Pajama Game - Cast

Doris Day(1922-)

Mary Ann Von Kapplehoff was born in Cincinnati in 1922. She studied dancing and performed when she was young, but her dancing career was cut short by an automobile accident in 1937 that damaged her legs. She then took singing lessons and, at the age of 17, began her career as a singer. From the late 1930s until 1945, Day sang with famous bands, including the Les Brown band. She performed on radio and toured the US as a band singer. Over her long singing career, Doris Day recorded over 650 songs. Her biggest hit was "Que Sera, Sera."

Doris Day began her movie acting career at the age of 26 when she appeared in her first movie, "Romance on the High Seas." Day became a highly popular and successful movie star during the 1940s and 1950s, with her film career continuing through the 1960s. Her early films were a combination of musicals, comedies and dramas, while her later movies were mostly "fluffy" comedies. From 1948 until 1968, Day made over 35 movies. Her last film was in 1968 ("With Six You Get Eggroll").

In 1968, Doris Day made a successful jump from movies to television and she had her own TV show from 1968 until 1973.

Doris Day retired from show business in 1973. In 2008, she was awarded a Grammy for her Lifetime Achievement in Music.

Back to Top

John Raitt(1917-2005)

John Raitt began his acting and singing career in high school, appearing in plays and singing in the chorus. His big break on Broadway came in 1945 when he was cast in the lead role of Billy Bigelow in "Carousel." He won the Theater World Award for his performance. This successful play was followed by "Magdalena" in 1948 and three more musicals, including the hit "The Pajama Game," in the 1950s. Raitt performed for many years in touring companies of musicals but returned to Broadway in 1966 in a musical that, unfortunately, flopped ("A Joyful Noise" in 1966). His last Broadway appearance was in 1976 in "A Musical Jubilee."

John Raitt made seven movies from 1940 to 1942, but all of his roles were uncredited bit parts. His only credited film was "The Pajama Game" in 1957.

Raitt had an exceptionally beautiful voice, particularly suited for Broadway music, and he often delighted audiences with appearances on television variety shows, including the "Bell Telephone Hour."

Raitt died in 2005 from complications from pneumonia.

Back to Top

Carol Haney(1924-1964)

Carol Haney began dancing as a child. After completing high school, she went to Hollywood to become a professional dancer. Her first, uncredited role was as a dancer in the Danny Kaye film, "Wonder Man" in 1945. A year later she became the dance partner and assistant to choreographer and dancer Jack Cole. Later, she worked as an assistant to Gene Kelly on the movies "On the Town," "An American in Paris" and "Singin' in the Rain."

In 1954, Carol Haney got her big break on Broadway when she appeared in "The Pajama Game." She won the Tony award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Gladys Hotchkiss, the role she later recreated in the movie. Haney went on to work as the choreographer for the Broadway productions of "Flower Drum Song" (1959), "Funny Girl" (1964) and "Bravo Giovanni" (1963). She was nominated for a Tony award as Best Choreographer for all three productions. Unfortunately, Haney's life ended tragically at the age of only 40 when she died from pneumonia complicated by diabetes and alcoholism.

Back to Top

Eddie Foy Jr.(1905-1983)

Edwin Fitgerald Jr., known as Eddie Foy Jr. for most of his life, was born into a vaudevillian family and was performing as one of the "Seven Little Foys" at a young age.

Foy's first movie part came in 1929 in the film "Queen of the Night Clubs." In the 1930s and 1940s, he acted in mostly B-rated movies. He played his own father in four films, including the successful "Yankee Doodle Dandy" in 1942. His last film was in 1976.

Foy began his Broadway career in 1930 with "Show Girl." He appeared on Broadway throughout the 1930s and then again in 1945. His greatest Broadway successes, however, came in the 1950s, first with "The Pajama Game" in 1954 and then with a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Musical for his perfomance in "Rumple" in 1957. Foy's last Broadway appearance was in 1961 in "Donnybrook."

Throughout his career, Foy appeared occasionally on television with his last appearance in 1977. Foy died in 1983 of pancreatic cancer.

Back to Top