I recently added this wonderful photo to my ever-growing Dorothy Lamour collection. I noticed the cake topper reads “Paramount on Parade Around the World” but the event was completely unknown to me. What I love most about being a Dottie fan are the continuous opportunities to learn more about her and her life! Naturally, I was compelled (and challenged!) to do some digging for more details. Archived newspapers never let me down! Here’s what I found…
“Paramount on Parade Around the World” was a 13-week global campaign designed by Adolph Zukor, the studio’s executive, to promote diversity in pictures. The objectives were to supply films that would appeal universally and to expand their roster of stars recruited from different countries. “With this splendid diversification of talent, our aim is to make motion pictures that everyone, no matter what language he speaks, understands,” Zukor said in a statement to the press.
April 6th, 1938Zukor held a star-studded event to reveal the campaign’s mission and announce the “player-captains” tasked with sponsoring a country: Dottie was paired with the continent of Asia; Fred MacMurray and Ray Milland for Great Britain and Ireland; Claudette Colbert for France; W.C. Fields for Australia, etc. They each recorded special greetings, dubbed into various languages, to be delivered by “Popeye the Sailor” on his worldwide tour.
In addition to her role as a player-captain, Dottie was heavily involved in promoting “Paramount on Parade Around the World,” as seen here with Zukor and Popeye; such photos were distributed to global press outlets. The campaign also showcased “Her Jungle Love” and “Tropic Holiday” both starring Dottie and Ray Milland.
The backside of the first photo (from my collection) reads:
“BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION! — to mark the opening of the universal good will drive, ‘Paramount on Parade Around the World,’ Adolph Zukor gave a party in the Paramount studio cafe in Hollywood. At the same time, he celebrated his twenty-sixth anniversary as a motion-picture producer. Stars, world press representatives and studio executives attended. Here he’s cutting cake with (left to right) Isa Miranda, Italian star; Dorothy Lamour, of ‘Her Jungle Love,’ and Olympe (O-Lamp) Bradna, French star in ‘Stolen Heaven,’ look on. All are good will captains in campaign.”