Stephen Miller, the illegitimate child of Nosferatu and Joseph Goebbels, caused a stir the other day when he tweeted, “Watched the Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra Family Christmas with my kids. Imagine watching that and thinking America needed infinity migrants from the third world.”
He was mocked widely for holding up two sons of Italian immigrants as some epitome of American values. Many commentators noted that Sinatra was a particularly strong voice among entertainers in the civil rights era for both minorities and immigrants.
You can watch the whole thing yourself on YouTube. If you were alive at the time it seems hopelessly hokey today, a combination of the Rat Pack buddies duetting through some tunes interspersed with segments featuring their daughters. It resembles most TV of the era, though Martin’s and Sinatra’s refusal to take any of it seriously makes it easier to take than, say, one of Andy Williams’ annual holiday specials.
But Miller wasn’t alive at the time, so like a lot of other people, I’m puzzled by what he saw in the pair’s easy camaraderie that reminds him he hates immigrants.
Martin and Sinatra worked together often, frequently in Vegas, and Sinatra occasionally guested on Martin’s variety show, which ran from 1965 to 1974 on CBS. In 1970 Martin hosted a New Year’s Eve prime-time special that gives a good idea of how they goofed their way through their duets. They’re particularly sharp on “I Get a Kick Out of You.”
