Dinah Shore | Winchester, TN

Dinah Shore’s real name was Frances "Fanny" Rose Shore, and she was born in Winchester, Tennessee. Stricken with polio at 18 months of age, she recovered after receiving the Sister Kenny treatment. She became a cheerleader at Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville and went on to graduate from Vanderbilt University in 1938, where she majored in sociology. She took voice and acting lessons on the side and sang on radio station WSM in Nashville. In 1938 she left Tennessee for New York City and began singing on radio station WNCW in New York. Her first recordings were with bandleader Xavier Cugat, and she later changed her named to Dinah after her success with the song of the same name. She received numerous Emmy awards for television specials and productions and appeared in many films. She was married to actor George Montgomery, with whom she had one daughter and adopted a son.

She had a long love affair with Burt Reynolds, who was 20 years younger than she was.
She earned the USO Medallion Award as the first entertainer to visit GIs on the front lines of WWII.
The first female star to have her own prime-time TV variety show.
Took the professional name Dinah after the title of a favorite song.
Contracted polio at 18 months of age. Through years of physical therapy, she was able to recover fully and was left with only a raised arch on one foot. Her enforced athletic therapy at a young age is what led to a lifelong love of athletics.
Host of NBC Radio's "Birdseye Open House" (1943-1946).
Member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority.
She has three grandchildren by Melissa: Jennifer, Adam, and Alexandre.
Her ex-husband, George Montgomery, and her two children were with her when she died.
Dinah gave birth to daughter Melissa Ann (Melissa Montgomery in January 1948. She later adopted her son, John "Jody" David Montgomery.
Dinah Shore Drive is named for her. It spans the cities of Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City (near Palm Springs, California).
Half of her ashes are interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cathedral City (near Palm Springs, California). The other half are interred at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California.
Per 1920/1930 census records, her parents were Russian-born Jews. Her father was a prosperous dry goods merchant in Tennessee.
Dinah Shore Boulevard is named in her honor in her hometown of Winchester, Tennessee.
Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1994.
Although she was not an original member of the cast of "Call Me Madam", she sang all the Ethel Merman songs on the original cast recording when Decca Records refused to release Ms. Merman from her contract to record the soundtrack for RCA.
Lived in a one story house in Mission Hills Country Club, located in Rancho Mirage, California. Was also good friends with all of her neighbors. Among them were Donald Donovan and Geraldine Donovan.
Had a lifelong passion for painting and cookbooks.
She was awarded 3 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard; for Radio at 1751 Vine Street; and for Television at 6916 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Appears on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp, issued on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring The Dinah Shore Show (1951).
Was a registered Republican early in her career and through the influence of Ronald Reagan, at that time a staunch Democrat, she switched her political affiliation. Reagan and Shore remained friends long after he switched to the Republican party. Noted her close friend Marianne Tatashore, in People magazine's obituary of Miss Shore in 1994: "Dinah was a Democrat through and through, yet she numbered the Reagans among her friends and was their guest at the White House.".
Was a dedicated Girl Scout.
Helped start one of the first big-money professional golf tournaments for women.
Won the 1957 Peabody award for television for "The Dinah Shore Show".

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