The last act was on July 24, 1956, and then, just like that, the Lewis and Martin era was over. The stars parted ways to pursue their respective solo careers. Lewis focused on writing, producing, and directing his own films.
Martin headed in his direction and furthered his success in his music as well as a film and eventually TV actor. Martin, who was very hurt, actually did a lot better on his own. Lewis, on the other hand, felt differently.
A Strained Relationship
By the early 50s, Lewis and Martin were a national sensation and touring the country. The offers started to roll in. Their appearance at the Paramount Theatre in New York made them a cultural phenomenon, and so they ventured into the next arena; movies. The two starred in "At War with the Army" (1950), "The Caddy" (1953), and "You’re Never Too Young" (1955).
For a while, the films perfectly captured the duo's hilarious stage acts, bringing their unique dynamic to the big screen. This, of course, meant more money, but with more money came more pressured, and the cracks began to appear.
Losing The Balance
Sadly, the winning streak eventually wore off, and soon Lewis and Martin found themselves at loggerheads with the formulaic scripts of Paramount Pictures. The movies became repetitive and failed to give any range to the two actors.
Tensions began to grow, especially when Martin's roles diminished and Lewis's roles garnered more and more acclaim. It got so bad that in a 1954 article in "Look" magazine, Martin was purposely cropped out of a publicity photo. The world clearly chose their favorite half of the act.
New Beginnings
Lewis had a string of films to his name, but on realizing that he was now a solo act, the comedian completely lost his confidence.
He would no longer have his trusted partner by his side, and that for the first time felt extremely scary. On top of that, the two weren't even speaking to each other.
Feeling Shaky
After the split, Lewis was famously quoted saying, "I was unable to put one foot in front of the other with any confidence. I was completely unnerved to be alone." His fear was put on full display one night when he and his wife Patti Palmer were out in Las Vegas.
There, he received an urgent request from his friend Sid Luft (Judy Garland’s husband and manager), saying that she (Garland) couldn’t perform that night because of strep throat. He begged Lewis to fill in for her. Resistant at first, Lewis went for it.