Dorothy Lamour

 Dorothy Lamour (December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996)

She is best remembered for appearing in the "Road" movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Lamour began her career in the 1930s as a big band singer. In 1936, she moved to Hollywood where she signed with Paramount Pictures. Her appearance as "Ulah" in The Jungle Princess (1936) brought her fame and also marked the beginning of her image as the "Sarong Queen." In 1940, Lamour made her first "Road" comedy film, Road to Singapore. The Road to... films were popular during the 1940s. The sixth film in the series, Road to Bali, was released in 1952. By that time, Lamour's screen career began to wane and she focused on stage and television work. In 1961, Crosby and Hope teamed up for one more, The Road to Hong Kong, but actress Joan Collins was cast as the female lead. Lamour made a brief appearance and sang a song near the end of that film. It was one of her last film appearances, along with John Ford's Donovan's Reef (1963) with John Wayne and Lee Marvin. Lamour became more active in live theater, headlining a road company of Hello Dolly! for over a year near the end of the decade. Dorothy Lamour died at age 81, from natural causes, and is buried at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.