At the height of success, Rowan and Martin said ''every hero can become a bum''
Being a leading star on a successful series can have many perks, but playing a certain character can lead many fans to believe that the real person is the same as the one on-screen.
However, often, the actor is far different from the character they portray. That was the case for Dean Martin and Dan Rowan of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.
The comedy duo made huge waves in both the comedy scene and the TV industry during the 1960s and '70s. Laugh-In, like its two hosts, was a big deal for NBC. The series was known for its irreverent humor, innovative format and visual and musical gags.
Martin was the funny man. He was goofy, silly and the main driver of the series' zany humor. Rowan, however, was the "straight man" of the series. His role was to provide a contrast to Martin's antics and sense of humor.
According to a 1972 interview with The Miami Herald, Martin said both he and Rowan had failed to live up to the image of their characters on Laugh-In.
"I know several guys who spill more than Dean Martin drinks, but he still has this image of being a drunk," Rowan said. "It's the same with me. People assume I'm about to dash off to the nearest bar or discotheque."
Martin admitted that there was some truth to the character, but most of the quips, interests and issues were born out of the act and rehearsals.
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"We were never stand-up comics telling jokes," Rowan said. "I don't think we know a joke between us. We just talk. It all grew out of the act."
The iconic duo originally teamed up in the early 1950s. The pair of performers spent most of their career together. With over 20 years of working together, Rowan and Martin were used to being presented as one. However, many fans wondered who the real individuals were.
"We are friends but closeness depends on mutual interests and we have very few," Rowan said. "We have the same sense of humor and we agree completely on comedy. But we are different in character. Dick is inclined to be a great deal more optimistic than I am. We know comedy teams who practically live together. Their whole life is wrapped up together. It isn't like that with us."
"But people do expect us to get together all the time," Martin added. "They see me playing golf without Dan and they say: 'Ah!' And another rumor about us breaking up starts."
There were many rumors published in newspapers between the 1960s and '70s about the comedy duo. Most often, rumors about the team breaking up would spread like wildfire.
According to the interview, Rowan and Martin had thought about breaking up only once or twice throughout their career. This was mainly due to economic reasons early on when the money and success was much further away.
After the success of Laugh-In, the days of threatening to break up were long behind them. Despite feeling the success, Martin said they didn't feel secure.
"Entertainers are the public toys," Rowan said. "And the public can grow tired of their toys very quickly. On our way up we saw an awful lot of people going down and it has become second nature to us to feel that every hero can become a bum."
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