Casper’s Own Movie Star: LoRayne Day

Fort Caspar Museum has opened two new exhibits for the year, one featuring a Casper woman who made it big in Hollywood.

Known professionally as Laraine Day, the Casper girl became famous for her role in films like "Foreign Correspondent" and "The Locket." She also appeared in television on shows "Playhouse 90" and "Murder, She Wrote."

According to Deseret News, LoRayne Johnson was born in Roosevelt, Utah in 1920. She was one of eight children, a fraternal twin, from a wealthy family who were members of the LDS Church.

She grew up in Casper in the 1930s. She took singing and dancing classes and dreamed of becoming a star. She headed to the bright lights of
Hollywood in the 1940s.

Day remained a member of the LDS church throughout her life. She reportedly never smoke, swore or drank (alcohol, coffee, ore even tea). She is quoted for saying of her faith "It brings me comfort in a confusing world."

Day described herself "very much a Republican". She was a vocal supporter of Richard Nixon, whom she later met at the 1968 Republican National Convention.

In the 1970s she was a spokeswoman for the Make America Better campaign and traveled the country sharing her views on environmental issues.

She moved back to Utah in 2007 and died in her daughter's home at the ripe old age of 87.

The Fort will have an exhibit called "Casper's Own Movie Star: LoRayne Day" on view until February 2026.

They have another new exhibit, a firearms collection, up until then, too.

Fort Caspar Museum is located at 4001 Fort Caspar Road in Casper.