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Dick Haymes
in State Fair (1945)
Born	Richard Benjamin Haymes September 13, 1916(1916-09-13) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died	March 28, 1980 (aged 63) Los Angeles, California, USA
Spouse(s)	Edith Harper (1939) Joanne Dru (1941-1949) Nora Eddington (1949-1953) Rita Hayworth (1953-1955) Fran Jeffries (1958-1965) Wendy Smith (1966-1980)

Dick Haymes (September 13, 1916 – March 28, 1980) was an Argentine actor and 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.

Biography

He was born Richard Benjamin Haymes in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His Irish-born mother, Marguerite Haymes (1894-1987), was a well-known vocal coach and instructor. He became the vocalist in a number of big bands, worked in Hollywood on radio and in many films throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

He never became a United States citizen and avoided military service during World War II by asserting his non-belligerent status as a citizen of Argentina, which was neutral. Hollywood-based columnists Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper seized upon this at the time, questioning Haymes' patriotism. The story caused little more than a ripple in Haymes' career at the time, although he was briefly detained at Ellis Island during the war. However, Haymes' decision would come back to haunt him in 1953 when he traveled from California to Hawaii, then technically not part of the United States, without first notifying immigration authorities. Haymes was nearly deported to Argentina, and a new wave of negative publicity ensued. There was speculation that Harry Cohn, the powerful head of Columbia Studios, had, in fact, used his influence to punish Haymes because Cohn disapproved of Haymes' recent marriage to Columbia star Rita Hayworth. Hayworth was Columbia's top female star and had a long standing feud with Cohn, and she used her considerable influence to push the outcome of the immigration hearings in his favor

Haymes was married six times and had six children. His more notable marriages were to film actresses Joanne Dru (1941-1949), Rita Hayworth (1953-1955) and Fran Jeffries (1958-1964). He was also married to Nora Eddington, a former wife of Erroll Flynn. His daughter Stephanie Haymes was married to Sir Elton John's lyricist Bernie Taupin.

He died in Los Angeles from lung cancer at the age of 63.

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! (1956 or 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

• (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

• Dramatic School (1938)
• Du Barry Was a Lady (1943)
• Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)
• Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944)
• State Fair (1945)
• Diamond Horseshoe (1945)
• Do You Love Me (1946)
• The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947)
• Carnival in Costa Rica (1947)
• Up in Central Park (1948)
• One Touch of Venus (1948)
• St. Benny the Dip (1951)
• Hollywood Fun Festival (1952)
• All Ashore (1953)
• Cruisin' Down the River (1953)
• Betrayal (1974) (TV)
• Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)

Hit records

• "Count Every Star" (1950)
• "Ev'ry Day I Love You" (1948)
• "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" (1947)
• "In My Arms" (1943)
• "It Can't Be Wrong" (1943)
• "It Might As Well Be Spring" (1945)
• "It's Magic" (1948)
• "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" (1947)
• "I Wish I Knew" (1945)
• "Laura" (1945)
• "Little White Lies" (1948)
• "Mam'selle" (1947) (bigger hit for Art Lund, also a hit for Frank Sinatra)
• "Maybe It's Because" (1949)
• "Nature Boy" (1948) (bigger hit for Nat King Cole)
• "The Old Master Painter" (1949)
• "Put Your Arms around Me, Honey" (1943)
• "Room Full of Roses" (1949)
• "Roses" (1950)
• "Some Sunday Morning" (1945) (together with Helen Forrest)
• "That's for Me" (1945)
• "Till the End of Time" (1945) (bigger hit for Perry Como)
• "You Can't Be True, Dear" (1948) (bigger hit for Ken Griffin)
• "You'll Never Know" (1943) (also a hit for Frank Sinatra)

Musical theatre

• Miss Liberty (1951, Dallas Theatre)

Further reading

• Prigozy, Ruth (June 2006). The Life of Dick Haymes: No More Little White Lies. University Press of Mississippi.  

External links

• Dick Haymes at the Internet Movie Database
• Dick Haymes at Allmovie
• Dick Haymes at TV.com
• Dick Haymes at Allmusic
• Homepage of: 'The Dick Haymes Society'
• Haymes' entry at Solid! - The encyclopedia of big band, lounge, classic jazz and space-age sounds
• Dick Haymes: Hollywood's Balladeer Supreme article by Laura Wagner at Classic Images - Films of the Golden Age (online magazine)
• Dick Haymes at Find a Grave