Legendary Comic and Longtime Malibuite Dick Martin Dies

Dick Martin, who co-created and co-hosted “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”—a show which forever changed the face of television—and who championed free speech and satire as staples in American media, died recently of respiratory complications, while surrounded by his wife, family, and friends. He was 86 years young.
In addition to a 25-year career in nightclubs and the success of “Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In,” Dick Martin began a second career as a television director in 1976, starting with “The Bob Newhart Show.” He was the chief director of the 1980s sitcom “Newhart” as well as the host of the short-lived “Mindreaders” game show in the late 1970s. By the time he retired from his second career, he had directed over 200 hours of television.
He married Britain’s first Playboy Playmate Dolly Read in 1971. Read had starred in the cult classic feature film “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.” Martin was formerly married to Peggy Connelly. He had two sons, Richard Martin and Cary Martin.
Dick Martin was born on January 30, 1922, in Battle Creek, Michigan. He took an early interest in comedy and in his twenties worked briefly as a staff writer for the radio show “Duffy’s Tavern,” working with the author and Broadway director Abe Burrows.
In 1951 he had a bit part in the Vincente Minnelli film, “Father’s Little Dividend,” alongside Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor, but it took him several more years to begin carving out a career for himself in television comedy.
This began with an appearance on “The Bob Hope Show,” in an episode which also featured Diana Dors and Betty Grable. Martin then appeared in two episodes of “The Dinah Shore Chevy Show” the first of which featured Shirley MacLaine and the second of which involved his first appearance with Dan Rowan, who was to become the other half of Martin’s famous double-act.
It was 1952 when Dan Rowan and Dick Martin met. Dick Martin, who had just seen Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis perform at Slapsie Maxie’s nightclub, decided “that looked like a lot of fun.” Nine days later, Rowan and Martin broke in their act at Charlie Foy’s Supper Club in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles. They didn’t do all that well but while sitting at the bar after the show, comedian Joe Frisco came up to them and said “Don’t give up kids—you’ve got class.”
Rowan and Martin began playing nightclubs throughout America. The first time they played Las Vegas was early 1953 at the Golden Nugget; they played three times downtown at the El Cortez before moving “up” to the Strip. They received their first big break in Lake Tahoe at the Calvada Lodge, owned by Joby Lewis of the Detroit “family.”
At the Calvada, they opened for a young singer named Nat King Cole. After a three-week stint in Tahoe, Cole took the boys to Australia where they played Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, then flew on to play Auckland, New Zealand. Cole then took Rowan and Martin to the Chez Paree in Chicago, and on to the Copacabana in New York City. It was in 1955 that Rowan and Martin first played the Sands Hotel for a four-week engagement on the Las Vegas strip—they had arrived!
Between 1962 and 1964, Martin—without Rowan—was a regular on “The Lucy Show.”
Nat King Cole had opened the doors for Rowan and Martin, and they were now booked continuously as an opening act in Las Vegas and New York. At the same time, they began making appearances on the “Ed Sullivan Show,” the “Perry Como Show,” and “The Hollywood Palace.” They also appeared on the “Dean Martin Variety Show” on NBC.
In 1966, Dean’s producer, Greg Garrison, sold NBC on the idea of a Dean Martin summer show. NBC wanted to have rotating hosts in the manner of The Hollywood Palace, but Dean Martin insisted on Rowan and Martin as sole hosts of the shows.
The 12 shows they hosted were so successful that NBC approached Rowan and Martin to host their own variety show. Rowan and Martin said they “had something a little different” in mind. NBC said, “Let's give it a try” and “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In” was born. They shot a special in September, 1967. NBC was not thrilled with the show, but critics around the country were so enthusiastic that NBC relented to a 13-week run beginning mid-season.
“Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In” began its 13-show run in January, 1968. NBC put the show on opposite “The Lucy Show” and “Gunsmoke,” two mega-hits and nobody gave the show much of a chance—but by the eighth show, “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In” was the number one show in the country, taping 144 shows before going off the air in 1973.
Though he never neglected his television work, Martin became eagerly involved with Hollywood, appearing in comedies such as “The Glass Bottom Boat,” “Zero to Sixty,” and “Carbon Copy.” Martin also had acting roles in popular series including “Coach,” “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Blossom,” “Baywatch” and “Diagnosis Murder.”
Dan Rowan retired to France until his death from lymphatic cancer in 1987.
Dan Rowan and Dick Martin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. As requested by Martin, there will be no funeral.