Richard Benjamin Haymes (September 13, 1918 – March 28, 1980) was an Argentinian singer and actor. He was one of the most popular male vocalists of the

1940s File:1940s decade montage.png, Above title bar: events during World War II (1939–1945): From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching Omaha Beach on D-Day; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Ho ...

and early

1950s The 1950s (pronounced nineteen-fifties; commonly abbreviated as the "Fifties" or the " '50s") (among other variants) was a decade that began on January 1, 1950, and ended on December 31, 1959. Throughout the decade, the world continued its re ...

. He was the older brother of

Bob Haymes Robert William Haymes (March 29, 1923 – January 27, 1989), also known by the stage names Robert Stanton and Bob Stanton, was an American singer, songwriter, actor and radio and television host. He is best remembered for co-writing the song " Th ...

, an actor, television host, and songwriter.

Background

Haymes was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1918. His mother, who survived her elder son, was Marguerite Haymes (1894–1987), a well-known Irish-born vocal coach and instructor of English descent. His father, also of English descent, worked as a rancher. The Haymes family traveled extensively before settling in the United States when Haymes was an infant.

Career

At the age of 17, Haymes moved to Los Angeles where he initially worked as a

stunt man A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

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 band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

s. On September 3, 1942, Frank Sinatra introduced Haymes on radio as Sinatra's replacement in the

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

band. Prior to joining Dorsey's group, Haymes sang with the

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

orchestra. Dick Haymes in State Fair trailer

In 1945, Haymes co-starred with

Jeanne Crain Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (May 25, 1925 – December 14, 2003) was an American actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her title role in '' Pinky'' (1949). She also starred in the films '' In the Meantime, Darling'' (194 ...

Dana Andrews Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and character parts ...

and Vivian Blaine in the musical ''

State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in th ...

''. He teamed with female vocalist

Helen Forrest Helen Forrest (born Helen Fogel, April 12, 1917 – July 11, 1999) was an American singer of traditional pop and swing music. She served as the "girl singer" for three of the most popular big bands of the Swing Era (Artie Shaw, Benny Goodm ...

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 Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

on two Decca recordings of songs from the film ''

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim ''The Shocking Miss Pilgrim'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film in Technicolor written and directed by George Seaton and starring Betty Grable and Dick Haymes. The screenplay, based on a story by Ernest Maas and Frederica Maas, focuses on ...

'', in which he appeared with

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

. From 1944 to 1948, he had his own radio program, ''

The Dick Haymes Show ''The Dick Haymes Show'' is an American old-time radio musical variety program. It was broadcast on NBC from June 20, 1944, to October 9, 1945, and on CBS from October 13, 1945, until July 1, 1948. It was also carried by the Canadian Broadcasting ...

'', first on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

and later on

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 ...

. 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 ''Club Fifteen'' is a radio program in the United States that featured popular music. It was broadcast weeknights (except for a two month hiatus each summer) 30 June 1947 – 21 December 1951. Then, it aired Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights unt ...

'' 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 Gordon Hill Jenkins (May 12, 1910 – May 1, 1984) was an American arranger, composer, and pianist who was influential in popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. Jenkins worked with The Andrews Sisters, Johnny Cash, The Weavers, Frank Sinatra, Lo ...

and his orchestra and chorus.

World War II

Haymes's birth in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

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 Louella Parsons (born Louella Rose Oettinger; August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) was an American movie columnist and a screenwriter. She was retained by William Randolph Hearst because she had championed Hearst's mistress Marion Davies and s ...

and

Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...

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 Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...

, which confirmed his diagnosis of hypertension. In 1953, Haymes went to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

(then a territory and, technically, not part of the United States) without first notifying immigration authorities. On returning to the

mainland United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

, he was nearly deported to Argentina, but won his battle to remain in the United States.

Later years

Haymes experienced serious financial problems later in life, by the early 1960s declaring bankruptcy with $500,000 in debts. 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 Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

citizen.

Marriages

Haymes was married six times, including to film actresses

Joanne Dru Joanne Dru (born Joan Letitia LaCock;Known as Joan Lacock in th1930 United States census/ref> January 31, 1922 – September 10, 1996) was an American film and television actress, known for such films as '' Red River'', ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbo ...

(1941–1949),

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

(1953–1955), and

Fran Jeffries Fran Jeffries (born Frances Ann Makris; May 18, 1937 – December 15, 2016) was an American singer, dancer, actress, and model. Early life Jeffries was born Frances Ann Makris on May 18, 1937, in Palo Alto, California, the daughter of Esther A. ...

(1958–1964). He was also married to Nora Eddington (1949–1953), a former wife of

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

. Haymes had a total of six children—three with Joanne Dru, one with

, and two with his sixth and final wife, British model Wendy Smith.

Death

Haymes died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

on March 28, 1980, at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. He was 61 years old.

Discography

78rpm albums

''Dick Haymes Sings'' – Carmen Cavallaro at the Piano – Irving Berlin Songs (1948 Decca Record)

Original LPs

* '' Rain or Shine'' (1955) * '' Moondreams'' (1957) * '' Look at Me Now!'' (1957) * '' Richard the Lion-Hearted – Dick Haymes that is!'' (1960)

LP compilations

* ''Dick Haymes'' (1950s) * ''Little White Lies'' (1958) * '' Dick Haymes – Maury Laws Orchestra / Featuring Cy Coleman'' (1960s) * ''

Love Letters A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

'' (1960s) * Spotlight On – '' Dick Haymes Sings Romantic Ballads – Featuring Johnny Kay'' (1960s) * ''Easy'' (1973) * '' Imagination'' (1982) (also available on CD)

Live LP albums

* '' Dick Haymes Comes Home!'' (1973)

Selected CD compilations

* (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

* ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1935) – Able-Bodied Seaman (uncredited) * '' Dramatic School'' (1938) – Student (uncredited) * ''Du Barry Was a Lady'' (1943) – Singer (uncredited) * ''

Girl Crazy ''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, ...

'' (1943) – Member, The Pied Pipers (uncredited) * ''

Four Jills in a Jeep ''Four Jills in a Jeep'' is a 1944 American comedy-drama musical film starring Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Martha Raye, and Mitzi Mayfair as themselves, re-enacting their USO tour of Europe and North Africa during World War II. Production The ...

'' (1944) – Lt. Dick Ryan * ''

Irish Eyes Are Smiling ''Irish Eyes Are Smiling'' is a 1944 United States musical film which chronicles the life of popular Irish song composer Ernest R. Ball. The screenplay by Earl Baldwin and John Tucker Battle is based on a story by E. A. Ellington. The film was di ...

'' (1944) – Ernest R. Ball * ''I Am an American'' (1944)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 Constitution Day is a holiday to honour the constitution of a country. Constitution Day is often celebrated on the anniversary of the signing, promulgation or adoption of the constitution, or in some cases, to commemorate the change to constitut ...

). ''I Am an American'' was produced by Gordon Hollingshead, written and directed by

Crane Wilbur Crane Wilbur (November 17, 1886 – October 18, 1973) was an American writer, actor and director for stage, radio and screen. He was born in Athens, New York. Wilbur is best remembered for playing Harry Marvin in '' The Perils of Pauline''. He ...

. Besides Haymes, it featured Humphrey Bogart, Gary Gray, Danny Kaye,

Joan Leslie Joan Leslie (born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel; January 26, 1925 – October 12, 2015) was an American actress and vaudevillian, who during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in such films as '' High Sierra'' (1941), ''Sergeant York'' (1941) ...

, Dennis Morgan, Knute Rockne, and

Jay Silverheels Jay Silverheels (born Harold Jay Smith; May 26, 1912 – March 5, 1980) was an Indigenous Canadian actor and athlete. He was well known for his role as Tonto, the Native American companion of the Lone Ranger in the American Western television s ...

. See: and . – Himself (uncredited) * '' Diamond Horseshoe'' (1945) – Joe Davis Jr. * ''

'' (1945) – Wayne Frake * ''

Fallen Angel In the Abrahamic religions, fallen angels are angels who were expelled from heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" never appears in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven"Mehdi Azaiez, Gabriel Said ...

'' (1945) – Himself – JukeBox Vocalist (voice, uncredited) * ''

Do You Love Me "Do You Love Me" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by the Contours in 1962. Written and produced by Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three in 1962 and eleven in 198 ...

'' (1946) – Jimmy Hale * ''

'' (1947) – John Pritchard * '' Carnival in Costa Rica'' (1947) – Jeff Stephens * ''

Up in Central Park ''Up in Central Park'' is a Broadway musical with a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and music by Sigmund Romberg. The musical, originally called "Central Park" before Broadway (see image of sheet music), was ...

'' (1948) – John Matthews * '' One Touch of Venus'' (1948) – Joe Grant * '' Words and Music'' (1948) – Himself * '' St. Benny the Dip'' (1951) – Benny * '' Hollywood Fun Festival'' (1952) – Master of Ceremonies * '' All Ashore'' (1953) – Joe Carter * '' Let's Do It Again'' (1953) – Singer – 'I Could Never Love Anyone But You' (voice, uncredited) * ''

Cruisin' Down the River ''Cruisin' Down the River'' is a 1953 American Technicolor musical film directed by Richard Quine. It stars Dick Haymes and Audrey Totter. The story is about a New York nightclub singer who inherits an old riverboat on the Chattahoochee River bet ...

'' (1953) – Beauregard Clemment / Beau Clemment III * '' Adam-12'' (1974) (TV) – Dr. Elroy Gantman * '' Hec Ramsey – S2E04 – Scar Tissue (1974) (TV) ~ Hamilton Hobbs * ''Betrayal'' (1974) (TV) – Harold Porter * ''

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) – James Crawford * ''

The Eddie Capra Mysteries ''The Eddie Capra Mysteries'' is an American mystery television series starring Vincent Baggetta as a lawyer who investigates murders and has a knack for solving them. Original episodes aired on NBC from September 8, 1978, to January 12, 1979.McN ...

'' (1978) (TV – episode "Murder on the Flip Side") – Jason Lamb

Hit records

Musical theatre

* ''

Miss Liberty ''Miss Liberty'' is a 1949 Broadway musical with a book by Robert E. Sherwood and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. It is based on the sculpting of the Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World'') in 1886. The score includes the song ...

'' (1951, Dallas Theatre) 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

References

External links

* * * Dick Haymesat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Homepage of: 'The Dick Haymes Society'

Haymes' entry
a
Solid! – The encyclopedia of big band, lounge, classic jazz and space-age sounds

article by Laura Wagner a

(online magazine)
Dick Haymes recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{DEFAULTSORT:Haymes, Dick 1918 births 1980 deaths 20th-century Argentine male actors 20th-century Argentine male singers Apex Records artists Argentine emigrants to the United States Argentine male film actors Argentine people of English descent Argentine people of Irish descent Argentine male radio actors Argentine male stage actors Argentine male television actors Capitol Records artists Deaths from lung cancer in California Decca Records artists Jubilee Records artists Male actors from Buenos Aires Singers from Buenos Aires Traditional pop music singers