Family Weekly May ge, 1968
Her fabulously successful career may have undermined her
Dinah
Shore
Tells:
Why I'm
Quitting"
By PEER J. OPPENHEIMER
Why DID Dinah Shore throw away
a $100,000-a-week career by re
tiring from television? To find out, I
arranged to visit her at her home in
Palm Springs, Calif.
Finding that home wasn't easy, however.
Although Dinah has owned a house in the
desert resort for 10 years, even long-time
residents have little idea where it is. The first
seven people I asked for directions couldn't
help me; the eighth person had only a vague
idea and no wonder! Not only is there no
street sign, but the house itself is hidden behind
a high fence and even taller vegetation.
This is a far cry from Dinah's Beverly Hills
home, which had become a tourist attraction.
There hardly was a time when some overly
eager fan wasn't cruising up and down in
front of the house or shouting at Dinah and the
children to pose for pictures.
It grew so bad that Dinah finally had to hire
a full-time guard to keep some semblance of
privacy. "We were trying to raise our children
like normal youngsters, and strangers would
impose in ways that they would never do with
their own relatives or friends," Dinah told me
during my recent visit. "And they got mad if
I didn't come out and pose with the children
in front of our house."
Only Jody, her nine-year-old son, enjoyed the
extra attention. He used to sell lemonade to
tourists. When anyone asked if he was Dinah
Shore's son, he'd say, "Buy some lemonade and
I'll tell you." After they bought some and asked
again, he'd answer, "Yeah." Dinah didn't con
aider this the most healthy way of growing up!
Life for her and the children is quite dif
ferent in Palm Springs. By Beverly Hills stand
ards, her house there is modest. In place of
the large staff that helps her run her town
house, she has only a housekeeper, Pauline,
who has been with her 14 years. Jody and her
daughter Missy take care of their own rooms.
Dinah herself does most of the cooking, usually
answers the phone, and does some of the clean
ing. Her secretary comes in from Los Angeles
once a week to help with her fan mail.
"We get up at 7 a.m., although I don't particu
larly enjoy being awakened at that hour," Dinah
admits. "But I'd like to see anybody sleep after
Jody gets up! After breakfast, I drive Missy to
school Jody ride' his bike and when I come
back I often go right back to sleep!"
Judging by her appearance, Dinah's new life
seems to agree with her. She was more relaxed,
more tanned, more attractive than I had seen
her in years. And she also was more willing to
discuss her problems particularly her reason
for retirement which, she admits, is for an in
definite period of time. "I never said I'd stay
away from television just for one year. I said
I wouldn't consider doing a regular weekly
show of my own for that long. After that, I'll
decide what I want to do."
Why did she make this decision?
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