This page is dedicated to the co-stars of Doris Day. Check back often as we will be adding more every week.
Jack Carson
October 27, 1910 – January 2, 1963
Jack Carson co-starred with Doris Day in three movies, Romance on the High Seas, My Dream Is Yours and It's a Great Feeling. Jack was a very popular character actor during the 30's-50's primarily in comedic roles. However, he did play some serious dramatic roles for which he received critical acclaim, Mildred Pierce (1945), Roughly Speaking (1945), A Star Is Born (1954) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). Jack's career began in vaudeville but as that declined he sought roles in Hollywood landing some bit parts at RKO and MGM. Jack also had his own popular radio show beginning in 1943 which led to more movie roles and signing with Warner Brothers. Jack appeared on many television shows in the late 50's including Bonanza, The Martha Raye Show and The Twilight Zone. While rehearsing for the Broadway play Critic's Choice, Jack collapsed, later being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He passed away on January 2, 1963 at the age of 52. Doris considers Jack to be one of her early Hollywood mentors. (Doris dated Jack for several years. He was more serious about her than she was about him, very similar to the character roles in "My Dream is Yours".)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007217/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
October 27, 1910 – January 2, 1963
Jack Carson co-starred with Doris Day in three movies, Romance on the High Seas, My Dream Is Yours and It's a Great Feeling. Jack was a very popular character actor during the 30's-50's primarily in comedic roles. However, he did play some serious dramatic roles for which he received critical acclaim, Mildred Pierce (1945), Roughly Speaking (1945), A Star Is Born (1954) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). Jack's career began in vaudeville but as that declined he sought roles in Hollywood landing some bit parts at RKO and MGM. Jack also had his own popular radio show beginning in 1943 which led to more movie roles and signing with Warner Brothers. Jack appeared on many television shows in the late 50's including Bonanza, The Martha Raye Show and The Twilight Zone. While rehearsing for the Broadway play Critic's Choice, Jack collapsed, later being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He passed away on January 2, 1963 at the age of 52. Doris considers Jack to be one of her early Hollywood mentors. (Doris dated Jack for several years. He was more serious about her than she was about him, very similar to the character roles in "My Dream is Yours".)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007217/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
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Janis Paige
September 16, 1922
Janis Paige appeared in two of Doris Day's movies, Romance on the High Seas and Please Don't Eat the Daisies. She began her career as a singer at the Hollywood Canteen during World War II. There she was discovered by an agent from Warner Brothers and signed to a contract. Janis never quite found her niche in film so she left Hollywood for Broadway. There she hit her stride with hits like The Pajama Game and Remains to be Seen. She returned to Hollywood in the late 50's. One of the movies she received great reviews for was for her role of Marion, an institutionalized prostitute in The Caretakers (1963). She has also appeared on many television shows including her own It's Always Jan and others such as Trapper John, M.D., All in the Family and Columbo. Janis has her own website and www.janispaige.com. (Janis and Doris remained friends for many years, despite the fact that when Pajama Game was filmed, Janis was one of the few original Broadway Stars who was replaced by Doris in the film version.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janis_Paige
September 16, 1922
Janis Paige appeared in two of Doris Day's movies, Romance on the High Seas and Please Don't Eat the Daisies. She began her career as a singer at the Hollywood Canteen during World War II. There she was discovered by an agent from Warner Brothers and signed to a contract. Janis never quite found her niche in film so she left Hollywood for Broadway. There she hit her stride with hits like The Pajama Game and Remains to be Seen. She returned to Hollywood in the late 50's. One of the movies she received great reviews for was for her role of Marion, an institutionalized prostitute in The Caretakers (1963). She has also appeared on many television shows including her own It's Always Jan and others such as Trapper John, M.D., All in the Family and Columbo. Janis has her own website and www.janispaige.com. (Janis and Doris remained friends for many years, despite the fact that when Pajama Game was filmed, Janis was one of the few original Broadway Stars who was replaced by Doris in the film version.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janis_Paige
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S. Z. ("Cuddles") Sakall
February 2, 1883 – February 12, 1955
S. Z. Sakall was a Hungarian character actor. He co-starred with Doris Day in four films Romance on the High Seas, My Dream Is Yours, Tea for Two and Lullaby of Broadway. Sakall was a stage actor early on appearing in Hungary and then Vienna with great success. However, when the Nazis came to power in 1933, he had to return to Hungary. In 1940 he fled Hungary with his wife heading for Hollywood. Many of his relatives including all three of his sisters and his niece, as well as his wife's brother and sister were killed in Nazi concentration camps. For much of his film career he played the lovable uncle or good natured shop keeper. His most memorable role was that of Carl the head waiter in Casablanca. He worked for three weeks on that film and earned $5250. Sakall died of a heart attack on February 12, 1955. He is one of Miss Day's co-stars that she remembers with great affection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Z._Sakall
February 2, 1883 – February 12, 1955
S. Z. Sakall was a Hungarian character actor. He co-starred with Doris Day in four films Romance on the High Seas, My Dream Is Yours, Tea for Two and Lullaby of Broadway. Sakall was a stage actor early on appearing in Hungary and then Vienna with great success. However, when the Nazis came to power in 1933, he had to return to Hungary. In 1940 he fled Hungary with his wife heading for Hollywood. Many of his relatives including all three of his sisters and his niece, as well as his wife's brother and sister were killed in Nazi concentration camps. For much of his film career he played the lovable uncle or good natured shop keeper. His most memorable role was that of Carl the head waiter in Casablanca. He worked for three weeks on that film and earned $5250. Sakall died of a heart attack on February 12, 1955. He is one of Miss Day's co-stars that she remembers with great affection.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Z._Sakall
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Don DeFore
August 25, 1913 – December 22, 1993
Don DeFore co-starred with Doris Day in the movie Romance on the High Seas. He played the jealous husband of Elvira Kent (Janis Paige). DeFore's first film was a small role in the 1936 film Reunion. He appeared in films such as Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, A Guy Named Joe and The Facts of Life. He also did some radio work. But he is best know for his television work in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Hazel. DeFore also served as president of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and on the board of the Screen Actors Guild. He died of cardiac arrest on December 22, 1993.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_DeFore
August 25, 1913 – December 22, 1993
Don DeFore co-starred with Doris Day in the movie Romance on the High Seas. He played the jealous husband of Elvira Kent (Janis Paige). DeFore's first film was a small role in the 1936 film Reunion. He appeared in films such as Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, A Guy Named Joe and The Facts of Life. He also did some radio work. But he is best know for his television work in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Hazel. DeFore also served as president of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and on the board of the Screen Actors Guild. He died of cardiac arrest on December 22, 1993.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_DeFore
Oscar Levant
December 27, 1906 – August 14, 1972
Oscar Levant was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He is best known in Doris Day terms for the quote "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin." He appeared with her in Romance on the High Seas. In 1928 he set his sights on Hollywood and became friends with George Gershwin. He composed music for more than 20 films. He also was a guest on many television game shows and was a frequent guest of Jack Paar. Levant was very open about being a hypochondriac. He died on August 14, 1972 of a heart attack. His gravestone reads "I told them I was ill."
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0505157/bio
December 27, 1906 – August 14, 1972
Oscar Levant was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He is best known in Doris Day terms for the quote "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin." He appeared with her in Romance on the High Seas. In 1928 he set his sights on Hollywood and became friends with George Gershwin. He composed music for more than 20 films. He also was a guest on many television game shows and was a frequent guest of Jack Paar. Levant was very open about being a hypochondriac. He died on August 14, 1972 of a heart attack. His gravestone reads "I told them I was ill."
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0505157/bio
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Lee Bowman
December 28, 1914 – December 25, 1979
Lee Bowman like Doris Day was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. His first appearance in film was in 1937's I Met Him in Paris. Despite his leading man good looks he always got the role of the guy who never got the girl in the end. He played Gary Mitchell the conceited singer/play boy in Doris Day's 1949 film My Dream Is Yours. His last film role was in 1950's House by the River. He then appeared in some television series starring in The Adventures of Ellery Queen and some guest star roles. Lee also did some radio shows and stage work. He retired from acting in 1968. He then went into private business as a corporate communications consultant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Bowman
December 28, 1914 – December 25, 1979
Lee Bowman like Doris Day was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. His first appearance in film was in 1937's I Met Him in Paris. Despite his leading man good looks he always got the role of the guy who never got the girl in the end. He played Gary Mitchell the conceited singer/play boy in Doris Day's 1949 film My Dream Is Yours. His last film role was in 1950's House by the River. He then appeared in some television series starring in The Adventures of Ellery Queen and some guest star roles. Lee also did some radio shows and stage work. He retired from acting in 1968. He then went into private business as a corporate communications consultant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Bowman
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Adolphe Menjou
February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Adolphe Menjou often played the suave wealthy aristocrat. He was known for his trademark mustache and for always being very well if not overdressed. Not many know that his career began in silent films. The studios were grooming him as rival to Rudolph Valentino. He received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in The Front Page in 1931. He also spoke six languages. He appeared in Doris Day's My Dream Is Yours.
"It was my mustache that landed jobs for me. In those silent-film days it was the mark of a villain. When I realized they had me pegged as a foreign nobleman type I began to live the part, too. I bought a pair of white spats, an ascot tie and a walking stick." - Adolphe Menjou
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe_Menjou
February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Adolphe Menjou often played the suave wealthy aristocrat. He was known for his trademark mustache and for always being very well if not overdressed. Not many know that his career began in silent films. The studios were grooming him as rival to Rudolph Valentino. He received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in The Front Page in 1931. He also spoke six languages. He appeared in Doris Day's My Dream Is Yours.
"It was my mustache that landed jobs for me. In those silent-film days it was the mark of a villain. When I realized they had me pegged as a foreign nobleman type I began to live the part, too. I bought a pair of white spats, an ascot tie and a walking stick." - Adolphe Menjou
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe_Menjou
Eve Arden
April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990
Eve Arden born Eunice M. Quedens in Mill Valley, California had a long career that spanned film, radio and television for close to six decades. She is most well known for playing the role of the wise cracking sidekick. She appeared in such notable films as Mildred Pierce, for which she received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Baby boomers may remember her as Miss Brooks in the television series Our Miss Brooks or from her role as the principal in the movie Grease. She had two co-starring roles with Doris Day, My Dream Is Yours and Tea for Two.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000781/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990
Eve Arden born Eunice M. Quedens in Mill Valley, California had a long career that spanned film, radio and television for close to six decades. She is most well known for playing the role of the wise cracking sidekick. She appeared in such notable films as Mildred Pierce, for which she received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Baby boomers may remember her as Miss Brooks in the television series Our Miss Brooks or from her role as the principal in the movie Grease. She had two co-starring roles with Doris Day, My Dream Is Yours and Tea for Two.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000781/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
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Dennis Morgan
December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994
Earl Stanley Morner was born in Prentice, Wisconsin. His first acting name was Richard Stanley. He then changed it to Dennis Morgan. He starred in many war time dramas alongside actors such as Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck and Sydney Greenstreet. He also starred with best friend Jack Carson in many Warner Brothers comedies among them It's a Great Feeling with Doris Day. In addition to film, Morgan guest starred in many television roles from Alfred Hitchcock Presents to The Love Boat. He passed away in 1994 of respiratory failure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Morgan
December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994
Earl Stanley Morner was born in Prentice, Wisconsin. His first acting name was Richard Stanley. He then changed it to Dennis Morgan. He starred in many war time dramas alongside actors such as Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck and Sydney Greenstreet. He also starred with best friend Jack Carson in many Warner Brothers comedies among them It's a Great Feeling with Doris Day. In addition to film, Morgan guest starred in many television roles from Alfred Hitchcock Presents to The Love Boat. He passed away in 1994 of respiratory failure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Morgan
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Bill Goodwin
July 28, 1910 - May 9, 1958
Bill Goodwin appeared in a number of films and television series among them The Jolson Story, Spellbound and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. He appeared in three Doris Day movies: It's a Great Feeling, Tea for Two and Lucky Me. Unfortunately he passed away at the young age of 47 from a heart attack.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Goodwin
July 28, 1910 - May 9, 1958
Bill Goodwin appeared in a number of films and television series among them The Jolson Story, Spellbound and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. He appeared in three Doris Day movies: It's a Great Feeling, Tea for Two and Lucky Me. Unfortunately he passed away at the young age of 47 from a heart attack.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Goodwin
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Kirk Douglas
December 9, 1916
Kirk Douglas born Issur Danielovitch Demsky in Amsterdam, New York is an American screen legend appearing in 88 movies. Known for his distinctive cleft chin he is number 17 on the AFI's list of the greatest male screen legends in American film history. Douglas was nominated for Oscar for his performances in 1949 Champion, 1952 The Bad and the Beautiful and 1956 Lust for Life. He co-starred with Doris in 1950's Young Man with a Horn. He is also the father of actor Michael Douglas. To learn more visit http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000018/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm.
December 9, 1916
Kirk Douglas born Issur Danielovitch Demsky in Amsterdam, New York is an American screen legend appearing in 88 movies. Known for his distinctive cleft chin he is number 17 on the AFI's list of the greatest male screen legends in American film history. Douglas was nominated for Oscar for his performances in 1949 Champion, 1952 The Bad and the Beautiful and 1956 Lust for Life. He co-starred with Doris in 1950's Young Man with a Horn. He is also the father of actor Michael Douglas. To learn more visit http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000018/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm.
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Lauren Bacall
September 16, 1924 - August 12, 2014 Born Betty Joan Perske in New York City Lauren Bacall is considered a Hollywood legend starring in countless films over six decades. Her husky voice and sultriness were her trademark. Her first role when she was only 19 was in To Have and Have Not which resulted in her marriage to her co-star in that film, Humphrey Bogart. She co-starred with Doris in 1950's Young Man with a Horn. To learn more visit http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000002/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm. |
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Gordon MacRae
March 12, 1921 - January 24, 1986
Gordon MacRae appeared in five movies with Doris Day, Tea for Two, The West Point Story, On Moonlight Bay, Starlift and By the Light of the Silvery Moon. He was a close friend of hers until his death in 1986. Gordon also had the leading roles in the musical film versions of Oklahoma and Carousel. He achieved great success in radio, television and on the stage as well.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534286/bio
'His voice was magnificent, and no one sang like him. We had so much fun when we made films together, and our favorites were 'On Moonlight Bay' and 'By the Light of the Silvery Moon...'' - Doris Day on the passing of Gordon MacRae
March 12, 1921 - January 24, 1986
Gordon MacRae appeared in five movies with Doris Day, Tea for Two, The West Point Story, On Moonlight Bay, Starlift and By the Light of the Silvery Moon. He was a close friend of hers until his death in 1986. Gordon also had the leading roles in the musical film versions of Oklahoma and Carousel. He achieved great success in radio, television and on the stage as well.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534286/bio
'His voice was magnificent, and no one sang like him. We had so much fun when we made films together, and our favorites were 'On Moonlight Bay' and 'By the Light of the Silvery Moon...'' - Doris Day on the passing of Gordon MacRae
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Gene Nelson March 24, 1920 - September 16, 1996 Born Eugene Berg in Seattle, Washington Gene Nelson set out to be a dancer influenced by the work of idol Fred Astaire. He was one of the silver screen's best. He is best known for his role of Will Parker in Oklahoma. After his dancing days he also found great success in directing TV and films. Among the movies he directed were Elvis Presley's Kissin' Cousins and Harum Scarum. Gene appeared with Doris in four films, West Point Story, Tea for Two, Starlift and Lullaby of Broadway. In Lullaby of Broadway Doris had one of the best dance sequences on film. Remember Doris had to do the steps backwards and in high heels! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Nelson "Film is a marvelous medium for dancing. The sky's the limit. You can do wonderfully imaginative things with film. It's like being a magician. In my heyday, I could only do about four pirouettes without starting to fall, but with film, I could do a dozen by cutting and editing. The magic of film is that you can create anything you want." - Gene Nelson |
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James Cagney July 17, 1899 - March 30, 1986 James (Jimmy) Cagney best known for his tough guy roles was born in the lower east side of Manhattan in 1899. But Cagney could also dance and play comedic roles. In fact his first role was playing a female in a chorus line. Cagney won the Oscar for his role as George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy in 1942. He was also nominated for his role as Marty Snyder alongside Doris in Love Me or Leave Me. This film is considered one of the best of his career. Doris said this about working with Jimmy: "the most professional actor I've ever known. He was always 'real'. I simply forgot we were making a picture. His eyes would actually fill up when we were working on a tender scene. And you never needed drops to make your eyes shine when Jimmy was on the set." Cagney also starred with Doris in The West Point Story and had a cameo in Starlift. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000010/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm "I still think of myself essentially as a vaudevillian, as a song and dance man. The vaudevillians I knew by and large were marvelous people. Ninety percent of them had no schooling, but they had a vivid something or other about them that absolutely riveted an audience's attention. Those vaudevillians knew something that ultimately I came to understand and believe - that audiences are the ones who determine material. They buy the tickets." - James Cagney "I had worked with Doris Day before, of course, in The West Point Story. But I really didn't get to know her then, and there certainly wasn't anything substantial for her to do in that picture. But when we started on Love Me or Leave Me, I saw something in her that I hadn't noticed before, or maybe it was just coming into bloom. I don't know. She had matured into a really exceptional actress, and I told her so. I said 'You know, girl, you have a quality that I've seen but twice before. There was a gal named Pauline Lord that created the title role in Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie, and I'm also thinking of Laurette Taylor. Both these ladies could really get on there and do it with everything. They could take you apart playing a scene. Now, you're the third one.'" - Cagney by Cagney by James Cagney |
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Ginger Rogers
July 16, 1911 - April 25, 1995 Ginger Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri. At the age of 9 her family moved to Fort Worth, Texas where her mother had married John Rogers after a tumultuous first marriage. Ginger treated him a father. At 14 Ginger won a Charleston dance contest thus launching her career on the vaudeville circuit. After a bad first marriage at the young age of 18 Ginger moved to New York where she got some work on Broadway. Hollywood took notice and cast her in some bit parts to start. In 1933 she got a role in The Gold Diggers. The public noticed her and wanted more. So producers cast her alongside Dick Powell in 42nd Street. This led to her getting paired with Fred Astaire. As they say the rest is history. Fred and Ginger are among the best couples to appear on the silver screen. Ginger also had some dramatic roles as well including playing Doris's sister in Storm Warning. She made her last movie in 1965 but went on to do some Broadway and appeared on many television shows. She retired in 1984. www.imdb.com/name/nm0001677/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm Ginger was Doris' childhood idol. Doris talking about her childhood "Much as I adored Betty Grable, when we played movie stars I was always Ginger Rogers... And I had only one boyfriend - Lew Ayers, because at the time he was married to Ginger Rogers." "In everything that I do I learn and try to put it to use. I have learned to go through life not into it. It's like a boat. You mustn't let the water in or you're sunk. Of course, I've made mistakes and I have had failures, but I do not dwell on them because people don't care about garbage. When I make a mistake it's like a bad leaf on a lettuce - I throw it out into the wastebasket." - Ginger Rogers "You bring out a lot of your own thoughts and attitudes when acting. I think a great deal of it has to do with the inner you. You know, there's nothing damnable about being a strong woman. The world needs strong women. There are a lot of strong women you do not see who are guiding, helping, mothering strong men. They want to remain unseen. It's kind of nice to be able to play a strong woman who is seen." - Ginger Rogers |
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Steve Cochran
May 25, 1917 - June 15, 1965 Steve Cochran was born in Eureka, California but grew up in Wyoming the son of a logger. He was a rough and tumble character in real life and in the movies. He was know for his sexy villain types. Steve was signed by Sam Goldwyn in 1945. There he had some bad guy roles in a few movies including The Best Years of Our Lives. However, he never was able to move into starring roles and was let go by the studio. Warner Brothers signed Steve in 1949 and cast him in his well known gangster roles. One of those famous roles was alongside James Cagney in White Heat. In 1951 he was cast as Doris's husband in Storm Warning again playing the heavy of a Ku Klux Klan murderer. After his stint with WB he moved on forming his own production. Steve was a known womanizer. In 1965 while traveling with an all woman crew to check out movie locations, he fell ill and died of a lung infection. Rumors have always swirled as to whether that was the true cause of death. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168215/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm "I don't act like a hood. I'm basically a decent person and I let this come through in my portrayals. After all, a guy has to make a living some way, even if he's a gangster." - Steve Cochran "With this puss of mine, I could play a corpse and be accused of overacting. The big secret in playing a gangster in movies is to really believe that the character you are playing is doing no wrong." - Steve Cochran |
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Ronald Reagan
February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004 Ronald Reagan had quite a prolific career, having catapulted from a Warner Bros. contract player and television star, into serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild, the governorship of California (1967-1975), and lastly, two terms as President of the United States (1981-1989). Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, to Nelle Clyde (Wilson) and John Edward "Jack" Reagan, who was a salesman and storyteller. His father was of Irish descent, and his mother was of half Scottish and half English ancestry. A successful actor beginning in the 1930s, the young Reagan was a staunch admirer of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (even after he evolved into a Republican), and was a Democrat in the 1940s, a self-described 'hemophiliac' liberal. He was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 1947 and served five years during the most tumultuous times to ever hit Hollywood. A committed anti-communist, Reagan not only fought more-militantly activist movie industry unions that he and others felt had been infiltrated by communists, but had to deal with the investigation into Hollywood's politics launched by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947, an inquisition that lasted through the 1950s. The House Un-American Activities Committee investigations of Hollywood (which led to the jailing of the "Hollywood Ten" in the late '40s) sowed the seeds of the McCarthyism that racked Hollywood and America in the 1950s. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001654/bio Reagan appeared in two movies with Doris Day, Storm Warning 1951 playing the DA bringing down the Klu Klux Klan and The Winning Team 1952 portraying baseball star Grover Cleveland Alexander. "It may not have been his greatest acting performance, but it gave him a line he would repeat often in reference to Nancy. He says in the film to Doris Day 'God must think a lot of me to have given me you.'" - The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan (James C. Humes) |
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Patrice Wymore: A Star in Her Own Right
From the Kansas Prairies to the Hollywood Lights Patrice Wymore — born Patricia Wymore on December 17, 1926, in Miltonvale, Kansas — was a woman of considerable talent who navigated one of Hollywood's most glamorous and demanding eras with grace, skill, and no small measure of personal resilience. A gifted singer, accomplished dancer, and capable actress, she spent the better part of two decades building a career in theater, film, and television, yet history has often relegated her to a footnote: the third and final wife of the legendary, and legendarily troubled, Errol Flynn. That narrow characterization does her a disservice. Wymore was a performer of genuine ability who earned her place on the Warner Bros. lot on the strength of her own talent, and her collaborations with Doris Day — America's reigning musical sweetheart of the early 1950s — stand as some of the most charming work of that golden period of Hollywood musicals. Vaudeville Roots and Broadway Beginnings Patrice Wymore's roots in entertainment ran deep. She was born into a family of vaudeville performers, and by the age of six she was already touring with them in tent shows, absorbing the discipline and showmanship of the road. Her mother worked as a pianist and singer on the circuit, and the young Patrice received training in voice and dance from an early age. By the time she was a teenager, she was an accomplished dancer with a richly cultivated singing voice — a rare double asset that would serve her well throughout her career. As a young woman, she made her way to New York City and auditioned for a City Center revival of Up in Central Park, a Broadway hit, in which she performed in 1947. The following year, now billed as "Patricia Wymore," she earned a featured role in the Broadway musical Hold It!, sharing the stage with comedian Red Buttons and earning the prestigious Theatre World Award for "Promising Actress." It was a remarkable recognition for a performer barely into her twenties, and it confirmed what the vaudeville circuit had already suggested: this young woman from Kansas had genuine star potential. A five-month engagement in the 1949 revue All for Love followed, and it was there that a talent scout from Warner Bros. spotted her and offered her a studio contract. She headed west, and Hollywood would never quite know what to do with her — but for a few luminous years in the early 1950s, she made a memorable impression alongside some of the biggest names in the business. Warner Bros. and a Fateful Debut In 1950, now billed simply as "Patrice Wymore," she made her film debut in Tea for Two, a frothy Warner Bros. musical that starred Doris Day and Gordon MacRae. It was an auspicious beginning. Wymore made an immediate impression with her Latin-flavored rendition of "Crazy Rhythm," demonstrating the kind of theatrical flair that Broadway had already recognized. Tea for Two was a light, escapist confection — loosely based on the stage musical No No Nanette — and it gave Wymore a chance to establish herself as a performer who could hold her own alongside a certified star like Doris Day, already one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood. That same year, fate intervened in a way that would shape the entire arc of Wymore's life. She was cast opposite Errol Flynn in Rocky Mountain, a modest western in which Flynn played a Confederate officer and Wymore appeared as a woman rescued from marauding Native Americans. The two became romantically involved during filming, and in October 1950, at a Lutheran church in Nice, France, the 23-year-old Wymore married the 41-year-old Flynn. It was her first marriage and his third. Flynn was already a fading star, his best years largely behind him, while Wymore was just launching her career. The union, though passionate, would prove enormously costly to her professional ambitions. The Doris Day Films: Three Collaborations The most musically significant work of Patrice Wymore's Hollywood career came in three films she made alongside Doris Day, all produced at Warner Bros. in the early 1950s. Together, these pictures reveal not only the texture of that studio's musical output during the period, but also Wymore's particular gifts as a supporting performer — vivid, poised, and always watchable. Tea for Two (1950) Tea for Two was directed by David Butler and served as something of a showcase for the Day-MacRae musical partnership that had already proven popular in Romance on the High Seas and My Dream Is Yours. Doris Day plays Nanette Carter, a wealthy young woman who wagers her fortune on being able to say "no" to everything for forty-eight hours in order to finance a Broadway show. Gordon MacRae supplies the romantic interest, and the film is carried along on a tide of cheerful songs from the original stage production. Wymore arrived in this confection as a fresh presence, making her Hollywood debut with enough confidence and vocal polish to stand out. Her rendition of "Crazy Rhythm" gave audiences an early glimpse of her Latin-influenced stage training, and the performance announced her as someone with more range than the studio would ultimately allow her to explore. Reviewers noted her, the studio took notice, and the groundwork was laid for further collaborations with Day — who was, at that point, one of Warner Bros.' most bankable assets. Starlift (1951) Starlift was something of an unusual production — a patriotic musical revue designed to salute American troops serving in the Korean War. The film featured an all-star roster of Warner Bros. contract players appearing as themselves, entertaining soldiers at Travis Air Force Base in California. Doris Day, James Cagney, Gary Cooper, Virginia Mayo, and many others appeared in cameo roles, lending the picture a genial, variety-show quality. Wymore appeared in the film as part of this ensemble, performing alongside her fellow contract players in what amounted to an extended tribute to wartime service. While not a vehicle for dramatic depth, Starlift demonstrated the studio's confidence in Wymore as part of their stable of reliable, attractive performers — the sort of player whose presence added luster to an ensemble production. I'll See You in My Dreams (1951) The richest and most dramatically substantial of the three Doris Day films in which Wymore appeared was I'll See You in My Dreams, directed by the great Michael Curtiz and released in December 1951. This was a biographical musical centered on the life of lyricist Gus Kahn, one of Tin Pan Alley's most prolific and beloved songwriters, author of such standards as "It Had to Be You," "Ain't We Got Fun," and "Makin' Whoopee." Danny Thomas played Kahn, and Doris Day — receiving top billing — played his wife and sometime creative collaborator, Grace LeBoy Kahn. Wymore played Gloria Knight, a shapely Broadway diva in the Ziegfeld mold who becomes a source of temptation for the rising Gus Kahn. It was a classic "other woman" role — glamorous, slightly dangerous, and very much in the tradition of the woman who threatens the domestic harmony of the film's central marriage. In the context of the narrative, Gloria Knight represents the seductive allure of Broadway celebrity, a world that promises Kahn validation and excitement beyond his domestic obligations. Wymore brought genuine charisma to the role, and contemporary reviewers singled her out as one of the film's reliable supporting pleasures. One observer at the time noted that Wymore "does a wonderful turn as a singer in Florenz Ziegfeld's 'Whoopee,'" capturing the period atmosphere with style. It is worth noting that, in a strange irony of production, Wymore's singing voice was actually dubbed by Bonnie Lou Williams for this picture — a curious decision given that the actress's real voice was one of her primary assets. Curtiz's film was a considerable success: when it opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York, it shattered opening week box office records that had stood for twenty years, and it received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Musical. Danny Thomas later called it the best thing he had ever done. For Wymore, it represented perhaps the most dramatically interesting role of her Warner Bros. years — a part that gave her something to play beyond mere decorative presence. The Shadow of Errol Flynn Throughout her Warner Bros. years, Patrice Wymore continued working despite the mounting difficulties of her marriage to Flynn. She appeared in a string of supporting roles in pictures like The Big Trees (1952) opposite Kirk Douglas, She's Working Her Way Through College (1952), She's Back on Broadway (1953), and the British-made King's Rhapsody (1955). But Flynn's escalating alcoholism and drug addiction were taking an enormous toll on both the marriage and on Wymore's ability to sustain a career. She felt increasingly compelled to step back from acting in order to tend to her husband and raise their daughter, Arnella, born in 1953. By the mid-1950s, Wymore had effectively retired from the screen. The couple separated — though they never divorced — and Flynn died in October 1959 at the age of fifty, leaving Wymore his widow and the beneficiary of his Jamaican estate: a mansion, a cattle ranch, and a 2,000-acre coconut plantation in Portland Parish. A Second Chapter and Final Years After Flynn's death, Wymore made a modest return to work. She appeared in the original Ocean's 11 (1960), playing Frank Sinatra's girlfriend in a role that put her in the company of the entire Rat Pack. She took on television work throughout the early 1960s, appearing in episodes of The Roaring 20's, Cheyenne, 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, The Monkees, and F Troop, among others. She also appeared in the soap opera Never Too Young (1965) and had a small role in Chamber of Horrors (1966), which proved to be her final film. By the late 1960s, Wymore retired permanently from performing and returned to Jamaica, where she devoted herself to managing the Flynn estate and raising her daughter. She ran a boutique and a wicker furniture manufacturing business, and she remained a devoted guardian of her late husband's memory and legacy, attending tributes and dedications in his honor over the years. Tragedy visited her again in 1998, when her daughter Arnella died of a drug overdose. Patrice Wymore Flynn died on March 22, 2014, at her home in Portland Parish, Jamaica, from a pulmonary disease. She was 87 years old. Legacy To assess Patrice Wymore fairly is to recognize the extent to which circumstances — personal and institutional — conspired to limit what might have been a more expansive career. She arrived at Warner Bros. at a moment when the studio had Doris Day as its reigning musical star, and the supporting roles available to Wymore, however capably executed, could not offer her the platform that her talent warranted. Her marriage to Errol Flynn, entered at the very start of her career, consumed years of her professional life and ultimately overshadowed her public identity entirely. And yet, within the space she was given, Wymore delivered. Her three films with Doris Day — Tea for Two, Starlift, and I'll See You in My Dreams — capture a performer who brought poise, musicality, and a convincing screen presence to the effervescent world of early 1950s Hollywood musicals. She made Broadway take notice at twenty-one, she made Curtiz cast her at twenty-four, and she made audiences remember her long after many of her contemporaries were forgotten. The girl from the Kansas tent shows had traveled a very long way. |
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