Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Didn't Speak for 20 Years. Then Sinatra Surprised Them
The most popular comedy duo of the 1950s split bitterly. A live telethon brought them back together.
Dean Martin, the smooth singer, and Jerry Lewis, the wild comic, teamed up at the 500 Club in Atlantic City in 1946. Within a few years they were the hottest act in America, starring in nightclubs, on television and in 16 films.
The breakup
Tensions grew as Lewis took more control and Martin felt pushed aside. On July 25, 1956, exactly ten years after their first show together, they performed for the last time as a team.
Twenty years of silence
Both went on to big solo careers. Martin joined the Rat Pack and had his own TV show. Lewis starred in and directed hit comedies. For two decades they barely spoke.
The telethon
In 1976, during Jerry Lewis's live Labor Day telethon for muscular dystrophy, Frank Sinatra walked out and said he had brought a friend. Dean Martin stepped onstage. The two men embraced as the audience gave them a standing ovation.
They became friendly again in later years. Lewis spoke warmly of Martin until his own death in 2017.
This story is based on the stars' own interviews and memoirs and on widely reported history. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
