Caprice

[Jas1]

Thanks for the pictures, wonderful.

[dayniac]

I love that little candid of Doris and Marty -- neat !
Thanks for all the great pics !
Toni

[lab]

Maybe, I am giving away my age, but I was a teenager when Caprice first came out; Doris Day movies were just starting to be shown on evening or late evening (network) television, and that is when I first saw it, probably about 3 years after it was made. I remember it being funny and scary at times. Later I saw it shown in the afternoon on TV, and it was butchered for time constraints. I remember being really mad. Recently I saw it was available on DVD, so I have ordered it. I probably should have waited to post until after I have watched it; I am really curious if my teenage perspective will be that much different from my older adult perspective.
I agree that Doris gave her all for the movie, as she did with every movie she made. A real class act always.

[John M]

Hi Lab! Welcome to the forum! It's a great place devoted to a great talent.

I'll be curious to see what you think of the movie now. It's grown on me over the years and I think it's a bit unfairly maligned. I was just thinking that I loved Doris' look in this film. I wouldn't have wanted it for every film, but it was a nice change and very "mod."

Anyway, the dvd looks beautiful (a very nice transfer) and has some cool extras on it.

[John M]

Also, I've never believed the role-switching story. I had a friend who had many old scripts in his collection, including an early one for Caprice dated sometime in summer 1965 (either June or July) and the characters were as they are in the final film, although Doris' character's name was Phyllis.

Also, it makes no sense to believe that Marty Melcher would purchase and develop a property for his wife who was that year the #1 box office champ, and have her play the second banana. The Chris character appears only about 2/3 of the time that Patricia does. The deal was made for them in 1965, so Doris was still the reigning box office champ (for 1964) since it wouldn't be until the 1965 Quigley poll was published the following February (1966) that she would drop behind Julie Andrews.

At that time, being #1 for 3 years straight, Marty would NEVER have rocked the boat by changing the formula: Doris was always the victim, the character who was "done unto," never the deceiver in the films. That was a staple ingredient of them. And always the top lead.

I'm not sure why Richard Harris always says such outrageous things about so many of his films. I think there was a little imp in him (in addition to A LOT of alcohol!) And of course, it flies with a lot of people who don't realize how far in advance scripts are written and deals are made. People think this was made while Doris was tumbling off the box office perch, but far from it. Ray Aghayan had actually designed 3 entire wardrobes for the film which Doris had rejected before they settled on the final one, and the costume tests for that one were all done in March 1966.

[Theodomus]

Sorry, but what DID Harris say about the movie?

[John M]

Oh, he was the one who said that Doris insisted on switching parts and playing the one that was intended for him.

[Theodomus]

Oh.... No, I can't really believe that.... Can you imagine Richard Harris to tell the agent to take off his pants oder doing Doris's part at the restaurant?

[Daisy June]

I know this was not a favorite of a lot of her fans and I know it wasn't Doris' either. It wasn't my favorite either but there are lots of scenes in the movie where she is so funny. The scene where she is at the movies is hilarious while in the background she is singing "Caprice". I loved it. One other scene where she is having lunch and she's making sure no one gets the secret code... she eats the potato chips to make the crackling noise, puts alka selzter in her water to make the fizz noise, the stirring of the coffee that makes a loud banging noise. So funny.

[lab]

Hi all, thanks for the welcome to the forum. I finally got the DVD of Caprice from Amazon, and watched it the other night. It has certainly held up well over time! My husband and I both enjoyed it. An unexpected bonus were the old cars--the irony is, they were all brand new at the time!! We still have a 1968 Plymouth Satellite that my husband was given in 1978, so we have a soft spot for the cars of that era.
The movie theater part and the hidden sugar microphone are still my favorite parts.
On the "controversy" about whether the movie couldn't make up its mind whether it was a comedy or spy movie, I couldn't help but think of most the James Bond movies, which had comedic elements in them. Who could ever forget the scene in the lab of "Never Say Never Again" where James Bond throws a beaker of liquid he has picked up from the counter into the face of the villain, who acts like it is burning acid; then come to find out it is James bond's urine sample! I thought that was hilarious!

[Jake Iverson]

I really liked Caprice. I thought it could have been better, but I loved the title sequence, the look of Doris (for the most part, though I was not a fan of that mustard colored dress in the Paris sequence) I loved the part where she's hanging off the deck by the pool while trying to cut that girl's hair. The movie theater scene is great. I love her facial expressions while Michael J. Pollard gropes her. Too funny

[lab]

I just wanted to mention a minor or maybe not so minor oversight in the captioning/subtitling of this film. During the movie theater sequence, Doris Day is singing (wonderfully as usual)(from the screen in the movie theater) the film's title song. The captioner put on the screen "woman singing". I can't believe the captioner did not realize that that was DD herself!!

[BabeWilliams]

I know this was not a favorite of a lot of her fans and I know it wasn't Doris' either. It wasn't my favorite either but there are lots of scenes in the movie where she is so funny. The scene where she is at the movies is hilarious while in the background she is singing "Caprice". I loved it. One other scene where she is having lunch and she's making sure no one gets the secret code... she eats the potato chips to make the crackling noise, puts alka selzter in her water to make the fizz noise, the stirring of the coffee that makes a loud banging noise. So funny.

I just watched this movie. I rated it Good. I liked it, but it wasn't at the top of my list. I also liked those parts Carol.

[Haymarketaddict]

I watched CAPRICE yesterday with Marion on the phone
WELL - it is NOT my kind of movie .. and I most probably wouldn't have watched it if Doris' hadn't been in it - but she's in and - so its a good movie *lol*. Some scenes were fun - others just plain silly - but overall I enjoyed it. On the contrary to Marion I LOVED her dresses (the hats I wasn't to mad about) - I wish I could wear that stuff - I love it
I don't think she had any chemistry with Richard Harris .... and that made the lovestory not really believable to me - and I kinda got mixed up with the plot so Marion had to explain it to me occasionally. Oh well - as I said - Doris is in it - enough for me to like it

[webmaster]

Richard Harris also said that Doris "wore clothes that were too young for her" in the film. I think, as a result of this and other comments he made, he was asked to 'clear' any further comments with her production company, Arwin. So he stopped making comments!

I read in "The Untold Story" that Doris & Marty thought they were getting Sean Connery and that she didn't know who Richard Harris was when she first met him. This is a bit hard to believe though.
Another recent book says Doris 'hated' the finished Caprice and hadn't wanted to do it in the first place.

I think Harris deserves the title "Least Involved and Convincing Leading Man in a Doris Day film".

[Haymarketaddict]

Richard Harris also said that Doris "wore clothes that were too young for her" in the film.

to young for her?? Not to me it wasn't - I thought she looked great in them. Maybe I have weird taste - but I loved almost everything except the hats and the white/black glasses

[lab]

I agree with Haymarketaddict; I thought her clothes were wonderful. They have actually held up well over time.

[Debbi Austen]

On my copy of Caprice in the bonus material they have a radio interview with Doris and then Richard Harris.
Doris said she was thrilled to work with Richard Harris, and liked his work. She really liked a film he was in called The Sporting Life. She said the clothes were "fun".

[sunnygail]

You know this movie did have its moments, I liked the way it spoofed the bond movies. It surprises me that doris didnt like it at all. It was typical late 60s weird. lol I liked it and rated it good. Bill

[ellenarden]

I'm one of the people who rated this movie as poor. I was able to see Doris' last five movies at the theater when they were released. Even then, as a young, impressionable movie novice, I thought this move was awful. I agree with everyone that Miss Day gave a stellar performance given what she had to work with. Richard Harris, while a fine actor, was a poor choice for a leading man for Miss Day. There was little, if any, chemistry. I've also never been a fan of over-the-top comedy. And, this movie certainly has a lot of that.

This movie was also my first experience in seeing Edward Mulhare, who I would later come to adore as Captain Daniel Gregg. I was fortunate enough to meet Mr Mulhare when he was in Hershey (PA) with a touring company of "My Fair Lady". He was very kind, gave me a sweet kiss and had the most incredible icy-blue eyes.

[CokieCola]

I agree with Haymarketaddict; I thought her clothes were wonderful. They have actually held up well over time.

If the clothes were too young for Doris, they were also too young for many other American women at that time! I don't think she was dressed all that differently from most other women of her age group at that time. Everything was beginning to move toward the mod scene, and it wasn't just young women that moved that direction.

[Debbi Austen]

Love the extended trailer, Bryan.

[pillowtalk]

The entire movie is online here:
http://www.hulu.com/caprice

YAY!!
I just found it toDAY!

[suzie]

I agree with Ray, I am a Caprice junkie as well.lol I adore the picture of Marty sound asleep in his chair on the set and Doris grinning at him. Its cute. Could have been his on coming heart condition that made him so tired . Bless his heart. Doris and Marty always seem to enjoy each other,alot of smiles between them.

[littlepinetree]

I don't know if this is true, but I read that Caprice is Doris' least favorite movie.
I watched the movie. It's not my favorite, but I enjoyed it. I am a Paris junkie, so any movie taken place in Paris, I like watching. However, on the credits, it said that the movie was filmed in the USA. The magic of Hollywood! It was fun watching Doris play such a different roll. I'm glad I saw it.
I rated the movie, "Good."