KICKING IT UP A NOTCH: One-time Dingaling Sisters Michelle DellaFave (left) and Lindsay Bloom (right) step lively as they perform “These Boots Are Made For Walking”, bringing crowds to their feet and coming back for more.
Being the daughter of one of the most famous entertainers of the Twentieth Century, and making her national television debut on her father’s ABC series alongside guest star Elvis Presley, no doubt helped pave the way for Nancy Sinatra’s journey on the path toward stardom. But when she finally arrived at that destination, it wasn’t on papa Frank’s shoulders, but on her own two feet, propelled by a little ditty composed by Lee Hazlewood called “These Boots Are Made For Walking”, which kickstarted her recording career, and in early 1966, enabled her climb to the top of the Billboard Pop Chart.
Of such long-running appeal has that trailblazing number proven to be that not only has Nancy’s original version continued to tread the cultural landscape lo these many years, but quite a few other well-known performers have managed to gain traction with it, as well, including such latter-day artists as Jewel, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, and Jessica Simpson, who in 2005 strode her “Boots” to the No. 14 spot on the Billboard Pop Chart.
Staying in step with the current zeitgeist, while at the same time strolling down memory lane through the playlist of tunes that their audiences of Vietnam-era veterans and others long to hear, that always-on-the-go relay team of Dean Martin Show marathoners Michelle DellaFave and Lindsay Bloom tried on “These Boots Are Made For Walking” when they first formed their Blue Eyed Soul act a couple of years ago, and their fans instantly declared it a perfect fit. Their brisk rendition of the song has been kicking up a storm ever since, and was captured by a local TV station camera crew back in September, when the duo performed at an event to honor both veterans and active duty military personnel, held in Lincoln City, Oregon.
We’ll be providing a complete wrap-up of Blue Eyed Soul’s most recent activities in an upcoming report, but we thought we’d get a jump on that coverage right here and now by presenting the world premiere of the aforementioned “Boots” performance. Indeed, it makes sense in every respect, considering that Michelle and Lindsay are two gals who always seem to stay one step ahead of everyone else in everything that they do.
So take a walk with this pair, and see if you don’t agree that, like the fella once said, “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head?”
To play Michelle and Lindsay’s clip full screen, click the square button in the lower right-hand corner of the viewer:
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WADE IN THE WATER: Crossing the English Channel in the summer of 1970, The Golddiggers In London bridged the continental divide, offering Americans and Brits alike droll comedy, vibrant music, arresting beauty, and imaginative production numbers such as the one above casting several of the series’ stars as mermaids. Getting into the swim of things above are: Front row: Pat Mickey; behind her: Jackie Chidsey; to the right of Jackie: Tara Leigh; top row: Susan Lund; and just below and to the left of Susie: Michelle DellaFave.
Ahoy, mateys! You’ve pulled into just the right harbor for a little fun and adventure, as we dock our web-based vessel and invite you aboard to enjoy both a mini-pleasure cruise down memory lane and a quick swing around a few more recent ports of call with some of those jaunty lasses who first sailed off with our hearts as members of Dean Martin’s Golddiggers and Dingaling Sisters.
It was actually a few weeks back, whilst manning our sister schooner, the ol’ GoldsAndDinghy (better known as the GoldsAndDings Group), that a discussion of all things aquatic led to the dredging up of some buried treasure from the past, with much of it recovered by one of our most cherished maritime maidens, the magnificent Michelle DellaFave.
A couple of the relics that surfaced, shown here above and below, depicted some of the cast members of The Golddiggers in London as undulating undines who could surely sidetrack any ship of sailors on which they set their sights. Other gems that washed ashore may be a bit more at home on dry land, but for all of you fans of these gals, they’re nevertheless guaranteed to float your boat.
SEA CRUISE: Diving into their roles as mermaids are (above) Michelle DellaFave (left) and Susie Lund (right). How did Jacques Cousteau ever overlook such jewels?
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SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA: Back on terra firma, circa 1971-72, Michelle and two of her Dingaling Sisters, Taffy Jones (to the right of Michelle), and Tara Leigh (far right) confer with legendary showman Bob Hope, with whom The Dings performed on a number of occasions. By the way, not only did Hope live to be 100, but his beloved wife of more than seven decades, Delores Hope, just a couple of weeks ago celebrated her own centennial birthday.
o SEA OF LOVE: (above) The early Seventies were a special time in the lives of these ladies (l. to r.: Taffy, Michelle, And Tara), as The Dingalings enjoyed not only a special rapport with their audiences, but — working together as often as they did — a close-knit bond with each other, as well.
o SEA OF TRANQUILITY (AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF WAR): Tara flashes the international symbol of peace, as she and Michelle get ready to join the other Dingaling Sisters on stage to entertain the troops, as part of Bob Hope’s 1970 USO Christmas tour of American military bases around the world.
Even as much of the rest of the world has undergone a sea change over the last three-and-a-half decades, the enduring appeal of The Golddiggers and The Dingaling Sisters has remained steady as she goes. Nowhere is that fact more evident than among two offspring of those all-girl groups who’ve not only managed to stay as shipshape as ever, but who also continue to crisscross the country, entertaining Veterans and other audiences, as members of the first act spawned by The Golddiggers and Dingalings in the 21st century — Blue Eyed Soul.
Since the beginning of 2009, the tide has been running high and the current flowing smoothly for onetime Dean Martin Show regulars Michelle DellaFave and Lindsay Bloom, as they’ve played concert dates in three separate locations within just the last two months.
Their trip to Phoenix in early April was an especially gratifying one for Lindsay, as it presented the opportunity for her mom and her brother to see her perform live on stage for the first time in well over thirty years.
But no less rewarding for both Lindsay and Michelle was the chance to once again bring their patented blend of joy, humor, nostalgia, and inspiration to an audience of vets and others at the VA Medical Center in Phoenix — and again a few weeks later, in visits during the month of May to entertain appreciative fans in Newport, Oregon and Fargo, North Dakota.
BY THE TIME THEY GOT TO PHOENIX: Michelle and Lindsay were given a warm welcome by the crowd gathered to see them perform at the VA Medical Center in Arizona’s capital city. o
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SHE’S GOT THE FUNK: And this time brought it to some younger volunteers from the audience, thus introducing a fresh flock to “The Funky Chicken”. o
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ROOM SERVICE: As always, in addition to appearing on stage before large crowds, the gals lend a personal touch by visiting with individual vets, and for those not well enough or physically able to make it to their shows, treating them to a special performance put on just for them. o
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o AWARDS SHOW: Already the recipients of numerous honors from Veterans organizations for their dedicated efforts on behalf of Vets, Michelle and Lindsay were recognized once again while in Phoenix, this time at the direction of Bill Messer, Arizona State Council President for the Vietnam Veterans of America (pictured with the girls above). Below, the ladies are decorated at the conclusion of their concert. o o
o FAMILY REUNION: One of the sweetest parts of the Phoenix trip for Lindsay was the chance to perform live for her mother and brother for the first time in over three decades. That’s Lindsay’s mom, Jeri, pictured above between her daughter and Michelle, with Lindsay’s brother, Wes, on the far right.
FIVE DINGALING SISTERS??!!: Here’s a measure of how long these folks’ lives have been intertwined: When Lindsay’s mom met up with her daughter and Lindsay’s sister Dings to join the girls’ boss at the 1973 Dean Martin Tucson Open, they all looked so good together that one couldn’t be blamed for thinking The Dingalings had taken on a fifth partner. (below, l. to r.): Lindsay, Jayne Kennedy, Helen Funai, Lindsay’s mom, and Michelle. o
BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND: The winds of change were in the air — literally — as the gals performed their closing numbers in Phoenix for the first time in black gowns. But not even the sometimes stiff gusts in the Valley of The Sun could overwhelm the spirit of the occasion. oo
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o WELL INVESTED: Arriving in Newport, Oregon, Michelle and Lindsay had their already richly adorned weskits notched with still another set of awards — Honorable Service Medals presented by the Veterans of Oregon. o
THE MEET AND GREET: From John Reed (above), executive with the Lincoln County Veterans Service Office……and Bill Bain (below), the Mayor of Newport. o o
STANDING TALL WITH OUR ARMED FORCES: The girls were joined by the 224 Engineer Company of the Army National Guard of Oregon, which has already completed one tour of duty in Iraq and is preparing to return for another. o
THEN THERE WAS ALL THE USUAL STUFF: Like getting ready in the dressing room…
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…signing autographs for fans… o
…doing The Funky Chicken…You know, just your average, ordinary day of activities (average and ordinary that is, if you happen to be two extraordinary glam girls, ever on the go and in demand).
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FLYING HIGH: While in Fargo, North Dakota to perform at the city’s famous Air Museum (above), Michelle slid into the cockpit of a UH-1 Iroquois helicopter (below), known during its heyday of service in Vietnam by its nickname, Huey — short for its original designation as HU-1 (helicopter utility). o o THE FELLA WHO BROUGHT THEM TO THE DANCE: That would be the lucky chap above, in-between Michelle and Lindsay — Dan Stenvold, State Pres. of the North Dakota Vietnam Veterans of America, a member of the national VVA’s Board of Directors, the Mayor of Park River, ND, and the man who scheduled Blue Eyed Soul’s appearance in Fargo. No wonder he’s smiling. o
EAGLE-EYED SENTRY: The girls mingle with Vets, as an eagle in the foreground looks on (yes, that’s a LIVE eagle!…Hey, we told you this all took place at an air museum, didn’t we?!).
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Now, if you’ve dipped a toe in the water by perusing all of the above and decided that you’d like to go a little deeper, there’s a way that you can get more than just your feet wet without getting in over your head. To really immerse yourself in hundreds of additional photos, as well as memorabilia and trivia covering The Golddiggers, The Dingaling Sisters, and Dean Martin from stem to stern — all without drowning in obligation or being swallowed up by even one drop of soggy spam — may we suggest enrolling in the GoldsAndDings Group. It’s easy, it’s free, you can either actively participate or just passively sit on the sidelines — and best of all, it’s oh-so-refreshing…just like a cool dip in the ocean. Simply go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GoldsandDings to get in on the fun.
And as long as you’re surfing the ’Net, why not ride the waves to Michelle and Lindsay’s own beachfront property, their Blue Eyed Soul website, where you can catch up on what they’re up to and what they have on deck for the future. You’ll find it all at http://www.MichelleAnd
Lindsay.com.
Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum.
Comments are always welcomed. To leave one, please visit the Comments section and look for the appropriate button a few paragraphs down from the top of the page.
RIGHT BACK WHERE THEY STARTED FROM: Michelle DellaFave (above right), whose first big break in show business came when she was selected to be one of The Golddiggers, and Lindsay Bloom (above left), who achieved her start in the industry when she was picked to join Michelle in The Dingaling Sisters, made a return pilgrimage this past December to the dream factory where it all began — sunny Southern California — for both an historic retrospective on their time with The Dean Martin Show and some fresh performances in connection with their current act, Blue-Eyed Soul. For a pair that many believe have discovered The Fountain of Youth, the backdrop above would seem to be as natural a place as any to commence the journey.
It was in the midst of a particularly brutal New York City winter in 1963 that a young singer-songwriter by the name of John Phillips, inspired by the longing of his new young bride Michelle for the warmer climes of her native Golden State, managed to distill his wife’s melancholy yearning into words and music that would in time reverberate throughout every hamlet in America and in virtually every corner of the world.
Two years after conceiving it, John and Michelle Phillips — joined by fellow musicians Dennis Doherty and Cass Elliot — recorded “California Dreamin’”, launching it as the debut release of their newly-formed act The Mamas and The Papas; and by early 1966, the single had vaulted to Number 4 on the Billboard Pop Chart, cementing both the group’s success and their maiden hit’s status as an instant pop classic.
Over four decades later, many of us find ourselves enduring a winter of discontent owing not just to the elements, but more pointedly, to the economy. So, on such a winter’s day, we thought it might help warm things up a bit to take a walk in the sunshine with those two balls of fire who could brighten almost any environs: Michelle DellaFave and Lindsay Bloom. This past December, they did more than just dream of California — they retraced some of their earliest roots there, and planted new ones along the way.
Before they Hit The Road To Dreamland (L.A., that is) on a stopover prior to their next concert for military veterans, the blonde, blue-eyed Dean Martin Show vets Had The Craziest Dream — fulfilling their long-held dream of a reunion with their other two “Sisters” from the valedictory class of Dingalings, Jayne Kennedy and Helen Funai. But would the logistics of such a get-together render this The Impossible Dream? Not with all four of them determined to make it happen.
REUNITED, AND IT FEELS SO GOOD: For the first time since 1973, all four members of the final group of Dingaling Sisters, who joined Dean Martin and other cast members each week during the 8th season of Dean’s series, got back together in one place, at one time, after each had gone on to flourish in successful solo careers. Pictured above at their December 2008 reunion: (left to right) Michelle DellaFave, Helen Funai, Jayne Kennedy, and Lindsay Bloom.
BELOW: The young quartet cuddles up with the old pro for their weekly medley during the 1972-73 season of The Dean Martin Show: (clockwise from left) Jayne, Lindsay, Helen, Michelle, and Mr. Cool himself.
And so, in a hotel suite in Los Angeles on a balmy Sunday in early December, four women who shared a very special sisterhood and a unique place in show business history came together for the first time in over 35 years. That fact alone would have made the occasion newsworthy, but adding to the significance of the gathering was that it assembled not only the final four Dings, but also, four of the all-time most famous alumnae of Dean’s series:
Michelle, one of the longest-serving, best-remembered and most-recognized members of both The Golddiggers and The Dingaling Sisters; Lindsay and Jayne, each of whom went on to headline dozens of feature films, guest-star on numerous TV programs, and become familiar faces as regulars on two widely-viewed CBS series — in Lindsay’s case, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, and in Jayne’s, The NFL Today; and Helen, who had already graced a slew of hit movies and television series before joining the Dings, and who continued to amass a long list of additional credits following her tenure on Dean’s show.
Yet from the moment when they first saw each other again that Sunday in December, all such notions of celebrity fell by the wayside, and what was left were just four longtime girlfriends reminiscing about the good old days and catching up on each other’s lives.
HAPPY TOGETHER: (above) Michelle and Lindsay welcome Helen… o
…Lindsay greets Jayne… o
…Jayne hugs Michelle… o
…Helen hugs Jayne… o
…Michelle poses with Helen… o
…and now that they’re all reacquainted… o
GOOD VIBRATIONS: A group huddle enables each of the “Sisters” the opportunity to reconnect with her Inner Ding (or something to that effect).
For nine hours straight — from 1:00 in the afternoon until 10 o’clock that night — they gabbed and gossiped, laughed and cried. Indeed, as they watched a DVD of some of their performances on The Dean Martin Show, both as a quartet and in harmony with Dean, Lindsay at one point glanced over at Jayne and saw her wiping away tears. Add in the fact that three of the gals were fighting off colds that day, and you can bet that between the sobs and the sniffles, the four of them gave the Kleenex box quite a workout.
But given the common bond that these gals shared at such a formative time in their lives, such an emotional outpouring all of these years later isn’t hard to comprehend, and plainly, the tears shed at this conclave were ones not of sorrow, but of joy, gratitude and mutual affection. For not only the ladies, but fans of The Dingalings and The Dean Martin Show, too, this celebration was a dream come true.
REELIN’ IN THE YEARS: Emotions run high as the gals take a trip down memory lane, watching a compilation of Dingaling Sisters numbers arranged by Lee Hale and choreographed by the late Ed Kerrigan, as well as an assortment of medleys with Dean, also, of course, arranged by Lee.
After it was over, Jayne and Helen returned home, and the two Blue Eyed Soulstresses proceeded to the next phase of their California trip — a visit to Bakersfield for two days of rehearsal and a couple of radio talk show appearances. Then, along with Manager Wes Guidry, they headed North to Sacramento to take part in events marking the 20th Anniversary of The California Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: The ladies in rehearsal. o
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL: Michelle and Lindsay met with California Assemblywoman Jean Fuller to exchange notes about their respective efforts on behalf of Veterans. o
DRIVING HOME THEIR POINT: The Blue Eyed Soul team makes rush hour traffic a little easier to bear for listeners of KNZR talk radio, as the duo enlivens the station’s airwaves during the afternoon/early evening commute.
Over the course of the Dec. 12-13 weekend, the girls toured the California State Military Museum, rode in a parade, and then on the grounds of the Memorial itself, attended ceremonies honoring those who had served their country in Vietnam. The interaction with the Vets and their families even extended to Michelle and Lindsay’s concert at the Friday night awards banquet, when the ladies brought a few “volunteers” from the audience on stage with them, as they made all of their earlier rehearsal time, plus years of performing experience, pay off in putting on the show of a lifetime for one and all present.
PUTTING COUNTRY, DUTY AND HONOR FIRST: The ladies draw notice wherever they go, but channel that energy right back into their cause, whether waving to spectators from the back of a restored Mustang convertible during the parade to the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial… o
…Stopping by the California Military Museum in the state capitol… o
…Exchanging bon mots with the Museum’s Chairman, retired Marine Lt. Col. Thomas Richards (left) and Thomas Johnson, Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs (third from left)… o
…Flanking Col. David Griffith, Commander of Army’s Freedom Team salute program… o
…Paying their respects at one of the Memorial’s monuments… o
…Conversing with a Vet, who related how much it meant to him to see Michelle and other members of The Golddiggers perform while he was stationed in Vietnam… o
…Or signing an Instamatic photograph of a USO performance that one Veteran preserved since he snapped the shot in Vietnam almost 40 years ago. o
SPARKLE AND SHINE: Blue Eyed Soul brought a heaping helping of glitz and glamour to the Friday night awards dinner that kicked off the ceremonies commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial. o
LEAVING ON A JET PLANE: During the course of their stage shows, Michelle and Lindsay not only transport their audiences back to an earlier era, but indeed sometimes appear to be taking flight themselves. Perhaps not so coincidentally, they recently added the 1969 Peter, Paul and Mary ode to air travel (in truth, of course, really a bittersweet lament about leaving a relationship and moving on, penned by John Denver and Ken Browder) to their catalog of ’60s songs. o
FEELIN’ THE FUNK: These days, when Michelle uncages The Funky Chicken — the number she first strutted out during the 1970 Bob Hope USO tour — she finds herself playing mother hen to a flock of volunteers from the audience whom she’s taken to calling the Funky Roosters. The latter brood may not always find their footing, but with Ms. DellaFave leading the way, the performance never lays an egg. o
FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF A LEGEND: Before leaving Southern California to participate in the 20th Anniversary of the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the onetime Dingaling Sisters paid homage to another great American institution — one with whom they worked side-by-side, week in and week out, on what many regard as the finest variety show ever produced. Visiting the walkway at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in the heart of Hollywood, where Dean Martin placed his hand and footprints and signed his name in March 1964 — just three months before his smash hit “Everybody Loves Somebody” would dethrone The Beatles from the top of the pop charts — Michelle and Lindsay must have felt a special sense of pride, knowing that of the thousands of visitors to this site each year, they are among a select few lucky enough to have shared the stage with one of the most versatile and revered entertainers of the 20th Century. o
Oklahoma — Where The Soul Comes Sweeping Down The Plain
It wasn’t long after the Christmas and New Year’s holidays that duty called once again, and Michelle, Lindsay and their Manager, Wes, were off to their next destination — this time, Oklahoma City, where they went with twin objectives in mind: entertaining and comforting patients at the local VA hospital, and outlining their mission to the individual State Council Presidents of the Vietnam Veterans of America.
The latter group was holding its annual conference in OKC, and part of Michelle and Lindsay’s job is to educate these state leaders about how their efforts benefit Vets, with any eye toward persuading the officials to bring the gals in to entertain at other local chapters.
Actions, of course, always speak louder than words — so after hearing the gals speak, the Presidents went to see them in action, joining the audience as Blue Eyed Soul pulled out all of the stops for a concert at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. But this one came with a twist: The girls added to their already-substantial repertoire a brand new medley of songs from the ’70s that included “Downtown”, “Top of The World”, “Somebody To Love”, and “What The World Needs Now Is Love”.
OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNIN’: Well, okay, it was really more toward the evening when Blue Eyed Soul’s concert program got underway at Oklahoma City’s VA Medical Center, but you’d never know it from either the composure of the gals or the enthusiastic response that they received. Even after a full day of addressing VVA officials and signing autographs, Michelle and Lindsay were fresh as daisies, ready and rarin’ to go, and their audience couldn’t have given them a more eager and welcome reception. o
THE SURREY WITH THE FRINGE ON TOP:Well, okay, we have to fess up again — there was no surrey, and we couldn’t even find any fringe. After all, while this may be Oklahoma, it’s also the year 2009. You just don’t see as many surreys as you used to. But riffing off the famed score of the Sooner State’s namesake musical proved hard to resist, so borrowing a page from the variety shows of yore that we all so adore, we composed some special lyrics to suit the occasion. With apologies to the estates of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II — and by extension, to Lee Hale, who does these adaptations better than anyone — here’s our admittedly pedestrian parody of “Surrey With The Fringe On Top”:
Vets get set for a treat from the kitchen
When Michelle takes the stage, pulses quicken
Then she serves them up The Funky Chicken — which they love…a lot!
Dancin’, prancin’, high-steppin’ kicks
Lindsay’s smooth moves have the crowd transfixed
Blue Eyed Soul are a pair of rockin’ chicks — that folks love…a lot!
(Okay, from now on, we’ll leave the special lyrics to the experts. We promise.)
As enthusiastically as Michelle and Lindsay’s performance was received, the State VVA Presidents — as well as the hospital patients themselves — had to be just as impressed that before the show started, the girls took the time to go around to the rooms of those patients too weak or ill to attend the concert, chatting with them and even singing a cappella for them. It’s a degree of dedication and personal involvement not only rare, but one of which Bob Hope, who brought The Golddiggers and The Dingaling Sisters on his USO tours in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and who always took his traveling party with him to visit wounded military personnel, would undoubtedly be tremendously proud.
JUST TWO GIRLS WHO CAN’T SAY NO (TO MAKING HOUSE CALLS, THAT IS): The blue-eyed Florence Nightingales administer therapy to the soul, as they make their rounds, infusing patients with a heavy dose of TLC. o o
Dreamtime
Two-and-a-half years after The Mamas and the Papas scored their first career breakthrough with “California Dreamin’”, “Mama Cass” Elliot kept the group’s fading dreams alive when she stepped into the spotlight with her dreamy, disarming rendition of the vintage pop ballad, “Dream A Little Dream Of Me”. The song first gained prominence in 1931, when a version by the now barely-remembered Wayne King and His Orchestra spent four weeks atop the national pop charts.
Through the years, the tune was covered by artists ranging from Ozzie Nelson (also in 1931) to Bing Crosby in 1957, with recordings by Frankie Laine, Doris Day and the Nat King Cole Trio, among others, in-between. Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald did it as a duet, and as Dean Martin aficionados know, the King of Cool delivered his own mellow take on the number in 1959 for his dream-themed Capitol Records LP, Sleep Warm (with the orchestra conducted by no less than the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra).
But it was in the heat of the turbulent, though in countless ways, exhilarating, summer of 1968 that Mama Cass’s tender, nostalgic interpretation of “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” bridged what was then a sizable generation gap to gently nestle its way into the hearts of music lovers of all ages.
In that same era, for many young women aspiring to make it Hollywood in the late 1960s and early ’70s, being chosen for one of the coveted spots in the lineups of The Golddiggers or The Dingaling Sisters was the stuff of which dreams were made. Likewise, for tens of millions of television viewers during this period, The Golddiggers and The Dingaling Sisters were the Dreamgirls of their day — and especially for all of the guys at home and serving their country abroad — they symbolized the girls of their dreams.
Those days are behind us now, but many continue to dream big — for instance, dreaming of the day when episodes of both The Dean Martin Show and The Golddiggers series will once again step out of our dreams and back onto our TV screens. And one should never lose hope on that score, for as another old song reminds us: “Things never are as bad as they seem…So dream…dream…dream.”
In the meantime, in other ways, the dream lives on, with happenings such as the recent Dingaling Sisters reunion, and as Michelle and Lindsay continue to follow their dream of bringing joy, hope, and comfort to audiences across the country.
And what fuels the dreams of those two dreamy lasses? Well, in an interview that they gave to Christian radio station KAXL during their swing through California back in December, the ladies spoke of their faith, their families, their fans…and of course, of their shared memories of working with Dean.
For anyone who might have wanted to catch that broadcast but didn’t have a chance, you needn’t merely dream of how it went, or count on only seeing the girls in your dreams. Because we captured it all, and This Time, The Dream’s On Us. So, for a few moments at least, just Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams, And Dream Your Troubles Away:
Michelle and Lindsay on KAXL:
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SOUND VISION: Michelle and Lindsay (above) spread the word on KAXL Bakersfield, CA, where they were interviewed by the station’s morning deejay, Dan Schaffer (pictured with them below) o
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The photos on display in the article above — almost all of which were taken by Blue Eyed Soul Manager Wes Guidry — represent only a portion of the more than 100 images from Michelle and Lindsay’s California and Oklahoma trips that can be found over at the the GoldsAndDings Group, under whose roof are also housed hundreds of additional shots of The Golddiggers, The Dingaling Sisters, and Dean Martin, many of which can’t be seen anywhere else. How can you partake of this photographic feast? Just go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GoldsandDings and you’ll see. Best of all, what awaits you is absolutely free to access, free of spam, and comes with no strings attached.
To stay abreast of all of Michelle and Lindsay’s upcoming appearances, as well as read more about them and see more of their pictures, don’t forget to visit their very own website at http://www.MichelleAndLindsay.com.
Comments are always welcomed. To leave one, please visit the Comments section and look for the appropriate button a few paragraphs down from the top of the page.
You say the recession is spoilin’ your holiday spirit?
You say Christmas just isn’t the same anymore without those good old-fashioned variety show specials?
You say almost nothin’ on prime-time TV is worth watchin’ these days?
You say you like readin’ about The Golddiggers and The Dingaling Sisters, and like lookin’ at their pictures, but you wanna see some action?
You say your mother-in-law’s comin’ over to visit and she’s bringin’ with her full-season DVD sets of Joanie Loves Chachi — and that’s NOT the kind of action you had in mind?
You say if you see one more mind-numbing reality show, you’re just gonna pull the covers over your head and stay there till they cancel every last one of ‘em?
You say if they don’t reissue every episode of The Dean Martin Show and The Golddiggers series pretty soon, you’re gonna throw your TV out the window and just sit and stare at yule logs burnin’ in the fireplace?
Is THAT what’s troublin’ ya, bunky?
Well then…
Because what we’ve done for ya here, cousin, is put together a little Christmas gift package of video clips that individually showcase both vintage and contemporary performances by those two merry members of The Dingalings who’ve been playing Santa Claus to military veterans and other audiences for over a year now as Blue Eyed Soul — Michelle DellaFave and Lindsay Bloom. And then we’ve put a little bow on top of the present, which you’ll find at the bottom of this post.
So to get the ball rollin’, point your mouse over the screens below and click, bunky, click!!!
(By the way, all of the clips below can be resized to full-screen by clicking on the square icon found on the lower right side of the viewers. To return to normal size, simply press the Escape (ESC) key on your keyboard.)
A Rosy Red Evergreen
Faithful visitors to the Super Site may remember that it was around this time last year that we first called attention to a television commercial that Michelle starred in back in 1976 for Red Rose Tea. At the time, we were able to offer only the soundtrack and a still photo from that shoot.
But in response to popular demand, Michelle searched for, and found, a 16mm print of the spot that she had saved over the years, and after we had it transferred to high-definition video and professionally restored, we’re now delighted to be able to present the full 30-second commercial for the first time anywhere in more than three decades. Even with the passage of time, however, we think you’ll agree that this little vignette — and indeed Michelle herself — remain as potent as that potent cup of tea about which she sings.
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Viva Las Vegas
After her stint with The Dingaling Sisters, Lindsay shifted her professional focus a bit and embarked upon an acting career, landing roles in television series, feature films, and commercials throughout the mid-to-late ’70s and 1980s. One such spot that she did was for the legendary Desert Inn resort and casino in Las Vegas. The main building of the hotel was demolished in 2001, but fortunately for us, Lindsay retained a copy of her Desert Inn commercial for all of these years, and that enables us to bring it to you now.
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One Singular Sensation
In addition to appearing in commercials, name talent is often hired by corporate sponsors to enliven presentations that are aimed at a specific, targeted audience. These productions are known in the business as industrials, and normally, they’re never seen by the general public.
But there’s a portion of one in which Lindsay took part — a collection of sketches designed to help showcase the new line of 1981 Pontiac cars to dealers across the country — that most definitely deserves a wider audience. Introduced here by comedian Norm Crosby, our erstwhile Ding proves that although, by this time, she might have segued into acting, she’d hardly lost a step with her terpsichorean skills, demonstrating spunk and spirit as a one-woman kickline in a well-known dance routine from the Broadway musical A Chorus Line.
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One Groovy Chick
It was in January 1970 that soul singer Rufus Thomas debuted the hit single “Do The Funky Chicken“, which rose to number 28 and number 5 on the Billboard Pop and R&B Charts, respectively. But when Michelle led The Dingaling Sisters in a sizzling Lee Hale arrangement of the song during Bob Hope’s 1970 Christmas tour, she made it her own.
Some 36 years later, Vietnam Veterans of America Executive Wes Guidry, who, as a young Army Sergeant stationed in South Korea, had watched from the audience as The Dings did their thing, brought Michelle back together with two of her original ensemble-mates for the first time in three-and-a-half-decades to reprise the “Funky Chicken” before an ardent crowd at the 2007 VVA Convention.
Since that time, Michelle has continued to perform the song as a solo number during her Blue Eyed Soul shows with Lindsay. And in the process, she has brilliantly reimagined it, decelerating the tempo ever so slightly, and updating the staging of it with the inclusion of yoga-like moves and some amusing interstitial patter — all with the result that it continues to pack a wallop with audiences of every age and stripe.
The clip below shows Michelle presenting the number this past summer to an audience at the VVA National Leadership Conference in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Two Red-Hot Mamas
As one might expect, most people have a particular fondness for music of the era in which they came of age, and Baby Boomers are no exception to that rule. So when Michelle and Lindsay entertain Vietnam Vets and other audiences of the same generation of which they themselves are a part, it’s natural that they would perform songs from ’60s and early ’70s.
One of the tunes from that period that’s become a regular element of their repertoire is “Joy To The World“, a number one hit for six weeks in a row on the Billboard Pop Charts when first released by rock group Three Dog Night in 1971.
Of course, the words and music to THIS “Joy To The World” are completely different than the traditional Christmas carol of the same name. But since both pieces share not only the identical title, but also, very similar messages, this selection from the Blue Eyed Soul road show — again taken from their engagement last summer in Greenville, SC — would seem to be as appropriate as any of Michelle and Lindsay’s duets to show at this time of the year.
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What’s New Pussycat?
We’re not sure whether this next-to-last part of our holiday feature will have nine lives, but after this writing, it certainly will have had at least two.
When we first encountered this item several weeks ago on the Internet, we have to admit that it gave us a bit of (ahem) paws. After scratching below the surface, we confirmed that what we saw was indeed purrfectly on the level, and, knowing that it would be catnip to fans of The Dingalings, we reported it on the message board of our sister site, the GoldsAndDings Group.
Since then, the fortunes of a couple of the little protagonists in this true-life yarn have changed — all for the better, we’re happy to note. So rather than being catty about it and bringing just the members of GoldsAndDings up to speed on these latest developments, we thought we’d let the cat out of the bag, and spread the good news to all of those who like to frolic here at the Super Site. We think it’s a tale (or should that be tail?) that will please even the most finicky amongst you. Click the kitty pic below to find out:
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Home For The Holidays
Finally, on behalf of The Golddiggers Super Site and all of the members of the GoldsAndDings and Dinopallies Groups, we want to wish all of our friends and supporters, and those of good will everywhere:
A Very Merry Christmas
and
A Happy, Healthy New Year
Gathered around Dean, clockwise above, are the final four Dingaling Sisters: Michelle DellaFave, Lindsay Bloom, Helen Funai, and Jayne Kennedy.
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Comments are always welcomed. To leave one, please visit the Comments section and look for the button a few paragraphs down from the top of the page.
SOMEDAY WE’LL BE TOGETHER: (above) Michelle DellaFave (left) and Lindsay Bloom (right) Get Ready for another singing engagement. The pair, who set off a Heat Wave as two of The Dingaling Sisters on The Dean Martin Show in the early ’70s, continue to live out their dream of performing again as a team, most recently at last month’s Veterans Day Parade in Detroit (below). o
Soul music is hardly new to Detroit. After all, it’s the city where elements of soul, rhythm & blues, and pop melded to form a unique and innovative sound that would sweep across the United States and find its way into every corner of the world throughout the 1960s and ’70s — the sound that would earn Detroit the nickname “Hitsville, USA”, turn Berry Gordy’s Motown Records into a multimedia empire, and that label’s roster of hot young artists into legends.
But this being The Golddiggers Super Site, it probably won’t surprise our readers to learn that the soulful visitors to Detroit to whom we refer in the title of this piece happen to be of the blonde, blue-eyed variety — as represented by the two alumnae of The Dean Martin Show’s Dingaling Sisters, Michelle DellaFave and Lindsay Bloom, who are now cultivating a loyal following of both past fans and new admirers under the moniker of their present-day act, Blue Eyed Soul.
It was just a few short weeks ago that the pair made their latest stop along the comeback trail, rolling into the Motor City and driving the crowd there wild as the star attractions at a Veterans Day Parade organized for the third year in a row by the Metropolitan Detroit Veterans Coalition.
AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH to keep Michelle and Lindsay from not only entertaining Vets and other devotees, but also, rubbing elbows with them.
Both active duty and retired military personnel from all branches of America’s armed services, as well as a healthy throng of patriotic civilians, lined the parade route in downtown Detroit, which began at Grand Circus Park and wound up at Cadillac Square. There, a variety of speakers, including the city’s new Mayor, Kenneth Cockrel, Jr., held forth. And then the Rolls-Royce of beauty, grace and talent — Michelle and Lindsay — topped off the event with their awe-inspiring renditions of the Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America.
I HEAR A SYMPHONY: Every time Michelle and Lindsay duet on the National Anthem and “God Bless America”, eyes well up, and “a thousand violins fill the air”. Beauty Is Only Skin Deep, but thankfully, these two have the talent to match their good looks.
Later on, as they’ve done so many times in the past, the ladies of Blue Eyed Soul also took time out to remember those whom many in society regrettably tend to forget — hospitalized veterans. At a stop at Detroit’s VA Medical Center, the girls put on their whole show for Vets, staff, and other attendees, replete with costumes, as well as backing tracks and visuals provided by the group’s Manager, Wes Guidry.
THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO: That’s what fans love about Michelle and Lindsay, and here they are above, doing what THEY love and do so well— bringing entertainment and joyful spirit to an appreciative audience at the Detroit VA Medical Center. o
REACH OUT, I’LL BE THERE: You Can’t Hurry Love, but Michelle and Lindsay always have plenty of it to give to Veterans at VA Hospitals who’ve given so much to their country and to the world. No wonder the Vets always tell them, “I Want You Back,” and audiences of all stripes Second That Emotion.
Eventually, those who haven’t yet been fortunate enough to catch Michelle and Lindsay in person will have a chance to see them perform on their forthcoming DVD. But in the meantime, to give their fans just a fragmentary idea of how they are moving audiences wherever they go, we offer the following short excerpt from some amateur footage that was captured at the Detroit Veterans Day parade by a South Vietnamese Veteran of the Vietnam War, now living in the U.S.
To be sure, this is raw, unedited video, but we believe that the stirring, powerful emotion of the moment comes unmistakably through nonetheless:
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It’s no secret that Detroit is a metropolitan area that has seen more than its share of troubles in recent months. But the sense of optimism, community, and pride among all of those on hand at the city’s Veteran’s Day festivities this year — aided in no small measure by Michelle and Lindsay’s welcome presence there — made it clear that there is a hope for, and a determination to strive for, a brighter, a more peaceful, and a more prosperous future.
GOING TO A GO-GO: After a hard day’s work, our two Dancing Machines took advantage of the opportunity to Boogie Down at a local jazz club.
Learn the latest on what Michelle and Lindsay are up to, and see numerous photos of them — both past and present — that you won’t find anywhere else, by visiting their website at http://www.MichelleAndLindsay.com.
And for more of not only Michelle and Lindsay, but all of The Golddiggers, Dingaling Sisters, and Dean Martin, too, come to GoldsAndDings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GoldsandDings.
Comments are always welcomed. To leave one, please go to the Comments section and look for the appropriate button a few paragraphs down from the top of the page.
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR: Michelle DellaFave (left) and Lindsay Bloom (right), who first bonded as Dingaling Sisters on The Dean Martin Show in the early 1970s, and remain Blue Eyed Soulmates to the present day, are seen getting ready to pay a call on the folks at the Mary E. Walker House, one of several destinations on the gals’ itinerary during their recent trip to Pennsylvania.
Traditionally, when one thinks of such legendary female singing- and-dancing troupes as The Golddiggers and The Dingaling Sisters, what likely leaps to mind are images of beauty, glamour, and opulence, and of the ladies sharing the stage with stars on the order of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Hope.
So it naturally follows that these kinds of tony images would be exactly the type that one would readily associate with two of the most prominent and elegant exemplars of the Golddiggers/Dingalings ideal — Dean Martin Show alumnae Michelle DellaFave and Lindsay Bloom. Indeed, those two baronesses of style and sophistication, both onstage and off, would be the first to acknowledge that they have been blessed many times over in their lives.
During their tenure on The Dean Martin Show, and in the years both before and since, they’ve traveled in some of the loftiest circles of show business and enjoyed a hearty taste of la dolce vita.
Each broke into the entertainment industry at a relatively young age, with talent, looks, poise, and charm that earned them plum spots early in their careers on the high-visibility perch of prime-time television.
Subsequent pursuits enabled them to expand their creative horizons and achieve further success, and each gal eventually went on to start and raise her own family. As is true for everyone, Michelle and Lindsay have experienced heartaches and tragedy as well as triumphs and joy; but on balance, life seems to have dealt each of them a pretty favorable hand.
So when they decided nearly a year ago — more than three-and-half decades after last working together as part of the final set of Dingaling Sisters — to reunite professionally under the banner of Blue Eyed Soul, they wanted this new chapter in their lives to be something more than just a rerun — that is, to go beyond merely a return to playing Vegas or trying to rebottle the same formula that proved popular in the past. After all, they had already reached the summit of their field, on television and on tour.
At this stage, they felt that it was the right time to take their accumulated skills and give back something of themselves to those who’ve given so much for their country. Needless to say, they’ve more than fulfilled those good intentions, performing for months now in front of packed audiences of Veterans and their families, in addition to members of the general public, as chronicled here on The Golddiggers Super Site and on Blue Eyed Soul’s own website.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The grins seem to grow broader with each successive outing, as Michelle, Lindsay and their Manager, Wes Guidry, continue to bring warmth, smiles and entertainment to Veteran and civilian groups around the country, upholding the heritage and fond memories that people have of The Golddiggers, Dingaling Sisters, and Dean Martin everywhere that they go.
Recently, guided once again by their Manager, Wes Guidry, Michelle and Lindsay embarked on another mission, this time reaching out to Vets living under challenging circumstances — some who are trying to heal, some who are no longer able to care for themselves, and some who ran into misfortune in their lives after their active duty ended, but who are now seeking a fresh start.
Ground zero for this latest undertaking by the girls was the VA Medical Center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The first stop was an auditorium on the hospital grounds known as “The Great Hall”, where the Blue Eyed duo was greeted by a large and enthusiastic crowd of patients, their families, staff and other attendees. Next up was a 3-song mini-concert in the dining hall for Vets residing in the medical center’s nursing home facility.
GOD BLESS AMERICA: Michelle and Lindsay perform their standard closing number in the Great Hall auditorium of the Coatesville VA Medical Center. This tour, as with previous ones headlined by the ladies, was underwritten by the Veterans Support Foundation, with sound equipment provided by HBO.
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FLY LIKE AN EAGLE: (above) Michelle and Lindsay proudly show off Marine Corps logos with their names emblazoned on them, presented to them by Larry Zok (below), the USMC Vet who organized August’s Marine Helicopter Assn. Reunion, where the girls played to an overflowing crowd of 1,500+.
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RHODA MORGENSTERN, PLEASE COME TO THE COURTESY DESK — WE’VE FOUND YOUR BANDANAS: Michelle and Lindsay take their audiences on a magic carpet ride back in time and bring joy to their world.
But it was the final leg of the journey that perhaps touched Michelle and Lindsay the most — a visit to the Mary E. Walker House, a transitional residence for homeless female Veterans.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: The Blue Eyed Soulstresses flank Marsha Four, a Vietnam Veteran and the program director of homeless services at the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center, which runs the Mary E. Walker House, a transitional housing center for women at the Coatesville, Penn. VA Medical Center.
At each of their three appearances in Coatesville, Michelle and Lindsay went well beyond making the usual celeb rounds, spending a considerable amount of time not just signing autographs, but also chatting with and comforting those whom they met.
At Walker House, however, they went even further, engaging in a group discussion with some of the residents and hearing first-hand about the experiences that brought them to where they are.
Through it all, Michelle and Lindsay found in these women the sort of grit that no doubt motivated them to join the military, and a determination to overcome their present hardships and get back on their feet. In turn, the residents seemed genuinely moved by Michelle and Lindsay’s interest in them, and curious about how the two performers had dealt with difficulties in their own lives. As might be expected, the inspiration seemed to flow in both directions.
Said Marsha Four, who served America as a nurse in the Vietnam War, and today heads up homeless veterans services for the organization that runs Walker House:
“Many of the veterans who attended the Blue Eyed Soul concert came with past life experiences and needs beyond imagination. They have lived in deep dark places in their minds and souls for a very long time. Their level of stress and anxiety is quite severe in some cases, often to the point of debilitation. These few hours were a true escape for them. You could see it in their eyes. This day will be one they remember for a very long time.”
DREAMS BROKEN IN TWO, CAN BE MADE LIKE NEW: Marsha Four (above, second from left, in the red sweater), Director of Walker House, stands with some of the residents and staff of the facility, which is situated amid picturesque greenery, and can currently accommodate 30 residents at a time.
Yes, the women of Blue Eyed Soul have had it good: A glorious legacy, renascent careers, an album coming out soon, and a DVD on the way, too. They embrace their success and their good fortune as much as anyone should or would. But they also know that fortune can be capricious and won’t prove satisfying in the long run unless it’s accompanied by making a difference in the lives of others upon whom fortune may not have smiled so graciously.
Fortunately for all of us, hope, compassion and humanity are qualities that — along with their talent and beauty — Michelle DellaFave and Lindsay Bloom have in abundant supply.
Poor, no one is poor…As long as love is sure…On the Street of Dreams.
To learn more about the Mary E. Walker House, and read the affecting personal stories of some of the women residing there, Michelle and Lindsay encourage their fans to take a look at these items:
Dozens of additional photos from Michelle and Lindsay’s recent trip to Coatesville, PA, as well as hundreds of other shots of their previous engagements, vintage pictures of The Golddiggers, The Dingaling Sisters and Dean Martin, and exclusive links to audio and video clips not available anywhere else, can all be found in only one location: The GoldsAndDings Group. It’s free to join and entails absolutely no obligation, so for those who might be interested, here’s how to enroll:
Comments are always welcomed. To leave one, please visit the Comments section and look for the appropriate button a few paragraphs down from the top of the page.
MR. WONDERFUL — THAT’S YOU: (above) Lee Hale’s screen credit on a 1972 episode of The Dean Martin Show; and (below) as it appears on the 29 volumes of The Best of The Dean Martin Variety Show collection, for which Lee handpicked all the segments.
TOP: A replica of the emblem used to showcase the honoree (or victim, depending on your point of view) on each of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts — most of which were produced by Lee. Make no mistake, though: What follows here is NOT a roast, but a toast — to one of the most outstanding musical arrangers and television innovators of all time.
Prelude
For years, he performed his artistic magic beyond the glare of the spotlight — yet his contributions to some of the most popular television programs of the mid-1960s and early 70s were sweeping, incandescent and indelible.
Arranging, and frequently composing, the words and music that instantly lent a special luster to those who brought them to life before the cameras, Lee Hale may have lit most of his creative sparks from behind the scenes, but the output of his genius glowed with a brilliance as dazzling as the stars themselves and with a luminous charm that struck a chord with the millions who faithfully tuned in each week to The Dean Martin Show,The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters, and the various incarnations of The Golddiggers series.
Capable of working in any musical idiom, Lee Hale never encountered a set of lyrics or combination of notes that he couldn’t make sound richer, sweeter and more melodious, penning pitch-perfect arrangements that coaxed as much nuance, subtlety, and meaning out of a song as anyone ever has.
As the Musical Director of The Dean Martin Show, Lee not only tailored numbers to fit the style of the host, but mastered that style so well that he was the one called upon to stand in for Dean during rehearsals.
Yet Lee also had to paint on a much broader canvas, working with artists ranging from a diverse array of guest stars to the series’ regulars. As daunting a task as that might seem to have been — especially under the deadline pressures of a weekly grind — Lee always succeeded in blending the disparate elements into a cohesive whole — in the process, crafting polished soundtracks that flowed as smoothly as any that ever streamed across the airwaves.
GOOD NEWS: Lee, seen above on the left, in one of his infrequent on-camera appearances — in this case, as a nattily-attired gent, giving an eyewitness account to roving reporter Dean, in a sketch from an early ’70s episode of Dean’s series.
Perhaps one of the reasons that he was so adept at shaping songs to suit performers is that Lee had at one time sung professionally himself, as a member of a group called The Manhattans.
He later went on to become the choral director on two critically-acclaimed variety series, The Bell Telephone Hour and The Entertainers — the latter airing on CBS just a year before Lee would be invited out to California to join Producer-Director Greg Garrison in shoring up NBC’s fledgling Dean Martin Show — a mission accomplished within weeks of his arrival.
Over time, he would receive multiple Emmy Award nominations for his work on Dean’s program and for co-producing the prime-time special that celebrated NBC’s first 50 years of broadcasting.
There were, of course, contemporaries of Lee’s who oversaw the musical content of other variety shows on television. But there were arguably none who surveyed the depth and breadth of the American pop music canon as consummately, affectionately, or with such élan as Lee Hale.
Who else could resurrect such rarely-revisited but radiant gems as “The Music Goes Round and Round”, “But Beautiful” and Hoagy Carmichael’s “Gonna Get A Girl”, and breathe new life into them? Or add sublimely felicitous riffs and flourishes to even less-frequently-heard classics like “Love Is The Reason”, “(I Love You) Don’t You Forget It” and Cole Porter’s “The Physician” — rendering them, in our opinion, the best versions of those songs ever recorded.
But it was more than just golden oldies with which Lee could stir TV viewers. His thorough familiarity with contemporary music enabled him to bring to audiences that would otherwise never hear it an under-the-radar soul groove like Pat Peterman’s “I Love The Way You Do Your Thing”, which he arranged as a sizzling standalone number for the Golds and even managed to work into a medley that the Dings did with Dean!
Timeless standards or modern tunes…Original works or clever adaptations…They ALL occupy pages in the Lee Hale songbook. If, to quote one of Lee’s own lyrics, “Everybody’s Got A Little Song,” then Lee’s got a million of them.
MUSIC, MAESTRO, PLEASE: (above) Lee with longtime colleague Van Alexander. The two, along with Geoff Clarkson, collaborated on music not only for The Dean Martin Show, Chevrolet Presents The Golddiggers (which Lee also produced), and the three Golddiggers LPs, but also for an album of instrumentals (below) featuring themes from Dean’s program and others, as well as compositions intended for future series.
In addition to his compelling tome about his years spent working on one of the most successful variety series in television history (Backstage At The Dean Martin Show), Lee also penned chapters on Dean for a couple of anthologies on popular American singers compiled by Richard Grudens.
In one of those compendiums, The Italian Crooners Bedside Companion, Lee wrote, “Dean made my job easy. No matter what song we gave him, or what surprise guest appeared, he always performed with enthusiasm and excellence.”
What Lee was too modest to add was the extent to which his hard work helped to make DEAN’S job look easy. The closest that Lee comes to acknowledging that is to quote what the star himself once told him: “Every time he came out on the studio stage, he’d look around for me. ‘I owe my life to you out there,’ he once confided to me.” And there’s little doubt that Dean wasn’t the only performer who ever felt that way.
THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS: (above) Four titans of talent — Lee, Orson Welles (a frequent guest on Dean’s show), Dean, and Greg Garrison.
Next to the man whose name adorned the series’ title, Lee Hale might just have been The Dean Martin Show’s most valuable player.
As is by now fairly well-known, he was also the man on the front lines responsible for selecting every pretty face, fabulous figure, and talented voice that graced the lineups of The Golddiggers, The Dingaling Sisters and Dean’s Girls. And those ladies, in turn, sing Lee’s praises with a passion: By all accounts, he is adored by every one of them.
So for The Golddiggers Super Site, it seemed obvious that there could be no better way to pay tribute to such a beloved figure as Lee Hale than to do so in the words of some of the women whose careers he helped to launch.
When we put out the call to them, we weren’t sure how many would respond. After all, we know that no matter how heartfelt one’s sentiments may be, these kinds of encomiums aren’t easy to compose.
But it should come as little surprise that for Lee, there was no shortage of hosannas, with their authors spanning the gamut, from those who appeared in the very first set of Golddiggers to those who were part of the very last (with plenty of other Golddiggers — and Dingaling Sisters, too — in-between). For Lee Hale is indeed the common denominator among all of these gifted gals.
Something that we couldn’t help but notice in their messages to Lee was how often certain words kept cropping up — particularly, words such as patience and kindness — traits not often associated with those who climb to the highest rungs of the ladder in the often cutthroat world of show business. But then again, we’re talking here about not just an extraordinarily accomplished gentleman, but also a truly gentle man.
Lee, what all of these gentle ladies seem to be saying (and we’d agree) is that there’s Nobody Else Like You.
And while we had originally hoped that this little presentation would be ready Last Summer (which still Seems Like Yesterday), It Makes Us Feel So Nice And Warm that at last, The Time Is Now…and There’s Something Big Coming Up On Your Screen.
So Lee,
Just Settle Back, and Relax
‘Cause You’re Gonna Get
A Whole Lot of Lovin’
From A Lot of Lovely Ladies
Who Love YOU A Whole Lot…
Main Theme
Lindsay Bloom
Dingaling Sister: 1972-73
Dearest Lee Hale,
It is with tremendous gratitude and deep appreciation that I write this letter to you.
First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for believing in me and giving me the chance to start my ‘Hollywood’ career on Dean’s TV Show.
I was thrilled to be able to try out (along with 500+ other girls) for the “ONE” open spot available to become the last Ding-A-Ling Sister ever hired!!!
When I look back to the 2nd day of auditions for The Dean Martin Show (October of 1972), I remember singing “I Feel The Earth Move” for you while you played my sheet music on the piano. You encouraged me and gave me the confidence to come back the next day for the dance auditions.
You also took me into Greg Garrison’s office to meet him that day. Greg gave me the ‘once-over’ and commented on my baby blue nail polish. Ha! As you may recall, I had just returned from Tokyo, Japan, where I had placed 4th in the Miss International Contest (I was Miss USA). He told me, “Kid, get rid of that polish and let’s see if you can dance tomorrow. ”
Each day of auditions (5 in all) you found something nice and uplifting to say. I have to say that if it hadn’t been for your positive attitude and encouragement, I might have gotten intimidated and stopped trying.
When Friday came and Greg called us (3 girls left by the end of the week) into his office, I was sweating bullets. Perhaps you’ll recall the fact that Greg made me sit down and sing at the final audition (Michelle, Helen, and Jayne were sitting in the NBC studio audience). He was always testing me…I guess to see if I was a quitter, because I’m sure he was tired of replacing girls at that point in time. I don’t think he knew he was dealing with a very determined, stubborn Swede from Nebraska who doesn’t take ‘NO’ for an answer (Jay Bernstein later found this same thing out when I auditioned for the role of ‘Velda’ on Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer).
Greg later told me that he was going to use me at the next taping and then he’d use the other girl (who looked like Tara Leigh) at the following taping….then he’d decide who got the job. I was both excited and deflated at the same moment.
I’m sure you were behind the scenes for the final decision….all I remember is that I started learning song and dance numbers, one after another, as fast as possible! I guess I did okay because the next thing I knew, I was told I would be doing the next show too. That first week, I learned 13 numbers: 2 tapings’ worth (Friday and Sunday), as well as 4 songs for our performance at the Arizona State Fair that Saturday night! Whew!!! Talk about exhausting…But you really helped me by putting just my singing parts on audiocassette, so that I could listen to them in my car. (It always took me an hour to drive to NBC from Huntington Beach and one-and-a-half hours back home. So I put the time to good use.)
As we continued to work together that season, you were the constant rudder of the ship! Your patience was never ending! Your music expertise always amazed me!
The discipline I learned from doing this show helped me in many ways later in my acting career. I even got to use my dancing/singing abilities on several TV Shows (Charlie’s Angels, where I was a Ballroom Dance Contestant, Cycling Through China, in which I impersonated Charlie Chaplin for the Chinese students and danced with Ben Vereen (in full costume and make-up) for the Chinese Opera in Fushon, China (amazing experience), and last but not least, Tap Dancing with Sammy Davis and Fayard Nicholas at the Variety Club Telethon in 1986 in our old studio at NBC (wow….I was in heaven that day!).
So, Lee, from the bottom of my heart, I THANK YOU, my friend!
I wish you health, happiness, and great joy at this chapter in your life!
God Bless You,
Lindsay Bloom Nutter
Paula Cinko
Golddigger: 1969-71
Thank you for asking me to participate in the tribute to our precious Lee Hale!
From the moment I made eye contact with him at The Golddiggers audition in N.Y.C., I fell in love with him. He had the kindest eyes and most beautiful smile. He put my heart at ease during a very nerve-wracking experience, to say the least.
We (the Golddigger girls) were told by Greg Garrison that we would never meet a nicer man than Lee Hale. I will tell you for sure that this is the truth. I felt so blessed to be in his company on a regular basis, and I miss him every day.
I cherish my friendship with Lee and I sincerely hope to give him a big, big hug some day soon. He taught me so many things about singing and he was such a comfort to me always. California was a long way from home for me. He invited me to his beautiful Beverly Hills home many, many times.
I felt so much love from him and still do. He is multi-talented and a beautiful human being. I adore Lee Hale. I always have and I always will.
Love,
Paula Cinko
Lezlie Dalton
Golddigger: 1968-69
My dearest Lee:
I have so many memories of you. I remember your extraordinary patience…rather on a heroic scale…saddled as you were with 12 fledgling kids, wet behind the ears. Oh, it wasn’t our fault, most of us (with some notable exceptions) were right off the farm (that was Greg’s choice. But, Greg didn’t have to work with us).
You, Lee, ended up with having to get us into shape. How did you maintain your cool??? I’ll never know. I don’t remember that you ever raised your voice. I don’t remember that you ever were short with anyone, even under the most trying circumstances. I don’t remember that you ever singled anyone out. I don’t think you ever treated any of us with anything less than kindness and respect, even going so far as to invite us all over to your home for parties from time to time (as if you didn’t see us enough at work)! You gave us little presents!…What a guy!! — Poor fella. I am sure you went home at night, after long days with us, and had more than a few drinks before retiring to your room and weeping into your pillow in abject frustration.
Greg knew what he was doing when he hired you. You managed to work with us on a sometimes grueling schedule, maintain kindness and charm, educate us as to the demands of the show, write the music, conduct rehearsals, baby us when we needed it and finally, bring us up to speed, (Bob Sidney, I remember, was our choreographer. Bob did not have your patience, Lee. But, I enjoyed him enormously. He always made me laugh, except on several occasions when he didn’t. But really, I loved him.)
Lee, you were a blessing to all of us. You were my introduction to show business and your memory has stood me in good stead all of my show-biz life.
Lee, do you remember, on the occasion of our first ‘pay raise’ as Golddiggers, for some reason Greg decided to cheat me out of mine (to the tune of $22.50 per week, as I remember). I called Greg from the road to confront him, and to his credit, he paid me the raise retroactively. Lee, you asked me if I had written Greg a note of thanks. I said to you, “No. Why should I thank him? He didn’t give me anything that I didn’t earn and he shouldn’t have cheated me in the first place”. True enough, but ahhhh, the ignorance and boldness of youth. So, what did you do, Lee? You went to Greg, made up a lovely ‘thank you’ speech “from me”, and delivered it to Greg. Do you remember? The tiger was placated and I escaped unscathed. Ah, Lee. In how many innumerable ways did you ’save’ us?
Do you remember when Paula Cinko and I were in an automobile accident? I had been driving and even though it was not my fault, I was paralyzed with guilt and grief. I went to the hospital once (where Paula was convalescing), and couldn’t bring myself to go again. So, Lee went. The memory still brings tears to my eyes. I still feel the upset about that time. Lee, you were always gentle with me. I was such a basket case. I was a game filly, but I was terribly confused. You were always so deeply sweet to me.
Blessings on you, gentle man. God bless and keep you always. You are a blessed memory and a standard that few can live up to in this business. I will never forget you. You live in my heart for just as long as it beats. I hold you there.
Love to you and deep gratitude for all the wonderful times that still live in me, and for all the kindness you showed me — and all of us.
Always,
Lezlie Dalton
Michelle DellaFave
Golddigger: 1969-71ooDingaling Sister: 1970-73
My Memories of Lee Hale
Of all the people who I have known in my 58 years of life, there are some that will always stand out as true blessings. As a young girl with stars in her eyes, what more could I have asked for than to be guided by the very talented and capable hand of Lee Hale. It was almost as if he always knew how very sensitive and concerned I was to do an exceptional job for him. I just instinctively knew that this man was going to bless me and help me grow as a singer.
From the first to the very last song that I worked on with him, I knew his only concern was that I sing at my very best. I remember the first time I sang alone with Dean Martin, just a few lines of “Everybody’s Talking at Me,” my throat tightened up and I felt like I could have done much better. I went over to Lee, practically in tears, exclaiming, “Oh Lee, it wasn’t good enough, I wish I could do it again.” My first lesson in live TV… Lee, so concerned with my lament, asked Karl Messerschmidt, head cameraman, to roll the tape back just for me. And in a very gentle, loving voice, Lee said to me, “It’s just fine, here, listen, it is good.” After I calmed down, and as he watched the tape with me — stopping his world just for a forlorn Golddigger — he gave me the confidence to go on. From then on I knew I had a someone who truly cared about my performance and how I felt, as a person.
Never did I hear Lee raise his voice. As if he was my older brother, he guided me and helped me learn songs and aided me in the style and sound that was right for my voice. What good fortune!! Every solo he picked just for me was always in the perfect key. I would come to rehearsal every day knowing that I would begin with a session of music and voice with Lee. It felt like he was private director to all of the girls, who sat expectantly like giggling college girls, hungry for our new music, with so much energy, ready to sing. Accompanying him on piano originally was Geoff Clarkson, then Bill Lockwood, and later, dear Paul Moore. We would rehearse all day. Then, if we were lucky enough to be in a skit, Lee would give us our script and he would work as Dean’s stand-in, always helping us and always patient.
I was so fortunate that he also directed me as a singer on the Jonathan Winters Show. On every number, he consulted me as to the song choices and asked if I liked them. Imagine me, giving Lee my opinion! That alone shows you how concerned he was that the songs I sang were ones that I enjoyed singing.
My fondest memories of Lee are of coming to those rehearsals and sitting down with him, excited to begin another week of fabulous music. Lee also had a passion for sweets and I know everyone remembers the delicious doughnuts he would bring in for all of us to share. I also remember his mechanical pencils, as he was always making notes and, of course, sharing them, so Miss Michelle could make any notations. Mechanical pencils — ah yes, mandatory equipment for arrangers!
There are so many wonderful memories that my heart must say to Lee, how grateful and how lucky I was to have worked with and to have known a man who was gifted with all the fruits of the spirit. Patience, kindness, goodness, compassion, and a deep true talent. So many times I wish I could close my eyes and go back and live just one more day of rehearsal, prerecording, with all the other gals who made it all possible.
May God richly Bless our wonderful Musical Director, as he has so richly blessed me and so many others who worked on those shows.
Peace, dear Lee, from a Golddigger, a Dingaling Sister, a Soul Sister, and then a solo performer on The Dean Martin Show. What a glorious ride it was.
Love,
Michelle DellaFave
Linda Eichberg
Golddigger: 1973-88
If I had to choose three words that describe Lee Hale, they would be: clever, humble and kind. When I joined The Golddiggers, I left home for the first time; for a small town girl of nineteen years, it was pretty scary. Lee was the person who made me feel comfortable. Like an Uncle or a Dad, his genuine caring attitude got me through tough times.
Lee had a knack for finding the right material to enhance each girl’s talents. He encouraged us by giving us solos on the TV show. He knew the craziest songs, or made them up. I remember him teaching me a song for The Dean Martin Show in 1973, that went something like this… “When it’s apple blossom time in Orange, New Jersey, you’ll be a peach of a pear. If we cant-alope, honey-dew please be mine…”.
Lee was and still is a gifted singer and songwriter. He was great in our Showstoppers‘ “Golddiggers Reunion Show” with his original song, “Prostate Blues”. It brought the house down.
Lee Hale is the person responsible for bringing the Golddiggers act through several decades. He always believed in our singing abilities and he gave us challenging, showstopping material that grew us into leading ladies. We were a popular Las Vegas opening act that worked regularly for Dean Martin and other stars until Dean’s retirement. My time as a Golddigger started when I was 19 years old and ended at thirty-something…Lee was the musical genius that made every season of The Golddiggers successful.
Thanks, Lee, for your support all these years. You’re the best.
With love,
Linda Alberici Eichberg
Helen Funai
Dingaling Sister: 1972-73
Of course, I would be honored to pay tribute to Lee Hale. Thanks for including me.
Mr. Lee Hale has the patience of a god. He’s a true gentleman…and in this business, that’s quite rare.
I was a dancer, not a singer…and yet, Lee was always kind and never made me feel out of place. I will always be grateful to him for trying to teach me the few notes I had to sing. (Lee, I did try my best.) Thank you for being the talented, kind, sweet, gentle person that you are.
Love,
Helen
Patti Gribow
Golddigger: 1973-86
Dearest Lee,
I was so delighted to recently have lunch with you in celebration of your birthday. You are still as handsome as ever, full of wonderful stories, and forever inspiring to those around you. Lee, you have the unique ability to make the person you are conversing with think they are not only the only person in the room, but the most beautiful and special.
Several decades ago you gave a young girl from Cincinnati with ’stars’ in her eyes the opportunity of a lifetime. Your insight into my abilities launched a career that has taken me on a beautiful journey, starting with The Dean Martin Show and working with Dean for over 12 years, to the screen, and now to my own talk show. Always encouraging with everything from the birth of our daughter Gina, to my marriage to Dale, plus a life full of philanthropic activities, you never missed a beat in supporting and applauding my every turn.
Thank you, Lee, for being such a gentle, loving spirit. I will be forever grateful that you have been a part of my life.
With love,
Patti “From Cincinnati” Pivaar Gribow
Taffy Jones
Dingaling Sister: 1971-72
Dear Lee:
It is such a pleasure to be able to write to you. I have been pondering what I would say to you after all these years and it always comes back to two words. Thank you.
You were such a pleasure to work with. I can distinctly remember rehearsals, all of us sitting in a little circle, and you patiently singing my part(s) into a small tape recorder. I still have that tape recorder and a few rehearsals with you singing into my ear! You made everything so easy. Always pleasant, always enthusiastic, always patient and helpful. I cannot remember anything negative from Mr. Lee Hale. Always smiling, always happy to see us. I was very young, nervous, and you made me look good. I trusted you, and looked forward to the music rehearsals every week. Your musical taste was impeccable and your sense of humor was first class…so are you.
A few years back, my mother was elderly, wheelchair-bound, almost deaf, and extremely ill. Somehow (she was always great at this type of thing) she was able to contact you and arrange for an autographed copy of your book. She wanted to give it to me for Christmas. You were so kind to her. The same man I remember from so many years ago, took the time to make someone he probably didn’t remember feel important. A precious gift to someone like my Mom, and me. You will never know how much that little gesture of kindness meant. Not to mention my delight when I opened my gift on Christmas morning.
Thank you, Lee. You are a very special man. It was a privilege working with you!
Love,
Taffy Jones
Dingaling Sisters
Liz Kelley
Golddigger: 1970-73
Lee Hale is one of the kindest, most patient and most talented people I have ever met and had the pleasure of working with. I, being a well-trained dancer and not a vocalist, know first hand. Lee guided me through singing and I’m sure sometimes it was quite agonizing for him. He never displayed his frustration and only developed my self-confidence with kindness and praise. I learned so many great lessons from him that carried through for life. I will be forever grateful and Lee Hale will always hold a special place in my heart.
With Love and Admiration,
Liz Kelley – Golddigger
Jayne Kennedy
Dingaling Sister: 1972-73
To Lee Hale,
When I recall working on The Dean Martin Show, there are so many mixed feelings that come to mind. It was my first real continuing job in the world of showbiz! I had worked on a few shows for Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In’s last season, I had traveled the world for the Bob Hope USO Christmas Show, I had campaigned on the Miss USA-Universe Pageant as Miss Ohio.
But joining the Dean Martin Show as a series regular was new and special and scary. I was only 20 and had only been in Hollywood a few months. Things were going so fast and I was learning so much. There were so many reasons to be afraid and trying to figure out who to trust was a huge issue. The one place where I knew I would always get a straight answer, a warm smile, and a friendly reception was with Lee Hale. For me it had nothing to do with the work he did on the show or for the Ding-A-Lings. For me, it was his genuine heartfelt desire to help, to make it work.
Thank you Lee for being there more than you know.
Sincerely,
Jayne Harrison Kennedy Overton
Maria Lauren
Golddigger: 1973-91
Is there a man that could be a director and teacher for countless young women of ambition and changing hormones and never lose his cool? Yes! His name is Lee Hale. He was our mentor, musical director and a producer of Dean’s TV Shows and Specials…and he’s a friend.
Being one of The Golddiggers since 1973 and until 2003, I had the opportunity to see the enormous respect that Lee Hale has from the show business community and celebrities! Lee was a performer himself, so you knew he understood the performer in you. He was always gracious and made you feel comfortable in rehearsals. He even wrote clever musical material for our show! He knew how to bring the best out of each girl by finding that special song that would make her shine. He had great musical instincts!
It wasn’t until I started producing “Showstoppers,” our Golddiggers reunion shows, that I understood the magnitude of his responsibilities and how much I had learned from Lee. What I can’t understand is how I never once saw Lee lose his patience! He always seemed open to listening and would be generous with advice that would be truthful and supportive.
How lucky we are to have this opportunity to pay tribute to Lee, who has given so much of his talent and expertise to us throughout the years.
Lee, we are so blessed to have had you in our lives!
Many blessings,
Maria Lauren
aka: Maria Elena Alberici – Riccio
Micki McGlone
Golddigger: 1970
Dear Lee:
I wanted to take a serious moment here, to say some things that, due to your amazing humility, might otherwise embarrass you in person.
In my eyes, you are the one person who kept it real for Dean Martin, The Golddiggers and The Ding-A-Ling Sisters. Your special ability to turn any tumultuous/chaotic situation into a safe place for young, inexperienced baby girls like us — that was your greatest gift to us, one of the most memorable gifts any of us has had in our lifetimes.
You have a unique and unusual gift of being able to recognize talent, how to carefully and thoughtfully create, build, plan, and finally present it for us all, both as a group and as individuals.
You were able to make each and every one of us shine 100% of the time and that is the reason why the ratings soared sky-high when we were added to the show, from day one.
YOU did everything in your power to create DIGNITY and respect for us through tasteful, well-thought-out material and numbers. You were like a big brother or a father who cared for and sheltered his sister or daughter from the insanity of the real world. You did it in such a quiet and unpretentious way that the “powers that were” weren’t even aware that YOU WERE THE ONE we admired, revered and counted on; you were the one we trusted and felt truly safe with.
Not only has God gifted you with tremendous talent, but also great compassion and humility. You were, and still are, my HERO.
I love you,
Micki McGlone Golddiggers In London, 1970
Francie Mendenhall
Golddigger: 1970-73
Lee Hale was one of the three folks who auditioned me in Patsy Swayzee’s Dance Studio in Houston Texas in the later part of 1970. The others were Janet Tighe, Greg Garrison’s assistant and the wonderful late Jonathan Lucas, the show’s choreographer and assistant director.
Lee was the one who gave me the solo opportunities I was fortunate enough to have as one of The Golddiggers. I was all ears when Lee was around, waiting to hear a morsel of good advice and guidance as a performer and always hoping for his approval. He knows his stuff and I always like to listen to smart, talented people!
As a person, Lee is such a kind-hearted man and handled us with kid gloves, which was a very nice thing, being that most of us were still in our late teens at the time and tender-hearted ourselves. He still encourages me to keep singing and I always will.
I love you and thank you, Lee Hale!
Francie Mendenhall
Marie Peck
Golddigger: 1978-91
When I first worked with Lee, it was on The Dean Martin Show before I joined The Golddiggers. I was a skit player, doing the occasional one-liner and musical setups for Dean.
I remember wondering why this man who was running all of Dean’s material for him (Dean wasn’t into rehearsals) wasn’t a star on his own. He was handsome and talented, I knew that much, but there was so much more.
When I joined The Golddiggers a few years later, I grew to know the man who was still handsome and talented, but also had the most caring heart. He would have the patience of a saint, dealing with six women and all that goes with it. He was our music man, mentor and substitute father. He had a way of gently pulling us together when we would drift off-point, never raising his voice, even if we did. I have so much love and respect for him. I know my time in The Golddiggers was a gift. I have “sisters” I would have never had and the privilege of working with Lee. I am blessed to have him in my life.
You will always hold a special place in my heart, Lee. I love you and thank you for making a young woman’s dreams a reality. God bless you, sweet man.
Love,
Marie Halton Peck
Linda Regan
Golddigger: 1978-91
Lee Hale was the kindest of musical geniuses…Always a soft hand in
directing. Possessing a gift in making one think that it was her idea to
take a direction…Always having a sense of what song would be perfect for
each girl to sing!
I was so honored to be mentioned in Lee’s book, Backstage at The Dean Martin Show. I have nothing but the fondest memories of my 8 years traveling and performing with Dean Martin and the the Golddiggers and other headliners throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
I was the youngest and last girl to join the Golddiggers group. My audition took place at NBC studios. There were 8 girls who auditioned every day for a week and then 4 were selected. This was in 1978. I performed off and on with the Golddiggers and Dean until 1991 when Greg Garrison ‘retired’ the group.
You can well imagine what it was like for me being 19 and never having been to Vegas. Driving us into town was our musical director, Bill Lockwood. I could see the lights beaming like a magical mirage across the desert…We were opening for Dean Martin at the MGM Grand Hotel and the run was for two weeks!
Thus began a great love affair for me with Las Vegas (where I later
headlined in City Lights at the Flamingo) and, of course, to be so lucky as to watch Dean every night from the wings.
When people ask me about Dean, I always say that the man had incredible
timing…And the the best wit. What a class act he was under any
circumstance.
I later recorded my third album and just HAD to do a song that ran through me like my best memories of those times with Dean and the girls in Vegas. The song was “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You”. Always a classic, just like Dean.
But it was Lee Hale who gave me confidence in myself as a singer and helped me stretch into new musical waters.
He is and always will be in my personal book of mentors…The kind of person that you thank in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Linda Regan (a.k.a., Linda Snook)
Sheryl Ullman
Golddigger: 1969
Lee Hale — a True Treasure
When I think of Lee Hale, I flash on Breakfast at Tiffany’s. At the end of the 1969 year we Golddiggers were preparing to leave for the Vietnam Tour with Bob Hope. Show rehearsals completed, our voices and bodies in tune, we were ready to take on the world, starting with President Nixon at the White House.
We were gathering our clothes, shoes, towels together, when I saw Lee disappear from the rehearsal hall. A moment later he returned bearing presents. In his soft-spoken, elegant way, he wished us “Merry Christmas” and handed each of us 13 Golddiggers a gift — the fabled blue Tiffany box with the white satin ribbon. As we feverishly unwrapped our gifts, we were oohing and ahhing with excitement. First the ribbons fell to our laps, then the blue lids and the precious, crinkly white tissue paper were torn away. There lay a sparkling, cut crystal basket. “A-Tisket A-Tasket, what a Tiffany basket!” Sweet and lovely, its purpose was multifold — for jewelry, potpourri, even candies. Holding it in my small hand, I caressed it, feeling all of its facets. This was the one and only Tiffany gift I had ever received, and it was from Lee.
We girls were so happy and grateful. Throwing our arms around Lee, we hugged him, thanking him profusely for our treasures. In his low-key way, I could see that he was overjoyed that he had surprised us. His gifts were a hit. Eyes twinkling, he had that sweet “Lee Hale” smile on his face.
Thank you, Lee, for making my dreams come true. Recalling your professionalism, musicality, kindness, and caring, I go to a time in my life that was peppered with excitement, love, dancing, and music! Every time I touch my Tiffany crystal basket, I think of you. To me you will always be like Tiffany’s – the finest and the very best.
Love,
Sheryl Ullman
Robyn Whatley
Golddigger: 1975-87
So Lee Hale:
If I could be there in person, of course, I would hug you, Lee. You are one of the sweetest men I met in my show biz career. Your patience level and the talent you have for encouraging is masterful. I know you had the best of the best talent under your direction, as you wrote about in your highly entertaining book, and yet you made me feel just as wonderful as if I was an equal.
The MOR (middle of the road) show you put together for The Golddiggers was so strong and ageless that it bridged decades with its variety of songs from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and on. I loved to watch the audience’s faces as they remembered the songs. I was always very proud to be singing the great medleys you put together.
Over the years, you have always stayed in touch with “my group” of Golddiggers — Peggy, Patti, Maria Elena, Linda Eichberg, Linda Regan, Joyce, and Marie Peck — with our birthdays, weddings, shows and the last thing…the l5th year Anniversary Reunion of some of these gals on stage. You even got up and shared your talent with us with a song. I sang an opera piece that night and you came up afterwards and said to me, “I had no idea you could do that” …Remember? And then it was my friends buying your book and having it autographed by you…a real highlight for them.
Lee, your life and career have been so beneficial to so many. I hope you are well, healthy and happy. I’m glad I got to be a small part of your life.
XXX, Sto Kalo (meaning “Stay Well”, the way we say it in Greece…where I live now.)
Robyn Whatley
Cadenza
Just click the Forward Arrow button to play:
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Coda
We at The Golddiggers Super Site would like to express our deepest thanks to all of the beautiful and talented women who took the time to participate in this presentation.
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For those who’d like to learn more about Lee Hale, his career and his achievements, we suggest visiting these websites:
1) Backstage At The Dean Martin Show by Lee Hale with Richard D. Neely (2000)
Lee’s chronicle about Dean and the personalities involved in making his show has been out-of-print for some time now, but used and even occasionally brand new copies can be found at Amazon.com.
2) The Music Men: The Guys Who Sang with the Bands and Beyond by Richard Grudens (1998)
The Italian Crooners Bedside Companion by Richard Grudens (2005)
The chapters that Lee wrote on Dean for each of these two volumes are essentially the same, with the chapter in the later edition having been slightly updated. However, fans of the genre may find it worthwhile to acquire both books, as each is filled with fascinating details about not only Dean, but other famous singers, as well — and both volumes remain available, along with a number of other similarly-themed tomes, directly through the author’s website: RichardGrudens.com
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And FINALLY (yes, there IS actually an end to this piece)…
There’s a thought or two
We’d like to throw at you
Before we have to go…
It’s a bonus for all of you really ardent and observant Dean Martin Show aficionados:
The Lee Hale Musical Trivia Question
What little ditty with words and music by Lee — first used as a signature tune for a regular segment on Dean’s series during the 1969-70 season — was revived a few years later in purely instrumental form as the theme song for the Dean Martin Roasts?
Here’s a clue: You won’t find the answer in any book or anywhere else online, but you WILL find that jingle referenced by its original name right here on the Super Site.
If you think you know the answer, click here and tell us:
If any sharp-eyed, sharp-eared folks out there can guess correctly, the first one to do so will be congratulated here on these pages.
Of course, anyone who wants to is also welcome to press the button above to comment on the tribute to Lee, or any other item appearing on, or related to, the Super Site.
They went gung ho for Blue Eyed Soul in our nation’s capital last week, as our two favorite blonde bombshells rocked a packed house of cheering Marine Veterans and other invitees in one of the biggest and most renowned banquet halls in North America.
DECORUM, SPIT AND POLISH…WITH A FEW SMILES THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE: It was nothing less than white glove treatment for LINDSAY BLOOM (above left) and MICHELLE DELLAFAVE (above right) upon their arrival in Washington, DC last week, as they were met by two proud (and lucky) Marines, who escorted the leggy lasses to the gate of the Marine Barracks for the Friday Night Parade, a weekly summertime ceremonial tradition featuring the USMC Band and Silent Drill Team.
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DOWNTOWN D.C. (BY WAY OF HOLLYWOOD & VINE): The Blue Eyed Soulstresses bring a touch of Tinseltown to the more staid streets of Washington.
It was a far cry from chowing down in the mess hall when over 1,500 U.S. Marine Corps Vets and their guests, attending a reunion organized by the USMC Combat Helicopter Association, filled the International Ballroom of the Washington Hilton last Saturday to dine and be entertained by the evening’s star attractions: Michelle DellaFave and Lindsay Bloom.
Those two vivacious vets of The Dean Martin Show not only drew a thunderous ovation from all hands present, but also made a little history of their own by performing before the largest audience that any members of The Golddiggers or Dingaling Sisters have played to since the two groups’ final overseas USO tour with Bob Hope back in 1970.
LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN…WOMEN…AND THEIR KIDS: How does 1,500 of them grab you? That’s how many showed up — and stayed all the way through — to watch Michelle and Lindsay perform last Saturday night at the big Marine Combat Helicopter Assn. Reunion Banquet.
The first picture above shows one side of the ballroom at the Thursday night welcoming dinner. The shot below is of the same venue two nights later, as a sea of tables packed with patrons takes in the Blue Eyed duo on stage (click on the image below — or, for that matter, any other in this post — to see a larger view).
There were many in the audience at last Saturday’s affair who had caught one or more of the Bob Hope USO shows during their own tours of duty in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and who carry with them to this day fond and eidetic memories of those gorgeous, talented gals from back home who treated them to a fleeting but oh-so-precious respite from the rigors and realties of everyday military service.
In fact, the man chiefly responsible for putting together this 2008 Reunion, Marine Vet Larry Zok, has his own still-vivid recollections of helping Michelle off a helicopter in Danang back in 1970 (for background on that event, see the photo and caption in our earlier story, Answering The Call).
AT EASE: Michelle and Lindsay lock arms with: (left) three-star Lt. General (ret.) Fred McCorkle, former Deputy Commandant for Aviation at Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington; and (right) Marine Vet Larry Zok, the man in charge of this year’s USMC Combat Helicopter Assn. Reunion.
It was actually a chance meeting with Michelle, Lindsay and Blue Eyed Soul’s Manager, Wes Guidry, at Memorial Day ceremonies in May that brought Larry and Michelle together again after 38 years, and led to the invitation to perform at the Reunion dinner this past weekend.
And by all accounts, the two glamorous headliners at that gathering lived up to the memories of those in attendance and the legend of their girl-group roots. Opening with “Gotta Get You Into My Life”, they kept the audience riveted throughout their briskly-paced 40-minute set, and finally brought the crowd to its feet (as well as many in that crowd to tears) with their closing rendition of “God Bless America”.
BOOT CAMP: The girls step lively, and even work in some high kicks, as they march to a funky beat with their own interpretation of Nancy Sinatra’s 1966 classic, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’”, that feels fresh, yet still manages to pay homage to the original.
After the show ended, the past President of the organization hosting the event confided to BES Manager Wes Guidry that even though he had booked some top-drawer celebrities (who shall herein remain nameless) for a previous reunion engagement, most of the audience at that earlier show left by intermission. Needless to say, there were no such desertions at Michelle and Lindsay’s performance: When the lights came up, every seat in the house was still occupied.
TOP BRASS AND TENDER SOUL: It never hurts to have friends in high places, which Lindsay and Michelle demonstrate de novo, as they flank four-star General James F. Amos, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (the second highest ranking officer of the USMC).
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SEMPER FIDO: After a busy session signing autographs, the girls were beseeched with one more request. Apparently, there isn’t a Marine to be found who doesn’t want to get next to these two.
Of course, the gals make trips like this latest one to Washington not just to entertain and honor those who’ve served their country, but also to bring affirmation and comfort to those sometimes-overlooked casualties of war — men and women in uniform who have been wounded in combat.
Visits to VA hospitals have been a regular part of Michelle and Lindsay’s itinerary since they signed on with Blue Eyed Soul last November, and following in the footsteps of their Memorial Day trip to D.C. in May, BES Manger Wes Guidry used the occasion of the day after this past Saturday’s banquet to bring the ladies back to D.C.’s VA Medical Center, where, among other patients, they were once again able to spend time with Corporal John Lake, a victim of traumatic brain injury while stationed in Iraq.
During their first go-round in May, the girls had developed a special bond with this brave young man (and he, with them — see Answering The Call). And so it was deeply heartening to both Michelle and Lindsay, upon seeing John again, to discover how much progress he had made over just the last two-and-a-half months.
ON THE WAY BACK: Revisiting Corporal John Lake, whom they had first met last May at the VA Medical Center in Washington, Lindsay and Michelle found the Iraq War Vet, having suffered a traumatic brain injury in combat, still struggling to recover, but greatly improved since the last time they saw him.
Along with Wes, Larry Zok was also on hand for this visit. And while acknowledging what a thrill and success it had been having Michelle and Lindsay for the Saturday night shindig, seeing the difference that these two beautiful souls made in the lives of the heroes that they touched in that hospital last Sunday made Larry realize that it was there, with those patients, that these gals’ greatest service and truest mission were at once fulfilled.
BY YOUR LEAVE, SIR: One final hug…
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…and one last Eskimo kiss (shhh…don’t tell the nurses).
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A MOMENT TO REMEMBER AND REFLECT: Lindsay and Michelle stop by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to lay flowers and pay their respects, as they’ve done every time that Blue Eyed Soul has come to Washington.
We wanted to take just a moment here to note that around the time that Michelle and Lindsay were setting an attendance record in Washington last weekend, The Golddiggers Super Site was marking a milestone of its own — logging its 50,000th visitor since we first opened our doors (virtually speaking) a little over a year ago on July 27, 2007 (the actual number of people who’ve viewed the site — including repeat visits — is 51,043 as of this writing, according to statistical data supplied to us by our website hosting provider).
We want to thank all of those who’ve passed through these doors (again, virtually speaking) over the last year, and let fans of The Golddiggers, The Dingaling Sisters and Dean Martin everywhere know that we have many more interesting and exciting features on tap for both the near- and long-term future — including more audio and video goodies — as we look forward to the coming year…and our next 50,000 guests.
Our thanks to Wes Guidry for furnishing most of the photos appearing in the foregoing story, and a special thanks to Greg Hughes for coming up with the one that was hardest to find.
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Dozens of additional shots of Michelle and Lindsay, as well as other highlights from the 2008 Marine Combat Helicopter Association Reunion, plus over two hundred vintage and recent pictures of The Golddiggers, Dingalings and Dean Martin — and exclusive links to content available nowhere else — can all be found at the home of the GoldsAndDings Group, which requires no fee to join and no obligation after enrollment (other than to have fun).
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To find out more about Michelle and Lindsay performing in Blue Eyed Soul, be sure to visit their very own website at http://www
MichelleAndLindsay.com.
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Comments are always welcomed. To leave one, please visit the Comments section and look for the appropriate button a few paragraphs down from the top of the page.
Seven glossy new photos from Blue Eyed Soul’s recent visit to South Carolina have just been added to the Super Site. One appears below; the others are sprinkled throughout the original story on the trip.
And dozens more pictures from Greenville, along with hundreds of other recent and vintage images of The Golddiggers, The Dingaling Sisters and Dean Martin, can be found exclusively at the GoldsAndDings Group, which is free to join and fun to experience.
NOTHING COULD BE FINER than to be in Carolina when Lindsay Bloom (left) and Michelle DellaFave (right) bring Blue Eyed Soulto the party. And as quickly became apparent to those who mingled with them and watched them perform during the Vietnam Veterans of America’s recently-concluded Leadership Conference in Greenville, South Carolina, no one could be sweeter than these sweeties when you meet them — be it morning, noon or night.
When Dean Martin first recorded “Just A Little Bit South of North Carolina” (for his 1955 album Swingin’ Down Yonder), he sang of the location in question being a place where he “longed to be” — one where “the weather is fine” and “the folks are feeling great”; where “the garden looks grand and the red rose vine is clinging to the gate”.
Fans took to the jaunty tune and its down-home imagery, and apparently, Dean was very fond of it himself, because he performed the number quite a few times over the years, including twice on his own series.
But probably little did he dream that one day more than three-and-a-half decades after his show came to a close, two of the lissome lovelies who once worked alongside him on that program would regroup and take by storm a spot on the map that indeed lies Just A Little Bit South Of North Carolina.
It was in Greenville, SC, to be precise, where Michelle DellaFave and Lindsay Bloom — two of Dean’s Dingaling Sisters now teamed anew as members of Blue Eyed Soul— came, saw, and conquered the hearts of both military personnel and civilians recently, during a four-day series of events held in connection with the biennial National Leadership Conference organized by the Vietnam Veterans of America.
The proceedings kicked off on the morning of July 16, when Michelle and Lindsay sang the National Anthem and “God Bless America” at the conference’s opening ceremonies.
AND THE ANGELS SING: “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America”.
The following day, the pair attended a luncheon at which they were accorded the first of three distinguished honors that they would receive during the course of this journey. The initial laurels came from the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America, an affiliate of the VVA comprising families and friends of Vietnam Vets, which inducted the girls as lifetime members of their organization.
A LIFE-LONG INTEREST: Mary Miller (above center), outgoing president of the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America, honored both Michelle and Lindsay for their years of dedication to our nation’s Armed Forces with lifetime membership in the AVVA.
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BEAMING WITH PRIDE (AND LOOKING MIGHTY FOXY DOING IT): Michelle and Lindsay are understandably all aglow after receiving the first of three honors they would be given during their South Carolina sojourn.
After the ceremony, it was on to the driving range, where the ladies lit up the links, drawing considerable attention as they dove into the swing of things at the start of the Mike Nash Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament.
BLUE EYED SOUL BRINGS GLAMOUR TO THE GREEN: But for Michelle and Lindsay, that’s par for the course, as they helped launch the opening round of the annual Mike Nash Memorial Golf Tournament in Greenville, SC.
On Friday, the girls performed their full 40-minute set for the VVA’s Conference of State Council Presidents, and we’re pleased to report that the show was recorded, with individual segments from it to be made available for fans to view in the near future.
The engagement wrapped up Saturday night, July 19, with the VVA’s 30th Anniversary Banquet at Greenville’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. There, not only did Michelle and Lindsay treat invitees to a couple of songs and some jamming with the house band on hand for the occasion, but the gals were again lauded for their efforts on behalf of active and retired men and women in uniform. In Michelle’s case, that legacy includes her two trips with the Bob Hope USO Tour (in 1969 and 1970). For Lindsay, it includes her service at the VA hospital in Long Beach, CA in 1976. And for both gals, it of course encompasses their present-day volunteer performances at VA hospitals around the nation.
In other words, for these two ladies, their involvement in this cause isn’t a passing fancy or merely a credit to add to their résumés. It’s a heartfelt commitment — and one to which they have devoted a good portion of their lives. And so, in recognition of that fact:
1) Vietnam Veterans of America President John Rowan presented each of the ladies with the VVA’s Service Award, in the form ofa crystal eagle engraved with their names.
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED:
and
2) Each of the two received from Joe Sternburg, Executive Director of the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund, a folded American flag that had previously flown over the U.S. Capitol.
NEW GLORY:
By the way, in accepting these accolades, Ms. DellaFave and Ms. Bloom found themselves in some highly illustrious company: Among the other honorees with whom they shared the spotlight that evening was the man bestowed with the VVA’s Excellence in the Sciences Award, J. Craig Venter, who’d been a Navy corpsman during the Vietnam War, and who is today regarded as one of the leading biologists in the world, in part because of his pioneering contributions to the field of human genome research.
HBO PEOPLE DON’T MISS OUT: That was the pay cabler’s slogan back in the ’80s, and the company certainly lived up to its promise during Blue Eyed Soul’s latest outing. When audio equipment that HBO had already furnished to BES suddenly went missing on the way to South Carolina, officials at the premium channel moved at once to dispatch replacements, which a grateful Lindsay and Michelle (not to mention their Manager, Wes) were only too happy to receive.
It was after the awards were handed out that the entertainment at the VVA banquet got underway, and even once Michelle and Lindsay had finished their portion of the program, the response to Blue Eyed Soul was so enthusiastic that they were called back to the stage for encores with the band. Once again going above and beyond the call of duty for their fans, the gals not only obliged the audience with virtually an entire show’s worth of additional numbers, but in-between rounds, they danced with, and signed autographs for, a crowd filled with appreciative Vets and other devotees.
In the final lyric of the little ditty to which we referred at the beginning of this piece, Dean declares that “Just A Little Bit South of North Carolina”, he’ll “find paradise”. For a few days this past July, both Michelle and Lindsay, as well as a gathering of their admirers, likely felt as though they’d already found it, in the very same place.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON…AND ON…AND ON!: But that’s only because the crowd at the VVA’s 30th Anniversary bash insisted on it — whether it was bringing Michelle and Lindsay back onstage for more songs (above), or trying to keep up with the two go-go gals on the dance floor (below).
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HOW SWEET IT IS: A moment to cherish for both the ladies and the Vets.
Wes Guidry’s Blue Eyed Soul Montage
WOMEN FOR ALL SEASONS: Right before Michelle and Lindsay were summoned to the stage to accept their awards, attendees were shown a panorama of vintage photos depicting some of the ladies’ interaction with veterans over the years. The moving audiovisual presentation was assembled by Blue Eyed Soul’s Manager (and an executive with the VVA himself), Wes Guidry, who has now posted the clip on YouTube for all to see. Just click on the above frame to start the video.
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Comments are always welcomed. To leave one, please visit the Comments section and look for the button a few paragraphs down from the top of the page.
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SHE’S GOT THE FUNK: 
…signing autographs for fans…
…doing The Funky Chicken…You know, just your average, ordinary day of activities (average and ordinary that is, if you happen to be two extraordinary glam girls, ever on the go and in demand).
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REELIN’ IN THE YEARS:
…Stopping by the California Military Museum in the state capitol…
…Flanking Col. David Griffith, Commander of Army’s Freedom Team salute program…
…Conversing with a Vet, who related how much it meant to him to see Michelle and other members of The Golddiggers perform while he was stationed in Vietnam…
SPARKLE AND SHINE:
FEELIN’ THE FUNK: 
THE 
Posted by Video Vision 
