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 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 Normandy landings, D-Day; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of ...

and early

1950s File:1950s decade montage.png, 370x370px, Top, L-R: U.S. Marines engaged in street fighting during the Korean War, late September 1950; The first polio vaccine is developed by Jonas Salk.Centre, L-R: US tests its first thermonuclear bomb with co ...

. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, an actor, television host, and songwriter.

Early life

Haymes was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Argentina, in 1918. According to Haymes's obituary in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', "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."

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. Two years later, in 1937, 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 and ...

s. By the early 1940s Haymes was singing 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 to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...

orchestra. On September 3, 1942,

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

introduced Haymes on radio as his replacement in the

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

band.

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 (film), Pinky'' (1949). She also starred in the films ''In the Meantime, Da ...

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 and later in Western films. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigio ...

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 t ...

''. 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 Good ...

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. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

on two

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

recordings of songs from the film '' The Shocking Miss Pilgrim'', 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, and for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she p ...

. From 1944 to 1948, he had his own radio program, '' The Dick Haymes Show'', first on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

and later on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

. He paired repeatedly with the

Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezz ...

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 "Here in My Heart" is a popular song written by Pat Genaro, Lou Levinson, and Bill Borrelli, first published in 1952. A recording of the song by Italian-American singer Al Martino made history as the first number one hit on the UK singles cha ...

", backed by the sisters and

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...

'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 Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

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.

World War II and attempted deportation

Haymes's birth in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

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 Rose Oettinger, (August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) known by the pen name Louella Parsons, was an American gossip columnist and a screenwriter. At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 700 newspapers worldwide. She ...

and

Hedda Hopper Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...

questioned Haymes' patriotism, but the story had little effect on his career. About that time, he was classified 4-F by the draft board because of

hypertension Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a Chronic condition, long-term Disease, medical condition in which the blood pressure in the artery, arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms i ...

. As part of his draft examination, he was confined for a short period to a hospital on

Ellis Island Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. Owned by the U.S. government, Ellis Island was once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United State ...

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

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

(then still a territory of the United States) to visit actress

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...

, whom he later married. On returning to the U.S. mainland in August he was arrested for deportation under the McCarran–Walter Act for refusing to enter U.S. military service, and therefore was not entitled to live in the country. He appealed, and in 1955 won his battle to remain on the basis that Hawaii was a geographical part of the United States, and thus he had never left it.

Personal life

Haymes experienced

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

and had serious financial problems later in life, by the early 1960s declaring

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

with $500,000 in debts. He appeared as unscrupulous doctor Elroy Gantman in a 1974 episode of the TV show ''

Adam-12 ''Adam-12'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pe ...

''. Through his mother's nationality, Haymes spent his last years as an Irish citizen.

Marriages

Haymes was married six times. His first marriage to Edith Harper (1939) occurred when she claimed to be pregnant but was annulled after it was discovered that she was not. Haymes's other wives comprised 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 Ribb ...

(1941–1949), Nora Eddington (a former wife of

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

) (1949–1953),

(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), and British model Wendy Smith (1966). Haymes had six children—three with Joanne Dru, one with Fran Jeffries, and two with Wendy Smith.

Death

Haymes died from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

on March 28, 1980, at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, Tertiary referral hospital, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre, academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He was 61 years old.

Discography

78-rpm albums

* '' Selections from Rogers and Hammerstein's "State Fair"'' (1946,

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

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

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'' (1960s) * Spotlight On – '' Dick Haymes Sings Romantic Ballads – Featuring Johnny Kay'' (1960s) * ''Easy'' (1973) * ''

Imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...

'' (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 The mutiny on the ''Bounty'' occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship, , from their captain, Lieutenant (navy), Lieutenant William Bli ...

'' (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. Co-leads Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman made their stage debuts in the first production and Rogers became an overnight sta ...

'' (1943) – Member, The Pied Pipers (uncredited) * '' Four Jills in a Jeep'' (1944) – Lt. Dick Ryan * '' Irish Eyes Are Smiling'' (1944) – Ernest R. Ball * ''I Am an American'' (Short film, 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 (1914 s ...

. Besides Haymes, it featured

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

, Gary Gray,

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; ; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer, and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. Kaye starred ...

, Joan Leslie, Dennis Morgan,

Knute Rockne Knute Kenneth Rockne (; March 4, 1888 – March 31, 1931) was an American football player and coach at the University of Notre Dame. Leading Notre Dame for 13 seasons, Rockne accumulated over 100 wins and three national championships. Rockne is ...

, and

Jay Silverheels Jay Silverheels (born Harold Jay Smith; May 26, 1912 – March 5, 1980) was a First Nations in Canada, First Nations and Mohawk people, Mohawk actor and athlete, descended from three Iroquois nations. He was well known for his role as Tonto, the ...

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

'' (1945) – Wayne Frake * ''

Fallen Angel Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven. Such angels are often described ...

'' (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, Motown Records owner Berry Gordy Jr., it appeared twice on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reaching numbers three ...

'' (1946) – Jimmy Hale * '' The Shocking Miss Pilgrim'' (1947) – John Pritchard * ''

Carnival in Costa Rica ''Carnival in Costa Rica'' is a 1947 American musical film directed by Gregory Ratoff and written by Samuel Hoffenstein, John Larkin (screenwriter), John Larkin, and Elizabeth Reinhardt. It was released in Technicolor by Twentieth Century-Fox. ...

'' (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 ''One Touch of Venus'' is a 1943 musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the 1885 novella ''The Tinted Venus'' by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygma ...

'' (1948) – Joe Grant * '' Words and Music'' (1948) – Himself * '' St. Benny the Dip'' (1951) – Benny * '' Screen Snapshots'' – 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'' (1953) – Beauregard Clemment / Beau Clemment III * ''

'' (1974) (TV) – Dr. Elroy Gantman * '' Hec Ramsey'' (1974) (TV – S2E04 – Scar Tissue) – Hamilton Hobbs * ''

Betrayal Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Of ...

'' (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 larg ...

'' (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.M ...

'' (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 son ...

'' (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 Haymes 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, televi ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

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 The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. {{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 English-language singers from Argentina