Your Top 10 Doris films

[webmaster]

I know we've done this before in some form or another but, hey, it's summer and it's too hot to think!
I thought about 'Your Top 5 or - 7', but 10 is a bit more to think about. I'll start it off - can I suggest you don't think about it too much and just see what comes to mind. Here goes:

Calamity Jane
Lucky Me
On Moonlight Bay
Pillow Talk
Love Me or Leave Me
The Pajama Game
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Midnight Lace
Send Me No Flowers
Jumbo

If I thought about it harder I'd probably choose some others but I really like all of these films.
We can compare choices later.

[pillowtalk]

Great topic!

1. Pillow Talk
2. Calamity Jane
3. Midnight Lace
4. Please Don't Eat the Daisies
5. On Moonlight Bay
6. Lucky Me
7. Lover Come Back
8. The Pajama Game
9. Move Over Darling
10. By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Pretty much changes by the week, but this is what comes to mind.

[mikeydv]

1. Love Me or Leave Me
2. Romance on the High Seas
3. My Dream is Yours
4. Young at Heart
5. Calamity Jane
6. Pajama Game
7. Pillow Talk
8. The Man Who Knew Too Much
9. Midnight Lace
10. It Happened to Jane

[Jas1]

1/ Pillow Talk;
2. Pajama Game;
3. Teacher's Pet;
4. Love me or Leave Me;
5. Thrill of it all;
6. Man Who Knew too Much;
7. Young at Heart;
8. Calam Jane;
9. Glass Bottom Boat;
10.Romance on the High Seas.

[daybyday08]

1. pillow talk
2. please don't eat the daises
3. the man who knew too much
4. send me no flowers
5. my dream is yours
6. love me or leave me
7.lucky me
8. i'll see you in my dreams
9. midnight lace
10. with six you get egroll

[webmaster]

It's fun - and interesting - seeing people's choices.

[melancholy]

1/The thrill of it all
2/Calamity Jane
3/Jumbo
4/Kove me or leave me
5/On Moonlight bay
6/Glass bottom boat
7/Pillow talk
8/Please don' eat the daisies
9/Send me no flowers
10/Young at heart

[jmichael]

1. Love Me or Leave Me
2. Pillow Talk
3. Lover, Come Back
4. Pajama Game
5. Calamity Jane
6. Teacher's Pet
7. Move Over, Darling
8. Romance on the High Seas
9. My Dream Is Yours
10. The Thrill of it All

Runners Up: Daisies, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Young at Heart, Jumbo! and Glass Bottom Boat

[BabeWilliams]

Oh fun fun!!

1) The Pajama Game (duh!)
2) Move Over Darling (my first film!!)
3) Please Don't Eat The Daisies
4) Midnight Lace
5) Young At Heart
6) Send Me No Flowers
7) With Six You Get Eggroll
I'll See You In My Dreams
9) That Touch Of Mink
10) The Tunnel Of Love

[webmaster]

That's the first time "The Tunnel of Love" has appeared on the list - not generally seen as one of her top ten films - ditto "Lucky Me", chosen by 3 people, including me! It's not up there with the best musicals but I think it's a fun film and very Doris Day from her Warner's musicals period. Everyone mentions "Pillow Talk", which has to be in her top 3, I think, except Megan - - explain!

And another 'essential' Doris film, "Calamity Jane", is not mentioned by the two youngest members of the forum, Dominique and Megan. I wonder why?

You can also add your top three if you like and I would say it would have to be her three 'signature' films:
Pillow Talk
Calamity Jane
Love Me or Leave Me

You may have different ideas!

[BabeWilliams]

Well for my birthday my grandma got me that TCM box set thing, and The Tunnel Of Love is in it so I've been watching it a lot and love it!! I didn't add Pillow Talk because I like some of her other movies better at the moment, but like everyone else the list does change every so often. So it's been in my top 10, it just isn't right now. Same with Calamity Jane.

Instead of top 3, I'm going to do the top 3 DD films everyone should watch

1) Pillow Talk
2) Love Me Or Leave Me
3) Calamity Jane

Just realized that's exactly what Mr.Webmaster said..

[webmaster]

he-he - and in the same order!

Chronological, it should be
Calamity Jane
Love Me or Leave Me
Pillow Talk

[mikeydv]

IF you omit ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS and MY DREAM IS YOURS, you completely eliminate when the "magic" all began!!!

[unadka]

Love me or leave me
Calamity Jane
I'll see you in my dreams

Pillow talk
Young man with a horn
Lullaby of Broadway
With six you get eggroll
Pajama game
Young at heart
Teacher's pet

It isn't easy to make only top ten list.
Nada

[daybyday08]

And another 'essential' Doris film, "Calamity Jane", is not mentioned by the two youngest members of the forum, Dominique and Megan. I wonder why?

I know, I know. I love Calamity Jane when I do watch it but it never comes to my mind as a favorite. I think because I don't own it yet. That would be why its not in my mind as one of my favorites. I suppose to me I don't find it an " essential". I think if you see Pillow Talk, The Man Who Knew Too Much/ Love me or Leave me & then an early Warner Brothers musical you basically have seen Doris in the best possible worlds. That's just my opinion though. = ]

[BabeWilliams]

Love me or leave me
Calamity Jane
I'll see you in my dreams

Pillow talk
Young man with a horn
Lullaby of Broadway
With six you get eggroll
Pajama game
Young at heart
Teacher's pet

It isn't easy to make only top ten list.
Nada

I'm glad to see someone else mentioning With Six You Get Eggroll, I love that movie!!

[Bixby]

Romance on the High Seas
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Calamity Jane
Lucky Me
Teacher's Pet
Pillow Talk
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Touch of Mink
For the Thrill of It All
The Glass Bottom Boat

[webmaster]

No one has mentioned - from her final films:

Caprice
Do Not Disturb
The Ballad of Josie
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?

Could this be because we don't think they are her best?

[Bixby]

I keep adding to my list of favorites as I see them, but I have not seen three of the four newer ones mentioned.

[melancholy]

Top 3 is fun..
1/Calamity Jane
2/Pillow Talk
3/Love me or leave me

[BabeWilliams]

No one has mentioned - from her final films:

Caprice
Do Not Disturb
The Ballad of Josie
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?

Could this be because we don't think they are her best?

I do like all those mentioned, except of course The Ballad Of Josie. I really did like her later films, only one made my top 10 though.

[puck]

Love this topic.

1. On Moonlight Bay.
2. Calamity Jane.
3. Love me or leave me.
4. Julie.
5. The man how knew too much
6. Pillow Talk.
7. Move over Darling.
8. The Thrill of it all.
9. Do not Disturb.
10. The Glass bottom boat.
11. Caprice.

[jmichael]

No one has mentioned - from her final films:

Caprice
Do Not Disturb
The Ballad of Josie
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?

Could this be because we don't think they are her best?

Well, they are terrible films to be honest about it.

Pop culture took a 180 degree turn in the mid 60's when the Beatles, Vietnam, and the sexual revolution took hold. Doris needed to change with the times and pick scripts that were more relevant vs. scripts that tried to milk more money from a dated formula that no longer resonated with the public. Unfortunately, the shady business arrangement between Marty and Rosenthal became the driving force behind her movies at that point. And her film career never fully recovered.

"Caprice" is just goofy and campy enough that I find it irresistible in spite of the silly plot and the way it wavers back and forth between spy spoof and espionage drama. The spoof elements worked, but the attempts to make it more serious were disastrous. I give "Caprice" an extra 10 points for the physical comedy set pieces when Doris tries to capture that elusive lock of hair on the cliff side pool deck and at the movie theater. "Caprice" is by far the most interesting of these films.

"Do Not Disturb" arrived DOA in my opinion. There's no life in this thin comedy except for the spectacular evening gown Doris wears to the party at the end of the film. She's never looked sexier or more glamorous to my eyes. Notice my avatar? But the rest was a sad waste of her time and talent.

"Josie" is a TV movie dressed up a feature film. Nothing about it is believable except Doris' earnest defense of her character's right to earn money on her own terms and protect her animals. She is surrounded by a topnotch supporting cast, but Peter Graves is no James Garner or Rock Hudson. He isn't even in Rod Taylor's second tier league. This is a bad movie folks.

The absolute worst of the bunch was "Where Were You When The Lights Went Out." Probably the most obnoxious film of her career after "The Tunnel of Love." Neither film is flattering to Doris whatsoever. She seems to be the butt of every joke and it is to her credit that she makes portions of both films bearable.

It was really difficult to watch the queen of sophisticated romantic comedy wading in such dreck.

There are only two films from this period that I like: "Glass Bottom Boat" and "With Six You Get Eggroll."

I'm very glad the vast majority of her films were many cuts above these, but wouldn't it have been wonderful if she had found a great script at that point to provide a fitting bookend to her film career? Sweet dreams are made of this.

Michael H

[webmaster]

Good analysis, M, enjoyed reading it.

To back it up:
The Ballad of Josie: Doris described it as "nothing more than a second-rate television Western that required me to get up at four-thirty every morning."

Do Not Disturb: I think this is my least favourite Doris film. The Monthly Film Bulletin (England) proclaimed, "Doris Day has saved worse productions than this … but the material defeats everyone in the end…"
Ralph McKnight revealed, "Albert Carrier (Reynard), who danced with Doris at the party, must have fallen on hard times after this movie, for he ended up in non-sexual roles in hardcore pornographic films."

Caprice: "This is one of four films that Doris did not enjoy making. It was simply a commitment her husband had made for her. She followed through on her obligations even though she knew in her heart that the script was banal and not worth her extraordinary talents". - Derald Hendry
“Oh well, to paraphrase the old saying, another Day, another Doris. Only trouble is, it’s the same Day and the same Doris.” - New York Morning Telegraph

Where Were You When the Lights Went Out: "Doris Day indicated that this was one of the films she disliked making. It was not successful either at the box-office.. Even though she struggles valiantly trying to bring some life to this film, it was probably the worst movie she was forced to make." Derald Hendry
“Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? Is undoubtedly the worst film of her career.” - George Morris
“Unfortunately, there isn’t a moment’s worth of amusement in this messy kettle of fish. Today, the film seems so dated and remote that it is difficult to discuss.” - Alan Gelb

[Jas1]

Fully agree with Micheal H and Bryan's last post.