Anyone who experienced the seventies remembers Dean Martin’s comedy show. His variety show, “The Dean Martin Show” (1965-1974), was followed by “The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts” (1974-1984). Through these shows, viewers were treated to many of that generation’s biggest comedians.
In one of the most memorable clips, Dean Martin is seated at his signature bar set when Foster Brooks enters, performing his famous “lovable drunk” character routine as a brain surgeon. The interaction between them is filled with hilarious wordplay and banter, with Martin visibly struggling to maintain his composure throughout the segment.
In another famous encounter between Brooks and Martin, Brooks plays the same drunk character type, but this time as an airline pilot. Their chemistry remains strong, with both delivering sharp comedic timing. Martin was known for preferring unrehearsed segments, which helped create more spontaneous reactions.
Throughout these appearances, Martin’s trademark cigarette and drink (often just apple juice, despite his public persona) are constant props. While such imagery would be uncommon on television today, it was characteristic of the era’s entertainment. The studio audience’s genuine laughter provides a continuous backdrop to their performances.
But these weren’t the only memorable moments from The Dean Martin Show. Another classic segment showcases a completely different style of comedy that had audiences rolling in the aisles…
The scene: a cramped airplane seat on a Hollywood soundstage. The players: Dean Martin, the epitome of suave, and Jonathan Winters, a comedy powder keg waiting to explode. What unfolded next was a masterclass in improvisation that left jaws on the floor and sides splitting.
It was 1965, 10 PM on a Thursday night. As families across America settled in front of their crackling TV sets, bellbottoms tossed over chair backs and the faint echoes of Beatlemania still hanging in the air, they had no idea they were about to witness comedy history. The Dean Martin Show was about to serve up a moment that would be talked about for decades.
Winters, unleashed and untethered by script, became a one-man cast of characters. He morphed from Howard Steffel Finger, the self-proclaimed “American Kindling King,” to a grizzled war vet with a laughably bad John Wayne impression faster than you could say “cut!” Dean, the consummate straight man, valiantly tried to keep a poker face. But Winters’ rapid-fire wit and boundless imagination had him cracking up like a schoolboy.
For nearly ten glorious minutes, Winters riffed, Dean reacted, and America howled. It wasn’t just comedy – it was verbal jazz, each line building on the last, creating a symphony of absurdity that left viewers breathless.
And speaking of breathless laughter, another unforgettable moment from the show featured the masterful Bob Newhart in a sketch that would have audiences wiping away tears of joy…
‘The Dean Martin Show’ welcomed Bob Newhart to the broadcast. Dean introduces his ‘Good Friend’ Bob. The two men have worked together in the past, and Dean was quite fond of Bob’s stand-up comedy routine.
Bob starts by saying, “Tonight, Dean and I would like to salute a group of men who are largely unsung who daily risk their lives that others might live. I’m, of course, talking about America’s driving instructors.”
Bob is the driving instructor and is waiting for his student in the car, Mrs. Webb, played by Dean, who appears in an old lady outfit with a wig and glasses. They sit next to each other, and Bob says, “I’ve had some ugly students.”
They talk, and Bob asks simple questions to Dean, who speaks with a big smile on his face and a soft voice. Bob tries to hold in his laughter when Dean talks. Bob asks a few questions like, “How fast were you going when Mr. Adams jumped from the car?” Dean responds, “Seventy-five. We were in my driveway backing out!”
Bob tells Mrs. Webb to start the car, and Dean moves slowly and turns on the windshield wipers! Bob gets frustrated and shouts at her. Then, Mrs. Webb cries hysterically. She keeps driving and says the other cars beeping make her nervous.
Bob says it’s time to make a turn but don’t make it too sharp, and Bob falls out of his chair. Dean starts to break character, laughing. Eventually, the cops pull them over, and Bob says he will go to the station with them and explain the situation. Mrs. Webb asks for Bob’s name, and he tells her, “Well, my name is Frank Dexter. Why do you ask?” Then Mrs. Webb responds, “I want to be sure to ask for you the next time,” and the audience roars with laughter.
These three legendary segments from The Dean Martin Show exemplify why the program remains a touchstone of American television comedy. From Foster Brooks’s perfectly crafted “lovable drunk” routine to Jonathan Winters’s lightning-fast character work, and Dean Martin’s hilarious turn as Mrs. Webb opposite Bob Newhart, each performance showcases a different facet of comedy mastery. The show’s ability to bring together such diverse comedic talents, combined with Martin’s natural charm and willingness to play both straight man and comic foil, created moments of pure entertainment that continue to delight audiences decades later. It was more than just a variety show – it was a weekly gathering of some of the greatest comedic minds of the era, all working together to give America something to smile about.
