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1-11 of 11
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Always bright and beaming from ear to ear, Irish singer Dennis Day's name and career remains synonymous with that of Jack Benny's, working with the star comedian on radio and TV for the entire duration. It was Jack who gave him his break in 1939 and Jack who kept him employed as a singer and naive comic sidekick (his "Gee, Mr. Benny!" became a well-known catchphrase on the show). Dennis in fact would play second-banana to the comedian until Benny's death in 1974.
Dennis was christened Owen Patrick McNulty on May 21, 1917 in Bronx, New York, the son of an Ireland-born stationary engineer. The strength and promise of his lilting tenor was first discovered while performing with his glee club at St. Patrick's Cathedral High School. Graduating from Manhattan College, he first had designs on a law career and starting singing in order to earn money for tuition. By himself, he recorded "I Never Knew Heaven Could Speak" and distributed the song out to various radio producers, one of whom presented it to Mary Livingston, Benny's wife. She was so taken that she insisted he be considered for her husband's popular radio show "The Jack Benny Show". When the show's then-tenor Kenny Baker objected to being a featherbrained foil to Benny on the show and gave notice, Dennis auditioned and won a regular spot, and the idea of law school became a thing of the past. Making his debut on the Benny show on October 8, 1939, Dennis' innocent-eyed teenager (he was actually 21 at the time) often drew more laughs than Benny himself in their rapport together. His career was interrupted by World War II when he served with the Navy. He was discharged in 1946.
His cherry-cheeked, wide-eyed charm delighted scores of radio fans and the fame Dennis received from the show drew invitations to other radio programs, and eventually his own radio show "A Day in the Life of Dennis Day" in 1946. Here he played (naturally) a naive soda jerk. But he never left Benny, staying true-blue to the comedian when The Jack Benny Program (1950) transferred to TV and became an institution for a decade and a half. Dennis also showed great flair as a mimic, impersonating a number of illustrious stars such as Ronald Colman, Jimmy Durante and James Stewart on the Benny program. Dubbed "America's Favorite Irish Tenor", The Dennis Day Show (1952) took life just two years after the Benny program went on the air. It enjoyed two seasons on TV before it was canceled.
Dennis also appeared in support of Benny on film. Buck Benny Rides Again (1940), marked Dennis' movie debut and in it he sang "My Kind of Country." Other sporadic filming emphasizing his vocal prowess were for the most part "B"-level musical entertainment. He co-starred with Judy Canova in the cornball comedy Sleepy Lagoon (1943); Anne Shirley in the romantic Music in Manhattan (1944); June Haver and Gloria DeHaven in I'll Get By (1950), in which he sang "McNamara's Band" and "There Will Never Be Another You", and; the Civil War-themed Golden Girl (1951) headlining Mitzi Gaynor as entertainer Lotta Crabtree in which Dennis crooned "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" and "California Moon." Despite these agreeable outings, he never came close to becoming a musical film star perhaps because he was too identified with his cheery, naive image on radio and TV. Once he finished The Girl Next Door (1953) which again starred Ms. Haver, Dennis was nowhere to be seen on celluloid for at least another two decades. Walt Disney also welcomed Dennis' sunny tenor in his animated features The Legend of Johnny Appleseed (1948), in which Dennis sang the title song, and Melody Time (1948).
Best known for his recording of Irish tunes, including such novelty songs as "Clancy Lowered the Boom", Dennis won over the ladies with his romantic covers of such ballads as "Mam'selle," "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" and "Mona Lisa." Occasionally he was given dramatic work on TV but nothing really came of it, coming off much better as a guest in musical variety shows.
Dennis legally adopted his professional name in 1944 against his family's wishes. The strict Irish-Catholic married Peggy Almquist in 1948 and the couple had ten children (six daughters, four sons). Dennis and his family settled in Los Angeles where he became an honorary mayor of Mandeville Canyon. He and his wife also owned an antique shop in Santa Monica for a time. He continued to perform at conventions and fairs throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and was seen only occasionally in film and TV parts as he refused any work he deemed objectionable. He died at age 72 in Los Angeles from Lou Gehrig's disease.- Stuart's entertainment career began as a child in school, acting and singing in school plays, then in the late 1920's he began entertaining professionally as Larry Sothern. He was the lead singer in the Will Bradley Orchestra, as well as the John Phillip Souza Band, going on to have his own band, the Larry Sothern Orchestra. While in Florida he joined the Theater of Fifteen, appearing in a number of plays that toured the US in the late 30's and early '40's. Although Larry had been a singer all his life, he wanted very much to be an actor, and at last he saw in the Fifteen an opportunity to gain experience in the theater. He took a small part in "Give My Regards to Broadway," which ran four weeks instead of the usual two, and gave him additional time to work on his next part, which was a leading role in a new play, "U. S. Ark." He worked intensively and came through with an amazingly professional performance as Fanchon, the Communist. Larry performed in six plays over nine months in 1940. U.S. Ark, The Texas Ranger, The Gentle People, Kiss the Boys Goodbye, A Man From the Band and Battle of Angels. A Man From the Band proved to be a leading role for Larry. He played Ernie Craig, a band leader who marries a socialite.
In mid 1941 Larry joined the cast of "My Sister Eileen". The play was on Broadway for better than a year with the original cast, but a different cast played Chicago for over eight months, this was the cast that Larry was with. After Chicago, the play went on the road for approximately one year, performing at St. Louis, Decatur, Cincinnati, Detroit, Dayton, Minneapolis and Lansing, then traveling to the west coast to Oakland and Los Angeles, closing sometime in 1942.
World War II put a hold on Larry / Stuart's career when he was called into the U. S. Army in 1942 under his birth name of Clarence Maxwell, with Basic Training, as well as his advanced training with the 55th Field Artillery Division being accomplished at Camp Roberts, San Louis Obispo County. After returning from an over-seas assignment, he was discharged in November of 1944, with the rank of Sergeant.
As with a number of actors and actresses, Larry Sothern changed his name to Stuart Randall and became an actor with his first movie being Bells of Coronado, starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, which was released in January of 1950,
Some of Stuart's movies are Storm Warning, with Ronald Reagan, Wells Fargo Gunmaster, The Hoodlum, Carbine Williams, Pony Soldier, with Tyrone Powers, Pony Express, with Charlton Heston, Southwest Passage, starring Rod Cameron, The Far Country with Jimmie Stewart, Indestructible Man with Lon Chaney, Run of the Arrow, Verboten!, Frontier Uprising, with Jim Davis, Taggart, and True Grit, with John Wayne.
He appeared in nearly all of the popular western television series of the 50's, 60's and 70's at least once, some of them numerous times, including: three times on the Lone Ranger; twice on Zane Grey Theater; twice on Colt .45; five times as a series regular on Cimarron City; three times on Sugarfoot; five times in Restless Gun; three times on The Texan; Wagon Train twice; seven appearances in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp; twice each on The Rifleman, Wanted: Dead or Alive and Lawman; three in Riverboat; twice on Death Valley Days; seven times on The Virginian and six times on Bonanza and of course his most memorable appearance in Laramie, thirty-four times as Sheriff Mort Cory as well as two other appearances earlier in the series, portraying other characters.
Stuart also appeared in non-western series, including: Lassie eleven times; Tightrope twice; Navy Log twice; twice in Wire Service; Schlitz Playhouse five times; The Star and the Story twice; The Loretta Young Show three times; Public Defender three times; and twice on Waterfront.
Stuart's entertainment career spanned forty-five years, with his last screen appearance being on the television series Alias Smith and Jones - Dreadful Sorry Clementine, Season 2, Episode 10, in November, 1971.
Stuart passed away at his home in Victorville, California on June 22, 1988. - Ross Ford was born on 24 February 1923 in Sterling, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for Air Hostess (1949), Manhattan Angel (1948) and Project Moon Base (1953). He died on 22 June 1988 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Bramwell Fletcher was born on 20 February 1904 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Mummy (1932), Daughter of the Dragon (1931) and Raffles (1930). He was married to Lael Wertenbaker, Susan Agathe Robinson, Diana Barrymore and Helen Chandler. He died on 22 June 1988 in Westmoreland, New Hampshire, USA.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Jesse Ed Davis was born on 21 September 1944 in Norman, Oklahoma, USA. He is known for Incident at Oglala (1992), Scrapple (1998) and Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World (2017). He was married to Kelly Davis. He died on 22 June 1988 in Venice, California, USA.- Lucija Baumane was born on 28 October 1905 in Laukzeme, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire [now Kretinga District Municipality, Lithuania]. She was an actress, known for Naves ena (1971), Dundurins (1974) and A Birdless Night (1979). She died on 22 June 1988 in Riga, Latvian SSR, USSR [now Latvia].
- Dmitri Pavlov was born on 21 May 1913 in the Russian Empire. He was an actor, known for Volki i ovtsy (1953), Krutye gorki (1956) and Twins (1945). He died on 22 June 1988 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].
- Rose Franken was born on 28 December 1896 in Gainesville, Texas, USA. She was a writer, known for Made for Each Other (1939), Elinor Norton (1934) and Alias Mary Dow (1935). She was married to William Brown Meloney and Sigmund W.A. Franken (oral surgeon). She died on 22 June 1988 in Tucson, Arizona, USA.
- Sari Walker was born on 8 September 1915 in Nebraska, USA. She was an actress, known for 'night, Mother (1986), Hell Town (1985) and Cagney & Lacey (1981). She died on 22 June 1988 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.
- Burrill Phillips was born on 9 November 1907 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. He was a composer, known for Nine from Little Rock (1965). He was married to Alberta Phillips. He died on 22 June 1988 in Branchport, New York, USA.
- Frederick D. Hawthorne was born on 13 October 1926. He died on 22 June 1988 in Los Angeles, California, USA.