500 in Atlantic City, NJ.

Their success at the club led to a series of well-paying engagements up
and down the Eastern seaboard, culminating with a triumphant run at New
York’s Copacabana. The team split up in 1956.