Sir Real

While visiting the folks, we watched some episodes from their DVD collection of The Dean Martin Show, a variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974. This particular edition seemed to have been hamstrung by estate licensing, as it didn't feature some of the top-name guests Martin often drew, like John Wayne, Frank Sinatra and so on.

It did, however, feature a performance by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, the semi-psychedelic outfit with whom The Gambler made his first mark on the charts. After they played, Dean joined them to sing Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'" in a tag-team style that had them attempting to woo First Edition singer Mary Arnold.

Dean Martin and Kenny Rogers singing Hank Williams -- if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I might not have believed that turkey to have been completely cooked.