Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here…

“`A major star in cinema, Doris Day was a once-in-a-generation vocalist and THE advocate for four-legged creatures. Her multi-faceted career is comparable to the work of Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, Debbie Reynolds, Marilyn Monroe, and Dean Martin. Plus, Doris had a wholesome image her entire life. The running joke attributed to Groucho Marx and actor-composer Oscar Levant was that they had known Day before she was a virgin.

“`At a young age, Day began singing along with Ella Fitzgerald, studying the crooner and the subtleties of her voice. She had performed at a Cincinnati radio station, then a nightclub, and then, in New York. A bandleader changed her name to Day (from Kappelhoff) after she had a smash with Day after Day. Doris became the featured vocalist with Les Brown’s band.

“`Jack Carson discovered Doris, and championed her effort to begin a film career. Day initially worked at Warner Brothers. What followed was a litany of box office success, that included leading men, such as Kirk Douglas, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, James Cagney, James Stewart, Clark Gable, James Garner and of course, Rock Hudson. Her roles included: Romance on the High Seas, April in Paris, Calamity Jane, Young at Heart, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Love Me or Leave Me, On Moonlight Bay,  That Touch of Mink,  Teacher’s Pet, The Pajama Game,  Pillow Talk,  Move Over Darling, Tea For Two, With Six You Get Eggroll,  The Glass Bottom Boat, and Please Don’t Eat the Daisies.

“`An accomplished singer, Day recorded two tunes that earned an Academy Award for Best Song… Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera) and Secret Love.  Other hits included It’s Magic, Sentimental Journey,  Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered, Everybody Loves a Lover and Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps. When her screen career ended, she turned to television with her wildly popular sitcom, The Doris Day Show, which ran for five years.

“`Her personal life was marred with some controversy. Her son, Terry Melcher became a songwriter and record producer, working with such stars as The Beach Boys. He was also famous for an aspiring musician he turned down, Charles Manson. When Manson and his followers embarked on their murderous rampage in 1969, they headed for a house once owned by Melcher, and instead killed actress Sharon Tate and her guests. Day also stood together with longtime pal, Rock Hudson, as it became public he was dying from AIDS.

“`The Humane Society of the United States, of which,  the Doris Day Animal League is an affiliate, praised Day as a pioneer in animal protection. This became the badge of honor she proudly carried. Day received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.  And in 2011, she was given a lifetime achievement honor from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.                                            DORIS DAY –>

“`Turner Classic Movies will offer a thirteen-movie tribute to the iconic actress on June 9th. The retrospective will include a Johnny Carson interview of Day on The Tonight Show that took place in 1976.

“`From 1951-1966, motion picture exhibitors picked her one of the most popular stars in the nation in their annual poll. A monumental entertainer of the twentieth century, Doris Day was ninety-seven.

Until next time>                              “never forget”

This entry was posted on Monday, May 13th, 2019 at 4:43 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Bookmark this post: