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{{short description|American actress (1920–2007)}}{{distinguish|Lorraine Day}}

factoids

| birth_place = Roosevelt, Utah, U.S.20071010mf=yes}}| death_place = Ivins, Utah, U.S.Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)>Forest Lawn Memorial Park| other_names = Laraine Johnson| occupation = Actress| years_active = 1937–1986Republican Party (United States)>Republican

• {{marriage|Ray Hendricks|1942|1947|reason=divorced{edih}
• {{marriage|Leo Durocher|1948|1960|reason=divorced}}
• {{marriage|Michael Grilikhes|1961|2007|reason=died}}

}}| children = 5}}Laraine Day (born La Raine Johnson, October 13, 1920 – November 10, 2007) was an American actress, radio and television commentator, and former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) contract star. As a leading lady, she was paired opposite major film stars, including Robert Mitchum, Lana Turner, Cary Grant, Ronald Reagan, Kirk Douglas, and John Wayne. As well as her numerous film and television roles, she acted on stage, conducted her own radio and television shows, and wrote two books. Because of her marriage to Leo Durocher and her involvement with his baseball career, she was known as the “First Lady of Baseball”. Her best-known films include Foreign Correspondent; My Son, My Son; Journey for Margaret; Mr. Lucky; The Locket; and the Dr. Kildare series.

Early life and education

Born La Raine Johnson in Roosevelt, Utah, on October 13, 1920, she was one of eight children in a wealthy family who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).NEWS, Harmetz, Aljean, Actress Laraine Day dies in Utah at 87,www.deseretnews.com/article/695227149/Actress-Laraine-Day-dies-in-Utah-at-87.html, 3 May 2018, Deseret News, Deseret News Publishing Company, November 13, 2007, Her parents were Clarence Irwin Johnson and Ada M. Johnson.BOOK, Capace, Nancy, Encyclopedia of Utah, 2001, Somerset Publishers, Inc., St. Clair Shores, MI, 9780403096091, 180–182,books.google.com/books?id=BE1va7KGyyEC&q=laraine+day+&pg=PA180, Her father was a grain dealer and an interpreter for the Ute Indian tribes. She had a twin brother, Lamar. Her great-grandfather was early Mormon pioneer Charles C. Rich.WEB,articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/12/local/me-day12, Laraine Day, 87; ‘Dr. Kildare’ film actress had love of baseball, Oliver, Myrna, November 12, 2007, Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2013, NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/laraine-day-400125.html, Laraine Day, 2007-11-13, The Independent, 2018-05-02, en-GB, The family later moved to California, where she began her acting career with the Long Beach Players, including her friend and contemporary Robert Mitchum.NEWS, Bergan, Ronald, Laraine Day,www.theguardian.com/news/2007/nov/13/guardianobituaries.obituaries, 3 May 2018, The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, November 12, 2007, She attended George Washington Junior High School and was a 1938 graduate of Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.BOOK, Grobaty, Tim, Location Filming in Long Beach, 2012, The History Press, Charleston, SC, 9781614237761,books.google.com/books?id=jWR_CQAAQBAJ&q=laraine+day+graduate&pg=PT114, 3 May 2018,

Career

(File:Motorola television advertisement, 1951.ogg|thumb|left|Day in a 1951 advertisement for Motorola televisions)After a talent scout spotted her with the Long Beach Players, she signed a contract with Goldwyn studios, for which she made her cinematic debut. In 1937, Day debuted on screen in a bit part in Stella Dallas. Her contract was dropped shortly thereafter because she “lacked talent”. Shortly afterwards, she won lead roles at RKO Pictures in several George O’Brien Westerns, in which she was billed as Laraine Johnson. In 1938, she adopted the name “Laraine Day” to honor her previous playhouse manager, Elias Day, from whom she had received much of her training. During that time, she was active in establishing a playhouse in Los Angeles for Mormon actors. Ray Bradbury joined for a period of time in 1939, and she let him do some stage prop work and publicity.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=W3g8R-PVWG4C&pg=PA41, Ray Bradbury: Uncensored! : the Unauthorized Biography, Beley, Gene, 2006, iUniverse, 9780595373642, en, MAGAZINE,lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-intuitive-thing-ray-bradbury-on-the-arts/, The Intuitive Thing: Ray Bradbury on the Arts, Los Angeles Review of Books, 2018-05-03, en-US, In 1939, she signed with MGM, and became popular and well known (billed as Laraine Day) as Nurse Mary Lamont, the title character’s love interest and eventual fiancée in a string of seven Dr. Kildare movies beginning with Calling Dr. Kildare (1939), with Lew Ayres in the title role.WEB,www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/arts/13day.html, Laraine Day, ‘B+ Movie’ Star, Dies at 87, 13 November 2007, The New York Times, 18 April 2016, 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.WEB,www.tcm.com/this-month/article/78405%7C0/The-Locket.html, The Locket, Miller, Frank, TCM.com, Turner Classic Movies, 2 September 2018, In 1941, she was voted the number one “star of tomorrow” in Hollywood.NEWS,nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8208562, CUPID’S INFLUENCE ON THE FILM BOX-OFFICE., The Argus (Melbourne), The Argus, Melbourne, 4 October 1941, 24 April 2012, 7 Supplement: The Argus Week-end Magazine, National Library of Australia, Also in 1941, she was Ronald Reagan’s leading lady in the Western comedy The Bad Man, starring top-billed Wallace Beery and Lionel Barrymore. That same year, she made her stage debut opposite Gregory Peck in the national theater tour of Angel Street.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=NJId3XPaeR0C&pg=PA128, Gregory Peck: A Biography, Fishgall, Gary, 2002, Simon and Schuster, 9780684852904, en, She was released from her contract with MGM of her own discretion in May 1946 and signed a contract with RKO in December of that year. The contract stated that she would make one film a year for five years, earning $100,000 per film. Throughout her film career, she was paired opposite major film stars, including Lana Turner, Cary Grant, and John Wayne. In the 1940s, she made guest appearances on radio in both Lux Radio Theatre and The Screen Guild Theater.{{Citation|title=Screen Guild Theater|url=https://archive.org/details/ScreenGuildTheater|access-date=2018-05-03}}BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=fRY0QiacQccC&pg=PA311volume= Feature films, 1941 - 1950, film entries, A - L publisher=University of California Press, 9780520215214, In May 1951, she began hosting a television show alternately called Daydreaming with Laraine and The Laraine Day Show. In May 1952, she was signed to a midnight-to-3 a.m. interview series with New York radio station WMGM featuring interviews related to politics, show business, and sports.NEWS, WMGM Signs Laraine Day for Midnight Chatter,books.google.com/books?id=mB0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA11, 3 May 2018, The Billboard, Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, 3 May 1952, She also made stage appearances in Lost Horizon, the 1973 revival of The Women, and a revival of The Time of the Cuckoo.

Personal life

(File:Foreign Correspondent trailer 14.jpg|thumb|In Foreign Correspondent (1940))Laraine Day’s married her first husband, James Ray Hendricks, on May 16, 1942. He was a dance-band singer who became an airport executive for the Santa Monica airport.WEB,www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1569266/Laraine-Day.html, Laraine Day, November 14, 2007, telegraph.co.uk, April 16, 2013, The couple adopted three children: Christopher, Angela, and Michelle.NEWS,news.google.com/newspapers?id=aB0aAAAAIBAJ&pg=1380,868417&dq=laraine+day+adopt+chris&hl=en, Laraine Day, Husband Adopt Third Child, Boy, October 3, 1946, The Milwaukee Journal, 12, April 16, 2013, Day filed for divorce from Hendricks in December 1946.NEWS,news.google.com/newspapers?id=DcMwAAAAIBAJ&pg=5190,4719392&dq=laraine+day+ray+hendricks+divorce&hl=en, Irate Husband Calls Durocher Love Thief, MacPherson, Virginia, December 5, 1946, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1, April 16, 2013, Day was granted an interlocutory divorce from Hendricks on January 20, 1947, which required her to wait one year before remarrying.NEWS,news.google.com/newspapers?id=POIcAAAAIBAJ&pg=1608,1804158&dq=laraine+day+interlocutory&hl=en, ‘The Lip’ and Actress Incur Judge’s Ire; Now Live Apart, January 23, 1947, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 1, April 16, 2013, On January 21, 1947, Day traveled to Ciudad Juárez, 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. After waiting a little over a year, Day and Durocher re-married on February 16, 1948, in Santa Monica, California.NEWS,news.google.com/newspapers?id=kJIjAAAAIBAJ&pg=4499,4728750&dq=laraine+day+ray+hendricks+divorce&hl=en, Laraine Day and Lippy Wed Again, February 16, 1948, The Owosso Argus-Press, 12, April 16, 2013, After the couple moved to New York, Day read every book about baseball she could to understand the game. She became the first woman to be honored by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association at their annual dinner in 1951. 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).NEWS,news.google.com/newspapers?id=eyFKAAAAIBAJ&pg=5356,6422186&dq=laraine+day+adopt&hl=en, Leo Durocher and Laraine Day Husband-Wife Team of 1952, June 6, 1952, Oxnard Press-Courier, 6–!, April 16, 2013, She was also the hostess 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.NEWS,news.google.com/newspapers?id=n08yAAAAIBAJ&pg=5640,7564790&dq=laraine+day+adopt&hl=en, Laraine Day Divorces Leo, June 15, 1960, The Miami News, 10–A, April 16, 2013, On March 7, 1961, Day married television producer Michael Grilikhes, with whom she had two daughters, Dana Laraine (born November 13, 1962) and Gigi (born October 6, 1964).NEWS,news.google.com/newspapers?id=ID8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=4359,1941491&dq=laraine+day+adopt&hl=en, Laraine Day Has Baby Girl, November 14, 1962, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9, April 16, 2013, NEWS,news.google.com/newspapers?id=0gZdAAAAIBAJ&pg=675,368337&dq=laraine+day+gigi&hl=en, Daughter Born to Laraine Day, October 7, 1964, St. Joseph Gazette, 5, April 16, 2013,

Religion

Laraine Day was a member of the 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, “It brings me comfort in a confusing world.“NEWS,www.theguardian.com/news/2007/nov/13/guardianobituaries.obituaries, Laraine Day, Bergan, Ronald, 2007-11-13, guardian.co.uk, 30 March 2011, 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.WEB,www.josephsons.org/slmtc/mtchist.htm, Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir Discography, 18 April 2016,

Politics

Laraine Day was, as she described herself, “very much a Republican”.WEB,www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laraineday630147.html, I am very much a Republican. - Laraine Day at BrainyQuote, BrainyQuote, 18 April 2016, She was a vocal supporter of Richard Nixon, whom she later met at the 1968 Republican National Convention, citing him as the type who would “go out of his way to help the American people”.WEB,www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/l/laraineday630148.html, I think that Richard Nixon is a great man and that he is very dedicated to what he does. ... - Laraine Day at BrainyQuote, BrainyQuote, 18 April 2016, She also supported Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and longtime Hollywood friend and former co-star Ronald Reagan in the 1980 and 1984 presidential elections, saying of both Nancy Reagan and him, “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 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 Reagans.“WEB,www.azquotes.com/quote/1119139, Laraine Day Quote,

Later years and death

In October 1960, Laraine 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.WEB,framework.latimes.com/2012/05/15/get-your-nixon-bumper-stickers/, Get your Nixon bumper stickers!, Harrison, Scott, May 15, 2012, Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2013,framework.latimes.com/2012/05/15/get-your-nixon-bumper-stickers/," title="web.archive.org/web/20130216025733framework.latimes.com/2012/05/15/get-your-nixon-bumper-stickers/,">web.archive.org/web/20130216025733framework.latimes.com/2012/05/15/get-your-nixon-bumper-stickers/, February 16, 2013, dead, In the 1970s, she was the spokeswoman for the Make America Better campaign and traveled across the country sharing her views on environmental issues.WEB,www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1971/10/improving-our-environment, Improving Our Environment, Day, Laraine, October 1971, Ensign (LDS magazine), Ensign, March 30, 2011, In 1971, she wrote a book called The America We Love. Day 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. 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.Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 11431-11445). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Legacy

During World War II, the Royal Canadian Air Force 427 Lion Squadron had been “adopted” by MGM. Many of the aircraft had dedications or nose art honoring MGM’s Stars.A Handley-Page Halifax bomber “Yehudi” DK226 ZL Y carried the name of Laraine Day into battle over Germany.WEB,www.427squadron.com/news_file/photos_427_wwII.html, 427 World War II Photos, For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Laraine Day has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6676 Hollywood Blvd.WEB,movielanddirectory.com/tour-location.cfm?location=44856&address=6676%20Hollywood%20Blvd&city=West%20Hollywood&state=california, The Movieland Directory - Tour Location: 6676 Hollywood Blvd, West Hollywood, California, movielanddirectory.com, 2018-05-02,

Filmography

All film and television appearances come from Internet Movie Database (IMDb)WEB,www.imdb.com/name/nm0206478/, Laraine Day, IMDb, 2018-05-02, and Turner Classic Movies.WEB,www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/45707%7C95423/Laraine-Day/filmography.html, Filmography for Laraine Day, Turner Classic Movies, 2018-05-02, {| class=“wikitable sortable“|+ Film! Year! Title! Role! class=“unsortable” | Notes| 1937Stella Dallas (1937 film)>Stella Dallas| Girl at Resort and on Train| Uncredited| 1938Scandal Street (1938 film)>Scandal Street| Peg Smith| Credited as Laraine Johnson| 1938| Border G-Man| Betty Holden| Credited as Laraine Johnson| 1938Painted Desert (1938 film)>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| 1939| The Secret of Dr. Kildare| Nurse Mary Lamont|| 1940I Take This Woman (1940 film)>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|| 1940Foreign Correspondent (film)>Foreign Correspondent| Carol Fisher|| 1940| Dr. Kildare Goes Home| Mary Lamont|| 1940| Dr. Kildare’s Crisis| Mary Lamont|| 1941The Trial of Mary Dugan (1941 film)>The Trial of Mary Dugan| Mary Dugan|| 1941The Bad Man (1941 film)>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|| 1941Kathleen (film)>Kathleen| Dr. Angela Martha “Angel” Kent|| 1942| A Yank on the Burma Road| Mrs. Gail Farwood|1942 The Glass Key as a nurse- uncredited (Alan Lad kissed her as he scrammed out of the hospital room)| 1942| Fingers at the Window| Edwina Brown|| 1942| Mister Gardenia Jones| Joanne| Short| 1942| Journey for Margaret| Nora Davis|| 1943Mr. Lucky (film)>Mr. Lucky| Dorothy Bryant || 1944| The Story of Dr. Wassell| Madeleine|| 1944| Bride by Mistake| Norah Hunter|| 1945| Keep Your Powder Dry| Leigh Rand|| 1945Those Endearing Young Charms (film)>Those Endearing Young Charms| Helen Brandt|| 1946The Locket (1946 film)>The Locket| Nancy|| 1947Tycoon (1947 film)>Tycoon| Maura|| 1948| My Dear Secretary| Stephanie “Steve” Gaylord|| 1949I Married a Communist (film)>I Married a Communist| Nan Lowry Collins| Alternative title: The Woman on Pier 13| 1949Without Honor (1949 film)>Without Honor| Jane Bandle| Alternative title: Woman Accused| 1954The High and the Mighty (film)>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|{| class=“wikitable sortable“|+ Television! Year! Title! Role! class=“unsortable” | Notes| 1951| The Nash Airflyte Theater|| Episode: “The Crisis”| 1951| Daydreaming with Laraine| Host|| 1951–1957| Lux Video Theatre| Various roles| 7 episodes| 1952–1957Ford Theatre#Television>The Ford Television Theatre| Various roles| 7 episodes| 1953| Double Play| Co-host|| 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| What’s My Line| Herself / Celebrity Panelist| 2 episodes| 1955–1957Letter to Loretta>The Loretta Young Show| Various roles| 3 episodes| 1956| Celebrity Playhouse|| Segment: ” Tomorrow We May Part”|1956Hollywood Summer TheaterMARSHTITLE=THE COMPLETE DIRECTORY TO PRIME TIME NETWORK AND CABLE TV SHOWS, 1946-PRESENTPUBLISHER=BALLANTINE BOOKSISBN=0345429230458>EDITION=7TH REV.,archive.org/details/completedirector1999broo/page/458, ||| 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”| 1958Pursuit (TV series)>Pursuit| Kathy Nelson| Episode: “Tiger on a Bicycle”| 1958| Swiss Family Robinson| Mother| Television film| 1958Rendezvous (TV series)>Rendezvous|| Episode: “Alone”| 1960| Moment of Fear|| Episode: “Cage of Air”| 1961Checkmate (American TV series)>Checkmate| Woman| Episode: “To the Best of My Recollection”| 1962Follow the Sun (TV series)>Follow the Sun| Aunt Charlotte| Episode: ” Not Aunt Charlotte!”| 1962The New Breed (TV series)>The New Breed| Vivian Cowley| Episode: “A Motive Named Walter”| 1963| The Alfred Hitchcock Hour| Ruth| Season 1 Episode 27: “Death and the Joyful Woman”| 1963Burke’s Law (1963 TV series)>Burke’s Law| Lisa Cole| Episode: “Who Killed Billy Jo?”| 1963| Wagon Train| Cassie Vance| Episode: “The Cassie Vance Story”| 1965| Will Banner|| Television film| 1967| The World: Color It Happy|| Television film| 1968The Name of the Game (TV series)>The Name of the Game| Grace Jellicoe| Episode: “The Taker”| 1969The F.B.I. (TV series)>The F.B.I.| Helen York| Episode: “Gamble with Death”| 1972The Sixth Sense (American TV series)>The Sixth Sense| Marion Ford| Episode: “The Heart That Wouldn’t Stay Buried”| 1973Medical Center (TV series)>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| 1979Lou Grant (TV series)>Lou Grant| Laura Sinclair| Episode: “Hollywood”| 1985| Airwolf| Amelia Davenport| Episode: “Eruption”| 1985Hotel (U.S. TV series)>Hotel| Mrs. Kupchak| Episode: “Second Offense”| 1986| Murder, She Wrote| Constance Fletcher| 2 episodes, (final appearance)

Further reading

• “How A Mormon Girl, Laraine Day, Conquered Hollywood by Faith!” by May Mann in Screenland

References

{{reflist|2}}

External links

{{Commons}}

• {{IMDb name|0206478}}
• {{Tcmdb name}}
• {{Amg name|17541}}
• Obituary, The Times, 16 November 2007
• Obituary, ThisIsAnnouncements.co.uk, 10 November 2007
• {{Find a Grave|22835841}}
• Laraine Day papers, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University
• Laraine Day historical clothing, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University

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