Laraine Day
| Laraine Day | |
|---|---|
 1942 | |
| Born |
La Raine Johnson October 13, 1920 Roosevelt, Utah, United States |
| Died |
November 10, 2007 (aged 87) Ivins, Utah, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Laraine Jonson |
| Education | Long Beach Polytechnic High School |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1937–1986 |
| Spouse(s) |
Ray Hendricks (m. 1942; div. 1947) Leo Durocher (m. 1948; div. 1960) Michael Grilikhes (m. 1960) |
| Children | 5 |
Laraine Day (October 13, 1920 – November 10, 2007)[1] was an American actress and a former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract star.
Career
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
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 remarrying.[8]
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
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
Day was, as she described herself, 'very much a Republican'.[16] She was a vocal supporter of Richard Nixon, whom she later met with 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
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.[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.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Laraine Day has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6676 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
| 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 | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | The Nash Airflyte Theater | Episode: "The Crisis" | |
| 1951–1957 | Lux Video Theatre | Various roles | 7 episodes |
| 1952–1957 | The Ford Television Theatre | Various roles | 7 episodes |
| 1953 | Willys Theatre Presenting Ben Hecht's Tales of the City | Episode #1.2 | |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater | Episode: "Hired Mother" | |
| 1955 | Screen Directors Playhouse | Joyce Carter | Episode: "The Final Tribute" |
| 1955–1957 | The Loretta Young Show | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1956 | Celebrity Playhouse | Holly's Mother | Segment: " Tomorrow We May Part" |
| 1956 | Hollywood Summer Theater | ||
| 1956–1959 | Playhouse 90 | Various roles | 2 episodes |
| 1957 | Climax! | Ellen Parker | Episode: "Walk a Tightrope" |
| 1957 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Mrs. Lorenz | Episode: "Bitter Parting" |
| 1957 | Pursuit | Kathy Nelson | Episode: "Tiger on a Bicycle" |
| 1958 | Swiss Family Robinson | Mother | Television film |
| 1958 | Rendezvous | Episode: "Alone" | |
| 1960 | Moment of Fear | Episode: "Cage of Air" | |
| 1961 | Checkmate | Woman | Episode: "To the Best of My Recollection" |
| 1962 | Follow the Sun | Aunt Charlotte | Episode: " Not Aunt Charlotte!" |
| 1962 | The New Breed | Vivian Cowley | Episode: "A Motive Named Walter" |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Ruth | Episode: "Death and the Joyful Woman" |
| 1963 | Burke's Law | Lisa Cole | Episode: "Who Killed Billy Jo?" |
| 1963 | Wagon Train | Cassie Vance | Episode: "The Cassie Vance Story" |
| 1967 | The World: Color It Happy | Television film | |
| 1968 | The Name of the Game | Grace Jellicoe | Episode: "The Taker" |
| 1969 | The F.B.I. | Ellen York | Episode: "Gamble with Death" |
| 1972 | The Sixth Sense | Marion Ford | Episode: "The Heart That Wouldn't Stay Buried" |
| 1973 | Medical Center | Arelene Gillette | Episode: "Broken Image" |
| 1975 | Murder on Flight 502 | Claire Garwood | Television film |
| 1978 | The Love Boat | Vera Simpson | 2 episodes |
| 1978–1979 | Fantasy Island | Various roles | 2 episodes |
| 1979 | Lou Grant | Laura Sinclair | Episode: "Hollywood" |
| 1985 | Airwolf | Amelia Davenport | Episode: "Eruption" |
| 1985 | Hotel | Mrs. Kupchak | Episode: "Second Offense" |
| 1986 | Murder, She Wrote | Constance Fletcher | 2 episodes |
References
- ↑ "Laraine Day, ‘B+ Movie’ Star, Dies at 87". The New York Times. 13 November 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- 1 2 Oliver, Myrna (November 12, 2007). "Laraine Day, 87; 'Dr. Kildare' film actress had love of baseball". latimes.com. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ "CUPID'S INFLUENCE ON THE FILM BOX-OFFICE.". The Argus (Melbourne: National Library of Australia). 4 October 1941. p. 7 Supplement: The Argus Week-end Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ↑ "Laraine Day Obituary - Laraine Day Funeral - Legacy.com". Legacy.com. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ↑ "Laraine Day". telegraph.co.uk. November 14, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Laraine Day, Husband Adopt Third Child, Boy". The Milwaukee Journal. October 3, 1946. p. 12. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ MacPherson, Virginia (December 5, 1946). "Irate Husband Calls Curocher Love Thief". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ "'The Lip' and Actress Incur Judge's Ire; Now Live Apart". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. January 23, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Laraine Day and Lippy Wed Again". The Owosso Argus-Press. February 16, 1948. p. 12. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Leo Durocher and Laraine Day Husband-Wife Team of 1952". Oxnard Press-Courier. June 6, 1952. pp. 6–!. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Laraine Day Divorces Leo". The Miami News. June 15, 1960. pp. 10–A. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Laraine Day Has Baby Girl". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 14, 1962. p. 9. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Daughter Born to Laraine Day". St. Joseph Gazette. October 7, 1964. p. 5. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ Bergan, Ronald (2007-11-13). "Laraine Day". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ↑ "Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir Discography". Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ↑ "I am very much a Republican. - Laraine Day at BrainyQuote". BrainyQuote. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ↑ "I think that Richard Nixon is a great man and that he is very dedicated to what he does.... - Laraine Day at BrainyQuote". BrainyQuote. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ↑ Harrison, Scott (May 15, 2012). "Get your Nixon bumper stickers!". latimes.com. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ↑ Day, Laraine (October 1971). "Improving Our Environment". Ensign. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laraine Day. |
- Laraine Day at the Internet Movie Database
- Laraine Day at the TCM Movie Database
- Obituary, The Times, 16 November 2007
- Obituary, ThisIsAnnouncements.co.uk, 10 November 2007
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