It was magic
Like many cinephiles, I grieved at the death of Doris Day earlier this month. One of the last true stars of a Hollywood draped in escapist fantasy, Day’s brand of optimism and warmth made her a one-of-a-kind screen entity. Almost nobody had an unkind word to say about the star, who boasted one of the most impressive careers in film history, with nearly two decades of titles to her name. The fact that Day was considered the top box office star in the world for the majority of her years making movies spoke to the public’s embracing of her and the feelings of hope, kindness and light which couldn’t help but radiate from all parts of her, including an unmatched charm and an unforgettable smile.
Hearing Day talk, it’s almost as if her movie career were a dream she conjured up while asleep, or an accident that was never meant to happen sandwiched in between her early success as a big band singer/recording artist (many of her songs are still considered treasured standards) and her later post-acting career as a staunch animal rights activist. Maybe the reason it was so easy to leave the business behind in the early 1970s following the end of The Doris Day Show (the successful sitcom she starred in for five seasons) was because morning had come and the dream had ended. Fans of Day’s know the bumpy road behind the smile that made up Doris’s life. There was the troubled home life, an incredibly violent first husband, struggles with anxiety, the death of her second husband, her entire fortune swindled by a shady business manager (making her involvement in the series all the more vital), her connection to Charlie Manson (which caused her to have bodyguards for a time) and the loss of her only child to cancer. Knowing all this about Day may have made some skeptics proclaim that the persona she showed the public was actually false and strictly for the cameras. Yet there was an immeasurable strength and defiance in the face of such obstacles with every smile she gave; each one serving as a way of showing she was capable of conquering anything which came her way, which she did.
In many ways, the death of the 97-year-old Day is not a tragedy. The actress got most of her money back in an ensuing court case, enjoyed her true passion with the animal foundation she established and got to watch her only grandson grow up. There was never any quesiton that the actress had no desire to return to the limelight in any way, turning down both an induction into the American Film Institute and the Kennedy Center Honors because they requested in person appearances. Instead, Day was content with the peace she found among friends and loved ones in her longtime home in Carmel, CA. The actress no doubt died feeling she was the luckiest girl who had ever lived, while her fans collectively mourned and thanked her not just for her wealth of screen comedies and enchanting music, but for, in a way, illustrating the possibility of the everyday.
In preparation for this piece, I have been revisiting a number of Day’s various movies, namely the ones I liked best. While the actress was always associated with comedies such as That Touch of Mink, The Pajama Game and Lover, Come Back (all titles which helped establish her sunny, playful trademark), I thought I’d look at a collection of titles in which Day surprised by going against the public’s perception of her, in one way or another in this tribute to one of the greats.
- Romance on the High Seas
Few movie star hopefuls in the late 40s could have ever dreamed up a more ideal debut than this tale of romantic misunderstandings amongst spouses and singletons aboard a luxury cruise liner. The film is a pleasant enough piece of farcical fluff in which everyone seems to be having fun running through doors and on deck. Yet it’s Day who steals the show as an innocent torch singer named Georgia. Besides giving her one of her earliest signature songs, the enchanting “It’s Magic,” Romance on the High Seas is the perfect example of Day’s natural ease and charm in front of the camera, which bounced onto the audience, who made the film an immediate hit. Initially, Day was only asked to read lines as a favor with an unknown actor who was auditioning for another movie when a producer saw her. He immediately phoned the singer in her hotel early the next morning and offered her the role of Georgia. Day would later recall about receiving that life-changing phone call: “I said: ‘I hope this is for real’ and he said: ‘It could never be more real.’”
2. Young Man with a Horn
Day’s first dramatic role came with this melodramatic tale about a burgeoning musician (Kirk Douglas) and his struggle to balance both his professional life and his fascination with two women; one cold and remote (Lauren Bacall) and the other affectionate and supportive (Day). While there isn’t much in the way of heft within the movie’s ideology (apart from the lesbian undertones surrounding Bacall’s character), Young Man with a Horn does at least earn Day some credibility in her first time out tackling drama, giving an early glimpse into her versatility. Rumors eventually began swirling about how Douglas and Bacall purposely chose to freeze Day out during the making of the film. While a photo featuring the two actress smiling next to each other at a dinner party in later years proved Day held no resentment towards Bacall, the same can’t be said for Douglas. “The picture I made with Kirk was one of the few utterly joyless experiences I had in films,” the actress wrote in her memoirs. “He’s pretty much wrapped up in himself.” When Barbara Walters read similar comments from Douglas regarding the actress, Day responded with a smile, saying: “Well it’s good to know we both feel the same way about each other.”
3. Love Me or Leave Me
By the mid-50s, the brand of “Doris Day” was firmly ensconced in the minds of legions of moviegoers. Therefore it was a bit of a risk to have one of the world’s most recognizable stars portray another real-life famous figure. Yet that’s what Day did when she co-starred with James Cagney in the story of 1920s jazz singer Ruth Etting and her svengali-like gangster husband in the musical drama Love Me or Leave Me. Cagney may have been the one to walk away with an Oscar nomination, but it’s Day who proves to be the movie’s engine. It’s no surprise to see the actress acquit herself well in the musical side of the film, but it’s in the dark exploration of this codependent and tempestuous relationship where a fearsome and fiery Day takes over. The levels of intense passion are felt in every scene with both leads bringing the best out of each other. While the real-life Etting disapproved of the film, Love Me or Leave Me remained one of Day’s favorites, which she herself actually labeled: “the best film I was ever in.”
4. The Man Who Knew Too Much
“Why doesn’t Mr. Hitchcock call Grace Kelly,” questioned Day repeatedly as she played one half of an American couple whose child is kidnapped while on vacation due to some dangerous information that falls into the hands of her husband (Jimmy Stewart). Kelly would have been just fine in the role, but there’s something so powerful in seeing an actress who personified Americana like no other exude desperation and determination in finding her son. Cynics who were concerned about Day’s ability to exist in an Alfred Hitchcock film were quickly taken by Day’s work (especially the heartbreaking scene in which she learns of her child’s abduction), while her serene crooning of the film’s Oscar-winning theme “Que Sera Sera” would go on to become yet another one of her signature songs. She may not have been the most quintessential of Hitchcock’s blondes, but in The Man Who Knew Too Much, Day completely held her own.
5. Julie
In one of the more surprising instances of the star’s career, Day used a dark part of her past to bring the story of Julie to life. One of the rare black and white films she made after becoming “Doris Day,” Julie told the story of a woman (Day) in a marriage to an abusive man (Louis Jordan) and her struggle to escape from his grasp. For many, Julie is a mixed bag of a film. The movie has a number of surprising “so bad, it’s good” aspects, including Day landing an airplane with her eyes closed. Yet those elements pale in comparison to the movie’s tackling of a subject matter most of society chose not to acknowledge, doing so in the most honest of ways. The film was the first project under the production company formed by Day’s husband Martin Melcher and the actress herself, who had once been a victim of domestic abuse. Although it gets lost in the majority of Day’s more popular titles, Julie represents a bold side of Day’s work and the bravery she was capable of.
6. Pillow Talk
Although Day could still claim A-list status in the late 50s, some were calling a few of her vehicles passe and safe as the slightly more daring film decade of the 60s lay on the horizon. Because of this, it was the most purest form of good luck that Pillow Talk came Day’s way. In the film, Day plays an interior decorator who falls in love with a handsome songwriting playboy (Rock Hudson) without knowing he’s also the annoying individual she shares a telephone line with. The film’s success gave Day a career revitalization, not to mention her sole Oscar nomination for Best Actress, while also successfully laying down a new foundation for the romantic comedy with its levels of playful frankness. More than that however, Pillow Talk showed a transformation in its star who managed to out “Doris Day” herself by taking her image into new territory, yet still holding onto the essence of what made her Doris.
7. Midnight Lace
Another time when the Academy totally slept on Day’s work can be found with this excellent 1960 thriller. The film, essentially a remake of Gaslight, sees Day starring as the American wife of a prosperous Englishman (Rex Harrison) who begins to suspect someone is out to murder her. The idea of reworking an already-classic film must have been daunting enough, but not as much as intimidating as the thought of filling Ingrid Bergman’s shoes. Still, Midnight Lace has enough effectiveness to create its own flavor, existing outside the shadow of the aforementioned film. The movie’s secret weapon remains Day’s powerful performance, which did actually earn her some awards acclaim, including a Golden Globe Nomination. In one pivotal scene which featured Day’s character fearing for her life, the actress famously employed method acting by tapping into past episodes from her abusive former marriage. Those on set recall Day’s shaken, traumatized state after filming the scene and the power which was felt throughout the cast and crew. The experience of reliving such memories proved so strong for Day, that she refused to do ever do such a film again for the rest of her career.
8. Caprice
According to her autobiography, when Day finished reading the script for the spy comedy Caprice, she commented to her husband: “Thank God I don’t have to do movies like this anymore,” to which he responded by informing her that she was already signed on for it. It’s not hard to see why Day wasn’t all that excited about playing a spy who obtains and delivers scientific information between a pair of rival cosmetic corporations until a meeting with another spy (Richard Harris) gives her a run for her money. From a comedy standpoint, this was familiar territory for Day. Still, nothing about her performance here feels phoned in; owing to her level of total professionalism. While Harris likewise hated the movie, he had nothing but raves for Day (who likewise felt the same about him) and credited her with being the most adept comedy actress he’d ever worked with. Audiences agreed with the stars however; the film was a flop and single-handedly cost the actress her title of the world’s top box-office star. Caprice isn’t a horrible film by any means. In fact, much of the comedy is effectively slick and there’s something surreal about seeing Day wander about in the mod world of the late 60s. Even more surreal is the movie’s final scene in which both stars playfully recite a bit of Hamlet before sex. You just haven’t lived until you’ve watched Doris do Shakespeare.
9. With Six You Get Eggroll
Day said goodbye to films with this stellar hit comedy where she starred as a widow with three sons who falls in love with a widower (Brian Keith) raising a teenage daughter on his own. The plot of the blended family may seem old hat now, but it was still something of a novel subject back in the late 60s. While it’s unfairly forgotten today thanks to the similarly-themed Yours, Mine & Ours and The Brady Bunch (both released around the same time), With Six You Get Eggroll balances the comedy, family growing pains and the exploration of two people finding love again seamlessly in way that sets it apart. Day couldn’t have asked for a better character to close out with. Abby is a woman holding down her late husband’s lumber business, while managing a home and a brood all on her own. It’s Abby who decides when she’s ready for love again, providing a sort of pre-sage figure to the burgeoning feminist movement on the way. It’s worlds away from the kind of Doris Day prototype seen the decade before and a fitting ending to an impressive screen legacy.
For information on donating to the Doris Day Animal Foundation, please visit: https://www.dorisdayanimalfoundation.org.