Childhood and rise to success
Born to Solomon and Anna Stein Shore, Jewish immigrants from Russia, she lived in Winchester, Tennessee. When she was two years old, she was stricken with polio (infantile paralysis), a disease that was not handled well at the time. Thankfully, her parents cared enough to provide intensive care for her, and she recovered and overcame the disease. However, she suffered from having a slightly deformed foot and limp, which did not physically impede her. She performed at a night club when she was only 14 years old.
When her mother died unexpectedly of a heart attack, Dinah went to Vanderbilt University, where she participated in many events and activities. She graduated from the university in 1938. She decided to get back into pursuing her career in singing, so she went to New York to audition for orchestras and radio stations. In many of her auditions, she sang the popular song "Dinah." When disc jockey Martin Block could not remember her name, he called her the "Dinah girl," and soon after the name stuck, becoming her stage name. She eventually was hired as a vocalist at radio station WNEW, where she sang with Frank Sinatra. She also recorded and performed with the Xavier Cugat orchestra. Eventually, she got her recording contract with RCA Victor records in 1940.
Career in the 1940s and 1950s
While recording on RCA Victor's Bluebird label, she released her first recording, "Yes, My Darling Daughter" and it became a major hit for her. Dinah's singing came to the attention of Eddie Cantor, and he signed her as a regular on his popular radio show, "Time to Smile", in 1940. Dinah credits him for teaching her self-confidence, comedic timing and the ways of connecting with an audience.
She was a featured vocalist on The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street and soon became a successful radio and music star with her own radio show in 1943, "Call to Music". Also in 1943, she appeared in her first movie, "Thank Your Lucky Stars". The movie starred Eddie Cantor, and she soon went to another radio show, "Paul Whiteman Presents". During this time, America had been actively involved in World War 2 and Dinah became a popular favorite with the troops, similar to the popularity of Bing Crosby. She was having major record hits, like "I will Walk Alone" and "Blues In the Night", one of her first of many number-one hits to come. To support the troops overseas, who adored her singing, she participated in USO tours to Europe. She met a young actor ready to go into military service named George Montgomery. They married on December 3, 1943. Despite their marriage, Montgomery soon went into service. When he returned from the service, they settled in San Fernando, California. In 1948, their first child was born, a daughter named Messina, and they also adopted a son in 1954 named John David and then moved to Beverly Hills.
Dinah continued appearing in radio shows throughout the 1940s. She performed in radio shows like "Birds Eye-Open House" and "Ford Radio Show". One of her most popular recordings was "Baby It's Cold Outside" with Buddy Clark. The song was covered by many other artists, Ella Fitzgerald for example. Other hits followed this success like "Buttons and Bows" and "The Gypsy". She was a regular with Jack Smith on his radio show on CBS, which ran for 15 minutes. She went into many more movies. As an actress, Shore appeared in many musical films, such as "Belle of the Yukon" and "Up in Arms" (both in 1944), and "Till the Clouds Roll By" (1946). She was also featured in numerous TV movies and series. She lent her musical voice to two Disney films: "Make Mine Music" (1946) and "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947). In early 1946, she moved to another label, Columbia Records. In 1950 she made her television show debut on "The Ed Wynn Show" and also made a guest appearance on Bob Hope's first television show. After being on many other people's television shows, she got her own, "The Dinah Shore Show" in 1951. She did two fifteen minute shows a week for NBC. She won her first Emmy for the show in 1955. The show was sponsored by Chevrolet automobiles. The sponsor's theme song ("See the USA in your Chevrolet") became the singer's signature piece. She continued to appear in Chevrolet advertising through the 1950s.
Later career
From 1970 through 1980, Shore hosted two daytime programs, "Dinah's Place" (1970-1974) on NBC and "Dinah!" (later "Dinah and Friends") in syndication from 1974 through 1980. On her show "Dinah!", she once had the misfortune of interviewing the comedian Andy Kaufman in his Tony Clifton guise. He took deliberate offense at her questions and eventually tipped a pan of eggs over her head. This happened live on the air in front of a huge TV audience and Shore's producers cut to an impromptu commercial as Kaufman was escorted out of the studio.
TV screenshot image
Shore, with her Dixie drawl and demure manner, was always identified with the South, and guests on her shows often commented on it.
Shore won nine Emmys, a Peabody Award and a Golden Globe.
Shore guest starred on "Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special", calling Pee-wee on his picturephone and singing "The 12 Days of Christmas". Throughout the special, Pee-wee walks past the picture phone, only to hear her going past the original 12 days ("...on the 500th day of Christmas...")
Personal life
Shore was married to actor George Montgomery from 1943 to 1962 and had a daughter, Melissa Ann (known today as Melissa Montgomery-Hime, executor of the Dinah Shore Trust and the owner of the rights to most of Shore's television series). Shore later adopted a son, John David 'Jody' Montgomery. After her divorce from Montgomery, she briefly married Maurice Smith. In the early 1970s, Shore had a long and happy public romance with actor Burt Reynolds, who was 20 years her junior. The relationship gave Shore an updated, sexy image, and took some of the pressure off Reynolds in maintaining his image as a ladies' man.
Death and legacy
Dinah Shore died in Beverly Hills, California of ovarian cancer at age 77 (5 days before her 78th birthday). Her ashes were divided and she has two burial sites. Half were interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California and the other half interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City) near her beloved second home in Palm Springs, California.
Shore's legacy resonates posthumously, with a 1998 album featuring the arrangement skills of Andre Previn combined with the re-releasing of some of her classic recordings like 'April in Paris', and 'My Funny Valentine', garnering moderate success.
I Thought About You
Dinah Shore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That out of sight is out of mind
Maybe that's so but I tried to go
And leave you behind, what did I find
I took a trip on the train
And I thought about you,
I passed a shadowy lane
Two or three cars parked under the stars
A winding stream
Moon shining down on some little town
And with each beam, same old dream
At every stop that we made
Oh, I thought about you
But when I pulled down the shade
Then I really felt blue,
I peeked through the crack
And looked at the track
The one going back to you
And what did I do
I thought about you
In "I Thought About You," Dinah Shore expresses the experience of missing someone even though you try to move away from them physically. The opening lines speak to the idea that when you are not physically present or seeing someone in your life, you tend to forget about them. However, even though she attempted to leave this person, she found that she still thought about them. The train journey, which is often a symbol of traveling or moving on, did not take her thoughts away from the person as she anticipated it would. Instead, she was reminded of them at every stop the train made. She was continuously reminded of the little things they shared, like stargazing, the moonlight, and their hopes and dreams.
The lyrics of this song depict a mixture of sadness, nostalgia, and romanticism. The use of imagery in the lines, "Two or three cars parked under the stars, A winding stream, Moon shining down on some little town," creates a sense of longing and wistfulness. The verse, "And what did I do, I thought about you," repeats several times throughout the song, emphasizing the idea that even though she attempted to forget and move on, she was ultimately unsuccessful.
Line by Line Meaning
Seems that I read, or somebody said
I heard a saying that went like this
That out of sight is out of mind
When something is not visible, it is likely to be forgotten
Maybe that's so but I tried to go
I attempted to forget about you
And leave you behind, what did I find
Despite my efforts, I couldn't stop thinking about you
I took a trip on the train
I went on a journey by train
And I thought about you,
Throughout my journey, you were constantly on my mind
I passed a shadowy lane
I traveled through a dimly lit street
And I thought about you,
You were still on my mind
Two or three cars parked under the stars
I saw a few cars parked outside under the night sky
A winding stream
A meandering body of water crossed my path
Moon shining down on some little town
The moon illuminated a small town that I passed
And with each beam, same old dream
Each ray of the moon reminded me of the same recurring dream
At every stop that we made
Every time the train halted
Oh, I thought about you
My thoughts were consumed by you
But when I pulled down the shade
When I closed the curtains
Then I really felt blue,
I became sad and emotional
I peeked through the crack
I took a quick glance through a gap
And looked at the track
I observed the railroad tracks
The one going back to you
The track that led back to you
And what did I do
What was my reaction?
I thought about you
I had you on my mind again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Van Heusen, Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Trombonology Erstwhile
Beautiful! Dinah's version is the only one I'm aware of that includes the verse.
Trombonology Erstwhile
@Darryl C Preston Wow, that's great! I just checked the channel and see that he's been extremely busy in uploading! Thanks for the update, Darryl, and I hope to see you in the prof's comment section.
Darryl C Preston
@Trombonology Erstwhile The 78 Prof is back AGAIN, and this time he feels it will be permanent.
Trombonology Erstwhile
@Darryl C Preston Many thanks for the news, albeit unfavorable. I just found the channel and read what I assume to be the most recent update, saying that he's permanently blocked from YT. What a ridiculous shame! ... And yet, I see his many postings are still up -- which i don't quite understand. YT works in ways incomprehensible -- to me, anyway.
I'm sorry to hear of Rick Colom's passing -- his name certainly was a familiar sight. ... This feels like the end of an era, all the way around.
All good wishes to you! -- I always enjoyed our musical-historical exchanges.
Darryl C Preston
@Trombonology Erstwhile Yes, he WAS back [as 78 Prof, and Rick Colom Collection] and was rebuilding those websites; when a second interdiction appears to have hit his releases about 4 days ago. It seems that YouTube doesn't give reasons for denuding the quality of their offerings.
Sadly, Rick Colom passed away early in May, after a long bout of cancer. I think that Bob was attempting to re-establish both sites, at least in part, as a tribute to his friend.
Note to Croonr 1: Sorry to be using your excellent site this way, but it was the only way I could contact TE.
Trombonology Erstwhile
@Darryl C Preston Hey, Darryl! Somebody who follows Prof on facebook told me recently that he was supposed to be back soon. I was thrilled to hear this, but your use of "struggles" makes it sound less certain. I hope everything works out -- I think those labels that were crying, "copyright infringement!" should have thanked Prof for bringing new attention to their "property."