Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra with the “Ding-A-Lings” – New Year’s Eve 1970: A Swingin’ Send-Off to the Sixties
As the curtain closed on the 1960s, few celebrations captured the mood of the moment like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra’s unforgettable New Year’s Eve special in 1970. Broadcast in grand Rat Pack fashion, the televised event brought together two of America’s most iconic crooners, still in their prime, blending music, laughter, and mischief in the way only they could.
And joining them? The delightfully cheeky, ever-glamorous “Ding-A-Lings”—a troupe of female performers who added sparkle, sass, and playful choreography to the night’s festivities. Dressed in bold late-‘60s fashion and brimming with stage presence, the Ding-A-Lings danced and bantered alongside Dean and Frank, often becoming part of the joke, the act, and the celebration itself.
The special was a lively cocktail of swinging standards, classic duets, and spontaneous humor. Dean Martin’s relaxed wit, always just a beat behind his own punchlines, paired effortlessly with Frank Sinatra’s razor-sharp cool, creating an atmosphere that was part variety show, part nightclub act, and all charm. Their chemistry lit up the screen, and the camaraderie between them—years in the making—was as real as the martinis in their hands.
Highlights included musical numbers that mixed traditional favorites with jazzy New Year’s fare, skits that leaned into the duo’s Rat Pack reputation, and plenty of fourth-wall-breaking humor. The Ding-A-Lings weren’t just background—they were part of the fun, often the punchline or the chorus, helping to ring in 1971 with style and sparkle.
Looking back, this special stands as a time capsule of entertainment at its most relaxed, glamorous, and joyfully unscripted. In an era before highly produced, over-rehearsed programming, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra reminded audiences that New Year’s Eve was about letting go, enjoying the moment, and singing your way into the future—with a wink, a laugh, and a lot of heart.
For those who remember watching it live, or discovering it years later, New Year’s Eve 1970 with Dean, Frank, and the Ding-A-Lings remains one of television’s most charming farewells to a decade—and a perfect reminder that some things, like true charisma, never go out of style.
cuong