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About this time, Deana made her television debut on the Dean
Martin Show. The NBC variety show brought Dean into the living
rooms of America, and also introduced his daughter to his fans.
But Deana was ready for more—training, that was. She enrolled in
Dartington College of the Arts in South Devon, England, to study.
“This was a huge learning experience for me,” she said. “We were
studying Shakespearean plays in a castle.” It was also the era of the
Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and Deana was there firsthand. “It
definitely was an exciting time to be in the U.K.,” she said.
She made her North American theatrical debut in the national
touring company of Neil Simon’s The Star Spangled Girl with
George Hamilton. She was introduced to motion picture audiences
in the western, Young Billy Young, with Robert Mitchum and Angie
Dickinson. This debut led to subsequent lead roles on the big
screen.
But she took a break to get married and raise a son. She channeled
her energy into health and exercise. “It was about the time that
Jane Fonda had her workout videos,” said Deana. “So I developed
my own. I even had a company called Bodies By Deana.” She also
hosted her own talk
show, The Deana Martin
Show, which ran for four
seasons.
But singing remained
her great love. In 2003,
Deana returned to
television, performing a
musical duet with Jerry
Lewis at the Muscular
Dystrophy Association
telethon. It was
especially memorable
for Dean Martin fans. Jerry Lewis
had been her father’s partner
for many years, ever since their
inaugural performance in 1946 at
Atlantic City’s 500 Club.
It was about this time that
Deanna revisited the Great
American Songbook. “Something
just touched me, to be able to
sing my dad’s music,” she said. “I
feel his spirit with me. After I do
a concert, I sign autographs and
people have such stories about
my dad, and what he meant to
them. It’s quite remarkable how
he touched their lives. People tell
me that they see him in me. Of
course, I have his mannerisms
and I steal some of his jokes. But I also know that he’s with me every
time that I sing.”
In 2004, Deana published a memoir. Memories Are Made of This:
Dean Martin Through His Daughter’s Eyes became a New York Times
bestseller. There are plans to make it into a movie, directed by actor
Joe Mantegna with the screenplay written by actor/writer Bonnie
Hunt. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt has signed on to portray Deana.
In the meantime, Deana hasn’t sat still. Her 2006 debut CD
release, Memories Are Made Of This, stayed in the top ten for 40
consecutive weeks. In 2009, another hit CD, Volare, was released;
it debuted on the Billboard charts at #7 and the Jazz chart at
#22. White Christmas, released in 2011, was another chart buster.
She also hosts two top nationally syndicated radio shows with her
husband, John Griffeth. When not performing, they divide their
time between Beverly Hills, California and Branson, Missouri.
The Boardwalk Journal | April 2013 | 47