Golddiggers,
The - The collective name for a troupe of beautiful dancers introduced in
1967 on the comedy variety THE DEAN MARTIN SHOW/NBC/1965-74.
The Golddiggers also
appeared on
the summer series DEAN MARTIN PRESENTS THE GOLDDIGGERS/NBC/1968-73,
THE GOLDDIGGERS IN LONDON/NBC/1970 the spin-off THE GOLDDIGGERS/SYN/1971 and the
DEAN MARTIN SPECIAL/NBC/1977.
The Golddiggers consisted of a group of ten to
twelve dancers but nearly 40 women appeared as Golddiggers during the life of
the show.
The Golddiggers sole purpose was to be eye candy for the TV viewers.
During the show, they did dance routines, showed off their lovely legs or
sat quietly near Dean Martin as he performed his musical numbers. Four of
the Golddiggers later became known as The Ding-a-Ling Sisters during the
1970-73 seasons.
Golddiggers who appeared on the show
(*) = one of the original Golddiggers
Tara
Leigh,
Diana Liekhaus*
Susan Lund
Rebecca Jones
Liz Kelly
Sheila Mann
Debra McFarlain*
Micki McGlone
Patricia Mickey
Francie Mendenhall
Cheryl Lynn*
Brenda Powell*
Nancy Reichert
Barbara Sanders
Cheryl Lynn Steiner*
Debbie Thomanson*
Sheryl Ullman
Janice Whitby
Mary K. Wright*
Karen Yarbrough
TRIVIA NOTE: In the 1930s, Warner Brothers
produced a series of "Gold Digger" musicals based on Avery Hopwood's 1919 play.
The movies (which featured spectacular stage numbers and choreography by Busby
Berkeley) included The Gold Diggers (1923), Gold Diggers of Broadway
(1929), The Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), The Gold Diggers of 1935
(1935) The Gold Diggers of 1937 (1937), and Gold Diggers in Paris
(1938).
