.
It was sad enough
to lose Peggy Lipton yesterday (RIP Norma) but today's news about the death of Doris Day has got me thinking we should all take a moment and check on our favorite blonde, make sure they're doing okay. That said Day was 97 years old and leaves behind a marvelous legacy, one guaranteed to make even the most cynical dude smile -- I count myself among the most cynical dudes after all, and you put on one of her comedies with Rock Hudson on the rainiest of days and all of a sudden, the sun is shining somewhere. Of course she wasn't just pink wallpaper and buckets of roses (not that there's anything wrong with pink wallpaper and buckets of roses, mind you) -- there's a scene in her collaboration with Hitchcock that I count among my favorites of any Hitchcock scenes, and one of the darkest things he ever did which is, uhhh, saying a lot!
My 5 Favorite Doris Day Performances
"Whatever will be, will be..."
"George, your hypochondria's showing."
"Officer, arrest this man!
He's taking me up to his apartment!"
Carol,
Lover Come Back (1961)
"You listen to me, no alcoholic beverage, no drug
known to science, no torture yet devised
could induce me to stay married to you!"
-------------------------------------------
What are your favorite Doris Days?
.
Posts
11 comments:
What scene in Hitchcock are you talking about?! Please remind us!!
The scene in TMWKTM where Jimmy Stewart drugs her before telling her their child's been kidnapped. I think it's one of the most disturbing things and DD knocks it out of the park, her fury, her terror, and the inability to fight off the pills in her system. it's very upsetting.
All wonderful choices!!
She hasn't performed in years and she certainly had a long life but I'm still somewhat destroyed at the news. She just seemed indomitable. She was a total delight able to elevate anything in which she appeared. She couldn't quite save that last string of terrible movies Melcher stuck her in but they are better than they have any right to be because of her presence and at least her final film With Six You Get Eggroll was a pleasant if unexceptional picture.
I could list all her films excepting perhaps 3 or 4 as worthwhile but my top 10 would be in order.
Love Me or Leave Me
Romance on the High Seas
My Dream is Yours
The Thrill of It All
Pillow Talk
Send Me No Flowers
The Man Who Knew To Much
It Happened to Jane
Calamity Jane
Midnight Lace
Sat near her at brunch on a trip to Pebble Beach one year. I tried so hard to respect her privacy but couldn’t resist. Had to stop and gush and tell her how I admired her work. She was as gracious as ever.
Miss Day was one of the last actresses around to have worked with the leading men of the Golden Age - Gable, Stewart, Grant, etc. Who else besides Sophia Loren is left who can say that? Is there anyone else?
DCameron-There are still a few...Vera Miles, Angela Lansbury, Glynis Johns, Janis Paige, Eva Marie Saint and bless her Olivia de Havilland is still hanging in there and closing in on 103!
You are so right! I forgot about that scene. It is SO unsettling, particularly because Hitchcock knew how to use the reputations of his stars and twist them. What is Jimmy Stewart doing to our sweet Doris Day!!!??
Thanks, joel65913, for those reminders. We should treasure all of these ladies.
Joel65913, my friend has just published her biography of Miss de Havilland. It's available online and the title is Olivia de Havilland: Lady Triumphant. I've read it twice, and it's terrific. The author is Victoria Amador.
I couldn't agree more about the scene in Man Who Knew Too Much. A number of years ago Man Who Knew Too Much along with 5 other films that had not been seen for many years because of some kind of forgotten litigation, were finally resurrected and shown at The 8th St Playhouse in the West Village. I couldn't wait to see all five but especially Rope which I had never seen, and Vertigo, I was saddened and horrified that the full house I saw Man Who Knew Too MUch with laughed inappropriately through out the whole film. And I realized that for a lot of younger people Doris Day's label as "professional virgin' from all those 60's film had made her "camp" and they couldn't see past that to the real performance she was giving for Hitchcock, In the intervening years I think that her reputation has truly been restored and she is seen for the actress, the musician, and humanitarian she always was. What a wonderful gift to our world Doris Day was,
The .gif from The Glass Bottom Boat made my (Doris) Day!
Post a Comment