Dinah Shore: Famous Needlepointer

Dinah Shore hosted a daytime talk show for years, sat across from just about every major star of the era, and she still took time during the episode to show off her needlepoint. That's passion!

She continued to share different aspects of needlepoint throughout the years and even had her guests who shared the hobby to show-off their projects!

Before the Talk Show

By the time Dinah Shore sat down to host her own daytime show, she already had one of the longer careers in entertainment behind her. She'd been a hit singer in the 1940s, with songs like "Buttons and Bows" climbing the charts. She spent the 1950s and 60s hosting The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, picking up multiple Emmys along the way. She was later named a Kennedy Center Honoree, and the LPGA even named a golf tournament after her, one that's still played today under a different name.

So by the time Dinah's Place premiered in 1970, she wasn't a newcomer looking to make an impression. She was already well known. 

The First Episode

Dinah's Place premiered on August 3, 1970. Her dear friend and fellow Palm Springs resident, Frank Sinatra, was her guest for the debut. And although the episode could have been filled with all Frank, Dinah still made room to show off something of her own. In between the interview and a cooking segment, she brought out her needlepoint and her paintings and shared them with the audience.

A Regular Part of the Show

Needlepoint wasn't a one-time thing on Dinah's Place. It came up again and again over the years, enough that it became something viewers expected from her. Guests like Joanne Woodward (actress and married to Paul Newman) showed off her needlepoint on the show, too.

The standout moment came on February 6, 1973, when Dinah sat down with guest Joan Rivers for a needlepoint design lesson, live on air. She taught Joan how to paint a needlepoint canvas.

Dinah's Corner

At some point, Dinah decided to turn the hobby into something bigger. In the 1970s, she put her name on an entire line of needlepoint kits called Dinah's Corner. There were multiple kits, each with its own personality: Flower Fun, Apache, Floriferous, Funny Fish. Each kit included the canvas, wool thread, directions and a tote.

One of Us

A singing career, a hosting career, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a golf tournament with her name on it. Through all of it, a woman who kept a needle in her hand and wasn't shy about showing people what she'd made.

Dinah Shore was a needlepointer, with her name on the kit to prove it! One of us.

Sources: CTVA (Classic TV Archive) Dinah's Place episode log; Wikipedia; Ebay