Early in her career, she took acting lessons in an attempt to lose her
Southern drawl, so that she wouldn't seem like a hick when auditioning
for singing jobs. During WWII, she sang with the USO. After the war,
she was the singer with the Morton Gould Orchestra. One evening, for an
encore, she sang a rube novelty song, "Uncle Fud", it was a hit, and
her career took off.