While Dad loved film, my Pop-Pop (Grandfather) loved sports. As a native of Jersey City, my Pop-Pop became a huge fan of the NY Giants baseball team. In fact, he attended many of their games. Leo Durocher was the manager of the NY Giants from 1948 - 1955. Durocher was married to Laraine Day from 1947 - 1960. So, my Dad willingly went to baseball games with his father. Yes, he did enjoy spending time with his father, but he admitted to mooning over Laraine Day whenever she came to the games. My Dad admitted that he watched her more than he watched the games she attended. He described her as very down to earth, but still very much a movie star!
I thought I'd share this memory with other classic movie fans. In a day and age when "stars" are aloof and play the PR game so poorly, it's nice to know that stars of the past embraced their roles. Perhaps, Laraine Day would have preferred more privacy. However, I do believe stars of her era felt a kinship and responsibility to their fans. It seems to me that whenever you watch interviews with stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, they ALWAYS credit the fans for their success. Today, I think some "stars" do not realize that without us, they would no longer be "stars."
4 comments:
Great story Tracy. I always love when someone share stories about their families and loved ones. And thanks for posting about Laraine. She was very underrated.
Gilby, Thank you, for sharing such a wonderful story about how much your father was a fan of, Laraine Day.
What a lovely post. Movies always bring me wonderful memories of my Dad, who introduced me to classic films, and with whom I watched many late night movies. He surprised me with a trip to an old downtown theatre still in its prime when I was a kid to see The Red Shoes. I will never forget it. We had 7 kids in our family, so a night out alone with Dad was precious, and this one in particular. And, I always love the Dr. Kildare movies, and Laraine Day in them. I like her very much. Good article.
Great article sweetheart ! I knew your dad had a special place in his heart for Miss Day but I didn't know that his dad had taken him to Giant's games and actualy saw her in person ! I envy him !
Memories are precious things , they keep us connected to our past and allow us to experience happy feelings that belong to us alone . Our own " Secret Garden " of little treasures if you will ...
You know , you are a hell of a writer ! I'm proud of you !
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