Dean & Me - A Love Story by Jerry Lewis

It was 65 years ago tonight that Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis performed together for the final time. 

I've always known their names, but I never knew much about their partnership, much less had seen any of their films together, until a year or so ago, with Artists and Models. I was hooked. 

So when I saw this book at the library, I knew I needed to learn more about their partnership from one of the men who formed it. Jerry Lewis worked with James Kaplan to trace the history of one of comedy's greatest duos from their solo vaudeville days to their meteoric rise to the top of Hollywood. 

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The title says it all: this is a love story, for better or for worse. Jerry charts every nuance of their relationship from acquaintances to friends to brothers, to estranged and angry men who both outgrew the act and wanted to do their own things. 

I loved reading about the push and pull between them, how they knew each others' every rhythm and how to milk each moment on stage for the maximum comedic effect. Of course, it's easy to ready from Jerry's point of view how he could be the hero of the story, but he also goes into how sometimes he was the villain (going behind Dean's back on things, rewriting bits, wanting more control over the production process). 

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Ultimately though, the love he held for Dean Martin throughout his entire life shines through. Jerry writes with an effusiveness that's charming, in my opinion. Though he was estranged from Dean and Dean from him for a long period, it seemed that they could always call on each other once that bridge was crossed. 

I've been slowly working my way through all of their films, but I keep coming back to one of their last: Artists and Models. By then, according to Shirley MacLaine's memoirs (she was Hollywood's newest starlet and Jerry's love interest in the film, and was much closer to Dean in real life) and Jerry's own recollections, the pair were already on the outs and ready to pull the plug. You wouldn't know it from watching this movie, in my opinion. They were professional and hilarious to the end.

What's your favourite Martin and Lewis movie? I have to admit, too, that I've been a fan of their movies after the partnership ended, but I've only seen a handful of the films they made together and I'm always open to suggestions! Let me know in the comments.