Doris Day's comeback?
Her last movie was released in 1968; her last album in 1994. She turned down the part of Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate." And she's turned down all other offers that would woo her away from her animal-rescue foundation. So it's happy news that Doris Day, 87, is releasing a new recording next month.
Doris Day's comeback?
Carrie Rickey, Film Critic
Her last movie was released in 1968. Her last album was released in 1994. She turned down the part of Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate. And she turned down all other professional offers that would woo her away from her animal-rescue work. So it's happy news that Doris Day, 87, is releasing a new recording next month, My Heart.
One of the tracks is the standard "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries," produced by her late son, Terry Melcher, the legendary producer of The Byrds, The Beach Boys and Ry Cooder. Another is the Joe Cocker ballad "You are So Beautiful." One wishes that one of the songs she sang with Sly Stone were in this collection.
In her heyday as a recording artist, Day had a voice as rich and velvety as that of Ella Fitzgerald. Martin Melcher, her third husband, encouraged her to record upbeat songs (think "Que Sera, Sera") rather than the ballads that demonstrated her vocal and emotional range. Still, in her best movies like Love Me or Leave Me and The Man Who Knew Too Much she was able to show the breadth and depth or her acting and singing skills. Those are my favorite Day movies. I'm particularly fond of her rendition of "Secret Love" in Calamity Jane and "Mean to Me" in Love Me or Leave Me. You?
This is great news, Carrie. I particularly like her in “The Pajama Game,” “It Happened to Jane,” “Midnight Lace” and her three “suburban” comedies – “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,” “The Thrill of It All” and “Send Me No Flowers.” Years ago, Fox was pondering a screen version of Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” with Doris in the Alexis Smith Role and Debbie Reynolds in the Dorothy Collins part. A missed opportunity.— Pash- I love LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME. If Day never worked again--and apparently, she wasn't planning to--I'm glad that her performance as Ruth Etting was captured on film. Whenever I think of Day, I think fondly of this film.— gmk
- I love LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME. If Day never worked again--and apparently, she wasn't planning to--I'm glad that her performance as Ruth Etting was captured on film. Whenever I think of Day, I think fondly of this film.— gmk
- In addition to those mentioned above, I very much enjoy "Teacher's Pet," which also was one of Gable's best later movies. Among her albums, "Day By Night" is excellent. Choosing one song is tough, but her version of "I Remember You" might be my choice - at least today. I recommend Tom Santopietro's "Considering Doris Day" (2008), which functions as biography, a thorough and handy guide to all her work in movies, recording, and TV, and most of all as a much-needed critical reassessment. (Molly Haskell's writing about Day is also important.)— wwolfe
- Thanks, wwolfe, for your reading list to which I'd add Day's (somewhat luandered) "My Story" and John Updike's "In the Beauty of the Lilies" which uses Day's life and her son's skirmish with Charles Manson as the basis of his fine novel about the decline of American faith.— carrierickey
- I have always been a sucker for "Young man with a Horn" and the signature tune from the film "With a Song In My Heart" Doris Day could bring class to any roll and shine with a luminescence that made you forget the mediocrity of the material of Jumbo or even Calamidy Jane. History will eventually recognize that Doris Day was and is one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century— Neurodoc
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