There will be GOLD in Palm Desert on April 9th, 2010

By Sybil Farson

Decades before “American Idol,” 12 beautiful young girls—who came to be known as “The Golddiggers”—discovered their fortune of success when Dean Martin selected them among thousands auditioning in major U.S. and Canadian cities to sing and dance on his variety show.

After several appearances in 1969 their popularity led to Dean’s featuring them on his summer replacement show, titled: “Dean Martin Presents The Golddiggers.” Praising their talent and beauty, he also promoted their nubile youth by announcing his scotch was now the oldest thing on his show.

Throughout the 1970s, The Golddiggers danced and sang their way into television history, eventually hosting their own show, while attracting both national and international audiences to their concerts and nightclub presentations. They also traveled on three USO Christmas tours with Bob Hope, entertaining troops around the world including Vietnam.

Back home on the Variety Show they appeared with such famous guests as James Stewart and Gene Kelly, John Wayne and Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Jack Benny, Carol Burnett, Glenn Ford, Ann Margaret and Raquel Welch and so many, many more. During their travels they appeared on the State Fair Circuit, the Johnny Carson show, and even headlined at Caesar’s Palace.

Today, six of the original 12 Golddiggers—Jackie Chidsey, Rosie Gitlin, Susie Ewing, Nancy Sinclair, Sheila Allan and Suzy Chadham—have not only maintained their friendship over 40 plus years but are still being booked for rave-reviewed performances, together.

It all started in the late 60s with newspaper advertisements that read: “Girls must be breathtakingly beautiful. Age range 18 to 21.” The six stunning singer-dancers who made the cut can vividly recall the details of their fateful auditions that quickly brought them to Los Angeles and starlet status.

A dancer since 5-years-old, red-haired Jackie Chidsey, now 59, remembers still being in high school when she auditioned in New York City for the Dean Martin show, never revealing she was only 17—a year under the legal age. “I just didn’t want to risk losing,” she confessed, “and the rest is history.”

Pretty blonde Nancy Sinclair, a Linda Evans look-alike, was so determined she tried out twice, the second time 12 pounds thinner than the first. Greg Garrison, legendary TV producer, decided on her from just seeing her in a crowd of 500 hopefuls. “Although she doesn’t know she is going to be a ‘Golddigger’,” he reputedly said, “and even without hearing her sing or dance, you can always pick them out of the mob.”

Canadian Suzy Cadham with her popular pixie look never did have to attend a cattle call. After guest directing a production of “Oklahoma” in which she starred, Dean Martin’s trusted director, Jonathan Lucas, simply took Suzy back to Hollywood and onto Martin’s TV show with him.

The second Susan and the one in charge of the dancing line—Susie Ewing—was similarly swept away by Jonathan Lucas, this time from Houston. “Three days after he asked me I was on a plane to L.A. and three days after that, we were opening for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at the Coconut Grove. It was at least two months before my nerves settled down. I’m not even sure I remembered to eat the whole time!”

Surrounded by stars with various styles of performing made the girls highly adaptable, according to Susie Ewing. “We practiced really hard all day long 4 days week, and Dean, who never believed in rehearsing, would come on and be spontaneous, just great, but we had to be ready. And, no, that was not scotch in his glass. It was apple juice.”

Asked to describe Dean Martin off-stage Jackie Chidsey chimed in: “He came across as sincere and genuine, a very nice man, and he liked our group a lot.” She also recalled Jimmy Stewart as being a dear man, very lowkey but so much fun to be around. “As was Gene Kelly…always helping us to be better and improve the choreography.

Jackie and Golddigger pal, Rosie Gitlin, 61, (once known for her pigtails) have remained close friends since they started out together as roommates as well as team-mates. “When we’d all get together and rehearse,” Rosie explained, “we’d share the girl stuff, confiding and laughing and being a tight-knit group, like it was us against the world.”

Susie Ewing says back in the 60s and 70s, that closeness among the girls, as wonderful as it was, worked against them having much of a social life outside of work. “Men wouldn’t ask us out, and we were so busy and always traveling. No time for dating. Actually we were a little lonely.”

Today the women are anything but lonely, having families and commitments that ground them to their respective lives. Both Jackie and Rosie praise their husbands for being very supportive through the years, but as Jackie described her time now away from home: “It’s two weeks at the max.”

Despite the difficulties in scheduling, however, these six “Original Golddiggers” find time to come together to rehearse and perform in shows, like the one they are looking forward to doing in Palm Desert on April 9th. Dark-haired beauty and real estate pro, Sheila Allen, echoes the rest of the women when she says, “For us, being on stage together, it’s a dream come true!”

On Friday, April 9th, the Original Golddiggers will appear in the Sierra Ballroom at Sun City, Palm Desert, 38180 Del Webb Blvd. They will be performing music from the 40s through the 60s, including an extended version of the numbers they did on their Bob Hope Vietnam tour. The one day performance times are 3:30p.m. and 7:30p.m. Tickets are $27.00. Group discounts are available, all sales final. To purchase seating call 818/888-2462..

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