Tony Martin
Tony Martin
Born 25/12/1913 in San Francisco, California, USA

Alvin Morris, known professionally as Tony Martin, was an American actor and popular singer. His career spanned over seven decades, and he scored dozens of hits between the late-1930s and mid-1950s with songs such as "Walk Hand in Hand", "Stranger in Paradise" and "I Get Ideas". He was married to actress and dancer Cyd Charisse for 60 years, from 1948 until her death in 2008.

Alvin Morris, known professionally as Tony Martin, was an American actor and popular singer. His career spanned over seven decades, and he scored dozens of hits between the late-1930s and mid-1950s with songs such as "Walk Hand in Hand", "Stranger in Paradise" and "I Get Ideas". He was married to actress and dancer Cyd Charisse for 60 years, from 1948 until her death in 2008.

In his grammar school glee club, he became an instrumentalist and singer. He formed his first band, named "The Red Peppers," when he was in high school. After college, he went to Hollywood to try films. It was at that time that he adopted the stage name of Tony Martin.

On radio, Martin sang and was master of ceremonies on Tune-Up Time, with Andre Kostelanetz, on CBS in the early 1940s. NBC broadcast The Tony Martin Show, a 15-minute variety program. One of his guests was Dinah Shore. He was also a featured vocalist on the George Burns and Gracie Allen radio program.

In films, Martin was first cast in a number of bit parts, including a role as a sailor in Follow the Fleet. He eventually signed with 20th Century-Fox and then Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in which he starred in a number of musicals. Between 1938 and 1942, he made a number of hit records for Decca. In 1941, Martin received equal billing with the Marx Brothers in their final film for MGM, The Big Store.

Martin joined the United States Navy in 1942 as a chief specialist, the equivalent of a chief petty officer. He was dismissed from the service that year for "unfitness" after he testified at the court martial of a Naval procurement officer. He enlisted as a specialist after the officer twice failed to obtain a commission for him. Martin said that he had given the officer an auto worth $950 to "facilitate" his enlistment. At the time of his dismissal, the Navy said that removal for unfitness was not equivalent to a dishonorable discharge and "does not carry degradation."

After the war, Martin signed with Mercury Records, then a small independent label run out of Chicago, Illinois. He cut 25 records in 1946 and 1947 for Mercury, including a 1946 recording of "To Each His Own," which became a million-seller. It was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. This prompted RCA Victor to offer him a record contract, which he signed in 1947 after satisfying his contract obligations to Mercury. He continued to appear in film musicals during the 1940s and 1950s. His rendition of "Lover Come Back to Me" with Joan Weldon in Deep in My Heart – based on the music of Sigmund Romberg and starring José Ferrer - was one of the highlights of that film. He also starred as Gaylord Ravenal in the Show Boat segment from the 1946 film Till the Clouds Roll By. In 1958, he became the highest paid performer in Las Vegas, signing a five-year deal at the Desert Inn, earning $25,000 a week. In an unlikely pairing, Martin recorded for the Motown Records label in the mid-1960s, scoring a minor hit with the record "Talkin' To Your Picture."

Martin was a stockholder in the Parvin-Dohrmann Corporation, a hotel and casino company that owned the Flamingo Las Vegas.

External links

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0553149

Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q725874

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Filmography (Movies)

That's Entertainment! III

That's Entertainment! III

Character:(archive footage)

Release Date:01/07/1994

You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story

You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story

Character:Self

Release Date:23/07/1990

Dear Mr. Wonderful

Dear Mr. Wonderful

Character:Himself

Release Date:24/08/1982

That's Entertainment!

That's Entertainment!

Character:(archive footage)

Release Date:21/06/1974

Some of Manie's Friends

Some of Manie's Friends

Character:

Release Date:10/03/1959

The All-Star Christmas Show

The All-Star Christmas Show

Character:Self

Release Date:01/12/1958

Let's Be Happy

Let's Be Happy

Character:Stanley Smith

Release Date:07/05/1957

Quincannon, Frontier Scout

Quincannon, Frontier Scout

Character:Linus Quincannon

Release Date:01/05/1956

Meet Me in Las Vegas

Meet Me in Las Vegas

Character:Tony Martin (uncredited)

Release Date:09/03/1956

Hit the Deck

Hit the Deck

Character:Chief Boatswain's Mate Wm. F. Clark

Release Date:24/02/1955

Deep in My Heart

Deep in My Heart

Character:Performer in New Moon

Release Date:09/12/1954

Easy to Love

Easy to Love

Character:Barry Gordon

Release Date:26/11/1953

Here Come the Girls

Here Come the Girls

Character:Allen Trent

Release Date:22/10/1953

Clash by Night

Clash by Night

Character:Singer of 'I Hear a Rhapsody' (voice) (uncredited)

Release Date:30/05/1952

Two Tickets to Broadway

Two Tickets to Broadway

Character:Dan Carter

Release Date:20/11/1951

Casbah

Casbah

Character:Pepe Le Moko

Release Date:01/04/1948

Till the Clouds Roll By

Till the Clouds Roll By

Character:Gaylord Ravenal / Tony Martin

Release Date:05/12/1946

The Big Store

The Big Store

Character:Tommy Rogers

Release Date:20/06/1941

Ziegfeld Girl

Ziegfeld Girl

Character:Frank Merton

Release Date:25/04/1941

Music in My Heart

Music in My Heart

Character:Robert Gregory

Release Date:04/01/1940

Winner Take All

Winner Take All

Character:Steve Bishop

Release Date:29/03/1939

Thanks for Everything

Thanks for Everything

Character:Tommy Davis

Release Date:23/12/1938

Up the River

Up the River

Character:Tommy Grant

Release Date:09/12/1938

Kentucky Moonshine

Kentucky Moonshine

Character:Jerry Wade

Release Date:20/05/1938

Sally, Irene and Mary

Sally, Irene and Mary

Character:Tommy Reynolds

Release Date:04/03/1938

Ali Baba Goes to Town

Ali Baba Goes to Town

Character:Yusuf/Tony Martin

Release Date:29/10/1937

Life Begins in College

Life Begins in College

Character:Band Leader

Release Date:01/10/1937

You Can't Have Everything

You Can't Have Everything

Character:Bobby Walker

Release Date:02/08/1937

Sing and Be Happy

Sing and Be Happy

Character:Buzz Mason

Release Date:25/06/1937

The Holy Terror

The Holy Terror

Character:Danny Walker

Release Date:05/02/1937

Banjo on My Knee

Banjo on My Knee

Character:Chick Bean

Release Date:11/12/1936

Pigskin Parade

Pigskin Parade

Character:Tommy Barker

Release Date:23/10/1936

Sing, Baby, Sing

Sing, Baby, Sing

Character:Tony Renaldo

Release Date:21/08/1936

Back to Nature

Back to Nature

Character:Tom Williams

Release Date:14/08/1936

Poor Little Rich Girl

Poor Little Rich Girl

Character:Radio Baritone Soloist (uncredited)

Release Date:18/07/1936

Murder on a Bridle Path

Murder on a Bridle Path

Character:Man with Violet (uncredited)

Release Date:17/04/1936

Follow the Fleet

Follow the Fleet

Character:Sailor (uncredited)

Release Date:20/02/1936

Foolish Hearts

Foolish Hearts

Character:Singer

Release Date:27/12/1935

Television Appearances

Images

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