December 10
Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton's Birthday

After her mother divorced her father and married Clarence Lamour, Mary changed her surname to Lamour and began using her middle name of Dorothy. As many classic films fans may recall, Dorothy's first job was as an elevator operator at Marshall Fields in Chicago. She was eventually hired as a band singer and eventually had her own fifteen-minute weekly musical program on NBC Dorothy was soon hired by Paramount Pictures.

The role that made her a star was Ulah in The Jungle Princess (1936). She wore a sarong which would become associated with her for the rest of her career and eventually became one of the most popular actresses in motion pictures from 1936 to 1952.

Early in her career, Dorothy met J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI. According to Hoover's biographer Richard Hack, the bisexual Hoover pursued Lamour romantically, but she was initially interested only in friendship with him. Hoover and Lamour remained close friends to the end of Hoover's life.

She appeared in the classic series of "Road to..." movies, such as Moo Sarong (1942), also starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in the 1940s and 1950s. The movies were enormously popular during the 1940s, and they regularly placed among the very top moneymaking films each year as a new one came out. Some of her other notable films include The Hurricane (1937), Johnny Apollo (1940), Aloma of the South Seas (1941), Beyond the Blue Horizon (1942), Dixie (1943), My Favorite Brunette (1947), and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). In her films, Dorothy introduced a series of hit songs including "I Remember You,","It Could Happen to You, "Personality," and "But Beautiful."

During the World War II years, Dorothy was among the most popular pinup girls among American servicemen, and was largely responsible for starting up the war bond tours in which movie stars would travel the country selling US Government war bonds for the to the public and promoted the sale of over $21 million dollars worth of bonds.

To celebrate Dorothy's birthday, we suggest the tasty Thai specialty appropriately reflecting her most famous costume while watching her in the classic The Hurricane.

Moo Sarong
(Pork In Golden Threads)

Ingredients

1 TB cornstarch
4 Chinese dried black mushrooms*
1 TB freshly ground black pepper
3 cups oil
Plum sauce

1/4 cup bamboo shoots (minced)
1 TB finely minced garlic
4 oz of long flat egg noodles
1/2 pound ground pork
1 egg yolk (lightly beaten)

Instructions

1. Soak mushrooms in water until softened, about 20 minutes. Discard stems and mince mushrooms fine.
2. Soak noodles in hot water for about 20 minute until softened, Drain the soaked noodles and set aside,
     tossing occasionally to prevent sticking.
3. Pound or process the coriander, garlic, and pepper to a smooth paste in a mortar or small processor .
4. In a small bowl, combine the ground pork with the paste. Add the water chestnuts, black mushrooms,
      bamboo shoots, egg yolk, and cornstarch.
5. Shape the mixture into small balls, using about 1 tablespoon of the mixture for each. Wrap each ball
     with 2 or 3 noodles. Press the noodles on to the surface of each ball and continue wrapping until each
     ball is covered.
8. Heat oil in a wok to 350°F. Fry in batches, turning, until the noodles are golden brown and the meat is
     cooked through( about 4 minutes). Drain on paper towels. Serve with plum sauce

Serves 4