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, television host, and songwriter.

Background
Haymes was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1918. 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."

Career
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. On September 3, 1942, Frank Sinatra introduced Haymes on radio as Sinatra's replacement in the Tommy Dorsey band. Prior to joining Dorsey's group, Haymes sang with the Harry James orchestra.



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.

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.

World War II and attempted deportation
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.

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). 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. 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.

Later years
Haymes experienced alcoholism and had 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 citizen.

Marriages
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. 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).

Death
Haymes died from lung cancer on March 28, 1980, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 61 years old.

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 (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 (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) – Himself (uncredited)
 * Diamond Horseshoe (1945) – Joe Davis Jr.
 * State Fair (1945) – Wayne Frake
 * Fallen Angel (1945) – Himself – JukeBox Vocalist (voice, uncredited)
 * Do You Love Me (1946) – Jimmy Hale
 * The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) – John Pritchard
 * Carnival in Costa Rica (1947) – Jeff Stephens
 * Up in Central Park (1948) – John Matthews
 * One Touch of Venus (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
 * Adam-12 (1974) (TV) – Dr. Elroy Gantman
 * Hec Ramsey (1974) (TV – S2E04 – Scar Tissue) – Hamilton Hobbs
 * Betrayal (1974) (TV) – Harold Porter
 * Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) – James Crawford
 * The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978) (TV – episode "Murder on the Flip Side") – Jason Lamb

Musical theatre
The Big Broadcast of 1944, - A Lee Gruber, Shelly Gross off Broadway production, fall of 1979 – Devon, PA, Detroit, MI, and Westbury, NY
 * Miss Liberty (1951, Dallas Theatre)