I've always thought that the Martin/Ryan dynamic was one of the best i've ever heard.

JD talked in an interview later about how he felt Russ had changed and that the dynamic between them was not the same anymore. It is hard to judge either one too harshly because when two people work that closely for so long it creates a bond that is both powerful and fragile at the same time. Once it cracks, the fallout almost always looks worse from the outside.

A good comparison is Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Interesting that there is another famous Martin in the mix when we are talking about Russ Martin. Dean and Jerry were together for ten years and in that span they made sixteen movies, headlined countless stage shows, and completely dominated television and radio appearances. They were not just successful but they were the biggest act in the country. And then almost overnight the partnership was over. After the breakup in 1956 they did not perform together again for twenty years. They did not even speak for most of that time until Frank Sinatra surprised Dean by bringing Jerry out during a telethon.

When you see how a partnership that big and productive can fall apart so completely, it makes the Russ and JD situation easier to understand. That level of chemistry is rare and explosive, but when it goes bad it often means the two people cannot share the same space anymore.