Dean Martin: King of Cool
A TCM, SKY & ARTE ORIGINAL
Dean Martin epitomized cool. A founding member of the Rat Pack, Dean was a multi-talented performer who was part of the number one comedy act in America, a chart-topping singer for over half a century and one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and on TV.
He was the consummate charmer on stage and off. Everybody loved him. Yet for all his celebrity, fame and adoration, no one ever truly knew him.
King of Cool seeks to change this. Through the use of interviews with friends, family, those who worked with him and modern actors and musicians inspired by him, as well as never before seen archival footage including from his time with Jerry Lewis, his movies and his TV Variety Show and Roasts, viewers get an intimate and personal account of his life. The film dives deep to try and understand why he was such an enigma and even searches to find Dean's Rosebud.
Featuring interviews with Alec Baldwin, RZA, Jon Hamm, George Schlatter, Norman Lear, Barbara Rush, Florence Henderson, Lainie Kazan, Deana Martin, Angie Dickinson, Tommy Tune, Peter Bogdanovich, Dick Cavett, Regis Philbin, Bob Newhart, Barry Levinson, Carol Burnett, James Woods
DIRECTED + EDITED BY: TOM DONAHUE
PRODUCED BY: ILAN ARBOLEDA, TOM DONAHUE
EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY: LEONARDO DICAPRIO, DANNY STRONG, DEANA MARTIN, PAUL BARRY, JOHN GRIFFETH, JENNIFER DAVISSON, PHILLIP WATSON, STEVE EDWARDS
STORY PRODUCER: RON MARASCO
CO-PRODUCED BY: MANDY STEIN, PETER GREENWALD, TINA POTTER, JESSICYA MATERANO, CHANTEL ELLIS
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: CREATIVECHAOS VMG IN ASSOCIATION WITH DANNY STRONG PRODUCTIONS AND APPIAN WAY
Reviews & Press
Dean Martin: King of Cool is out to define not just Martin but the quality of “cool” itself, at least in its postwar, Eisenhower-to-Kennedy-era sense.
The documentary sets out on the foolhardy task of finding Dean Martin's Rosebud: the puzzle piece to unlock what made him tick, but The King of Cool slowly begins to evolve into something else that's more evident with time.
An affectionate and incisive documentary portrait of the fabulously famous and intensely private star.
The film collects an impressive list of big names, from Carol Burnett to Bob Newhart, although perhaps Jon Hamm is the best choice of all to explain Martin’s unique appeal.
An amiable piece of work about a largely unknowable cipher.
Archival footage, much unseen until now and interviews with Angie Dickinson, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, Deana Martin, RZA and Jon Hamm among others, give insight into the man, and the mystery.
What's truly extraordinary about this documentary is the sheer number of people who were interviewed. Half the fun is seeing so many familiar faces.
The doc gave me newfound appreciation for Dean Martin as an independent artist who cut his own path through mainstream culture of the 1950s and 1960s.
Behind the Scenes
