Dinah Shore (1916-1994), or Frances “Fanny” Rose Shore, was a popular singer, actress, and television personality in the 1940s-1960s. She married actor George Montgomery in 1943, who served in the U.S. Army Air Force. Throughout the 1940s, she peaked as an outstanding singer with numerous successful hits and appeared in several radio shows as a singing co-star or a host including her shows, and continued to appear in films and television shows following her acting debut.

Many of her songs, radio shows, films, and television works featured her dedicated support of the U.S. military during wartime. Shore’s debut film Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) was made as a WWII fundraiser. Her version of the song “I’ll Walk Alone”, which hit #1 on Billboard for four weeks, is written from the point of view of someone waiting for their lover to come back that was separated due to WWII. The first episode from one of her radio shows, The Dinah Shore Program, is titled “A Salute To Service Men,” broadcasted on September 30, 1943.

Her significant contribution to supporting the U.S. military through her various works became extremely popular among the troops. They manifest various aspects of the American culture in the 1940s-1960s.

In addition, by 1953, she had reached a high level of fame through the Chevrolet company as a host on their series of variety programs. Through a decade-long sponsorship with Chevrolet, her version of the commercial jingle “See the USA in Your Chevrolet” became her signature song in 1952. In each commercial and her televised program, she is well known for throwing her signature kiss to the audience, exclaiming “MWAH!” at the end.

This is one version of a 1953 Chevrolet commercial. Dinah Shore sings the jingle at 1:05 after she introduces a new Chevy model.