Dean and Me

A Love Story

By: Jerry Lewis, James Kaplan

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

They were the unlikeliest of pairs: a handsome crooner and a skinny monkey, an Italian from Steubenville, Ohio, and a Jew from Newark, N.J. Before they teamed up, Dean Martin seemed destined for a mediocre career as a nightclub singer, and Jerry Lewis was dressing up as Carmen Miranda and miming records on stage. But the moment they got together, something clicked, something miraculous, and audiences saw it at once.

Before long, they were as big as Elvis or the Beatles would be after them, creating hysteria wherever they went and grabbing an unprecedented hold over every entertainment outlet of the era: radio, television, movies, stage shows, and nightclubs. Martin and Lewis were a national craze, an American institution. The millions (and the women) flowed in, seemingly without end, and then, on July 24, 1956, 10 years from the day when the two men joined forces, it all ended.

After that traumatic day, the two wouldn't speak again for 20 years. And while both went on to forge triumphant individual careers, Martin as a movie and television star, recording artist, and nightclub luminary (and charter member of the Rat Pack); Lewis as the groundbreaking writer, producer, director, and star of a series of hugely successful movie comedies, their parting left a hole in the national psyche, as well as in each man's heart.

In a memoir by turns moving, tragic, and hilarious, Jerry Lewis recounts with crystal clarity every step of a 50-year friendship, from the springtime, 1945 afternoon when the two vibrant young performers destined to conquer the world together met on Broadway and 54th Street, to their tragic final encounter in the 1990s, when Lewis and his wife ran into Dean Martin, a broken and haunted old man.

©2005 Jerry Lewis (P)2005 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Fans will be surprised and entertained by Lewis' honesty and diminished ego and bitterness." (Publishers Weekly)

Remembrances of a nine-year-old

Even though I was only nine years old when their break-up was first announced, I remember how sad I was. For the next few years I got very excited whenever I heard the false rumor that they were not going to break up after all.
I saw their movie “Jumping jacks” In the movie theater five times. To this day it’s still the only movie I’ve ever seen more than three times.

Phenomenal all-around

The only one slightly disappointed a little was my wife because she thought the narrator, as indicated on the cover, was Gregory Jbara from one of her TV shows. It’s not, but that is no problem at all because Stephen Hoye, who is the actual narrator, is amazing. Some narrators try to mimic voices with disastrous results, but Mr. Hoye adds to an already excellent book with his wonderful reading. He captures the essence of the writer and the other main character of the tale in such a way that you become immersed in the story.
And what a story! The deep, abiding love Jerry Lewis has for Dean Martin shines out of every page. His understanding of what made Dean tick is handled appropriately and with tremendous compassion by Jerry, even when he was clearly hurt by Dean’s words or actions. And Jerry does not shy away from speaking to the times he was less than a perfect human being, either. The book is extremely honest without being gratuitous or salacious. It made me like two people I had already really liked all the more.
It was a different time, so some of the events and attitudes have not aged well, but that’s life, and it’s covered here, too, as it should be.
If you are a fan of Martin & Lewis, loved the era written about and are a sucker for a classic love story, this is your book.
Do yourself a favor, and pause the book when they start playing the Copa. Find the full show of theirs at the Copa on YouTube, watch it, then hit play again. You’ll be very glad you did.

Great Love Story about a great team!

Jerry Lewis was a hero of mine and I always loved watching old films of him and Dean.
This book shows his vulnerability and how much he really loves Dean though the good times and the bad.
The reader is just great as well.

the best!

I am not a big Jerry Lewis fan, but after reading this book I must say that I now look at him much different light than I have before. The book is very good.

Outstanding!!

I have listened to this book twice already in the last month. The story is absolutely fantastic.....the times, the life, the clubs, and the people!! The narrator brought this to life. He really channeled Jerry Lewis, and Lewis’s passion for his craft, and love and admiration for his partner.
I can’t recommend this audio book enough!!

Answers to many questions.

I grew up watching Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and always wondered why they broke up. ... Now I know.
I only wished I had read it this book sooner. I never knew about his injury, or his pain and his brave admission about addiction.
This autobiography was beautifully read and in fact, I felt like Jerry himself was reading just to me. I might add that I was so mooved,
I cried.
I loved the narrated book.

Martin and Lewis are back!

I never liked Jerry Lewis, and I'm not old enough to remember the team, but Stephen Hoye's narration makes me want to go and find some old video to see what all the fuss was about. He manages to sound more like Martin and Lewis than they did.

This is, as the subtitle indicates, a love story, and who knows how accurate it is, but it's a picture of a long-lost time, and a tour de force performance.

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struggled with presenters voice very annoying. accent somehow jerry lewis s voice was more tolerable

True Friendship

You will laugh and cry about the friendship of these two men. Worth the credit.

Once you get used to the pace, it’s great.

Definitely an enjoyable listen. Even if you weren’t around during that era, finding out about the magic of the first Uber-popular comedy duo is worth the price of admission. The oration is a bit sing - songy, but once you get used to the methodical pace of the reader, it becomes a very relaxing listen.