One Singular Sensation

(above) Today’s birthday girl, Liz Kelley, on The Dean Martin Show, Feb. 25, 1971

It was while directing a Las Vegas stage show for dancing legend Gene Kelly that Dean Martin Show Producer-Director Greg Garrison discovered another Kelley — different spelling, no relation, opposite sex and of a much younger generation, but a gorgeous newcomer who demonstrated all of the terpsichorean skill to live up to the talent of her similarly-monickered idol.

Liz Kelley was only 17 when she was hired to be a part of Gene Kelly’s live revue, which played Vegas from February to April of 1970. The show had been adapted from an NBC television special he had starred in a month earlier with the rather verbose, yet enticing title, Gene Kelly’s Wonderful World of Girls with 50 Girls, Count ‘Em, 50. Out of those 50, which included a number already working in The Golddiggers or as one of Dean’s Girls, Greg Garrison saw great promise in Liz Kelley; and when the first new opening in the lineup of The Golddiggers came up in the fall of 1970, it was Liz that Greg called upon to fill it.

Once in the smaller, but higher-visibility ensemble of The Golddiggers, with exposure before millions each week through the intimate medium of television, first on The Dean Martin Show and then on the group’s own syndicated series, Chevrolet Presents The Golddiggers, Liz quickly became a familiar face and a fan favorite, which she remains to this day.

With her expertise in dancing, it was only natural that she would eventually come to run her own school, Dance Studio 1, where future stars continue to benefit from Liz’s experience and hands-on dedication to her craft.

While her career may have begun as one of 50 Girls (Count ’Em 50), anyone familiar with Liz, her accomplishments, her talent, her beauty, her kindness, and her heart, knows that she’s one in a million.

Happy Birthday, Liz, and Many, Many More.

You can find out more about Liz Kelley’s school, Dance Studio 1, by clicking here.

And you can join many fans and alumnae of The Golddiggers, The Dingaling Sisters and The Dean Martin Show on Facebook by clicking here: