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.
Personality
Dinah Shore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said all the gentlemen "Obviously,"
"The madam has the cutest personality"
And think of all the books about Du Barry's looks
What was it made her the toast of Paree?
She had a well-developed personality
(What did Romeo see in Juliet?)
(Or Figaro in Figarette?)
(Or Jupiter in Juno?)
You know!
And when Salome danced and had the boys entranced
No doubt it must have been easy to see
That she knew how to use her personality
(A girl can learn to spell and take dictation well)
(And never sit on the boss's left knee)
(Unless she's got a perfect personality)
(A girl can get somewhere in spite of stringy hair)
(Or even just a bit bowed at the knee)
(If she can show a faultless personality)
Why are certain girls offered certain things
Like sable coats and wedding rings?
By men who wear their spats right?
(That's right!)
(So don'tcha say "I'm smart and have the kindest heart"
(Or "what a wonderful sister I'd be")
Just tell me how you like my
"Rufff!!
(Personality)
Baby, you've got the cutest
Personality!!
In Dinah Shore's 1946 song "Personality," the lyrics celebrate the importance of personality over physical appearance. The first stanza recalls the elegance of Madame de Pompadour on a ballroom floor and how her personality charmed all the gentlemen. In the second stanza, the singer asks the listener to imagine the qualities that Romeo saw in Juliet, or Jupiter saw in Juno. The final stanza talks about how Salome's personality, rather than her looks or dance, made her alluring to the boys. The chorus reinforces the idea that personality is what attracts people, saying that the listener has the "cutest personality."
Line by Line Meaning
When Madam Pompadour was on a ballroom floor
When Madam Pompadour was dancing in the ballroom
Said all the gentlemen "Obviously,"
All the gentlemen agreed
"The madam has the cutest personality"
Madam Pompadour had an attractive personality
And think of all the books about Du Barry's looks
Think about all the books written about Du Barry's appearance
What was it made her the toast of Paree?
What made her famous in Paris?
She had a well-developed personality
She had a great personality
(What did Romeo see in Juliet?)
(What did Romeo find attractive about Juliet?)
(Or Figaro in Figarette?)
(Or what did Figaro like about Figarette?)
(Or Jupiter in Juno?)
(Or what did Jupiter love about Juno?)
You know!
You get the idea!
And when Salome danced and had the boys entranced
And when Salome danced and mesmerized the boys
No doubt it must have been easy to see
It must have been easy to see
That she knew how to use her personality
That she knew how to show her attractive personality
(A girl can learn to spell and take dictation well)
(A girl can have good spelling and dictation skills)
(And never sit on the boss's left knee)
(And never sit too close to the boss)
(Unless she's got a perfect personality)
(Unless she has a great personality)
(A girl can get somewhere in spite of stringy hair)
(A girl with stringy hair can still achieve success)
(Or even just a bit bowed at the knee)
(Or even if she has a slight physical flaw)
(If she can show a faultless personality)
(If she can show an attractive personality)
Why are certain girls offered certain things
Why do some girls get special treatment
Like sable coats and wedding rings?
Like expensive coats and jewelry?
By men who wear their spats right?
By well-dressed men?
(That's right!)
(That's correct!)
(So don'tcha say "I'm smart and have the kindest heart")
(So don't say "I'm smart and kind")
(Or "what a wonderful sister I'd be")
(Or "what a great sister I'd make")
Just tell me how you like my
Just tell me if you find my
"Rufff!!
personality attractive!"
Baby, you've got the cutest
You have an attractive
Personality!!
personality!!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: W. BRAITHWAITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind