Gail Dahms
Gail Dahms (born June 27, 1957) is a former Canadian actress and singer, most noted as a Juno Award nominee for Most Promising Female Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1977.[1]
Originally from Kitchener, Ontario,[2] she had musical theatre roles in various local theatre productions, including South Pacific, Annie Get Your Gun, Guys and Dolls and Fiddler on the Roof, in her teenage years.[3] She was signed to a recording contract soon after finishing high school, and recorded a number of singles in 1975 and 1976, including "Can't We Somehow", "Rescue Me" and "This Song Reminds Me of You".[3] However, she became best known in this era as the star of a series of television commercials for Turtles candy, playing a sexy Marilyn Monroe-style character who sang the jingle "Ooooh, I love Turtles" to a pair of turtle mascots.[3]
She did not release any further music as a recording artist, but continued to have acting roles, including the musical Eight to the Bar,[4] the stage play The Guys in the Truck,[5] a regular role as a nightclub singer in the television series Flappers,[6] and supporting roles in the films The Silent Partner,[7] Stone Cold Dead and The Man in 5A.
In 1983 and 1984 she appeared in a production of Sugar Babies, first in Toronto,[8] and subsequently on Broadway and in Boston.[9] After concluding her run in that show she announced that she was moving to the United States to pursue work in Hollywood.[10]
She subsequently married American musician Jon Bonine, but chose to pursue family life rather than continuing her career.[11] She had a behind-the-scenes credit as a voice coach on the 1994 children's film The Little Rascals, but after the 1994 Northridge earthquake she and Bonine moved to Boise, Idaho, where she worked in music ministry for her church and performed in Bonine's swing jazz ensemble.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Joe Sornberger, "Juno Awards: parade of the great unknowns". Edmonton Journal, March 12, 1977.
- ^ Jon Kiely, "Kitchener-born actress Gail Dahms says she's ready to collect for years of practice, teasing". Waterloo Region Record, March 16, 1978.
- ^ a b c Jeremy Ferguson, "Shooting for stardom". Toronto Star, July 24, 1976.
- ^ Ray Conlogue, "Eight to the Bar a glossy winner". The Globe and Mail, January 12, 1980.
- ^ Mel Gussow, "STAGE: SPORTS COMEDY 'THE GUYS IN THE TRUCK'". The New York Times, September 22, 1982.
- ^ Donn Downey, "Flappers full of silly frills". The Globe and Mail, September 21, 1979.
- ^ Jay Scott, "Partner adds twist of schlock to straight Canadian recipe". The Globe and Mail, November 4, 1978.
- ^ Stephen Godfrey, "Sugar Babies has what it takes". The Globe and Mail, March 4, 1983.
- ^ John Engstrom, "'Sugar Babies' is territory where Vegas, vaudeville meet". Boston Globe, July 6, 1983.
- ^ Dina Sudlow, "Rising from Turtles to doves, Kitchener to Hollywood". Kingston Whig-Standard, August 24, 1984.
- ^ a b Chris Aagard, "Ooooooh, yes, she still loves Turtles; Chocolate commercial took K- W's Gail Dahms to Broadway, Hollywood ... and Boise, Idaho". Waterloo Region Record, August 21, 1999.
External links
[edit]- Gail Dahms at IMDb