Untold stories of performing with the Rat Pack and on the Dean Martin TV Show are revealed in the Alberici Sisters book, BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS. The authors, Maria Lauren & Linda Eichberg, shared their lives with "The Golddiggers" and Entertainment Icons of the 20th Century.
Smiles of heartfelt memories sweep over us as we celebrate Dean Martin’s 100th birthday on June 7th. Dean’s charismatic talent personified a debonair and cheeky demeanor with an underlying charm and allure that transcends time.
Dean Martin and The Golddiggers circa 1977
We were blessed to be a part of The Dean Martin Golddiggers for almost two decades. We witnessed Dean’s mastery of entertainment and light-hearted fun on the Las Vegas stage and on television.
Dean’s special warmth touches us even now as we listen to his unique inflections while he sings a song, tells a joke or casually gives a fun-loving look.
Take a glimpse of Dean and his Golddiggers from his TV 1973 show, with Country legend, Ray Stevens!
Our Las Vegas performances opening for Dean, spanned from the 1970’s to the early 1990’s. We became like a family, sharing special occasions like birthdays and Christmas together, and even some heartbreaking times.
Backstage at Bally’s on Dean’s birthday about 32 years ago! Dean Martin and The Golddiggers circa 1985 – 86.
We are forever grateful for being a part of this dynamic time in show business but especially for sharing in Dean’s humanity.
Giving Dean a birthday present after our show! From bottom left to right: Maria (Alberici) Lauren, Patti Gribow, Dean Martin, Linda (Alberici) Eichberg, Robyn Whatley
“What do you get the guy who has everything? He appeared to treasure those moments and, little by little, during our Vegas stays, he warmly unveiled his vulnerability and softer side to us.”
There are plenty of stingers and zingers in this eight disk collection. “Dean and pals skewer the celebrity roastees and deflect barbs from notables which include: Frank Sinatra, Michael Landon, Wilt Chamberlain, Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Carroll O’Connor, Hubert Humphrey, Valerie Harper, Joe Namath, Dan Haggerty, Redd Foxx and many others. You’ll also get bonus comedy sketches, and over 10 exclusive interviews with Ed Asner, Carol Burnett, Tony Danza and other roast participants and fans.
The former Dean Martin Golddiggers recall some hilarious moments with these television legends while taping the Dean Martin Comedy Hour and the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts .
“Sometimes the Roasts were very funny and sometimes they were just acerbic. Don Rickles—if he was on he could be hysterical. If he was off he was just mean. Dean was always gracious but he just walked through it, I think.”
Don Rickles had several moniker’s – “Mr. Warmth” & “Master of Malice” were two of them.
Don Rickles
Don Rickles, Dean Martin Roast: “This is one of the great all time thrills I’ve ever had. This is a bigger thrill than watching Pat Boone autograph hockey pucks during the Ice Follies…Orson Welles, ladies and gentlemen, has been a great star for so many years. This man was married to a great many women in his life. They’re all flat now.”
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Linda Eichberg
Linda Alberici Eichberg, (Dean Martin Golddigger 1973 – 1989) “Foster Brooks was another one who always had us in stitches. Sometimes we could hardly breathe we were laughing so hard from his drunk routine.
Foster Brooks -YouTube.com
After we taped our musical numbers with Dean, part of our job was to sit in the audience while they shot the Dean Martin Roasts, at least the segments that were filmed on Stage 4 at NBC. They also made a deal to film some portions of the Roasts at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. We did them back to back, we shot the variety show segments in the afternoon and the Roasts later that night. It was a pretty long day but the Roasts section was hardly work and it gave us time to unwind. Waiting around in between takes I had some pleasant conversations with Howard Cosell. He was pretty cool. I was too shy to talk to most people but I felt safe and at ease with him.
Greg Garrison liked to have sports stars on the show every now and again. On one show they roasted Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain. We were shooting the breeze after the show with Audrey Meadows, Ken Berry, and George Kennedy when Wilt strode over toward us. Wow, he cast a large shadow. Even in my highest heels I wasn’t as high as his chest. Wilt had a sensational personality but I had to strain my neck to have an eye to eye conversation with him. A couple of the girls kept in touch with him and a few months later Wilt took some of us to a club in Beverly Hills. He picked us up in his white station wagon. When we got in we couldn’t believe what we saw. There wasn’t a front driver’s seat. Wilt drove from the back seat! The inside of the car was completely gutted and remodeled to fit his gigantic frame.”
Foster Brooks, Dean Martin Comedy Roasts:“The last time I was next to Dean somebody stepped on my tongue”!
Maria Lauren
Maria (Alberici) Lauren, (Dean Martin Golddigger 1973 – 1991): “The Dean Martin Roasts were great entertainment, it was a big party loaded with laughs and we were invited! To think, we were getting paid to sit in the audience to enjoy this banquet of talent, a buffet of comedy. The jokes and kidding around was a delight.
Zsa Zsa Gabor
I ran into into Zsa Zsa Gabor a couple of times, once in the ladies’ room when we were out to dinner in Beverly Hills. She was lovely to talk to but I almost had to pinch myself. Here I was nonchalantly applying my make-up with the queen of glamor, Zsa Zsa Gabor! I was with the most famous “gold digger’’ of them all, a major part of the Beverly Hills elite.”
Dean Martin, Dean Martin Roast of Zsa Zsa Gabor:“Well, tonight we salute Zsa Zsa, the most famous of the Gabor sisters. You all know the Gabor sisters, the original Golddiggers? Doesn’t Zsa Zsa look great? It’s a wonder she’s still alive with all the blood tests she’s taken for marriage licenses.”
Patti Gribow
Patti (Pivarnik) Gribow, Golddigger 1973-1985:
“We were able to see everyone from Lucy to Michael Landon to President Reagan—you name it, the list goes on and on and on.”
Michael Landon
“The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Stingers & Zingers” delivers the laughs with help from some of the biggest names in entertainment.
Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Carson and Frank Sinatra
We taped Dean Martin’s TV Show at NBC in Studio 4, right next to the famed “Tonight Show”. You never knew who you were going to run in to during a taping or rehearsal. There was always a cavalcade of stars passing through, a Hollywood ‘Who’s Who’. It was 1974 and “The Tonight Show” and “The Dean Martin Comedy Hour” were the ‘kings’ of the television variety shows.
“Linda (Alberici) Eichberg, Dean Martin Golddigger: We started meeting some other stars and realized they were not like their TV identities. I would come across Johnny Carson in the hallways of NBC a lot and make small talk; he’d ask us who was on Dean’s show that week. He was not as tall as I thought he was going to be but he was every bit as charming as he was on television. In general the celebrities we met were smaller in stature than they appeared on TV.”
“Deborah Pratt, Golddigger 1973-1974: We saw Johnny Carson at NBC and I thought, ‘Oh my God, my whole life I’ve wanted to be on The Tonight Show.’ I got up and as soon as I got up everybody joined me. We walked over to him and I said, ‘Excuse me Mr. Carson, we’re the Golddiggers and we want to be on your show.’ He sucked in his gut and kind of puffed up his chest and went, ‘Yes, of course, we’ll take care of that.’ Whoever his secretary was at his side said, ‘All right, we’ll handle that, when are you going to be in Vegas, and blah, blah, blah.’ They put it all together for us and the night we were on the show Joey Bishop was hosting… I was mad because he wasn’t Johnny Carson.”
“Maria (Alberici) Lauren, Dean Martin Golddigger: We did ‘Shake Your Tambourine’ and we all got to say something. Here we are two sisters from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania doing The Tonight Show! I didn’t care if Johnny Carson wasn’t the host that night. Joey Bishop was from our hometown area, so that was cool; plus he was a member of Dean’s fabled Rat Pack.”
*****
The Rat Pack: Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop and Dean Martin
Johnny Carson also took the stage as a member of the Rat Pack. This famous live performance in St. Louis later became a TV special. Johnny even sings a little. Frank, Dean, Sammy and Johnny are having a ball in this clip from the show. The four of them together are classic!
In the early 1980’s…
We, the Alberici Sisters had a leave-of-absence from The Golddiggers for a few years and had the opportunity of be the opening act for a popular up and coming comedian named Jay Leno. We performed at a convention in Chicago together. He made an impression on us. We liked the refreshing ‘down home’ style of his show. He was the nicest guy.
We appreciated the many years Jay Leno hosted “The Tonight Show.” There were a lot of laughs and superb guests. It was sad to see Jay leave the show but we are enjoying Jimmy Fallon. He’s a tremendous talent!
Good luck Jimmy; thanks for keeping variety shows alive!
Maria Lauren and Linda Eichberg at The Dean Martin Golddiggers reunion,
A highlight of 2013 was the “Gold Event”! It was a reunion for those involved in the Dean Martin television shows and specials. Over the years, we performed with a variety of gals as the Dean Martin Golddiggers, some of them we haven’t seen in years, so this was a wonderful way to celebrate along with celebrities and those who worked so diligently behind-the-scenes.
The Golddiggers with Lee Hale, Dean Martin Show musical director
Lovely Ladies from all over America attended, representing several groups of “Golddiggers” from 1968 to 1991.
Golddiggers Reunite! From left to right: Peggy Gohl, Colleen Kincaid Jackson, Linda Alberici Eichberg, Maria Lauren Alberici-Riccio, Melody Walczuk, Linda Bott, Patti Pivarnik Gribow, Marie Halton Peck & Joyce Garro
At the reunion, we had the opportunity to spend a few moments with the incomparable Florence Henderson and other guests of “The Dean Martin Show.”
We wish you a blessed Holiday season. As we begin to celebrate the joys of Christmas, it is also sad to remember the passing of Dean Martin on Christmas day. However, this feeling is short lived as we remember our cherished moments with Dean.
Photo Credit – timelife.com
The Golddiggers, Christmas album
A GIFT FOR THE HOLIDAYS…
BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS captures behind-the-scene stories at the Dean Martin Show and touring with superstars like Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima, Gene Kelly, Jerry Vale, Donald O’Connor, Steve & Eydie, Bob Hope, and so many more. Over 300 pictures! Exciting book selling on Amazon!
From the Editors of Us magazine, Collectors Edition of “Pretty Little Liars” on ABC Family, being displayed until October 10, 2013.
PRETTY LITTLE LIARS stars: Troian Bellisario, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell and Ashley Benson.
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!” was the statement used in Us Magazine to describe actress, Troian Bellisario of “Pretty Little Liars.” and her mom, actress and award winning writer, Deborah Pratt.
Watching Troian Bellisario grow into an accomplished actress has been a life long journey for us. Her mom is one of our Golddigger ‘gal pals’ from the “Dean Martin Show” and our families continue our friendship today.
From bottom left to right, clockwise: Linda Alberici Eichberg, ColleenKincaid-Jackson, Robin Hoctor-Horneff, Deborah Pratt,Maria Lauren, Lee Nolting, Susan Buckner &Patti Gribow.
Like her mom, Troian is a stunningly beautiful and talented woman. She is highly acclaimed for her role as Spencer Hastings in the TV series, “Pretty Little Liars.”
We have shared many celebrations with Deborah and our ‘Golddigger sisters’.
Maria & Linda sharing good times with Deborah Pratt and Patti Gribow.
After our Golddigger years there were weddings, New Years and many birthday celebrations throughout the years. Likewise our children have shared many memories and momentous events together.
Troian Bellisario with Maria’s daughter, Marianna Riccio and Patti’s daughter, Gina Gribow at Marianna’s First Holy Communion.
Linda’s daughter, Lindsay Eichberg, with Troian at a birthday luncheon.
Troian gives Lindsay a ride at her first birthday party.
When Troian was only three years old, she already had begun her career acting in the movie “Last Rites”.
A part of show business royalty, Troian’s father, Donald Bellisario created and produced many hit television series including “JAG”.
Teenagers, Marianna and Troian
Troian and Marianna took their first swimming lessons together before they could even walk.
While in college, Troian and Marianna continued to share their love for the performing arts and starred in their individual alma-mater’s theater productions.
We have wonderful memories of childhood fun with Troian and our daughters Marianna and Lindsay. Isn’t that what life is all about… enduring friendships and lasting memories.
Beauty inside and out…
Our daughters are now the same age we were when we performed and toured together as the Dean Martin Golddiggers with the stars of television and Vegas during the groovy 70’s.
BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS, book excerpts:
Maria: “Our times in The Golddiggers gave us a lifetime of experiences. All of us girls were very different but very alike in many ways. We had a deep sense of caring for each other and professionalism.” (p. 317)
Deborah:“We were backstage in Dean’s suite one night when the Rat Pack walked in. I’m sitting between Danny Thomas and Sammy Davis Jr. and Danny Thomas looked at me and said, ‘Well, you’re the highest yellow black woman I’ve ever seen in my life,’ and Sammy hit him! It was really funny, and I turned around and said, ‘It’s nice to meet you too.'” (p. 124 – 125)
Linda:“Several of the girls in the group were Christians, all of us were brought up with strong family values. We continually had to wrestle with the values we grew up with verses the standards of Hollywood and the rest of the world.” (p. 136)
Up close and personal with Dean Martin… he made it seem all so easy…
Dean Martin – The King of Cool
“While the truth about Martin’s habits is hard to come by, certain facts about his career are crystal clear. Once considered en route to oblivion as the lesser half of the sundered comedy team of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, he is now America’s highest-paid entertainer. And he is the only star who is a consistent draw at the theater while also appearing on weekly television. His defiance of traditional taboos and his obviousvirility (liquor+golf+an eye for girls) have made Martin a hero with the male audience. His Italian good looks, his suave manner and his way of cuddling up to a romantic ballad are enormously appealing to women. Thus, he is one of the few stars who seem to be liked equally by both sexes.” – Good Housekeeping, 1967; Excerpt from Beyond Our Wildest Dreams
In our book, Beyond Our Wildest Dreams, we dig deep into the “King of Cool” image to find a man with a warm heart. It was an honor to perform with him as part of The Golddiggers but we were touched with a smile of pride when Dean fondly called us, “My Girls.”
“Maria: My first impression upon meeting Dean Martin was that he was very, very charming. He looked the same in person as he did on TV. I can’t say that about all the stars I’ve met. It was a pleasure to watch him interact with all us girls. He never made a vulgar or cheap comment or anything like that. He was fun loving, good natured and made you feel comfortable.” – Excerpt from Beyond Our Wildest Dreams
“Patti (Pivarnik) Gribow, Golddigger 1973-1977: My mom and all her friends were in love with Dean and, of course, his good looks. The persona, Dean Martin, appeared to be a cad and a real ‘player’ but in reality Dean was one of the nicest and genteel men I have ever met. He was exceedingly humble and once told me, “It’s so hard to be mean and so easy to be nice.” I will always carry that memory with me.” – Excerpt from Beyond Our Wildest Dreams
Dean loved country music and on the Dean Martin Comedy Hour, Dean sang with the best country stars of the 70’s including Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Buck Owens, Doug Dillard, Lynn Anderson, Crystal Gayle, The Statler Brothers and many others.
“Linda: The country set was like a breath of fresh air equipped with a barn, a plow and a miniature horse. We would sing a sweet ballad on stacks of hay, our colorful prairie gowns draped around us and then skip to the other side of the set to sing the next song to some guitar picking and fiddle playing. I grew to have a greater appreciation of country music singing songs like ‘I Was Raised on Country Sunshine’, ‘You Got a Friend’, ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon’, ‘Houston’, ‘Jambalaya (On the Bayou)’ and ‘Country Roads’. Maria and I were ecstatic when we saw in the script that we would be doing ‘I Believe in Music’ with Dean. We sang the verse while Dean joined us for the chorus and then the whole cast extended their harmonies for a reprise as the scene peaked for a big finish—then cut to commercial.” – Excerpt from Beyond Our Wildest Dreams
DEAN MARTIN FANS…
The Dean Martin Fan Center Magazine is styled in a newsletter format filled with stories, photos, information, past and up-to-date current happenings by Neil Daniels.
Also, check out the Dean Martin Fan Center Websitecontaining interesting topics pertaining to Dean Martin including “Showstoppers,” our musical tribute to Dean Martin and the showstopping entertainers with whom we performed.
Dean Martin “Rat Pack”
June 7th is Dean Martin’s birthday. We celebrate the man and the entertainer!!
Dean Martin and Jonathan Winters as Maude Frickert Photo credit – YouTube.com
Last month our friend from television, Jonathan Winters, passed away. We had the good fortune to work along side him for several years on the Dean Martin Comedy Hour, The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters and several Dean Martin TV specials. He was the master of improvisation and had a great influence on other comedians. Robin Williams was one those comedians who looked up to Jonathan. In a New York Times article, Robin called him, “a madman but angelic.” We think that is a perfect description. Jonathan’s death was a great loss to the world of entertainment. To remember him, we would like to share some memories of Jonathan from our book.
Dean Martin’s Christmas in California – Photo courtesy of Robyn Whatley, one of Dean’s Golddiggers. Robyn is center next to Jonathan with her arms wrapped around Linda Lavin. With Patti Gribow, Mireille Mathieu & Crystal Gayle (far right)
Excerpts from BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS
“Linda: Our first TV show taping was The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters, a variety show which featured a spot where the comedian would rummage through his ‘attic,’ pick up some random object and do a whole monologue on it. We were on for something like eight shows, we shot two a day.”
Deborah Pratt
“Deborah Pratt, Golddigger 1973-1974:
Jonathan Winters’ mind was just so explosive, he was in his own world. My favorite
part was to come and watch the ending where he would take nothing and make it into fifty things just with the sound effects he did with his mouth while his hands were doing mime.”
Linda (Alberici) Eichberg
“Linda: There was not much interaction with Jonathan Winters on the set but our trailers were side by side so I would talk to him outside the soundstage. I had pleasant conversations with him, he was very approachable, very mellow and warm when he wasn’t on stage.
One day when I was talking with Jonathan he invited me into his trailer. If it had been someone else I would have had second thoughts but not with Jonathan. In spite of his zany TV characters he was pretty normal, super nice and very intelligent. We talked about our mutual November birthdays and The Twilight Zone episode he did. I was a big fan of Twilight Zone.
Jonathan was an incredibly talented, funny guy. He invented lots of crazy characters, I adored his old lady character Maude Frickert. Every time he became her, everyone was hysterical with laughter. As Maude he stole every scene he was in. The other guest stars didn’t have a chance except to go with the flow and let whatever happened happen. That’s what was so great about his show, the improvisation and spontaneity.”
Maria (Alberici) Lauren
“Maria: Jonathan Winters as Maude Frickert was also a guest on The Dean Martin Comedy Hour. Dean would try to hold his own as Maude flirted shamelessly, his reactions were priceless. One smirk would say it all. Dean was the perfect straight man—although his TV persona could not walk a straight line.”
Dean Martin, Jonathan Winters and the Golddiggers from Dean Martin’s Christmas in California special.
A favorite Jonathan Winters TV clip is on the YouTube link below, narrated by producer, Greg Garrison. It’s too funny!
Our television debut as two of “The Golddiggers” was on The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters show. This YouTube contains a clip of our performance on his show along with a Larry King interview and recent highlights of our entertaining in “Showstoppers.”
Is there a man who could be a director and teacher for countless young women of ambition and changing hormones and never lose his cool? Yes! His name is Lee Hale. Being two of “The Golddiggers” from 1973 and until 2003 (with a few years off in between), we had the opportunity to see the enormous respect Lee Hale earned from the show business community and from celebrities. We never once saw Lee lose his patience. He was always open to listening and would be generous with advice that would be both truthful and supportive. As the musical director and a producer of Dean’s TV Shows and Specials, he remained humble and kind, Lee was the person who made us, and all of Dean’s guest stars, feel comfortable.
Lee was a performer himself, so we knew he understood us as performers. He was also a gifted writer who wrote clever musical material for Dean Martin’s TV Shows and for “The Golddiggers” shows. He knew how to bring the best out of each girl by finding a special song that would make her shine. Lee had great musical instincts! Like an Uncle or a Dad, he had a genuine caring and supportive attitude. Lee Hale is the person responsible for bringing the Golddiggers act through several decades. He always believed in our singing abilities and he gave us challenging, showstopping material that grew us into leading ladies. In addition to our television appearances, we were a popular Las Vegas opening act that worked regularly for Dean Martin and many other stars until Dean’s retirement.
Lee Hale, still is a talented singer and songwriter. He was fantastic in our ‘Showstoppers’ “Golddiggers Reunion Show” with his original song, “Prostate Blues”. It brought the house down. He is our mentor and friend. Today, we are proud to be standing along side this versatile man as writers sharing our individual stories about Dean Martin and friends in our books. We are very grateful to him for the contributions he made to our book, “Beyond Our Wildest Dreams.”
Lee, we are so blessed to have had you in our lives! Happy Birthday Lee!! With love, Maria Lauren and Linda Eichberg (Alberici Sisters)
Alberici Sisters with Lee Hale at a recent book signing together
Excerpt from “Beyond Our Wildest Dreams”
“Lee Hale, Musical Director, The Dean Martin Show: Greg (Garrison) was always good to me because he kept upping my salary every year. I didn’t have any problem with him, he made it easy as far as The Dean Martin Show went because he never came around to rehearsals. Basically I put that show and the Golddiggers’ show together myself, just myself and the choreographer…
By the ninth season we were shooting on Saturdays. I would start on Monday putting together all the music for the show and deciding who was going to do what. Then on Tuesday we usually got our first guests in for rehearsal and they would rehearse Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Friday we had a run through with all the staff, the cameramen and everybody involved in the show who hadn’t seen our rehearsals. And then on Saturday we were in the studio and we did all the camera work ahead of time and then the orchestra rehearsal was three hours in the afternoon. Greg’s motto was “We’re not making records” so we couldn’t go past that three-hour period. And I don’t think we ever did, we had to rush things along. The best part of it was, the writers and any agents or managers were not allowed at rehearsals so we just had the guests and us. The guests were always on their best behavior because they wanted to be part of a hit show so they didn’t give me any trouble…” copyright, Beyond Our Wildest Dreams 2012 – 2013
What are the odds? Two brothers are coaching the dueling teams in the Super Bowl game. The San Francisco 49ers coach, Jim Harbaugh competes against the Baltimore Ravens coach, John Harbaugh.
Musically, the Super Bowl started with a touching rendition of “America the Beautiful” by the Sandy Hook Elementary School Choir with Jennifer Hudson taking the lead to give it a gospel feel. Then, Alicia Keys gave a respectful rendition of the ”National Anthem” with a touch of jazz influence using just her voice and piano. The half-time was spectacular starring Beyonce. The production had an abundance of flashing lights, special effects and ‘girl power’; shortly after there was a power outage.
When the lights were all turned on, Baltimore took the win, a sweet victory for Raven’s star linebacker, Ray Lewis, who after 17 years is retiring. At the game conclusion, the brothers spoke the words, “I love you… congratulations.”
Love goes deep in families and sibling rivalry is natural but the competition can help us to be the best we can be.
~~~
Excerpts from “Beyond Our Wildest Dreams”
Maria and Linda: “What are the chances? The odds certainly were against us but out of thousands of young women, two humble girls from a family of nine children were chosen to be featured singers and dancers on The Dean Martin Comedy Hour.”
Dean Martin with The Alberici Sisters: Linda Eichberg & Maria Lauren
Maria and Linda: “Working with Dean was a safe haven for us and we continued performing with him until he retired in 1991.
Those were the happiest of times. We also felt Dean’s profound loss as he dealt with the tragic death of his son and we were there when Dean shared the details of his falling out with Frank Sinatra.
Looking back, it was a blessing to have each other to share this journey. There were many more adventures to challenge us and surprises beyond our wildest dreams but those are stories for another day.”
~~~
My sister, Linda Eichberg and I had the good fortune to entertain with super star legends as The Golddiggers and open for Dean Martin in Las Vegas until his last years before retirement. Dear to our hearts are the times in between our performances. We were like family sharing laughs, sorrows and tender moments.
Wishing you joyful moments. ~ Maria Lauren (aka) Maria Elena Alberici – Riccio
The Golddiggers on Dean Martin’s Red Hot Scandals of 1926 (Part 1) – left to right: Patti Pivarnik Gribow, Maria Lauren & Linda Eichberg (Alberici Sisters) Robyn Whatley, Peggy Gohl Stucker, Joyce Garro
Excerpt from BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS…
L.A. Times, November 6, 1976: “The music, fashions, and humor of the mid-1920s will all be featured on Dean Martin’s first special of the season, Dean Martin’s Red Hot Scandals of 1926, Monday, Nov. 8 from 10 to 11p.m. Appearing with Dean are Jonathan Winters, Dom DeLuise, Abe Vigoda, Hermione Bedeley, Georgia Engel, Charlene Ryan and the Golddiggers.”
Linda: “The special opened with a row of antique cars pulling up to a beautiful theater as we sang ‘Red Hot Scandals of 1926.’ We purposely sang in the jazzy style of the 1920s using high, thin voices. We sounded just like the ladies in the Gold Diggers movies from the 1930s.”
Maria: “…In one scene, Dean Martin joked individually with each of us and we all did a little singing solo spot too. We had a blast doing ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’ with Dean. During the song, I was right next to him and at the end of each musical phrase, we would bump hips. Greg Garrison loved to get candid reactions from Dean so all the girls caught on and started doing the same hip action all together. We were knocking Dean all over the place. The look on his face was amusing, to say the least.” – copyright 2012 – 2013
YouTube link to see music & comedy bits from Dean’s Special, “Dean Martin’s Red Hot Scandals of 1926” & Alberici Sisters performances –
Copyright, all rights reserved
Beyond Our Wildest Dreams 