Argentine singer, songwriter and actor (1918?1980)
Dick Haymes
|
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Haymes in the 1940s
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Born
| Richard Benjamin Haymes
(
1918-09-13
)
September 13, 1918
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Died
| March 28, 1980
(1980-03-28)
(aged 61)
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Occupations
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Years active
| 1935?1978
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Spouses
|
Edith Harper
(
m.
1939;
ann.
1939)
(
m.
1941;
div.
1949)
(
m.
1949;
div.
1953)
(
m.
1953;
div.
1955)
(
m.
1958;
div.
1965)
Wendy Smith
(
m.
1966)
|
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Children
| 6
|
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Richard Benjamin Haymes
(September 13, 1918 ? March 28, 1980) was an Argentine singer, songwriter and actor. He was one of the most popular male vocalists of the
1940s
and early
1950s
. He was the older brother of
Bob Haymes
, an actor, television host, and songwriter.
Background
[
edit
]
Haymes was born in
Buenos Aires
, Argentina, in 1918.
[1]
[2]
According to Haymes's obituary in the
New York Times
, "His father was a rancher of English descent and his Irish mother had been a musical comedy singer. His parents traveled widely and he grew up in France, Montreal, California and Switzerland."
[3]
Career
[
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]
At the age of 17, Haymes moved to Los Angeles where he initially worked as a
stunt man
and
film double
. At the age of 19, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a vocalist in a number of
big bands
.
[4]
On September 3, 1942,
Frank Sinatra
introduced Haymes on radio as Sinatra's replacement in the
Tommy Dorsey
band.
[5]
[6]
Prior to joining Dorsey's group, Haymes sang with the
Harry James
orchestra.
[7]
In 1945, Haymes co-starred with
Jeanne Crain
,
Dana Andrews
and
Vivian Blaine
in the musical
State Fair
. He teamed with female vocalist
Helen Forrest
for many hit duets during World War II, including "Together," "I'll Buy That Dream," and "
Long Ago and Far Away
"; he sang with
Judy Garland
on two
Decca
recordings of songs from the film
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim
, in which he appeared with
Betty Grable
. From 1944 to 1948, he had his own radio program,
The Dick Haymes Show
, first on
NBC
and later on
CBS
.
[8]
He paired repeatedly with the
Andrews Sisters
on a dozen or so Decca collaborations, including the
Billboard
hit "Teresa," "Great Day," "My Sin," and a 1952 rendering of the dramatic ballad "Here in My Heart," backed by the sisters and
Nelson Riddle
's lush strings. His duets with Patty Andrews were also well received, both on Decca vinyl and on radio's
Club Fifteen
with the sisters, which he hosted in 1949 and 1950. He also joined
Bing Crosby
and The Andrews Sisters for 1947 session that produced the
Billboard
hit "There's No Business Like Show Business," as well as "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)". His popular renditions of tender ballads such as "Little White Lies" and "Maybe It's Because" were recorded with celebrated arranger
Gordon Jenkins
and his orchestra and chorus.
[9]
World War II and attempted deportation
[
edit
]
Haymes's birth in
Argentina
to non-U.S. citizens meant he was not an American citizen. In order to avoid military service during World War II, Haymes asserted his nonbelligerent status as a citizen of Argentina, which remained neutral until almost the end of the war. Hollywood-based columnists
Louella Parsons
and
Hedda Hopper
questioned Haymes' patriotism, but the story had surprisingly little effect on his career. About that time, he was classified 4-F by the draft board because of
hypertension
. As part of his draft examination, he was confined for a short period to a hospital on
Ellis Island
, which confirmed his diagnosis of hypertension.
[10]
In 1953, Haymes went to
Hawaii
(then a territory and, technically, not part of the United States) to visit
Rita Hayworth
(who he later married).
[11]
On returning to the
mainland United States
, he was arrested in August for deportation under the
McCarran?Walter Act
on the basis that Haymes refused to sign up for military service and therefore was not entitled to live in the United States.
[12]
After appeal, he won his battle to remain in the United States in 1955 on the basis that Hawaii was a geographical part of the United States so he had never left the country.
[13]
Later years
[
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]
Haymes experienced alcoholism and had serious financial problems later in life, by the early 1960s declaring bankruptcy with $500,000 in debts.
[14]
He appeared as unscrupulous doctor Elroy Gantman in a 1974 episode of the TV show
Adam-12
.
Through his mother's nationality, Haymes spent his last years as an
Irish
citizen.
[
citation needed
]
Marriages
[
edit
]
Haymes was married six times. His first marriage to Edith Harper (1939) occurred when she claimed to be pregnant but was annulled by Haymes after he discovered that she was not.
[15]
Haymes wives included film actresses
Joanne Dru
(1941?1949),
Nora Eddington
(a former wife of
Errol Flynn
) (1949?1953),
Rita Hayworth
(1953?1955), and
Fran Jeffries
(1958?1964). Haymes had a total of six children?three with Joanne Dru, one with Fran Jeffries, and two with his sixth and final wife, British model Wendy Smith (1966).
[3]
Death
[
edit
]
Haymes died from
lung cancer
on March 28, 1980, at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
in
Los Angeles
. He was 61 years old.
[4]
Discography
[
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]
78rpm albums
[
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]
Dick Haymes Sings
? Carmen Cavallaro at the Piano ? Irving Berlin Songs (1948 Decca Record)
Original LPs
[
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]
LP compilations
[
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]
Live LP albums
[
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]
Selected CD compilations
[
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]
- (2016) Dick Haymes
You'll Never Know
His 53 Finest 2 CDset (Retrospective)
- (1990)
Richard the Lion-Hearted ? Dick Haymes that is!
(1990) re-issue of the vinyl album
- Imagination
(1992)
- The Very Best of Dick Haymes, Vol. 1
(1997)
- The Very Best of Dick Haymes, Vol. 2
(1997)
- The Complete Columbia Recordings ? with Harry James and Benny Goodman
(1998)
- Little White Lies: 25 Original Mono Recordings 1942-1050
. Living Era. ASV Mono. CD AJA 5387 (2001)
- Christmas Wishes
(2002, radio transcriptions)
- Golden Years of Dick Haymes
(2003)
- The Complete Capitol Collection
(2006)
Filmography
[
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]
?
Hit records
[
edit
]
Musical theatre
[
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]
The Big Broadcast of 1944, - A Lee Gruber, Shelly Gross off Broadway production, fall of 1979 ? Devon, PA, Detroit, MI, and Westbury, NY
Radio appearances
[
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]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Prigozy, Ruth (June 2006).
The Life of Dick Haymes: No More Little White Lies
. University Press of Mississippi.
ISBN
978-1-57806-551-6
.
- ^
See also
Social Security Death Index
for Richard Haymes (SS#113-05-9919). His birthdate was frequently incorrectly given as 1916.
- ^
a
b
"Singer Dick Haymes Dies"
.
Washington Post
. March 30, 1980. Archived from
the original
on March 8, 2016.
- ^
a
b
"Dick Haymes, 61, Dies of Cancer"
.
Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal
. Daytona Beach, Florida. March 30, 1980. p. 2C.
- ^
Jonathan Schwartz program
. August 31, 2013. WNYC-FM.
- ^
Gilliland, John
(1994).
Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s
(audiobook).
ISBN
978-1-55935-147-8
.
OCLC
31611854
.
Tape 1, side A.
- ^
"Orchestra Notes"
(PDF)
.
Billboard
. January 3, 1942. p. 12
. Retrieved
February 2,
2015
.
- ^
Dunning, John
(1998).
On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio
(Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 198?199.
ISBN
978-0-19-507678-3
. Retrieved
January 21,
2020
.
- ^
Sforza, John: "Swing It! The Andrews Sisters Story;" University Press of Kentucky, 2000; 289 pages
- ^
Prigozy,
The Life of Dick Haymes
,
op cit
, p. 48
- ^
"Haymes Rebuffed in Ouster Battle"
.
The New York Times
. November 6, 1954. p. 36
. Retrieved
March 12,
2024
.
- ^
"U.S. Decision Due Today On Dick Haymes Matter"
.
Variety
. August 26, 1953. p. 2
. Retrieved
March 12,
2024
– via
Internet Archive
.
- ^
"Haymes Wins Fight Over Deportation"
.
The New York Times
. June 1, 1955. p. 34
. Retrieved
March 12,
2024
.
- ^
Prigorzy,
The Life of Dick Haymes
,
op cit
, p. 177. "By the early sixties I was a desperate alcoholic. I had been forced into bankruptcy with a half million dollars in debts and no assets."
- ^
Godfrey, Andrew (May 22, 2012).
"Dick Haymes: Great Singer Wed Six Times, Plagued By Alcoholism and Debt"
.
wordpress.com
. Nostalgia and Now by A. Godfrey - Retired from newspaper work after 38 years
. Retrieved
December 31,
2023
.
- ^
The 16 minute film,
I Am an American
, was featured in American theaters as a short feature in connection with "I Am an American Day" (now called
Constitution Day
).
I Am an American
was produced by
Gordon Hollingshead
, written and directed by
Crane Wilbur
. Besides Haymes, it featured
Humphrey Bogart
,
Gary Gray
,
Danny Kaye
,
Joan Leslie
,
Dennis Morgan
,
Knute Rockne
, and
Jay Silverheels
. See:
I Am An American
at the
TCM Movie Database
and
I Am an American
at
IMDb
.
- ^
"Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #7"
. 1972.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #9"
. 1972.
- ^
Gilliland, John (October 10, 1972).
"Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #12"
.
UNT Digital Library
.
- ^
"Irish Eyes"
.
Harrisburg Telegraph
. Harrisburg Telegraph. March 13, 1948. p. 22
. Retrieved
August 8,
2015
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"Those Were The Days".
Nostalgia Digest
. Vol. 40, no. 1. Winter 2014. pp. 32?39.
- ^
Kirby, Walter (May 24, 1953).
"Better Radio Programs for the Week"
.
The Decatur Daily Review
. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 48
. Retrieved
June 28,
2015
– via
Newspapers.com
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Prigozy, Ruth (June 2006).
The Life of Dick Haymes: No More Little White Lies
. University Press of Mississippi.
External links
[
edit
]
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Studio albums
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Compilation albums
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Singles
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International
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National
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Artists
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Other
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