”Everybody Loves Somebody” shot straight up to the top of
the Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the Billboard “ easy
listening” chart for eight weeks. It replaced "That’s Amore”
as Martin’s signature song which he sang as the theme of
his weekly television variety show from 1965 until 1974.
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour was a variety show based on the married
couple of pop-singer Cher and her husband, Sonny Bono. The show ran on
CBS when it premiered on August 1, 1971. It was canceled May 29, 1974,
due to the couple’s divorce, though the duo would reunite in 1976 for the
identically-formatted The Sonny & Cher Show (a title sporadically used
during the run of the Comedy Hour), which ran until 1977. The show, which
consisted of comedy skits mixed in with musical numbers, was a Top 20 hit
in the ratings for its entire run.
A summer series replacement for “The Dean Martin Show”, was “The Bobby
Darin Amusement Company”, produced by Saul Illson and Ernest Chambers
(“The Smothers Broghers Comedy Hour”). The NBC-TV show featured regulars
Steve Landesburg, Dick Bakalyan and Rip Taylor. The guests on the first show
in 1972 were George Burns, Bobby Gentry and Burt Reynolds. “The Bobby
Darin Amusement Company” ran until his death in 1973.
A medley of "Splish Splash", "Rockin’ in the USA", and "Roll
Over Beethoven" performed by Bobby Darin as the final
number for his last television show taped on April 27, 1973.
The comedy team of Martin and Lewis , comprising of singer Dean Martin as the
straight man and comedian Jerry Lewis. They first met in 1945 and their debut as
a duo act occurred at Atlantic City’s 500 Club on July 24 and 25 in 1946. The team
enjoyed their partnership until Martin started to become increasingly disillusioned
about working with Lewis, which lead to escalating arguments. Finally they couldn’t possibly see working together any longer and Martin left the team on July 25, 1956,
ten years to the day after the first official teaming of the act. Hollywood or Bust was
the final Martin and Lewis film released in late 1956.
Martin and Lewis at the 500 Club in 1946
