We Remain,
Yours In Dino,
Dino Martin Peters
Soon her chaperone was Dean Martin
Likes yesterday we were thrilled to find a google Dino-'lert featurin' an article from the on-line presence of the Falls-Church News Press (Virginia) 'bout what happened to Miss Renshaw includin' some insightful details 'bout her relationship with our Dino. "Whatever became of Arlington’s most famous beauty queen?" is scribed by Mr. Charlie Clark for his column "Our Man in Arlington."
Mr. Clark's interview of Miss Renshaw answers a number of previously unanswered questions about her time with our Dino and we have included that portion of his column that focuses on their relationship. As usual, to read the whole column, simply clicks on the tag of this Dino-gram.
ilovedinomartin thanks Mr. Clark for puttin' in the effort to track Miss Renshaw down and puttin' words to print that gives all us Dino-holics a better understandin' of this time in our great man's great life. Now, we'll be waitin' for someone to track down Miss Andre Boyer to hear her Dino-story. Dino-always, ever, and only, DMP
Caption: Las Vegas, Nev., Dec. 12-- Martin and Miss USA -- Gail Renshaw, right, winner of the Miss USA title in the Miss World contest, crowns Dean Martin backstage at his show in mid-October. Martin was invited to serve as judge of the Miss World contest in London in November.
At the time Miss Renshaw was en route to London to compete to be Miss World (she won first runner-up). But there would soon be the small matter of her engagement to world-famous crooner Dean Martin, a married man 30 years her senior. It seemed a tale worth running down for an update.........
After an early marriage and divorce, she was 22 when she hit the national pageants and traveled to Las Vegas. (A promoter named Sidney Sussman told the Star he “discovered” her on a Potomac River cruise, but Renshaw told me he was just a nice friend trying to capitalize on her fame.)
Martin, then 53, was easing off the peak of his rat-pack popularity but still hosting his own TV show and selling millions of middle-brow records. He was also separating from Jeanne Biegger, the second of what would be three wives.
“I really wanted to meet his daughter Gail, herself a good singer,” Renshaw told me. Having seen Martin’s live show and chatted at a photo session, she went for a drink at Dino’s Den bar in Vegas’s Riviera Hotel. It wasn’t long before Martin asked her on a date. “Well, I have a chaperone,” Renshaw told him, but Martin’s daughter said she could fix that. Soon her chaperone was Dean Martin, and the next night his daughter was conveniently unavailable.
The two fell fast, and Martin’s daughter encouraged Renshaw – “You’d make my dad very happy.” The singer “was always considerate about his wife and family, who gave me a wonderful reception,” recalls Renshaw. “Men loved him, and women loved him.”
But after a few days of anguished phone calls, Renshaw told Martin face to face that she couldn’t go through with the marriage. “The age difference was a hindrance, and I felt bad missing my parents,” Renshaw said, noting that her father back in Arlington wouldn’t fly on airplanes.
A very good and interesting read DMP! A beautiful looking woman and with Dean and beautiful couple. It is amazing that Miss Gail Renshaw almost because Mrs. Dean Martin. I am guessing not very many woman would have said no to marriage with Dean esp with Dean at the top of his career. I wonder if she ever regretted her decision later in life?
ReplyDeleteA wonderful read as always my friend.
Have a nice week.
Scott
Hey pallie, likes Scotty-o, so grand to hear from you dude. Great wonderin' Dino-quire man.....to turn down our Dino, likes don't know how Miss Gail was able to do it. Keeps lovin' our one, our only, our most beloved DINO!
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