LARAINE DAY ,AMERICAN ACTRESS
BORN 1920 OCTOBER 13
Laraine Day (October 13, 1920 – November 10, 2007) was an American actress and a former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract star.[1]
Career[edit]
Day was born La Raine Johnson in Roosevelt, Utah, one of eight children in an affluent Mormon family. She had a twin brother, Lamar.[2] The family later moved to California where she began her acting career with the Long Beach Players. She was a 1938 graduate of Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.
In 1937, Day debuted onscreen in a bit part in Stella Dallas. Shortly afterwards, she won lead roles in several George O'Brien westerns at RKO, in which she was billed as "Laraine Hays" and then "Laraine Johnson".
In 1939 she signed with MGM, and became popular and well-known (billed as Laraine Day) as "Nurse Mary Lamont", the title character's fiancee in a string of seven "Dr. Kildare" movies beginning with Calling Dr. Kildare (1939), with Lew Ayres in the title role.
Her roles for other studios were often far more stimulating than those MGM gave her, including a prominent supporting part in the Irish melodrama My Son, My Son! (1940). She also starred in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Foreign Correspondent (1940) with Joel McCrea, and the psychological mystery The Locket (1946) with Robert Mitchum, Brian Aherne, and Gene Raymond. In 1941 she was voted the number one "star of tomorrow" in Hollywood.[3]
She was paired opposite major film stars, including Lana Turner, Cary Grant, and John Wayne, and hosted a TV show alternately called Daydreaming With Laraine or The Laraine Day Show (1951). During a time when she had a break in her film career she made her stage debut opposite Gregory Peck in the national theatre tour of Angel Street. She also made other stage appearances in Lost Horizon, the 1973 revival of The Women, and a revival of The Time of the Cuckoo.[4] In the 1940s she made guest appearances on radio in both Lux Radio Theatre and The Screen Guild Theater.
Personal life[edit]
In Foreign Correspondent (1940)
Day's first marriage was to singer turned airport executive, James Ray Hendricks in 1942.[5] The couple adopted three children: Christopher, Angela and Michelle.[6] Day filed for divorce from Hendricks in December 1946.[7] Day was granted an interlocutory divorce from Hendricks on January 20, 1947, which required her to wait one year before remarryi
On January 21, 1947, Day traveled to Juarez, Mexico where she received a second divorce decree. Later that day, she traveled to El Paso, Texas, where she married baseball manager Leo Durocher. Upon returning to California, the judge who granted Day's interlocutory divorce from Hendricks stated that the Mexican divorce she received was not legal and, since she failed to wait the one-year period for her divorce to become final, deemed her Texas marriage illegal as well. After waiting approximately one year, Day and Durocher remarried on February 16, 1948, in Santa Monica, California.[9] During her marriage to Durocher, Day was often referred to as "The First Lady of Baseball". While Durocher was managing the New York Giants, she wrote the book Day With the Giants (1952).[10] In 1952, she wrote and published another book entitled The America We Love. She was also the host of Day With the Giants, a 15-minute television interview program broadcast before New York Giants home games. Day and Durocher divorced in June 1960.[11]
On March 7, 1961, Day married television producer Michael Grilikhes. She and Grilikhes had two daughters, Dana Laraine (born November 13, 1962) and Gigi (born October 6, 1964).[12][13] After their births, Day rarely appeared in films, and only occasionally appeared on TV, usually portraying matronly types.
Religion[edit]
Day was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Throughout her life she never swore, smoked, or drank any kind of alcohol, coffee or tea. Until her death in 2007 she retained her Mormon faith, stating that: "It brings me comfort in a confusing world".[14]
In 1961 she appeared with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in their production of Let Freedom Ring, which was an inspirational one-hour program dedicated to the spirit of American Freedom.[15]
Politics[edit]
Day was, as she described herself, "very much a Republican".[16] She was a vocal supporter of Richard Nixon, with whom she later met at the 1968 Republican National Convention, citing him to be the type who would "go out of his way to help the American people".[17]
Later years and death[edit]
In October 1960, Day appeared in the Nixon-Lodge Bumper Sticker Motorcade Campaign in Los Angeles along with Ginger Rogers, Cesar Romero, Irene Dunne, Dick Powell, Mary Pickford and John Payne.[18]
In the 1970s she was the spokesperson for the Make America Better campaign and traveled across the country sharing her views on environmental issues.[19] In that same period of time she was active in establishing a playhouse in Los Angeles for Mormon actors and she helped bring Ray Bradbury's work to the attention of the public.
Day had moved back to her native Utah in March 2007 following the death of her third husband. She died at the home of her daughter, Gigi Bell, in Ivins, Utah, from undisclosed causes, on November 10, 2007. She was 87 years old.[1][2]
Her body was taken back to California and on November 15, 2007 a memorial service was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.
Legacy[edit]
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Laraine Day has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6676 Hollywood Blvd.
Laraine Day' BornOctober 13, 1920
in Roosevelt, Utah, USA
Died November 10, 2007 in Ivins, Utah, USA (natural causes)
Birth Name Laraine Johnson
Nicknames The First Lady of Baseball
Sweet Laraine
The Girl Next Door
Miss Perfect Profile
The Girl with the Mechanical Smile
Height 5' 5" (1.65 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Born into a prominent Mormon family in Utah, Laraine Day's acting career began after her parents moved to Long Beach, California, where she joined the Long Beach Players. She appeared in her first film in 1937 in a bit part, then did leads in several George O'Brien westerns. Signing a contract with MGM, she achieved popularity playing the part of Nurse Lamont in that studio's "Dr. Kildare" series. An attractive, engaging performer, she had leads in several medium-budget films for various studios, but never achieved major stardom. She was married for 13 years to baseball manager Leo Durocher, and took such an active interest in his career and the sport of baseball in general that she became known as "The First Lady of Baseball".
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
Spouse (3)
Michael Grilikhes (7 March 1961 - 9 March 2007) (his death) (2 children)
Leo Durocher (21 January 1947 - 1960) (divorced) (2 children)
Ray Hendricks (16 May 1942 - 20 January 1947) (divorced) (2 children)
Trade Mark (4)
Often portrayed women who were career oriented or matronly
Ladylike demeanor
Soft spoken voice
Her Mormon faith
Trivia (54)
Had three adopted children from her marriage to Ray Hendricks.
Mother of Chris Durocher.
She had a twin brother, Lamar, who served as an infantry cook in the United States Army during World War II between 1942 and 1946 and later made a living as a stand up comedian for various cruise ship lines. He died on May 17, 2012 in Chico, California at his daughter's home at age 91.
Has one daughter with Leo Durocher: Melinda Michele Thompson Durocher (January 7, 1944 - May 20, 2012), who resided in Rathdrum, Idaho and had eight children, 18 grandchildren.
She was a committed Republican.
In the 1970s, she was the head speaker of the Make America Better campaign program which was sponsored by the National Association of Real Estates Board. During the decade, she made numerous speeches throughout America in relevance to environmentalism.
She was so commited to her Mormon faith that during her lifetime she never swore, smoked, or drank any kind of alcohol, coffee or tea.
She was described by many as being very kind, intellectual, ladylike and influential.
She had long friendships with many of her co-stars, some of which included Cary Grant, Shirley Temple, Herbert Marshall, Joel McCrea, John Wayne, Lew Ayres, Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Marsha Hunt, Angela Lansbury, and Ronald Reagan. She was also friends with actresses Fay Wray, Margaret O'Brien, Dorothy Morris and Margaret Early.
She was a huge fan of Richard Nixon and campaigned for him in the 1968 and 1972 presidential elections. She also supported Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and longtime Hollywood friend Ronald Reagan in the 1980/1984 presidential election.
In the early 1940s, she was a one time girlfriend of actor Glenn Ford.
She was the first choice to play Mary Hatch in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) but had to decline the role as she was already busy working on The Locket (1946). Donna Reed later got the role and coincidentally the two films were both released to theatres on December 20, 1946.
At MGM, she was told that if she did Keep Your Powder Dry (1945), that she would be rewarded with the female lead in Undercurrent (1946) with Robert Taylor. When the role was given to Katharine Hepburn, Laraine left MGM and never returned.
A very patriotic woman, she displayed the American flag outside her home everyday of the year. On days when the weather was unfit for the flag to be displayed outdoors, she hung it within her home. During her time in Hollywood, she hosted a big BBQ at her home every July 4 and invited not just her family but many of her friends from the acting world. She was also active with the VFW as well as such organizations as The Red Cross and Paralyzed Veterans of America to name a few.
In the early 1940s, she was on the Board of the Screen Actors Guild.
She was a member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals group that was fervently anti-Communist and counted among its members Ginger Rogers, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck and Irene Dunne.
She was the photo girl of the World War II plane "Lucky Lady". A P38 headed by Max Pyles debuted the plane in September 1944. Laraine (who was at the time a favorite with lonesome G.I.'s) was asked for a photograph to be put on the plane. Laraine immediately wrote back; and attached photo of herself in a negligee. The "Lucky Lady" soon held the honor of having the highest number of record flights in the autumn of 1944. Her photo remained pasted on the L/gun door and the crew and Laraine frequently sent letters back and forth. She was very proud and interested to get updates about "her airplane".
She appeared with Lew Ayres in eight films: Calling Dr. Kildare (1939), The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939), Dr. Kildare Goes Home (1940), Dr. Kildare's Crisis (1940), Dr. Kildare's Strange Case (1940), Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day (1941), The People vs. Dr. Kildare (1941) and Fingers at the Window (1942).
She was the original choice to play Leona Stevenson in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) but had to withdraw due to her work schedule in My Dear Secretary (1948). The role later went to Barbara Stanwyck.
She and Dean Jagger were the first Mormon actors to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They received the accolade on February 8, 1960.
Petrine Day Mitchum, the daughter of actor Robert Mitchum, was named in honor of Laraine. She and Mitchum were co-stars in The Locket (1946).
In C. David Heymann's book "Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story" (2009), it claimed that Laraine had at one time been a lover of John F. Kennedy during the 1950s. Laraine's children sued Heymann on slander charges claiming that their mother never had any kind of an intimate relationship with Kennedy based on the fact that she strongly believed in the concept of marital union with her three husbands and that during the time he held office Laraine was not a supporter of his administration based on both his sexual escapades and liberal policies.
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6676 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
Day played a small role in the early success of science fiction master Ray Bradbury. They met when he was in his early 20s, and she was between films, donating her time to establishing a playhouse in Los Angeles for Mormon actors. Bradbury, though not Mormon, wangled a small role in a short play scripted by Day -- and ended up rewriting it, and authoring a few other works for the theater.
In the 1950s, Day became a board member for SHARE, Inc., an organization that aids women and children suffering from developmental disabilities. She remained active as a chairwoman until her death and in her will stipulated that in lieu of flowers that donations be sent there in her memory.
Day and her third husband were instrumental in the development of the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. They also arranged for the Te Arohanui Maori Company of singers and dancers of New Zealand to tour the United States, which included a performance at the Hollywood Bowl, recorded for international distribution with Day serving as narrator.
She was portrayed by Jud Tylor in 42 (2013).
On Sunday, July 31, 1994, Laraine accepted a posthumous award on behalf of her former husband Leo Durocher who had been chosen as an inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Her father Clarence Irwin Johnson was the mayor of Roosevelt, Utah, a prosperous grain dealer, and worked as a government agent for the Ute Indians for twenty years.
Attended and graduated from Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California (1938).
In 1964, she was one of many notables who attended the "Project Prayer" rally in Los Angeles.
Was an honored guest speaker for the womens division at the 1968 and 1984 Republican National Convention.
She studied acting under the instruction of acclaimed drama coach Elias Day, taking his surname as her own upon entering the field of acting.
She was an honorary member of the National Federation of Republican Women along with Cyd Charisse, Rhonda Fleming, and Coleen Gray.
Was voted America's Sweetheart of the 1940s and was Max Factor's Star of the Year (1944).
When actress Susan Peters adopted her son in 1946, Laraine hosted her baby shower.
Her escort to her 20th birthday party at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was Robert Stack.
Her favorite recording artist was George Shearing and she collected every album he ever made.
She was the favorite actress of President Lyndon Johnson but caused him great disappointment when he discovered she was a Republican.
She was considered for the female lead in Samson and Delilah (1949) but never screen tested. The role went to Hedy Lamarr.
She was a dedicated dog lover who was supportive of the Hollywood Dog Obedience Club, a non-profit organization, and in her later years was a volunteer instructor giving pupils lessons on how to properly care for their "furry friends".
Out of all her movies, she considered The Locket (1946) to be her personal favorite.
Was a Girl Scout.
Every year until her death, she traveled to her native Utah in July to partake in the yearly Pioneer Day celebrations.
In 1951, RKO Radio Pictures tried to compose a film noir entitled "The Sins of Sarah Ferry". The story was about a courthouse clerk in Binghamton, New York who finds herself falling in love with a beautiful liar whose accused of armed robbery as well as a hit run charge involving a death. The cast would have starred Laraine Day, Fred MacMurray, Yvonne De Carlo, Hugh Beaumont, Glenn Ford, Howard Duff, and Evelyn Keyes, with the studio wanting to shoot on location in Binghamton and neighboring Johnson City. This project never materialized because the plot was considered to close of a generic step-up of Double Indemnity (1944) and the studio never received a reply via phone call or standard mail from the Binghamton Courthouse or then Mayor Donald Kramer granting them permission to film on location in the area and negotiate a fair range of payment. Based on that neglect, the studio immediately canceled this project and moved on.
Endorsed George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections.
Was born on an Indian Reservation.
Was a huge fan of the television series Touched by an Angel (1994) and 7th Heaven (1996).
She followed Ronald Reagan's career, after co-starring with him in The Bad Man (1941) and Mister Gardenia Jones (1942), long before he began running for governor or president.
Her hobbies included: gardening, dining, watching inspirational movies, listening to the radio, tennis, reading the Bible, spending time with her family, sewing, baking, sending greeting cards, doing charity work, walking her dogs, traveling and homemaking.
In 1963 and 1964, Day joined fellow actresses Joan Caulfield, Ruth Hussey, Yvonne De Carlo, Marie Windsor, Virginia Mayo, and Maidie Norman, in making appearances on behalf of U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater, the Republican nominee in the campaign against U.S. President Lyndon Johnson.
In the late 1940s, she was in negotiation to star as the female lead in a film entitled "A Sinner Kissed An Angel" with Burt Lancaster but the project never came to reality for Lancaster disliked the storyline making the studio call the whole thing off.
On October 13, 2014, which would have been her 94th birthday, Turner Classic Movies recognized Laraine Day with a marathon of her film work.
Following her death, she was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles, California.
Personal Quotes (11)
I recall playing practical jokes with John Wayne. I once got a whole bunch of keys and had little tags made that said, "If lost, please return to John Wayne, RKO Studios. Reward." And I just dropped them all over town. [He got a lot of] phone calls, people showing up at the studio. He never learned who did it.
[Statement Laraine Day gave to CBS in 1968] I am very much a Republican. I think that Richard Nixon is a great man and that he is very dedicated to what he does. I had the pleasure of meeting him when I attended the Republican National Convention in Miami. You can really tell that he is willing to go out of his way to help the American people. I am proud to support him as president and I wish him all the success in the world and may I also say that it was an honor to endorse him.
I enjoyed working at RKO more than at MGM. At RKO, the parts were better!
A lot of sources said I was born in 1917. That is incorrect. I was born in 1920. 1917 was the year the studios listed as my birth year to make me appear older.
MGM never really gave me a break. They loaned me out for leading roles, but cast me in programme pictures.
Gary (Cooper) turned out to be the surprise of my young life. He was so convincing with his stuttering, stammering awkward little boy manners. When the action called for Dr Wassell to kiss me, I got all set for a bashful boy kiss. Well, it was like holding a hand grenade and not being able to get rid of it! I was left breathless.
Hitchcock was a character. In one particularly scary scene I had to sneak down a dark corridor. When I got to the end there was Mr Hitchcock, sticking out his tongue and flapping his hands in the back of his ears. I didn't dare laugh, because the cameras were turning. But he certainly eliminated any tension I felt.
My character was the greatest challenge I ever had - a destructive young woman who's a kleptomaniac. The form of the film - flashbacks within flashbacks within flashbacks - was criticized by some reviewers of the time as too confusing. Today, though, its style is highly regarded by film historians... Many movie fans seem to remember me best from the Dr Kildare series but, first and foremost, I remember The Locket.
When I was on the Board of the Screen Actors Guild in the early '40s, I remember Gene Kelly at every meeting bringing up the subject of a new medium called television that was going to be important. He was adamant that the Guild should do something about it right then and nobody would pay any attention to him. I have other memories of the Guild that are very glowing, except the decision made to accept a deal that eliminated all the pictures before 1960 from any residuals to the actors who were in them. That was a crushing blow to so many of us. But then there are other things the Guild has accomplished that are all simply marvelous: the working conditions and hours are great and the health plan and pension are absolutely magnificent.
[on Ronald Reagan] Ronald Reagan makes me proud to be an American. His intelligence, capability, and Christian brotherhood are so inspiring and his way of leadership is just superb. I consider myself lucky to have been his leading lady in The Bad Man (1941) and a short subject reel and as a nation all together we are beyond fortunate to have the leadership of such fine people as the Reagan's.
[on John F. Kennedy] His liberal agenda and womanizing lifestyle are no good for America.
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Stella Dallas | Girl at Resort and on Train | Uncredited |
| 1938 | Scandal Street | Peg Smith | Credited as Laraine Johnson |
| 1938 | Border G-Man | Betty Holden | Credited as Laraine Johnson |
| 1938 | Painted Desert | Miss Carol Banning | Credited as Laraine Johnson |
| 1939 | Arizona Legion | Letty Meade | Credited as Laraine Johnson |
| 1939 | Sergeant Madden | Eileen Daly | |
| 1939 | Calling Dr. Kildare | Mary Lamont | |
| 1939 | Tarzan Finds a Son! | Mrs. Richard Lancing | |
| 1939 | Think First | Marjorie (Margie) Smith | Short subject |
| 1939 | The Secret of Dr. Kildare | Nurse Mary Lamont | |
| 1940 | I Take This Woman | Linda Rodgers | |
| 1940 | My Son, My Son! | Maeve O'Riorden | |
| 1940 | And One Was Beautiful | Kate Lattimer | |
| 1940 | Dr. Kildare's Strange Case | Nurse Mary Lamont | |
| 1940 | Foreign Correspondent | Carol Fisher | |
| 1940 | Dr. Kildare Goes Home | Mary Lamont | |
| 1940 | Dr. Kildare's Crisis | Mary Lamont | |
| 1941 | The Trial of Mary Dugan | Mary Dugan | |
| 1941 | The Bad Man | Lucia Pell | |
| 1941 | The People vs. Dr. Kildare | Nurse Mary Lamont | |
| 1941 | Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day | Mary Lamont | |
| 1941 | Unholy Partners | Miss 'Croney' Cronin | |
| 1941 | Kathleen | Dr. Angela Martha "Angel" Kent | |
| 1942 | A Yank on the Burma Road | Mrs. Gail Farwood | |
| 1942 | Dr. Kildare's Victory | Mary Lamont in photo | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Fingers at the Window | Edwina Brown | |
| 1942 | Mister Gardenia Jones | Joanne | |
| 1942 | Journey for Margaret | Nora Jones | |
| 1943 | Mr. Lucky | Dorothy Bryant | |
| 1944 | The Story of Dr. Wassell | Madeleine | |
| 1944 | Bride by Mistake | Norah Hunter | |
| 1945 | Keep Your Powder Dry | Leigh Rand | |
| 1945 | Those Endearing Young Charms | Helen Brandt | |
| 1946 | The Locket | Nancy | |
| 1947 | Tycoon | Maura | |
| 1948 | My Dear Secretary | Stephanie "Steve" Gaylord | |
| 1949 | I Married a Communist | Nan Lowry Collins | Alternative titles: The Woman on Pier 13 Beautiful But Dangerous |
| 1949 | Without Honor | Jane Bandle | Alternative title: Woman Accused |
| 1954 | The High and the Mighty | Lydia Rice | |
| 1956 | The Toy Tiger | Gwendolyn "Gwen" Taylor | |
| 1956 | Three for Jamie Dawn | Sue Lorenz | |
| 1960 | The 3rd Voice | Marian Forbes |
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