DEAN'S GIRLS

 WHEN THE NAME "DEAN MARTIN" COMES TO MIND, A FEW MEMORIES ARE CONJURED UP. MEMORIES OF DEAN'S "GIRLS"... "THE GOLDDIGGERS"... "THE DINGALING'S".

EVER SINCE WE CAN REMEMBER, DEAN HAS ALWAYS CAPTURED THE HEARTS OF WOMEN... BUT IT WAS DURING HIS TELEVISION YEARS THAT THE GIRLS SURROUNDING DEAN CAPTURED THE HEARTS OF MEN AROUND THE WORLD...

 IN JUNE OF 1968, AS A SUMMER REPLACEMENT SHOW, "THE GOLDDIGGERS" PREMIERED WITH HOSTS FRANK SINATRA, JR., JOEY HEATHERTON AND PAUL LYNDE.

 THE "GOLDDIGGERS" ORIGINALLY CONSISTED OF A DOZEN GIRLS WHO INSTANTLY BECAME A HIT. DURING THE REGULAR SEASON, WHEN DEAN RETURNED, THE "GOLDDIGGERS" WERE THE NEW ADOPTED GROUP SINGING, DANCING & PERFORMING SKITS WITH DINO. THE MOST MEMORABLE IMPRESSION OF THE GOLDDIGGERS (DURING THE '69-70 TV SEASON) WAS SURROUNDING DEAN ON PILLOWS IN A WEEKLY CONCERT SPOT SEGMENT THAT ALWAYS STARTED OUT WITH DEAN SINGING "WELCOME TO MY WORLD"

 THE GOLDDIGGERS HOSTED THE NEXT TWO SUMMER REPLACEMENT SHOWS FOR DEAN.

LOU RAWLS AND DEAN'S DAUGHTER, GAIL MARTIN WERE THE GUEST HOSTS DURING 1969.

THE SUMMER OF 1970, ENGLAND WAS THE HOME TO THE "GOLDDIGGERS IN LONDON" WITH HOSTS CHARLES NELSON RILEY AND MARTY FELDMAN.

 IN 1971 THE GOLDDIGGERS HAD THEIR OWN SYNDICATED SHOW WITH A DIFFERENT GUEST STAR EVERY WEEK.

THE REGULARS FOR THIS CHEVROLET SHOW CONSISTED OF CHARLES NELSON RILEY & LARRY STORCH IN 1971 AND LONNIE SHORR WITH JACKIE VERNON DURING THEIR SECOND SEASON.

THE GROUP NOW SCALED DOWN FROM 12 TO 10 AND FINALLY WENT DOWN TO 8 BEFORE DISBANDING IN '72

 A NEW GROUP OF GIRLS (SPUN OFF FROM THE LARGER GROUP) WAS FORMED AND CALLED "THE DINGALING SISTERS". A FEW GIRLS CAME AND WENT, INCLUDING SUSAN LUND, ACTRESS LINDSAY BLOOM AND SPORTS' REPORTER JAYNE KENNEDY

THE MOST WELL KNOWN WERE THE GROUP PICTURED TO THE LEFT...

...TAFFY,  TARA , MICHELLE , LYNNE. THEY WOULD BE THE HIGHLIGHT OF DEAN'S WEEKLY TV SHOW WITH THEIR CONCERT SPOTS SINGING "C'MON DOWN DEAN".

IN 1973 A COMPLETE SET OF NEW GIRLS WERE HIRED TO CONTINUE THE "GOLDDIGGERS" NAME AND TRAVEL WITH DEAN IN LAS VEGAS AND 'ON THE ROAD.' THESE GIRLS WERE ALSO FEATURED IN THE OCCASIONAL TV SPECIALS THAT DEAN WOULD HAVE FROM 1973 ON.

 ONE OF THE PAST ISSUES OF DEAN MARTIN FAN CENTER MAGAZINE SPOTLIGHTED FORMER GOLDDIGGER JOYCE GARRO IN OUR CONTINUING SERIES ON THE GOLDDIGGERS AND DINGALINGS