Dorothy Lamour's multifaceted career began with her tenure as Miss New Orleans in 1931, preceding her stint as a Chicago elevator operator. She also lent her vocals to her first husband, bandleader Herbie Kaye, and later transitioned to radio performance.
In 1936, Lamour made her Paramount debut in The Jungle Princess, donning the iconic sarong that would become synonymous with her image. She continued to embody the role of the female Tarzan-Crusoe-Gauguin-girl-with makeup throughout the war years and beyond, with the most notable examples being her appearances in the popular Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" pictures.
These films, a unique blend of adventure, slapstick, ad-libs, and Hollywood inside jokes, brought Lamour immense happiness and financial rewards, earning her the title of the "happiest and highest-paid straight woman in the business." However, as she aged, the quality of her films began to decline.
Despite this, Lamour appeared in several serious films, including Johnny Apollo in 1940 and A Medal for Benny in 1945.
