Elaine Dunn (born Elaine Dombcik, ) is an American singer, dancer, and actress.

Early years

Dunn is the daughter of a commercial artist in Cleveland. Her uncle, a dancer and comedian in night clubs, encouraged her to become a dancer. She took voice lessons to correct a speech impediment that she had as a child, and she began taking ballet and

tap dancing Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

lessons when she was 7. At age 13, she won a contest that included 750 other girls, resulting in an appearance at a benefit performance with Danny Kaye. That appearance, in turn, led to her performing at Chin's Victory Room in Cleveland, after which she spent three years touring the East and Midwest with her mother as her companion and manager.

Career

Dunn gained prominence at age 18 at the Copacabana in New York City, when her two-minute flamenco dance "brought fierce applause" from the audience. A follow-up review in the trade publication ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' called Dunn's performance "still as electric as when first caught." After that, she began performing on Broadway and in clubs in Las Vegas. Her Broadway credits include ''

John Murray Anderson's Almanac ''John Murray Anderson's Almanac'' is a musical revue, featuring the music of the songwriting team of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, as well as other composers. It was conceived by John Murray Anderson. Productions ''John Murray Anderson's Almanac ...

'' (1953), ''Catch a Star!'' (1955), and '' Pal Joey'' (1963). In 1960, Dunn played the female lead in a touring company's production of ''

Flower Drum Song ''Flower Drum Song'' was the eighth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the 1957 novel, ''The Flower Drum Song'', by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the ...

''. She starred in West Coast productions of ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The short story "Dream Man", authored ...

'' (1961) and ''

Sweet Charity ''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on ...

'' (1967). On television, Dunn was a regular on ''

Broadway Open House ''Broadway Open House'' is network television's first late-night comedy-variety series.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 138. It was telecast live on NBC from May 29 ...

''. She also was featured on the TV shows of Perry Como, Bob Hope, Red Skelton Steve Allen, and Ed Sullivan and appeared on ''

The Hollywood Palace ''The Hollywood Palace'' was an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly Saturday nights (except September 1967 to January 1968, when it was seen Monday nights) on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Title ...

'' and ''

The Bell Telephone Hour ''The Bell Telephone Hour'' (also known as ''The Telephone Hour'') is a concert series that began April 29, 1940, on NBC Radio, and was heard on NBC until June 30, 1958. Sponsored by Bell Telephone as the name implies, it showcased the best in c ...

''. In 1957, she was a vocalist in ''The Tropicana Revue'' at the Tropicana Hotel in Las, Vegas Nevada. She became good friends with model and showgirl Marilyn Johnson. In 1959, Dunn recorded "Touch Me" backed by "

Far Away Places "Far Away Places" is an American popular song. It was written by Joan Whitney and Alex Kramer and published in 1948. The recording by Bing Crosby & The Ken Darby Choir was recorded on November 25, 1948 and released by Decca Records as catalog ...

" on

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

(7552). In 1961, she signed an exclusive contract with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, Dunn traveled in a troupe led by Hope to entertain military personnel.

Personal life

Dunn married hotel executive Dean Shendal, and they have a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Elaine 20th-century American actresses American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Cleveland American female dancers 1930s births Living people 21st-century American women United Service Organizations entertainers