"Dean Martin, His Son Remembers" starring Ricci Martin

Maybe things were different when the Rat Pack was partying down in Vegas, but Dean Martin –who created the persona of a hard-drinking scoundrel - was never drunk at home. That’s the contention of vocalist Ricci Martin, the next-youngest of Dino’s seven children, in his memoir “That’s Amore: A Son Remembers Dean Martin.” Dad was always home for dinner, and treated his kids with love and deep affection. Of course, it wasn’t exactly your normal childhood, Ricci admits during “His Son Remembers,” his concert of music and memories of his late father. There were private schools with martini lunches, target practice (with real rifles) inside the house, driving lessons from Steve McQueen and birthday visits from the Beatles. But what made Dean Martin an immortal entertainer is what Ricci focuses on. “His Son Remembers,” featuring a swingin’ band (called, appropriately enough, the Pack) is a combination of Dino’s boozy Italian humor, his insouciant attitude and the songs he made famous. Wearing the trademark Martin tux, Ricci croons “Everybody Loves Somebody,” “Volare,” “Houston,” “That’s Amore,” “Mambo Italiano,” “Memories Are Made of This” and all the other easy-going, romantic hits that put his dad into the stratosphere of stars. “His Son Remembers” is also packed wall-to-wall with touching anecdotes, family stories, home movies and photographs, all presented through the eyes of one of the people who knew the mercurial Dino best. In a particularly emotional segment of the show, Ricci tells the story of Dean’s 1956 breakup with his longtime professional partner, Jerry Lewis, and talks about the devastating effect brother Dean-Paul’s 1987 death had on their father. He also reveals how Dean reacted to working alongside such giants as Marlon Brando and John Wayne in the movies, and what he really thought of his Rat Pack “pallie” Frank Sinatra. “His Son Remembers” is a walk down memory lane – and it’s as if Dean Martin himself, one of the best-loved personalities of the last 50 years, was walking right there beside you.