Tony Martin successfully fused pop and classical genres

MARTIN. Unfortunate choice of song.

One for the books: Tony Martin and prima ballerina Cyd Charisse’s marriage lasted 60 years! By Hollywood standards, that was a unique achievement. Cyd was first married to dancer Nico Charisse, while Tony was married to Alice Faye (“Alexander’s Ragtime Band”).

Martin was born Alvin Morries in 1912, formed his first band, The Red Peppers, in high school, then worked as an instrumentalist for Tom Gerum’s orchestra. Being good-looking, he was soon enticed to act in films, first appearing in 1936’s “Follow the Fleet,” followed by “The Farmer in the Dell.” Soon after he married Faye, his singing brought him to the attention of talent scouts.

Pop version

His biggest hit was “There’s No Tomorrow,” the pop version of “O Sole Mio.” In a career that spanned over 50 years, he successfully combined the pop and classical genres in his music and is best remembered for style and class.

Cover

Martin popularized songs like “South of the Border,” “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” and his cover of Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine” is considered the tune’s definitive version.

In 1956, he made “Hit the Deck” with Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds and Ann Miller. He popularized Alexander Borodin’s “Stranger in Paradise,” which also became a hit record for Vic Damone.

In the late ’40s and ’50s, he spent more time on the concert stage than in the movies. He was supportive of the flourishing career of his next wife, Cyd Charisse, who sacrificed stardom when she gave up the lead role in “An American in Paris” for motherhood.

During one of his musical tours around the world, Martin performed in Manila, with his beautiful, crowd-drawing wife in tow.

Ironically, he is also remembered for an accident that took place at the Friars Club’s Roast when Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were feted for their successful venture into television.

During that “roast,” comedian Harry Parke had just finished his comic routine when he had a heart attack. Emcee Milton Berle led the comedian to a seat and, to distract the audience, requested Tony to render a song. Unfortunately, the singer chose to sing one of his hit tunes, “There’s No Tomorrow,” which lent a morbid tone to the event – Parke died after Tony performed.