Dan Dailey
| Dan Dailey | |
|---|---|
in Washington Melodrama (1941)
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| Born |
Daniel James Dailey December 14, 1915 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 16, 1978 (aged 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Complications from hip surgery |
| Years active | 1921 1937–1977 |
| Spouse(s) | Esther Rodier (?-1941) Elizabeth Hofert (1942-1951) one child Gwen Carter O'Connor (1955–1960) |
| Children | Dan Dailey III, (1948–1975) |
Daniel James "Dan" Dailey, Jr. (December 14, 1915 – October 16, 1978) was an American dancer and actor.
Dailey was born on December 14, 1915, in New York City, to Daniel James Dailey, Sr. and Helen Theresa (née Ryan) Dailey. His younger sister was actress Irene Dailey. He appeared in a minstrel show in 1921, and later appeared in vaudeville before his Broadway debut in 1937 in Babes in Arms. In 1940, he was signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to make films and, although his past career had been in musicals, he was initially cast as a Nazi in The Mortal Storm and a mobster in The Get Away. However, the people at MGM realized their mistake quickly and cast him in a series of musical films.
He served in the United States Army during World War II, and was commissioned as an Army officer after graduation from Signal Corps Officer Candidate School at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey. He returned to Hollywood to make more musicals. Beginning with Mother Wore Tights (1947) He became the frequent and favorite co-star of Betty Grable. His performance in their film When My Baby Smiles at Me in 1948 garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
In 1949, he showcased his singing abilities by recording four songs for Decca Records with the popular Andrews Sisters singing trio. Two of the songs were Irish novelties ("Clancy Lowered the Boom!" and "I Had a Hat (When I Came In)"). The other songs, Take Me Out to the Ball Game and In the Good Old Summertime capitalized on the success of two MGM blockbuster films of the same names from that same year, starring Gene Kelly, Esther Williams, Frank Sinatra ("Tale Me Out to the Ballgame" and Judy Garland and Van Johnson ("In the Good Old Summertime"), respectively. Dailey and The Andrews Sisters were an excellent match, and their vocal stylings on these selections were full of gaiety and fun.
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