Dennis Day (born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty; May 21, 1916 – June 22, 1988) was an American actor, comedian, and singer. He was of Irish descent.
Early life
Day was born and raised in the
Throggs Neck
Throggs Neck (also known as Throgs Neck) is a neighborhood and peninsula in the south-eastern portion of the borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx in New York City. It is bounded by the East River and Long Island Sound to the south and ea ...
section of
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
, New York City, the second of five children born to Irish immigrants Patrick McNulty and Mary (née Grady) McNulty. His father was a
factory electric power engineer. Day graduated from the
Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary
Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary is a Roman Catholic high school and seminary in Elmhurst, Queens in New York City. It is operated by the Diocese of Brooklyn. It is the last full-time high school seminary day school in operation in the ...
and attended
Manhattan College
Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...
in the Bronx,
where he sang in the
glee club
A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...
.
In 1939, Gene McNulty, as Day was then known, sang on network radio with bandleader
Larry Clinton
Larry Clinton (August 17, 1909 – May 2, 1985) was an American musician, best known as a trumpeter who became a prominent American bandleader and arranger.
Biography
Clinton was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. He became a ver ...
. The Clinton broadcasts were aimed at the collegiate audience, and were often broadcast from a college campus. The 23-year-old McNulty won an audience poll as a favorite vocalist.
Radio
Day appeared for the first time on
Jack Benny
Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...
's radio show on October 8, 1939, taking the place of another tenor,
Kenny Baker.
He remained associated with Benny's radio and television programs until Benny's death in 1974.
He was introduced (with actress
Verna Felton
Verna Arline Felton (July 20, 1890December 14, 1966) was an American actress, best known for providing many voices in numerous Disney animated films.
She also provided the voice for Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law, Pearl Slaghoople in Hanna-Bar ...
playing his overbearing mother) as a young (19-year-old), naive boy singer – a character he kept through his whole career.
Mary Livingstone
Mary Livingstone (born Sadya Marcowitz, later known as Sadie Marks; June 25, 1905–June 30, 1983) was an American radio comedienne and actress. She was the wife and radio partner of comedian Jack Benny.
Enlisted casually to perform on her h ...
, Benny's wife, brought the singer to Benny's attention after hearing Day on the radio during a visit to New York. She took a recording of Day's singing to Benny, who then went to New York to audition Day. The audition resulted in Day's role on the Benny program.
Day's first recorded song was "Goodnight My Beautiful".
Besides singing, Day was a
mimic
MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in ...
. On the Benny program, Day performed impressions of various celebrities of the era, including
Ronald Colman
Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Hollywood film career. He wa ...
,
Jimmy Durante
James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...
, and
James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
.
From 1944 through 1946, he served in the United States Navy as a lieutenant. While in service, he was temporarily replaced on the Benny radio program by fellow tenor Larry Stevens. On his return to civilian life, he continued to work with Benny while also starring on his own
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
show, ''
A Day in the Life of Dennis Day'' (1946–1951). On Benny's show, Day's having two programs in comparison to Benny's one was the subject of numerous jokes and gags, usually revolving around Day rubbing Benny's, and sometimes other cast members' and guest stars' noses, in that fact (e.g., "Dennis, why do you have two horns on your bicycle?" "Why shouldn't I? I've got two shows!"). His last radio series was a comedy and variety show that aired on NBC's Sunday-afternoon schedule during the 1954–55 season.
''A Day in the Life of Dennis Day''
When Day got his own radio sitcom, he continued to play essentially the same character that he originated on Benny's program. For this series, though, Day lived in the fictional town of Weaverville.
He stayed at a boarding house run by Clara Anderson, played by
Bea Benaderet
Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that ...
. Her henpecked husband, Herbert Anderson, was voiced by
Dink Trout
Francis "Dink" Trout (June 18, 1898 – March 26, 1950) was an American actor, voice artist and radio personality.
Early years
Trout was born in 1898 in Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois.
Radio
In 1927, Trout had his own musical ...
. Day was engaged to their daughter Mildred, played by Barbara Eiler. His character worked at Willoughby's Drug Store, where his boss was Mr. Willoughby. The show was sponsored by
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health car ...
. Verne Smith was the announcer, while music was provided by
Bud Dant and his orchestra. The format of the show began with a song by Day, followed by the first half of the plot, a second song by Day in the middle of the episode, the rest of the plot, and then a third song by Day to finish the episode. Episodes can be heard regularly on the Sirius XM
Radio Classics Channel.
Television
An attempt was made to adapt ''A Day in the Life of Dennis Day'' as an
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
filmed series (
Sam Berman
Sam Berman (July 27, 1907 – August 11, 1995) was an American caricaturist of the 1940s and 1950s.
Berman was in high school when he began drawing cartoons for the ''Hartford Courant''. He went to New York to study art and then landed a positio ...
's caricature of Dennis was used in the opening and closing titles), produced by
Jerry Fairbanks
Gerald Bertram Fairbanks (November 1, 1904, San Francisco — June 21, 1995, Santa Barbara, California) was a producer and director in the Hollywood motion picture and television industry.
Biography
Fairbanks survived the 1906 San Francisco eart ...
for Dennis' sponsor, Colgate-Palmolive, featuring the original radio cast, but got no farther than an unaired 1949 pilot episode. In late 1950, a sample
kinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940 ...
was produced by Colgate and their ad agency showcasing Dennis as host of a projected "live" comedy/variety series (''The Dennis Day Show'') for
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, but that, too, went unsold. He continued to appear as a regular cast member when ''
The Jack Benny Program
''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...
'' became a TV series, staying with the show until it ended in 1965.
Eventually, his own TV series, ''
The Dennis Day Show
''The RCA Victor Show'' is a 1950s American television program broadcast on NBC that eventually became ''The Dennis Day Show''. It began on November 23, 1951, and ended on August 2, 1954.
''The RCA Victor Show''
With Ezio Pinza
''The RCA Victor ...
'' (or ''The RCA Victor Show''), was first telecast on NBC on February 8, 1952, and then in the 1953–1954 season. On this show, Day played a less-fictionalized version of himself, using his natural voice and behaving as an adult who was considerably more mature than his Benny character.
Between 1952 and 1978, Day made numerous TV appearances as a singer and actor (such as NBC's ''The Gisele MacKenzie Show'', ABC's ''
The Bing Crosby Show'' and ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...
'') and voice for animation.
In 1957, Day played himself in episode seven, season two of the briefly aired (1957–1958) situation comedy called ''
Date with the Angels
''Date with the Angels'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from May 10, 1957, to January 29, 1958. The series, which stars Betty White and Bill Williams, began as a late season replacement for '' The Ray Anthony Show'' for the same sponsor ...
'' in which, on the way to a recording studio, Day's car breaks down in front of Vicki Angel's (
Betty White
Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indust ...
) home. While waiting for the automobile service to arrive, he does a few imitations (including
Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
), sings a song, and does a duet with Vicki. The episode, which began in
Sardi's
Sardi's is a Continental food, continental restaurant located at 234 West 44th Street, between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eighth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Manhattan, New Yo ...
restaurant, included brief appearances of
Liberace
Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...
and
Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the ABC Western television series ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' (1955–196 ...
. While numerous stars appeared in the series without credit, all three (Day, Liberace, O'Brian) guest stars appear in the credits on that episode.
During the final season of ''The Jack Benny Program'' (1964–65), Day was nearly 49 years old, although Benny was still delivering such lines as "That crazy kid drives me nuts ..."
His last televised work with Benny was in 1970, when they appeared in a public-service announcement together to promote savings and loans. This was shortly after the whole cast and crew of ''The Jack Benny Show'' had joined for ''Jack Benny's Twentieth Anniversary Special''.
He starred as railroad employee Jason Barnes in the 1962 ''
Death Valley Days
''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...
'' TV episode "Way Station".
In 1972, he co-starred with
June Allyson
June Allyson (born Eleanor Geisman; October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress, dancer, and singer.
Allyson began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broadway in 1938. She sign ...
and
Judy Canova
Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 – August 5, 1983),Although one source gives her birth date as November 20, 1916, (DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland ...
in the first national tour of the Broadway musical ''
No, No, Nanette
''No, No, Nanette'' is a musical comedy with lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, music by Vincent Youmans, and a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play ''My Lady Friends''. The farcical story involves th ...
''.
In 1976, Day was the voice of the Preacherin the Rankin-Bass production ''
Frosty's Winter Wonderland
''Frosty's Winter Wonderland'' is a 1976 animated Christmas television special and a standalone sequel to the 1969 special '' Frosty the Snowman'', produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and animated by Topcraft. It is the second television special ...
'' and again worked with them in 1978, when he voiced Fred in ''
The Stingiest Man in Town
is a 1978 animated Christmas musical television special based on Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. It was created by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, and features traditional animation rather than the stop motion animatio ...
'', which was their animated version of
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' novel ''
A Christmas Carol
''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...
''.
He also appeared in ''
Date with the Angels
''Date with the Angels'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from May 10, 1957, to January 29, 1958. The series, which stars Betty White and Bill Williams, began as a late season replacement for '' The Ray Anthony Show'' for the same sponsor ...
'' – season one, episode 13, as himself; it aired on Friday at 9:30 pm, October 25, 1957, on ABC. Some records show it was episode 19, titled "Star Struck".
Film
Although his career was mainly radio- and TV-based, Day also appeared in a few films. These included ''
Buck Benny Rides Again
''Buck Benny Rides Again'' is a 1940 American Western comedy film from Paramount Pictures starring Jack Benny and Ellen Drew. The film featured regulars from Benny's radio show including Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Andy Devine, Phil Harris, and D ...
'' (1940) opposite Jack Benny, ''
Sleepy Lagoon'' (1943), ''
Music in Manhattan
''Music in Manhattan'' is a 1944 American musical film directed by John H. Auer. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording ( Stephen Dunn).
Cast
* Anne Shirley as Frankie Foster
* Dennis Day as Stanley Benson
* Phil ...
'' (1944), ''
I'll Get By'' (1950), ''
Golden Girl'' (1951), ''
The Girl Next Door'' (1953),
and ''
Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood
''Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood'' is a 1976 American comedy film directed by Michael Winner, and starring Bruce Dern, Madeline Kahn, Teri Garr and Art Carney. Spoofing the craze surrounding Rin Tin Tin, the film is notable for the lar ...
'' (1976) as a singing telegraph man. For the soundtrack of ''
My Wild Irish Rose
''My Wild Irish Rose'' is a 1947 film directed by David Butler. It stars Dennis Morgan and Arlene Dahl (in her debut film). It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1948.
Plot
A fictionalized biopic of Chauncey Olcott, the movie traces the rise ...
'' (1947), a biopic about
Chauncey Olcott
Chauncey Olcott, born John Chancellor Olcott and often spelled Chauncey Alcott, (July 21, 1858 – March 18, 1932) was an American stage actor, songwriter and singer of Irish descent.
Biography
He was born in Buffalo, New York. His mother, Mar ...
, Day provided the singing voice to the acting of
Dennis Morgan. Day also provided the voices of Johnny Appleseed, Johnny's Angel, and the Old Settler in the "
Johnny Appleseed
John Chapman (September 26, 1774March 18, 1845), better known as Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Ontario, as well as the northern coun ...
" segment in
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's ''
Melody Time
''Melody Time'' is a 1948 American live-action/animated musical film produced by Walt Disney. The tenth Disney animated feature film, it was released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on May 27, 1948. Made up of seven segments set to popular mu ...
'' (1948).
Personal life
In 1948, Day married Peggy Almquist; the marriage lasted until his death in 1988. The couple had 10 children. His brother Jim McNulty, two years younger, was married to actress and singer
Ann Blyth.
A
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, Day was supportive of
Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
's campaign during the
1952 presidential election and
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
in the
1964 United States presidential election
The 1964 United States presidential election was the 45th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1964. Incumbent Democratic Party (United States), Democratic President of the Un ...
.
Day died on June 22, 1988, of
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...
(commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease), in Los Angeles, California. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is at 6646 Hollywood Boulevard. He is interred in Culver City's
Holy Cross Cemetery.
Discography (partial)
* ''From Walt Disney's "Melody Time" – Johnny Appleseed – All Voices by Dennis Day'' (1949, RCA/Camden)
* ''Dennis Day Sings Christmas Is for the Family'' (1957, Design)
* ''At Hollywood's Moulin Rouge'' (1957, Masterseal)
* ''That's an Irish Lullaby'' (1959, RCA)
* "The Story of Johnny Appleseed" Cricketone Chorus & Orchestra and Playhour Players (1959, Pickwick International K.M. Corporation)
* ''Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (1960, RCA/Camden)
* ''"Camp St. Malo Sings"'' Dennis Day with the Cathedral Men and Boys Vested Choir (1961, RCA)
* ''Shillelaghs and Shamrocks'' (1963, Reprise)
* ''Dennis Day Narrates Johnny Appleseed'' (1963, Bellflower)
* ''Walt Disney Presents Dennis Day in the Story of Johnny Appleseed'' (1964, Disneyland)
* ''White Christmas'' (1965, Design)
eissue of ''Christmas Is for the Family''* ''My Wild Irish Rose'' (1966, RCA Camden)
eissue_of_earlier_RCA_Victor_recordings.html" ;"title="RCA_Victor.html" ;"title="eissue of earlier RCA Victor">eissue of earlier RCA Victor recordings">RCA_Victor.html" ;"title="eissue of earlier RCA Victor">eissue of earlier RCA Victor recordings* ''Clancy Lowered the Boom'' (1947 RCA Victor single)
* ''Dear Hearts and Gentle People'' (1949 RCA Victor single)
* ''Christmas in Killarney'' (1950 RCA Victor single)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day Dennis
1916 births
1988 deaths
People from Throggs Neck, Bronx
American tenors
American radio personalities
American male radio actors
American male television actors
American male musical theatre actors
United States Navy personnel of World War II
American people of Irish descent
Deaths from motor neuron disease
Neurological disease deaths in California
Manhattan College alumni
RCA Victor artists
Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
United States Navy officers
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American singers
Catholics from New York (state)
20th-century American male singers
California Republicans
New York (state) Republicans
Knights of the Holy Sepulchre