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Patti

Original name as a "Golddigger": Patti Pivarnik, and then Patti Pivaar

Years as a Golddigger: 1973-1985

How and where did you audition or become a "Golddigger"?/ Were you nervous? Do you remember where you were or how you felt when you found out you were chosen?

I was junior musical theater major at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati in 1973 planning to go on to Broadway after graduation. During one of my dance classes a friend asked why I had not gone with, Linda, another girl in our class to Dayton, Ohio a neighboring town to audition for the Golddiggers. I had not seen the audition notice posted on our School bulletin board nor had Linda asked me to join her. Later that night I received a phone call from Linda saying that she had auditioned but they (meaning Lee Hale and Janet Tighe) were not looking for girls like her but like me.

I called California and found out that the next audition was in Boston a much further distance than a drive to Dayton. My loving parents gave me the money to fly to Boston and there I met Lee Hale, Janet Tighe and Eddie Kerrigan. I was a nervous wreck and remember I wore a horrific green colored outfit I had bought in England thinking it was stylish. Lee loved my voice and presentation of I Got Love and I actually performed that song for years as I toured with the Golddiggers. Janet was from Cincy too, so we were fast friends. She became my California family, and ironically was in Palm Desert having Christmas with us the day Dean became an angel!

Eddie, was his charming self, but I think he was a tad concerned about my dancing. He told me to practice prior to final auditions if I was selected as a finalist. As fate would have it, I was called to LA for the final audition along with 9 other girls where only 8 of us would be selected. The only caveat was that I would have to put my education on hold, give up Sorority life as a Tri-Delta and leave Cincinnati. Yikes, the roll of the dice. That March in 1973, Patti from Cincinnati left Ohio and went to Los Angeles for ten days of training. On the tenth day, Greg came to Moro Landis Studios in Studio City to watch the nine of us rehearse. We knew one of us was going to be cut, but did not know when. I remember we were told to take a break and we all went into the dressing room, and in one of those moments realized that one of the girls was not with us. It was then we knew WE were the new Golddiggers. I have drippy eyes and cry at the Pledge of Allegiance, and this instance was no exception. Greg came over to me and gently touched my face and asked me if I was sad that she was cut or that I couldn't go home to Cincinnati. I told him I was sorry for her. Later that year I was in the Garrison office in Burbank and in a meeting with Greg he came over to me and motioned to the cross I was wearing around my neck. He said, "Never forget this or where you came from." I never have, thanks Greg!

Where did you travel as a 'Golddigger"? Do you recall any specific places from the tiny places to the large venues? Any overseas travel?

Over the years we traveled to at least 30 of the states in our great nation. From Little Rock Arkansas to the bright lights of Las Vegas, where we spent up to 15 weeks a years between Ceasars Palace, the MGM where we opened the hotel and worked with Dean , the old Thunderbird Hotel, and the Riviera. Our foreign travel included an extended stay in Montreal in the dead of winter, burr and three glorious weeks in Monte Carlo performing at the International Sporting Club. Now that was a trip. However, my fondest memory was out tour of the East Coast with Dean, Frank and Pat Henry. During one of the performances Dean came off stage almost in tears as he had received a standing ovation. He said, "Can you believe they stood up for me?" What a sweet, sweet man!

If you worked or appeared with Dean himself, do you have any brief stories or thoughts about it that we could share?

What I remember most about Dean was his easy way, his humility and that handsome smile. We would always visit him backstage of the MGM prior to going on stage to give him a hug and wish him a great show. Dean often gave us his dressing room because right after the show he would head off to dinner or to his room. Instead Dean used a make-shift room the staff created with a tv, ice bucket and sodas.

Often we would talk between takes on the Martin Show. I recall his sharing with us how he replied when someone asked him why he was so pleasant. He replied, "It's so easy to be nice and so hard to be mean." What a guy!

Do you have any funny stories that you can recall as a "Golddigger?"

Have you ever followed an elephant on stage? Well, we did, Bertha the elephant in Sparks Nevada as we opened for Bobby Goldsboro. Let your imagination go wild, it might have happened!

How do people react when they find out that you were (and still are) a Golddigger?

Not unlike many of my cohorts, I have worn many hats throughout the years and have several careers. Today when people hear of my past as a Golddigger they are most impressed, and I must admit and extremely inquisitive about my fabulous days with the Dean Martin show. I, too, always smile and am proud of the memories I hold so dear to me whenever I share my moments. This is cute story about how people misunderstand the title Golddigger. Dale Gribow my fiancé then, husband now, and I were taking a trip to Israel and Egypt with the Hebrew University. The late, great Steve Allen and his beautiful wife Jane Meadows were traveling with us. After the rather long flight to Cairo Jane opted not to join the group for dinner, so Steve joined Dale and me for the evening. The next day, Steve explained how he had gone back to the room and told Jane how much he enjoyed our company, and asked her if she knew I was a Golddigger? Jane was flabbergasted not realizing that he meant Golddiggers of the Dean Martin show and replied, "But she seems like such a nice girl!"

What would be your most memorable moment, aside from being chosen?

One of the other Golddiggers, Marie Peck (Halton then) and I were chosen to work with Rich Little in a performance for President Reagan's inauguration gala that Frank Sinatra was producing in D.C. Rich did his impersonations of the Presidents and we were the 'Reaganomics". It was a hilarious skit, but when we were given microphones with cords in a theatre in-the-round production with Rich at a podium between us and we had rehearsed with cordless microphones then our laughter turned into, 'oh-no'. Talk about nerves as we were on 45-second network delay and singing for our President as the world watched. But that's show biz, and it went great! At the end of the show Marie and I joined the cast including Dean, Frank, Liz Taylor, Mack Davis plus about a twenty other stars to sing 'America' with Ray Charles. President Reagan came on stage to thank us and on the front page of the Washington Post the next morning was a photo of Dean, Frank, the President, Marie and myself. Talk about jazzed!

What was it like working with Lee Hale?

Lee's gentle demeanor makes everyone comfortable in their own skin, if you will. I often laugh out loud as I remember Lee shaking his head and rolling his eyes, as we again did not listen to his instructions while rehearsing. But, through it all he never raised his voice or ever made any one of us feel less than perfect. Lee, has a gift few people are given.

What do you think of Lee's new book "Backstage At The Dean Martin show?"

I love the stories, the photos and especially the 'class' of how he stayed true to his character in never saying anything negative. The truth is we all did have fun!

After leaving the group, tell us what you did (where you went...if you married...children...plans for the future.

"Entertainment is my wife", is often how Dale Gribow describes his wife Patti.