LARAINE DAY - CONTRACT SIGNED 11/14/1947 CO-SIGNED BY: BERNARD SILBERT - HFSID 292238

LARAINE DAY
She signs a documentary letter from RKO Radio Pictures, terminating her contract by mutual agreement. She had just finished filming Tycoon, co-starring John Wayne. Accompanied by two related documents forwarded by her lawyer, Bernard Silbert, who was representing her that year in her contentious and controversial divorce.
Documentary Letter signed: "Laraine Day", 1 page, 8½x11. Los Angeles, California, 1947 November 14. Day signs her agreement to a letter from RKO Radio Pictures confirming the termination of her contract by mutual agreement. Ownership rights accruing under the original employment agreement of January 9, 1947, for her performance in the movie Tycoon, are unaffected, and Day is still liable to recall if any scenes in the movie require re-shooting. A copy of the document is forwarded to the Marty Martyn Agency of Beverly Hills. Accompanied by two items: 1) Receipt signed: "Bernard Silbert", 1 page, 8½x7½. Hollywood, California, 1947 March 20. On letterhead of the law firm of Bautzer and Silbert to Marty Martyn, Beverly Hills, acknowledging payment of a $1,500 "retainer for year 1947, inclusive of 'Tycoon Contract' RKO". 2) Document unsigned, 1 page, 8½x11. Copy of a documentary letter from RKO Radio Pictures, dated October 17, 1947, informing Day of a new employment commitment for an un-named film to be made in 1948, signed by a representative of RKO but not by Day. Laraine Day (1917-2007) reached stardom as Nurse Lamont opposite Lew Ayres in a series of six Dr. Kildare films (1939-1942). Other starring roles for Day included Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (1940, The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944), My Dear Secretary (1948) and The High and the Mighty (1954). The year 1947 was an eventful one for day. The movie mentioned in this document, Tycoon, featuring Laraine Day as John Wayne's leading lady, was released that year. In January 1947, she was granted an "interlocutory divorce" in the State of Texas, a temporary arrangement lasting one year, pending a final settlement. Divorced provisionally from her first husband, J. Ray Hendricks, who had agreed not to contest the divorce in exchange of a monetary settlement and custody of their child, Day flew to Mexico the next day to wed baseball manager Leo Durocher. This remarriage was legal in 47 of the 48 states, although the Texas judge denounced it. However, a California judge ruled the interlocutory divorce null and void, making Day guilty of bigamy in that state. Day and Durocher now had to battle Hendricks (who had decided to contest the divorce after all), in California courtrooms. Bernard Silbert represented Day in this California litigation, which ultimately upheld the legality of Day's divorce and remarriage. The resulting tabloid headlines did not damage Laraine Day's career. The tee-totaling Mormon's staid reputation had been supplanted by a racier one, especially since Leo Durocher had a long-standing "bad boy" reputation. Day and Durocher were married from 1947 to 1960, during which time Day was known as "the First Lady of Baseball". She hosted a New York TV show, My Day With the Giants, and wrote a book with that title (1952). After her divorce from Durocher, she confessed that she had never liked baseball. Worn and creased. Heavily toned. Paper clip imprint at top edge. Corners and edges frayed and chipped. Corners torn.