poster movie

Dick Haymes

1918-09-13

The Biography

Arguably one of the best singers of the twentieth century, Dick Haymes was born in Argentina to a Scots/Irish father and Irish mother, but brought to the U.S. as an infant. Dick inherited his vocal gift from his mother who made ends meet during the Depression as a singer and voice teacher. A music gig in 1931 caught the eye of a local band leader and soon Dick was moving up, but it was slow-going. In 1939, while Dick was trying to pitch his songwriting talents to band leader Harry James, he ended up his featured vocalist, instead. During the war years Dick hooked up with the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey orchestras before deciding to go solo. Nabbing his own radio program in addition to a Decca recording contract, Twentieth Century Fox soon expressed interest in his musical talents. Among his many film leads were State Fair (1945) opposite Jeanne Crain and Vivian Blaine, Diamond Horseshoe (1945) and The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) both paired with Betty Grable, One Touch of Venus (1948) with Ava Gardner, and All Ashore (1953), a second string version of On the Town (1949), with Mickey Rooney and Ray McDonald as his shore-leave buddies. For such a pleasant and unassuming man, Dick's personal life certainly was a shambles aggravated by alcoholism and financial debt. Five marriages came and went (including actresses Joanne Dru, Nora Eddington, Rita Hayworth, and Fran Jeffries) before his sixth one finally stuck. By the 1960s, his life was all but ruined. He managed to travel to Europe and picked up the remnants of his career. His reputation had not tarnished there, and he enjoyed some renewed popularity; he never regained, however, the foothold in the business that he once had. Dick died of lung cancer in 1980. Though not as well remembered as other crooners of his time (Frank Sinatra, Tony Martin, Vic Damone), and not a particularly charismatic performer on film, this rich baritone's legacy IS his music. Some of Dick's more popular recordings include "The More I See You," "How Blue the Night," "For You, For Me, Forever More," "Speak Low," and "Another Night Like This."

Dick Haymes in

Movies

poster movie

State Fair

6.592 average rating
poster movie

Fallen Angel

6.4 average rating
poster movie

Real Life

6.6 average rating
poster movie

All Ashore

6 average rating
poster movie

Mutiny on the Bounty

7.3 average rating
poster movie

Dramatic School

6.25 average rating
poster movie

Betrayal

5.3 average rating
poster movie

Diamond Horseshoe

4 average rating
poster movie

One Touch of Venus

6.5 average rating
poster movie

Du Barry was a Lady

6.1 average rating
poster movie

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

4.1 average rating
poster movie

Words and Music

5.8 average rating
poster movie

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim

8.5 average rating
poster movie

Do You Love Me

4.3 average rating
poster movie

Rita

8.5 average rating
poster movie

St. Benny the Dip

5 average rating
poster movie

Four Jills in a Jeep

5.7 average rating
poster movie

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

5 average rating
poster movie

Up in Central Park

7 average rating
poster movie

Carnival in Costa Rica

6 average rating