(below) A freeze-frame captures a close-up of Liz during The Golddiggers’ live performance at the 1972 Emmy Awards ceremony.

Airing in Dean Martin’s Thursday night time slot during July and August of 1970, The Golddiggers In London represented the third successive — not to mention, successful — summer series for the all-girl singing-dancing troupe, raising their profile to new heights. But the delightful dectet would gain even more visibility that fall, when they succeeded the ladies that had been collectively known as Dean’s Girls as the regular female performers backing Dean each week on his show.

With so many eyes now gazing at The Golds on a steady basis, the sudden emergence of a single vacancy in the group’s lineup just a few weeks into The Dean Martin Show‘s 6th season meant that the gal selected to fill the opening had to be someone really special. Fortunately for the ensemble, the program, and the viewers at home, the lovely lass chosen more than met expectations.

Liz Kelley was still in her teens when she was already working with the likes of Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Charlton Heston and Arthur Godfrey; and at age 17, she was performing three solos nightly with her idol, Gene Kelly, in his Las Vegas show.

So by the time she was picked to join The Golddiggers just a short while later, she not only fit right in, but proceeded to excel as one of the group’s most outstanding members and a dancer in a class by herself. In fact, it was such terpsichorean proficiency that no doubt led to the establishment of her own school of dance — Dance Studio 1 — in her hometown of Kansas City, where she and her staff of instructors continue to train future generations of girls who aspire to be the next Liz Kelley.

With today being her birthday, we want to wish Mz. Liz (as she’s know to her students) A Very Happy Birthday, and Many, Many More.

(above) Liz grabs hold of Dean (with colleague Rebecca Jones peeking in between them), as The Golddiggers guest star on the 12/21/72 Christmas edition of The Dean Martin Show

Sheryl Ullman, whose birthday is this week, had already appeared in three Elvis Presley movies and had a raft of TV commercials and prime-time programs to her credit when she was picked to join The Golddiggers in 1969. After leaving the group, she continued to perform, but also spread her wings, becoming a freelance writer of feature articles for newspapers and magazines.

(above) January birthday girl Sheryl Ullman (right) and friend and colleague from The Golddiggers Michelle DellaFave (left) outfit Birmingham Mayor George Seibels with an honorary sweatshirt, in advance of the group’s performance, circa 1969-70, at the Alabama State Fair.

With a Bachelor’s degree in English Lit and a Master’s in Psychology already hanging on her wall, Sheryl decided that she would add one more diploma to her academic arsenal — in a field that she truly loved and in which she could mentor to a class that can be as hard to discipline as any rowdy set of junior-high pupils: The result is that Sheryl is today a much-sough-after certified dog and cat trainer, operating her own institute for four-legged enrollees under the scholarly-cum-witty name, Bonefido.

If the subject is higher learning, then for anyone seeking knowledge of what a great vocalist sounds like, listening to Francie Mendenhall‘s distinctive, fluid, versatile, and always-perfectly-modulated voice is an education in and of itself — the kind one pursues not as a requirement, but as an elective, just for the enriching experience and pure pleasure of it.  No doubt it’s such talent that led to her being asked to sing so many featured solos during her tenure with The Golddiggers, and fortunately for all of us, several of them can be heard on the troupe’s third album, The Golddiggers: Today.

(above) Another New Year’s birthday girl, Francie Mendenhall (far right) goes arm-in-arm with Dean Martin, accompanied by sister Golddiggers (l. to r.) Jimmie Cannon, Loyita Chapel, and Jackie Chidsey, on the 12/21/72 Christmas edition of The Dean Martin Show.

Francie, too, has a birthday this week, and to both her and Sheryl, we wish A Happy, Healthy Birthday, and Many, Many More.

At first blush, it might not seem as though there would be much of a connection between the vivacious, squeaky-clean choral group of the 1960s and ’70s that was known as The Doodletown Pipers, and the glamorous, alluring singer-dancers famed for their work on The Dean Martin Show and in live performances with not only Dean, but other big-name headliners, too — The Dingaling Sisters.

However, if you did a little digging, you’d actually find a few factors that the Doodletown folks and The Dings have in common. One, of course, is music; but another of which you may not be aware is that both acts benefitted at different times from the limpid vocals, graceful moves, and lovely presence of Taffy Jones.

(above) 17-year-old Taffy (fourth from left) is flanked by other members of vocal/dance troupe The Doodletown Pipers, as they pose for a group shot during an appearance at the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup, Washington on Sept. 24, 1970.
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(below) One year later, in a setting more familiar to our regular readers, Taffy joins Dean (left) and guest Gene Kelly (right) in a classic closet skit, on the Oct. 28, 1971 edition of The Dean Martin Show.

We here at Dean, Golds and Dings also feel fortunate to count Taffy among our ranks — in fact, she was one of the charter members of our community, going back to the founding of our GoldsAndDings group almost five years ago.

So with today being a very special day for this accomplished artist, successful businesswoman, loving wife, proud Mom, and good friend to her sister Dings and all of those lucky enough to know her, we naturally want to wish our dear Taffy A Very Happy, Healthy Birthday, and Many, Many More.

(below) In a comedy skit from his series, Dean toasts Tara…and on this, her birthday, so do we.

Faithful followers of the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital remember her as Alexandria Quartermaine, the sultry socialite who caught the eye of series star Anthony Geary‘s character, Luke.

On the other hand, regular viewers of The Dean Martin Show affectionately recall her as Tara Leigh, the gorgeous brunette soprano who won the hearts of Dean, her coworkers, and the audience, drawing fan mail by the truckload, first as a member of The Golddiggers, and then, The Dingaling Sisters.

These days, friends, colleagues and her still-sizable legion of admirers know her as the very sweet and hard-working Renee Anderson — and as it happens, she’s celebrating a birthday today. So we at Dean, Golds and Dings would like to deliver a fan letter of our own to the ever-lovely Renee, by wishing her A Very Happy Birthday, and Many, Many More.

• Historic photos from the 1971 USMA Yearbook documenting performances at West Point just before Christmas 1970 by The Golddiggers and The Dingaling Sisters, as part of Bob Hope’s USO Tour

• Shots of Golddiggers and Dingaling Sisters alumnae appearing at a number of much more recent Veterans-related events…

The Golddiggers at West Point, Christmas 1970

(above, l. to r.) Janice Whitby, Paula Cinko, Francie Mendenhall; Rosetta Cox, Jackie Chidsey, Liz Kelley
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(below, l. to r.) Janice Whitby, Paula Cinko, Francie Mendenhall

(above, l. to r.) Janice Whitby (background); Rosetta Cox, Jackie Chidsey, Liz Kelley (foreground)
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(below) The Golds gather around host Bob Hope

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The Dingaling Sisters at West Point, Christmas 1970

(above, l. to r.) Tara Leigh, Susan Lund, Wanda Bailey, Michelle DellaFave
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Bob Hope Leads His Troupe in The Traditional “Silent Night” Close of His Christmas Show, at West Point, Christmas 1970

(above, l. to r.) Rosetta Cox, Janice Whitby, Patricia Mickey, Johnny Bench, Jackie Chidsey, Francie Mendenhall, Major General William A. Knowlton (Superintendent of West Point), Bobbi Martin, Bob Hope, Gloria Loring, Lola Falana, Susie Lund, Tara Leigh, Michelle DellaFave, Wanda Bailey
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Springfield, Illinois — July 2007

(above, l. to r.) Susan Lund, Michelle DellaFave, and Wanda Bailey display the medals they received from the Vietnam Veterans of America after their concert for the organization’s 2007 national convention — the first performance by any set of Dingaling Sisters in over three decades.
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Washington, DC — Veterans Day Weekend, 2007

In conjunction with ceremonies commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, Michelle DellaFave scores a hat trick, first performing with her alma mater ensemble, The Golddiggers, including Jackie Chidsey (above left) and Nancy Reichert (above right), in the largest on-stage gathering of the group since the early ’70s…
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…then joining Dingaling Sisters Susie Lund (above left) and Wanda Bailey (above right) for an encore of “Do The Funky Chicken”…
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…and finally, teaming with another onetime Dingaling Sister and good friend, Lindsay Bloom (above right), to unveil the premiere of the first new group to be spun off from either The Golddiggers or Dingaling Sisters in 37 years, Blue Eyed Soul.
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Michelle DellaFave at The 40th Reunion of The West Point Class of ’71

At the invitation of the class’ Frank Durrum (above right), Michelle performed for an enthusiastic audience of over 400 USMA graduates and their families. And both before and after the concert, she was graciously escorted by another member of the ’71 class, Chris Clarke (below left).

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Washington, DC — Veterans Day 2011

(above) Lindsay joins Marine Vets for a round of Veterans Day events.
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Somewhere There’s A Someone…

In some ways it was improbable, but perhaps in others, it was inevitable, that at some point during the course of their cross-country travels entertaining and doing other good works for both Veterans and active-duty U.S. military personnel, Michelle and Lindsay would run into a soldier named…You guessed it — DEAN MARTIN!! And indeed, there he is above, happily sandwiched between the two Dings. Add another pair and we’re ready for a medley.

For those who’d like to, but haven’t yet had a chance, to see the original Golddiggers Super Site article on Michelle and Lindsay’s latest efforts on behalf of America’s Veterans, here’s a link to the piece:

Michelle and Lindsay’s Labor of Love for The Vets

And to stay up-to-date on all that’s happening with Michelle, Lindsay, The Golds, The Dings, and of course, Dean Martin, why not click the LIKE button atop our Facebook page and then either take part in the conversation or just sit back and enjoy it:

(below) Jan in her human guise as Katy, the “fembot” creation of John Houseman’s evil Dr. Franklin (left), in the 1976 “Kill Oscar” trilogy of episodes that spanned both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman programs.

Baby boomers scared silly in the ’70s seeing the shocking mechanical visage of Katy The Fembot on episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman no doubt take delight in the delicious irony that Janice Whitby, the beautiful actress who played the role of Katy, was actually born on Halloween.

But like our other recent famous birthday celebrant, Jayne Kennedy, Janice’s first regular professional job in front of the cameras came as a member of a very glamorous sisterhood — in Jan’s case, as one of Dean Martin’s Golddiggers. She went on to guest star on quite a few TV series and appear in a number of motion pictures; and even though cult sci-fi fans may still be haunted by her stint as a fembot fatale, everyone who knows Janice knows that in real life, she couldn’t be a sweeter, gentler, lovelier gal.

Happy Birthday, Jan, and Many, Many More.

If you’d like to send your own birthday greetings to Janice Whitby, as well as read more about her life and career, be sure to visit her dedicated fan site, created by Mark Fornale…

Janice Whitby.com

…as well as her Facebook fan page:

(below) Jayne on the cover of the Oct. 2, 1980 issue of Jet, one of many magazines for which she’s posed.

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She’s starred in movies, made guest appearances on dozens of television shows, co-hosted The NFL Today on CBS, graced the covers of numerous magazines, and been a spokesperson for many good causes. But those of us who frequent these precincts know that Jayne Kennedy‘s first big regular gig in show business came as one of The Dingaling Sisters on the eighth season of The Dean Martin Show.

She had a birthday last week, and although we’re a little late in celebrating it, that in no way diminishes the good wishes that we send her way.

Happy Birthday, Jayne, and Many, Many More.

So how does one think up something special for a birthday salute to our wonderful Kimmy, who, when it comes to Dean, has just about heard and seen it all?

Well, in this instance, at least, we tried to find an obscure but entertaining DM artifact that Kimmy — as well as the rest of us — might never have come across, and what we dug up is a rare gem that will hopefully both surprise and delight one and all (if not, you can always ask the owner of this site for a refund).

Now, we all know that on his series, Dean was famous for not doing retakes. And yet, we’ve discovered TWO different versions of a medley that he performed with one of his favorite singing partners, Petula Clark, on the 9/28/67 episode of his show: One is the rendition from the program that was broadcast; the other appears as a previously-unreleased cut on Petula’s now-out-of-print 2007 CD, Petula Clark Duets.

And they are definitely not the same, with one of the most obvious differences audible in Dean’s singing both the first and second verses of “Until The Real Thing Comes Along” on the CD version, whereas on the version that went out on the air, Petula sang the first verse and Dean did only the second.

CUDDLE UP A LITTLE CLOSER: (above) Dean and Petula Clark bond over their “Love” medley on the 9/28/67 edition of The Dean Martin Show

So what’s the story behind this alternate take? Plainly, it wasn’t from a rehearsal, since, as is apparent at the end of the track, it was performed in front of a live audience. Anyway, since when did Dean ever rehearse?!!!

Well, if anyone out there can shed some light on this mystery, it would be most welcomed. In the meantime, Kimmy, with the hope that you haven’t already heard it, we present you with this alternate recording of the 1967 Dean & Petula “Love” medley, accompanied by a lower-quality, but still readily recognizable, copy from the original telecast, so that you and everyone else can compare the two (but hurry, because they’ll only remain posted for about a week). The individual songs that made up the medley are: “I’m In Love Again,” “Until The Real Thing Comes Along,” “If This Isn’t Love,” “True Love” and “Love, Love, Love.”

And with the theme of that medley being love, it’s one that’s most appropriate for the occasion, because, Kimmy, you’re truly loved by all of your pallies here at Dean, Golds and Dings.

Have a Happy, Healthy Birthday, and Many, Many More.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE TWO VERSIONS OF DEAN & PETULA’S “LOVE” MEDLEY

For someone as kind, compassionate and caring as she is, the answer has to be: Love Is The Reason For It All.

A MOST DISTINGUISHED GLEE CLUB: Pictured above, from the Jan. 28, 1971 episode of The Dean Martin Show, featuring the talented offspring of famous Hollywood stars performing “Love Is The Reason” from the Broadway musical version of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn: (standing left to right) Meredith MacRae, Dean Paul Martin, Lucie Arnaz, Maureen Reagan, Gail Martin, DEANA MARTIN, Desi Arnaz Jr., Frank Sinatra Jr., and Billy Hinsche. Seated in the center: A True Scholar and A Gentleman — Professor Dean Martin.

SIDE BY SIDE BY SIDE: Singing that well-known tune from the musical Company on the same 1/28/71 episode of The Dean Martin Show: (below, l. to r.) DEANA MARTIN, Frank Sinatra Jr., and Lucie Arnaz.

Wishing You A Happy, Healthy Birthday, Deana, and Many, Many More — With Love from All of Your Fans and Pallies at Dean, Golds and Dings.

And because we all know that it’s better to give than receive, even as we celebrate Deana’s birthday, here’s a gift from her to all of us: A clip documenting the making of her Volare album. Watch the expressive way that she delivers a song and you’ll see a shining example of the old cliché: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree:

For those who’d like to send Deana their own birthday greetings, her Facebook fan page is the perfect place to do it. Just click below:

Want to leave a comment? Be our guest in the Pallies Lounge. Just CLICK HERE.

(above and below) Getting a kick out of Kay Medford.

(above) In a different episode, with Kay and Lou Jacobi.

(above and below) Chatting and, from the looks of it (as well as from knowing Dean), perhaps even flirting a little bit with the gent in the tux.