From the Archives: Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman at 1942 movie premier

A story in the next morning’s Los Angeles Times reported, “Army and Navy uniforms, bedecked with gold braid and shining metal, added an extra note of brilliance to the procession which made its way up the traditional red carpet at Grauman’s Chinese Theater last night for the world premiere of 20th Century-Fox’s ‘Tales of Manhattan.’”

The Times report then provided a long list of celebrities attending the premiere. Near the end of the list, Jane Wyman and 2nd Lt. Ronald Reagan were mentioned.

A photo of Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature, a coxswain in the Coast Guard, ran with The Times story, which concluded with the note that “War Charities will receive $5,000 as a result of the premiere.”

In 1937, Reagan had signed up for the Army Enlisted Reserve. Because of poor eyesight, he spent World War II stateside assigned to Army Air Force Public Relations and First Motion Picture Unit.

Wyman and Reagan were married from 1940 to 1949.

The photo at right above appears in the Los Angeles Times book, “High Exposure: Hollywood Lives — Found Photos from the Archives of the Los Angeles Times.”

See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here