SHIMMY 'N' WHISTLE: What better way to start the weekend than with Monica's smoky, campy barroom singing scene in the Jack Webb-directed Marine Corps drama THE D.I. (Warner Bros., 1957)? Said she: "This film seems to have been vastly enjoyed (and rediscovered) by many, including my Facebook friend Shawn M. Dellinger of North Carolina, who wrote: 'When I was in recruit training at Parris Island in 1988, THE D.I. played on a constant loop. Whenever we had the opportunity to watch TV, a silence wou

"In 1956, jazz singer and actress Monica Lewis married MCA/Universal Studios executive Jennings Lang in Beverly Hills, beginning a remarkable 40-year partnership that blended Hollywood glamour with genuine devotion. Monica, who had captivated audiences as the voice of Chiquita Banana and starred on the first Ed Sullivan Show, not only became Lang's wife but also embraced his two young sons as her own. Together they welcomed son Rocky, who would become a noted Hollywood writer-director. Monica ap