The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1956

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK


Stars: James Stewart, Doris Day





While vacationing in Morocco, Dr. Benjamin McKenna (Stewart) and his wife, Jo (Day), accidentally become involved in an assassination plot, and because of their knowledge (as in, they "know too much"), their son is kidnapped to keep them quiet.  They follow the criminals to London, where they try to track them down and save their son, and maybe the ambassador set to be assassinated.  All without the involvement of the police.

The Man Who Knew Too Much is so suspenseful, and so emotionally moving.  When Jo finds out her son has been taken, I cry along with her every time!  And when she sings "Que Sera, Sera" (which was written for this movie) at the end, I am a complete wreck.

 

It's A Great Feeling, 1949

Director: David Butler
Stars: Doris Day, Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson (cameo appearances by Jane Wyman, Joan Crawford, Eleanor Parker, Danny Kaye, Sydney Greenstreet, Michael Curtiz, Gary Cooper)





Judy (Doris Day) is a small-town girl from Wisconsin working in the kitchens at a movie studio in Hollywood, just waiting for her chance to be discovered as an actress, and be in pictures! When a chance comes up to bring Jack Carson his lunch in his dressing room, she takes it, and tries to do an impromptu audition for him, to show him what she's got. He uses her skills to get his friend Dennis Morgan to sign the contract to be in his next movie, and then kicks her out. But then he and Dennis realize they could really use her in the picture, since no one wants to work with Jack Carson.

This movie is full of cameos and silliness. I recognized some of the actors in the cameos, but I think it would have been much funnier if I had watched it in 1949 when it first came out. I would know who the actors were and it would be much better, I'm sure.

SPOILER: The guys finally decide that Judy really does have talent and they want her in their picture, but it's too late and she is on her way to Wisconsin to marry a "nobody", Mr Bushdinkle. Jack and Dennis get there just in time to see to the two kiss after the wedding. I had to look up who her husband was when they showed his face finally, because I am not that familiar with actors from this era. Well, it was Errol Flynn, so that was kind of cute.

The Glass Bottom Boat, 1966

Director: Frank Tashlin

Stars: Doris Day, Rod Taylor, Dom DeLuise, Paul Lynde

Okay, this film had almost nothing to do with glass-bottom boats! It was more about the space program. Bruce (an extremely dreamy Rod Taylor--- um, WOW!) develops a formula for a gravity-simulating machine, and everybody is out to get it!

Bruce meets Jenny (Day) one day when she's playing a mermaid for her father's glass-bottom boat tour business. He's intrigued, to say the least, and is completely shocked to find she works in his office! He does his homework, fidns that she has writing experience, and hires her to write his biography. Of course, this assignment means they must spend a lot of time together, and they fall for each other, of course!

But there's trouble in paradise when the CIA suspects Jenny of being the spy who's out to steal the formula. Jenny finds out about this mix-up, and, furious, she decides to have a little fun at their expense.

This is a cute enough movie, I just don't like comedies that are just TOO ridiculous. Jenny is so clumsy. And anyway, it's a comedy, and I seriously have to remember that things are supposed to go wrong in comedies.

NOTE: Paul Lynde is the guy who played Uncle Arthur in Bewitched! And he was also the voice of Templeton in Charlotte's Web. I still can't hear his voice without thinking of a rat dreaming and singing about a "smorgasbord"! Love him!

Pillow Talk, 1959

Director: Michael Gordon (Move Over, Darling)

Stars: Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall, Thelma Ritter

Interior decorator Jan (Day) is having trouble getting any of her calls because of her womanizing party-line partner Brad (Hudson). When she complains to the phone company, they send a woman inspector to Brad to investigate. (Jan's reaction: "They sent a woman! Can you believe that? That's like sending a marshmallow to put out a bonfire.") Brad calls up Jan and they try to settle it by dividing the hours when each will get the phone, but it's not really working.

One of Jan's clients, Jonathon (Randall), also a friend of Brad's, is trying to convince Jan to marry him and tells Brad about her. He also tells about her party-line problems, and Brad catches on to who his friend's love interest really is. Unexpectedly, he meets her at a restaurant, and, awed by her beauty, he comes up with a plan so he can date her and play with her mind. He is "Rex Stetson" from Texas. And, similar to You've Got Mail, Brad pretends to gives her advice about this "Rex". It's quite funny, actually. I didn't think this comedy of mistaken identity was too ridiculous, as we know some are!

Note: This was 1959, and they were doing as much as they could to hint at sex and sexual things, without actually going for it, which, from this century, is almost cute! There are a lot of split screens in this one, where they show both Brad and Jan on the phone chatting. In bed, or the tub!

Lover Come Back, 1961

Director: Delbert Mann (really? Delbert??)

Stars: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall

It is too ridiculous. Maybe because it was directed by a guy named Delbert.

Okay, I am just being mean. It was like any other comedy of mistaken identity. Bachelor playboy Jerry (a very handsome Hudson) has very unethical ideas about advertising. And Carol (Day), also in the ad business, finds out about his ways of stealing clients and so decides to get the "vip" account before he does- the right way. The problem is: "vip" is not an actual product; only a figment of Jerry's imagination. When Jerry meets his rival Carol, he is smitten, and, to protect himself and impress her, he pretends to be the scientist who is developing the "secret product". Since Carol has never met Jerry, this works for a while. She, the classic "good girl" will do whatever it takes to get the "vip" account from this "good" doctor. The ending is dumb, sorry. I just didn't enjoy it and the love story was extremely unbelievable.

Tony Randall was funny!

With Six You Get Eggroll, 1968

Director: Howard Morris

Stars: Doris Day, Brian Keith

Abby (Day), a widow with three sons, begins to date Jake (Keith), who is an old friend of her late husband. Jake's a widower with a daughter, and soon it becomes tricky to blend the two families. That's basically it. Silly, but not bad.

I adore Brian Keith from The Parent Trap. He's so sweet!

Please Don't Eat the Daisies, 1960

Director: Charles Walters

Stars: Doris Day, David Niven, Richard Haydn

This was just like a classic Disney movie from the 50's and 60's! Except it wasn't Disney. And it wasn't about teenagers or kids. And I doubt it's a "classic", even if it does have Doris Day, because I had never heard of it til Netflix suggested it to me. But it did have a dog, AND a house to fix up....

This is a story of a marriage and how a new job for Larry (Niven) changes his relationship with his wife Kate (Day). Larry becomes a theater critic, and suddenly life is full of busy-ness for Kate and Larry and their 4 sons. Larry's job becomes a huge distraction as his whole character seems to change, and Kate suspects that he gives bad reviews just for the attention it will bring.

It wasn't bad, just not amazing. And it had nothing to do with eating daisies. It was a song in the movie, and one of the boys ate some daisies, but otherwise, no daisies. So the title is silly.

Move Over, Darling, 1963

Director: Michael Gordon

Stars: Doris Day, James Garner, Polly Bergman

This is a remake of the 1940 comedy My Favorite Wife, which starred Cary Grant. So, naturally, I've seen it. I knew this was a remake, but for some reason, I thought it would be a bit different. Remakes aren't usually exactly like their predecessors, are they? (Was that the right word?) Well, this one was. Exactly like My Favorite Wife, I mean.

Ellen Arden (Day) was marooned on an island for 5 years, and presumed dead by her husband Nick (Garner). Nick falls in love again with Bianca (Bergman), and wanting to get married, has a judge declare Ellen legally dead, and then 2 minutes later, has the same judge marry he and his new wife. What Nick doesn't know, though, is that Ellen has been rescued from her island the very day he had her declared dead. Ellen arrives at home, only to find her mother-in-law watching her two young daughters while her husband has left on his honeymoon. Her mother-in-law tells her to go surprise her husband and his new wife.

This is basically a screwball comedy. I didn't like the story too much though, since I hate stories where the mother or the father isn't there for the kids' childhoods, or something like that. I tend to take those more seriously, and this just isn't funny to me. Plus, I've never liked screwball comedies, anyway.

All in all, it was ok. Watch it for the dreaminess of James Garner! I need to watch more of his old ones.

It Happened to Jane, 1959

Director: Richard Quine

Stars: Doris Day, Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs

I seriously love this movie.

Jane Osgood (Day), a widowed mother of two living in a small New England town, raises and sells lobsters for a living. When the Eastern and Portland Railroad fails to deliver her lobsters on time, as she paid them to do, the result is a load of dead lobsters. She and her friend George Denham (Lemmon), also her lawyer, begin to fight the big corporation, which is run by Scrooge-like Harry Foster Malone (Kovacs).

It's a classic David-vs-Goliath story. With romance and small town charm.

This is on my "to-buy" list. It's definitely worth owning! Best marriage proposal scene ever!