ACTOR
Laraine Day
- Known for
- Foreign Correspondent (1940)
45 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Laraine Day is an actor best known for Foreign Correspondent.
All facts (45)
- #001
MGM told Laraine Day that if she made Keep Your Powder Dry (1945), she would be rewarded with the female lead opposite Robert Taylor in Undercurrent (1946). When the role went to Katharine Hepburn, Day left MGM and never returned.
- #002
She was the first choice to play Mary Hatch in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), but had to turn the role down because she was busy working on The Locket (1946); Donna Reed later took the part. Coincidentally, both films were released in theaters on December 20, 1946.
- #003
On Sunday, July 31, 1994, Laraine accepted the posthumous award given on behalf of her former husband Leo Durocher upon his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
- #004
Turner Classic Movies honored Laraine Day on October 13, 2014, her 94th birthday, with a marathon of her film work.
- #005
She was so devoted to the Mormon faith that she never swore, smoked, or drank any alcohol, coffee or tea in her life.
- #006
Until her death, she traveled to her home state of Utah every July to take part in the annual Pioneer Day celebrations.
- #007
A deeply patriotic woman, she displayed the American flag in front of her home every day of the year. On days when weather conditions were unsuitable for displaying the flag outdoors, she hung it inside her home. Throughout her time in Hollywood she held a large barbecue at her home every Fourth of July, inviting not only her family but many friends from the acting world. She was also actively involved in several organizations, including the VFW, the Red Cross and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
- #008
In the early 1940s she was once the girlfriend of the actor Glenn Ford.
- #009
A devoted dog lover, she supported the Hollywood Dog Obedience Club, a nonprofit organization, and in her later years was a volunteer trainer who taught students how to properly care for their "furry friends."
- #010
Petrine Day Mitchum, the daughter of the actor Robert Mitchum, was named in Laraine's honor. She and Mitchum were co-stars in The Locket (1946).
- #011
Among all her films, she considered The Locket (1946) her personal favorite.
- #012
She was born on an Indian reservation.
- #013
Her father, Clarence Irwin Johnson, was the mayor of Roosevelt, Utah, a wealthy grain dealer, and a government agent for the Ute Indians for twenty years.
- #014
A fervent anti-communist, she was a member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, whose members included Ginger Rogers, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck and Irene Dunne.
- #015
She was President Lyndon B. Johnson's favorite actress, but he was greatly disappointed when he discovered she was a Republican.
- #016
In the 1950s Day became a board member of SHARE, Inc., an organization that helps women and children with developmental disabilities. She remained its president until her death and stipulated in her will that donations be sent in her memory instead of flowers.
- #017
Day and her third husband were instrumental in the development of the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. They also organized a United States tour for Te Arohanui Maori Company, a group of New Zealand singers and dancers; the tour included a performance recorded at the Hollywood Bowl for international distribution, with Day serving as narrator.
- #018
She was named America's Sweetheart of the 1940s and was Max Factor's Star of the Year in 1944.
- #019
Leo Durocher had a daughter, Melinda Michele Thompson Durocher (January 7, 1944 – May 20, 2012), who resided in Rathdrum, Idaho, and had eight children and 18 grandchildren.
- #020
She had long-lasting friendships with many of her co-stars, including Cary Grant, Shirley Temple, Herbert Marshall, Joel McCrea, John Wayne, Lew Ayres, Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Marsha Hunt, Angela Lansbury and Ronald Reagan. She was also friends with actresses such as Fay Wray, Margaret O'Brien, Dorothy Morris, Margaret Early, Yvonne De Carlo and Marie Windsor.
- #021
Robert Stack was her escort at her 20th birthday party at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
- #022
In the early 1940s she served on the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild.
- #023
Day played a small part in the early success of science fiction master Ray Bradbury. They met when he was in his early twenties, working between films and devoting his time to establishing a theater for Mormon actors in Los Angeles. Though he was not Mormon, Bradbury took a small role in a short play written by Day, and eventually rewrote the play and wrote several more works for the theater.
- #024
Her favorite recording artist was George Shearing, and she collected every album he made.
- #025
She had three adopted children from her marriage to Ray Hendricks.
- #026
She was a great fan of the television series Touched by an Angel (1994) and 7th Heaven (1996).
- #027
She was a great admirer of Richard Nixon and campaigned on his behalf in the 1968 and 1972 presidential elections. She also supported Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and her longtime Hollywood friend Ronald Reagan in the 1980 and 1984 presidential elections.
- #028
She was the first choice to play Leona Stevenson in Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) but had to withdraw because of her work schedule on My Dear Secretary (1948). The role then went to Barbara Stanwyck.
- #029
In the 1970s she was the keynote speaker for the Make America Better campaign program sponsored by the National Association of Real Estate Boards. For a decade she gave numerous speeches on environmentalism across the United States.
- #030
She was the guest of honor speaker for the women's division at the 1968 and 1984 Republican National Conventions.
- #031
On February 8, 1960, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6676 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- #032
In 1963 and 1964, Day joined fellow actresses Joan Caulfield, Ruth Hussey, Yvonne De Carlo, Marie Windsor, Virginia Mayo and Maidie Norman in appearing on stage on behalf of Republican candidate U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater in his campaign against U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
- #033
Along with Cyd Charisse, Rhonda Fleming and Coleen Gray, she was an honorary member of the National Federation of Republican Women.
- #034
To mark her 100th birthday, she was honored by being named first and foremost in celebrity birthday tribute columns.
- #035
In 1964 she was one of many well-known figures who took part in the "Project Prayer" rally in Los Angeles.
- #036
She supported George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.
- #037
Laraine Day was the mother of Chris Durocher.
- #038
She was portrayed by Jud Tylor in the 2013 film 42.
- #039
After her death, she was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles, California.
- #040
In 1938, she entered and graduated from Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.
- #041
When actress Susan Peters adopted her son in 1946, Laraine hosted her baby shower.
- #042
She was considered for the female lead in Samson and Delilah (1949) but was never given a screen test. The role went to Hedy Lamarr.
- #043
In 2020, she would have celebrated her 100th birthday on October 13, and November 10 would have marked the 13th anniversary of her death.
- #044
She and her Foreign Correspondent (1940) co-star Wheaton Chambers shared the same birthday, October 13.
- #045
She died in 2007, almost 8 months after her fourth husband.
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