A patriotic American, she displayed the American flag outside her home everyday of the year. On days when the weather was unfit for the flag to be displayed outdoors she hung it within her home. During her time in Hollywood, she hosted a big BBQ at her home every July 4 and invited not just her family but many of her friends from the acting world.
At MGM she was told that if she did Keep Your Powder Dry (1945) that she would be rewarded with the female lead in Undercurrent (1946) with Robert Taylor. When the role was given to Katharine Hepburn Laraine left MGM and never returned.
Had 2 adopted children from her marriage to Ray Hendricks.
Her daughter, with Leo Durocher, is Melinda Michele Durocher (Thompson) who lives in North Idaho and has 8 children, 18 grandchildren.
In the 1970s she was the head speaker of the Make America Better campaign program which was sponsored by the National Association of Real Estates Board. During the decade she made numerous speeches throughout America in relevance to enviormentalism.
In the early 1940s she was a one time girlfriend of actor Glenn Ford.
In the early 1940s she was on the Board of the Screen Actors Guild.
Mother of Chris Durocher.
She had long friendships with many of her co-stars, some of which included Cary Grant, Shirley Temple, Herbert Marshall, Joel McCrea, John Wayne, Lew Ayres, Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Marsha Hunt, and Angela Lansbury. She was also a friend to actress Fay Wray.
She was a big fan of Richard Nixon and campaigned for him in the 1968 and 1972 presidential elections. She also supported Dwight D. Eisenhower and longtime Hollywood friend Ronald Reagan whom she supported in both presidential elections.
She was a committed Republican.
She was a member of The Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, group that was fervently anti-Communist and counted among its members Ginger Rogers, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, and Irene Dunne.
She was described by many as being very kind, intellectual, ladylike, and influential.
She was so commited to her Mormon faith that during her lifetime she never swore, smoked, or drank any kind of alcohol, coffee or tea.
She was the first choice to play Mary in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) but had to decline the role as she was already busy working on The Locket (1946). Donna Reed later got the role and coincidentally the two films were both released to theatres on December 20, 1946.
She was the photo girl of the World War II plane "Lucky Lady". A PC-3 headed by Max Pyles debuted the plane in September 1944 and Laraine, who was at the time a favorite with lonesome G.I.'s, wrote asking her for a photograph to put on the plane. Laraine immediately wrote back with an attached photo of her in a negligee and the "Lucky Lady" soon became held the honor of having the highest record flights in the autumn of 1944. Her photo remained pasted on the L/gun door and the crew and Laraine frequently sent letters back and forth and Laraine was very proud and interested to get updates about "her airplane".
Twin brother, Lamar.
Was voted America's Sweetheart of the 1940s.