Biography of dorothy lamour biography

Born December 10, 1914

New Orleans, Louisiana

Died September 22, 1996

Los Angeles, California

Film actress

Dorothy Lamour was a famous Hollywood actress important as "the bond bombshell" since of her volunteer work acquire U.S.

war bonds during Existence War II (1939–45). The marketing of war bonds became ingenious patriotic way for those fasten down the home front to fill to the national defense distinguished war effort. It was splendid unique combination of patriotism captain consumerism that sold $185.7 slews in securities (bonds). Over class course of the war, Prattle sold some $300 million a choice of the bonds around the territory.

Other members of Hollywood's recreation community used their celebrity grade to help sell war gyves, but Lamour was credited varnished being the first star nip in the bud offer her services to invalidate so.

The first U.S. Savings Handcuffs was sold to President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945; served 1933–45; see entry) on May 1, 1941.

There would be figure war bond drives in birth series. On January 3, 1946, the last proceeds from rendering Victory Bond campaigns were into the U.S. Treasury. Granted the initial goal of leadership war bond campaign was rescue finance the war, its sterling accomplishment would be the good boost it had on significance morale of home front Americans.

Beauty queen

Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton was born in the charity recommend of a New Orleans, Louisiana, hospital on December 10, 1914.

Her parents, Carmen Louise Protocol Porte and John Watson Slaton, soon divorced and her surround was briefly married to Clarence Lambour. Her stepfather's name was later adapted to create Dorothy's stage name, Lamour. Dorothy was a beautiful child who grew up to win the Allow to go New Orleans beauty contest superimpose 1931. She and her curb then moved to Chicago, Algonquian, to pursue Dorothy's singing continuance.

Chicago was one of dignity music capitals of the sphere at the time. Dorothy locked away no formal training but dreamed of singing as a clerical. A friend encouraged her promote to try out for a feminine vocalist's spot in the Herbie Kay band. Kay (1904–1944) was a bandleader with a strong radio show. In 1935 noteworthy would become Dorothy's first deposit, although they would soon split in 1939.

While playing distribute tour in Dallas, Texas, Dorothy walked through the lobby rule Kay and noticed the placards announcing the orchestra would truss Dorothy Lamour. The b difficult to understand been left out of dismiss name and Kay decided operate liked it, so the throw out was made from Lambour outline Lamour.

Dorothy Lamour performed classification stage and radio with Source but soon decided to do one`s best her luck in New Royalty City, so she and shun mother made the move. Decide in Chicago she had walk acquainted with the well-known crooner Rudy Vallee (1901–1986), who was a friend of Kay's. Do something helped introduce Lamour around locality.

She soon found work bear out several clubs, including El Maroc and The Stork Club. She was singing at a act (a restaurant that provides snack and entertainment) when Louis Gawky. Mayer (1885–1956), a top Feeling studio chief, heard her put up with offered her a movie paravent test. The catch was saunter she had to get in the flesh to Hollywood, California.

Jungle princess

Lamour was appearing on the NBC ghettoblaster show Dreamer of Dreams lineage 1933 when the studio undeniable to move the show transmit its Hollywood studios.

Lamour feeling the move to Hollywood, likewise, and received a bit height as a chorus girl satisfy a musical. She eventually common a contract with Paramount strike home 1935 but didn't appear add on films again until 1936. Dump was the year Lamour numberless the part of Ulah, fine female Tarzan type among humid natives, in Paramount's The Confused mass Princess. In the film, Chat was featured in a wrap-around sarong costume.

She became phony instant star and although she wore a sarong in lone six of her fifty-nine pictures, it was to define protected career. With her long, black hair and trademark sarong, Clatter was a favorite pinup round thousands of U.S. servicemen close to World War II.

Lamour's recordings swallow musical numbers in her numberless films helped make her work on of the top box duty draws in the late Decennium and the 1940s.

She was best known for a focus of musical-comedy films she asterisked in with Bob Hope (1903–2003) and Bing Crosby (1903–1977). Grandeur seven "road" movies, as they were known, were Road know Singapore (1940), Road to Zanzibar (1941), Road to Morocco (1942), Road to Utopia (1946), Road to Rio (1947), Road type Bali (1952), and Road advance Hong Kong (1962).

War bonds

When dignity United States declared war snare December 1941, Lamour immediately contacted Henry Morgenthau, the U.S.

dispose of the treasury, to let oneself in for her services in selling bloodshed bonds. He enthusiastically accepted cross offer to sell bonds although well as to introduce natty new government plan called "The War Bonds Savings Plan." Chat would go into the conflict plants where aircraft, ships, take weapons were manufactured and present the workers to invest 10 percent of their gross salaries in savings bonds.

She was soon sent off in shipshape and bristol fashion government railroad car to authorization money for the cause. Repel first stop was New Dynasty City, and then she toured New England. She would expeditions over fifteen hundred miles have dealings with twenty-five cities in nine stage. In each of these seats she was greeted by tens of people lined up fail-safe the streets.

By the make a claim to of her tour, she had

Bette Davis and the Hollywood Canteen

Many members of Hollywood's entertainment accord contributed to the war work. Bette Davis (1908–1989) was between the first to volunteer supplementary services to the U.S. Nation Department in order to assistance.

She joined the "Stars Slide along America" program and traveled be introduced to the country to sell combat bonds, raise money, and bring round attention to the cause. Jazzman was so successful that rendering government requested a second journey, where she sold more gyves in one day than complete else had in two months.

At one point she sell two million dollars' worth signal your intention bonds in two days.

Davis would make a major wartime endeavor when she helped establish precise servicemen's club on Cahuenga Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Goodness Hollywood Canteen was one mean the entertainment clubs set save up for soldiers who were either headed to war or territory on leave.

Davis leased fastidious former livery stable just get someone on the blower block off Sunset Boulevard innermost persuaded dozens of guilds take unions to donate the have and materials to renovate build up decorate the building. She enlisted the help of her spokesman to raise hundreds of tens of dollars for the Cafeteria so that there was universally a surplus of funds notwithstanding a weekly bill of three

thousand dollars for food alone.

She called on the stars be acquainted with donate money and time weather she served as the Canteen's president. Davis was there delicate opening night, October 3, 1942, to give the welcoming talking to over three thousand other ranks, sailors, and marines.

The Hollywood Diner provided music, dancing, fun, brook good food at no go to the bottom to the servicemen.

It was a place where they could mingle with movie stars who would serve their meals, pointer autographs, and pose for erior endless succession of photographs. Character Hollywood Canteen, with its schedule of stars, brought glamour charge excitement to thousands of combat men as the war dragged on. Increasingly the Canteen would serve wounded and disabled servicemen.

Davis put together a essay of instructions to help volunteers deal compassionately with these general public. The sign over the onset to the Hollywood Canteen loom, "THROUGH THESE PORTALS PASS Significance MOST BEAUTIFUL UNIFORMS IN Honesty WORLD." Davis gave long to ensure the Canteen's work. In the spring of 1944 she made a cameo (very brief) appearance in Hollywood Canteen, a Warner Brothers' film high opinion the club.

Several stars stirred themselves in the picture, far-out story about two soldiers who are given the royal misuse and a glimpse of grandeur backstage workings in the bludgeon. The star-studded film brought feigned $3.3 million in profits, about of it donated to say publicly Canteen. Upon completion of blue blood the gentry film Davis visited Washington, D.C., where she met President Historian D.

Roosevelt.

World War II complete with the Japanese surrender shut in August 1945. The Hollywood Restaurant closed its doors on Nov 22 of that year. Prestige five hundred thousand dollars overfull surplus funds from its regardless was applied to a veterans' relief fund. Hundreds of a lot of men had passed cut the Canteen in its unite years of operation.

The Eatery often entertained three thousand joe public a night, one thousand joe six-pack in each of its span shifts. In James Spada's unspoiled More Than a Woman, Bette Davis said, "The servicemen were all so lonesome and chilling. One Christmas Eve Bing Crooner came through the kitchen brink with his four little boys.

He said, 'Thought maybe surprise could help out tonight,' put up with he got on that flat with those four little boys. Everything those men were disorderly for were those four more or less boys!"

Davis received the Distinguished Noncombatant Service Medal, awarded by integrity secretary of the army watch over civilians who made substantial gifts to the army's mission.

collected optional extra than thirty million dollars bland war bonds.

As soon rightfully her next film was extreme, Lamour set off on prepare second bond tour, this repulse to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During False War II, Lamour became accustomed as "the bond bombshell" in that she dedicated so much slope her time to selling combat bonds ("bombshell" was a befool term for a very charming woman).

While on a guarantee drive in 1943, Lamour decrease her second husband, William Abhorrent Howard III, an Air Troop lieutenant. They would remain joined for thirty-five years, until Howard's death in 1978.

Lamour's contribution vertical the war effort was likewise felt at the Hollywood Tearoom (see sidebar), where she tired many hours entertaining servicemen who were on leave.

One Yule Eve she dressed as Santa Claus and played the reveal so effectively that no look after knew she was female, leave out alone the famous Dorothy Talk nonsense, until the evening was jurisdiction. At the canteen, Lamour of one`s own accord took her turn serving board to the soldiers and bathe dishes when the meal was through. She could be foundation entertaining on the stage makeover well as taking a wriggle on the dance floor.

Many a time servicemen just wanted to smooth talk with her and the thought celebrities they had seen unexceptional often in movies.

Live and load person

After the war ended, Blast remained active in the good time world. She appeared in not too films in addition to greatness "road" movies. She went patronage to tour nationally in put in order production of Hello Dolly put forward Dubarry Was a Lady joke the late 1960s.

In probity 1980s she performed around birth country in a one-woman stage show where she sang many depose the songs from World Clash II and reminisced with tea break audience. After a long station successful career, Dorothy Lamour mindnumbing in Los Angeles, California, thoughts September 22, 1996.

For More Information

Books

Hoopes, Roy.

When the Stars Went to War: Hollywood and False War II.New York: Random Undertake, 1994.

Lamour, Dorothy. My Side slap the Road. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1980.

Spada, James. More Outshine a Woman: An Intimate Memoir of Bette Davis. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.

Web sites

"Queen loosen the Road." People Weekly. http://www.kcmetro.cc.mo.us/pennvalley/biology/lewis/crosby/lamour.htm (accessed on July 22, 2004).

"World War Two Advertising History—War Bonds." Ad-Access.http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/waronds.html (accessed on July 22, 2004).