Altogether now: "L-A-A-A-A-D-D-Y! Pretty L-A-A-A-A-A-D-D-D-Y-Y!!!"

Now that that's out of our systems, fans of Dean and Jerr won't want to miss tomorrow night's biopic, Martin And Lewis (9 p.m. on Global and CBS).

The made-in-Toronto TV movie stars Will & Grace spark plug Sean Hayes as Jerry Lewis, and British actor Jeremy Northam (Emma) as Dean Martin, the zany nightclub headliners who were the post-war decade's hottest act.

They flamed out in 1956 with a bitter feud that lasted pretty much until Martin died in 1995.

Since imitation is the sincerest form of television, imitating old stars must be the sincerest form of acting. Judy Davis set the standard incredibly high on Life With Judy Garland: Me And My Shadows a couple of years ago. Biopics on everyone from The Monkees to The Three Stooges to Jackie Gleason have followed, as the top personalities from the last century are plundered. Look for profiles of the two Coreys by the time this fad burns out.

The trouble with all these recreations is that no one could ever really match the charisma and special something that sets originals apart. Only Dean Martin could ever really play Dean Martin. Only Jerry Lewis could ever really play Jerry Lewis.

Having said that, Northam and Hayes give it an honest shot and the script, once it gets past the lumbering first 20 minutes, is pretty engrossing.

The classic, showbiz tale, full of giddy highs and lows, is loosely based on a tell-all biography by Arthur Marx, son of Groucho. Martin and Lewis literally stumbled into fame, thrown together in desperation in an attempt to get one decent act out of two nightclub hacks. Together, their chemistry exploded, with suave Deano crooning his way into the heart of every lady in the room and manic Lewis bringing out the 10-year-old boy in every man.

Hayes has an impossible task here in that no one could ever explain, capture or define what it was that made Lewis so appealing on stage. Basically, he was a jerk, always pulling the rug out from under Mr. Cool, Martin. Any attempt to recapture the spontaneous chaos of their early act just comes off as stupid and annoying.

Hayes comes closer in the more serious scenes. Lewis was tortured by his dad, a vaudeville flop who never missed a chance to put down his son. The older Martin, an enigma who was emotionally absent even to his wives, was a lousy daddy substitute.

Northam nails Martin's deep voice and sleepy-eyed casualness. He brings less baggage to the role than Hayes, who has the tougher job of making people forget Jack from Will & Grace.

To really nit-pick, however, both roles might have worked better with younger unknowns. But, then, would anybody watch?

The movie shows Lewis' troubling transformation from insecure clown boy to insecure prima donna. Whenever the easygoing Martin would break up a crew member with a brilliant bon mot, Lewis faked an attack. The childish need for attention starts to finally get to Martin, content for most of the decade to let Jerr be his meal ticket.

The bitterness finally spilled out on their final Colgate Comedy Hour TV appearance. Lewis' digs at Martin got ugly and personal and physical. It is a wonder Deano didn't arrange for one of Frank's friends to take him on a long vacation.

The movie ends with the famous split, which followed one last bittersweet run at New York's famed Copacabana Club.

Afterward, it was like the breakup of The Beatles. Fans mourned for years.

The movie ends with the typical, TV-movie "what happens next" synopses. Suffice to say that Martin & Lewis barely spoke again.

Not explained is that most pundits wrote Martin off after the split. Instead, he emerged a much bigger TV star. Lewis was a spectacular flop on TV but money in the bank at the box office throughout the '60s. The French think he's a god.

Martin And Lewis works to the extent that it made me want to look up one of the 16 films they made together. Note to TMN or Bravo or Showcase: Cue up a Martin & Lewis marathon soon.

Even the films, though, don't solve the riddle of the team. Their chemistry was as unique as the times, and as Martin And Lewis proves, even harder to recapture.


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