Dinah Shore Collection

Dinah Shore
(1916 – 1994)

Comedy and Musical Variety Programs (1940s and 1950)

Best remembered for her sensuous recordings, Shore was one of the most popular recording stars of the forties. While at Vanderbilt University, Shore sang on Nashville radio and took the name Dinah after using 'Dinah' as her signature tune. In 1937 she traveled to New York and sang on radio before joining Xavier Cugat as guest vocalist.

She made her recording debut with Cugat ('The Breeze and I' 1940) but her big break came later that year when she became a regular on old time radio shows. Her first hit was 'Yes My Darling Daughter' (1940),which was an adaptation of a traditional Russian melody. The song that established Shore was Harold Arlen's and Johnny Mercer's film theme, 'Blues In the Night'. This led to her appearing in several movies, including 'Up in Arms,' in which she sang Arlen's 'Now I Know' and 'I'll Walk Alone' and the Jerome Kern biopic 'Till the Clouds Roll By,' in which she sang the oft-recorded 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.'

When her film career ended Shore returned to radio and joined Columbia. Her hits of the forties included 'The Gypsy', Al Jolson's 'Anniversary Song,' the Oscar winning 'Buttons and Bows' (1948) from the Bob Hope film, 'Paleface', and Sammy Fain's 'Dear Hearts and Gentle People'.

In the fifties, as her hits declined with the advent of rock'n'roll, Shore established herself as a television star with a long-running show, in the mold of Perry Como's. In the sixties she recorded only intermittently and in the seventies became a television chat-show hostess.

This collection includes many of Dinah's guest appearances on shows, from her early years with with Chamber Music Society of the Lower Basin in the 1940s to her cameo on the last episode of Amos and Andy.

This collection also highlights many of her shows from her glory years on the radio, in addition to her numerous appearances on Bing Crosby's program, Command Performance, and Paul Whiteman. As well, there are many episodes of her own show from 1941 through 1955, through its many incarnations with Bristol Myers, Birdseye Foods, and Ford Motor Company.

Making full use of her name of fame, her theme song throughout is none other than 'Dinah.' During these years the show was alternately called Songs by Dinah Shore, The Dinah Shore Program (where Groucho Marx often appeared), In Person Dinah Shore, The Birdseye Open House, and The Ford Show.