Move Over Darling

[Johnny]

Move Over Darling is a joyous film experience from beginning until end. Here are the DVD notes:

Front Cover:
Doris Day, James Garner, Polly Bergen

She's Married to HIM
He's Married to HER
and it's sheer bedlam from morning till night

Co-starring Thelma Ritter, Fred Clark, Don Knotts, Elliott Reid and Chuck Connors

Back Cover:
Wild! Wacky! Hilarious!

"Say I Do to madcap comedy and exuberant farce" (Film Daily) in this feel-good romp about one groom, two wives, and one delightfully daffy honeymoon!Starring Doris Day, James Garner, and Polly Bergen, Move Over Darling is "a funny, funny film", (Hollywood Reporter)!
Five years after losing his first wife, Ellen, (Day), at sea, Nick,(Garner) is finally ready to have her declared legally dead, get married, settle down to a peaceful second marriage! But wedded bliss becomes marital mayhem when Ellen turns up alive-with a hilarious, hair-brained scheme to win back her husband, put a stop to the honeymoon, and give first love a second chance....at happily ever-after!

Special Features:
*The Amazing Road To Move Over Darling featurette
*Doris vs. Marilyn Featurette
*A Conversation with Polly Bergen Featurette
*Photo Gallery
*D.W. Griffith's Enoch Arden and Part 2 the 1911 film based on the original poem which inspired Move Over Darling
*Restoration Comparison

Viewing Move Over Darling recently, I really appreciated the supporting characters immense contributions. I recalled how funny Fred Clark was in the scenes with Betty Grable in How To Marry A Millionaire, Elliott Reid with Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and the brilliant Thelma Ritter in Pillow Talk.
There are so few comedies today that have this wealth of talent that take a film to a superior level of entertainment.
Move Over Darling is a timeless classic that always raises the spirits.

[howard]

The critics were mixed on this one, but I love it!

[Musiclover]

So do I, Howard. Such clever situations and snappy dialogue; makes me smile just to think of them. The courtroom scene near the end is priceless.

[Johnny]

In David Kaufman's book, it states a number of writers worked on what would eventually become the final draft of Move Over Darling. The first version was written by Edmund Hartmann in 1960, with the title Do It Again. Renamed Something's Gotta Give it was revised by Arnold Schulman in November, and again by Nunnally Johnson--one of the most prolific and successful writer-producer-directors Hollywood would ever know--the following February. Martin Melcher recruited Jack Sher to work on the screenplay early in 1963. The New York Times reported that the script was "altered to suit" Day by reverting to elements of the Irene Dunne and Cary Grant version.

[Jas1]

I know it is unfair to compare MOD with Something's Got to Give [unfinished by far] - however, in the scenes one can compare, MOD is [in my view] far superior re script and acting - not just DD - even the Adam character etc. I wonder if Something's - had planned to have a mother in law character and who would have played the part?

[Musiclover]

I agree, Jas . . . and can't imagine anyone other than Thelma Ritter as the mother-in-law. Like Doris, she was a consummate actress.

[Jas1]

Watched this film again this morning- first in a long time- forgot how good it really is and how much I like it.

My only [slight] criticism is Doris' clothes [def not up to par compared to other classic creations done for her around this time] and the wigs - which have been discussed at length before [including the lack of continuity].

Doris looks fab in many scenes - but in some not so [wonder were these the scenes filmed by the first cinematographer]? Some of the wigs aren't too bad, e.g. part of the scene on the balcony where Doris and James are reunited at the hotel.

Hindsight is a great thing but when Doris used her own hair - e.g. at the pool side when Nick takes her to expose Adam - the style and look is beautiful - and ironically, the best hair style for me is the one post-car wash - it is a very modern look.

Anyhow, there is so much more to applaud than to criticise in this wonderful film - I love it.

[Peter Flapper]

Hi all,

Feeling depressed: Watch "Move Over Darling".

It helped me a lot through the years!

P

[Johnny]

Move Over Darling is one of my top favourite Doris Day films. It was a box office smash, ranking at #6 money earner at the box office according to Film Facts.

Move Over Darling was released on Christmas day 1963. I recall laughing so hard at the opening scene with the judge (Edgar Buchanan), growing increasingly irritable (Polly Bergen's nosy bangles) and then all the confusion again in the closing scene. Perhaps the scene with Doris giving Polly Bergen a massage is my favourite comedic scene. The scenes with Thelma Ritter are comedic gems.

There are beautiful tender scenes such as Doris seeing her children for the first time in seven years.

I recall coming out of the theater with friends feeling exhilarated while laughing and talking excitedly about Move Over Darling.

The true value of a film is in the memories they leave behind and how we feel when we recall them. Move Over Darling leaves memories of joy.

[Jas1]

I agree Johnny - it is a wonderful film.

[howard]

Same here. I never tire of it - makes me laugh every time.

By the way, it's the only Day film I've never seen on the big screen = long story.

[Peter Flapper]

Hi Howard,

Lucky you... you've seen the rest... Never had the change to see Doris on any big screen...
Only on my old tv set...

P

[Johnny]

Peter, I hope a movie and theater near you will bring back special screenings of the classic Hollywood films of the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Seeing a classic movie on the big screen enhances the pleasure and makes the experience special.

A good example of a classic film that needs to be seen on the big screen is Gone With The Wind.

I hope you get to see Doris in Love Me or Leave Me or The Man Who Knew Too Much in a movie theater. If you get the opportunity, please let us know how it makes you feel.

[Jas1]

I've only seen the following DD films on the big screen:-

1. Pillow Talk;
2. Man who knew too much.
3. Pajama Game.
4. Calamity Jane.

[Peter Flapper]

Hi all,

Off topic, I know, only seen "Casablanca" on the big screen... It was a great thrill to watch this classic with other viewers, knew the movie already, but it made a big impact again on the big screen (great to see S.Z. Sakall before he went into the musicals with Doris almost 6 years later, still the same looks and actions as in Romance/My Dream/Tea/Lullaby) Don't think in the near future there will be a Doris Day film on the big screen around here... Classic films are mostly out of fashion here, people don't care for them anymore it seems. We always get a lot of repeats from the same 1980/1990/2000/till now films.

Well I will keep on dreaming… "Love Me Or Leave Me" or "Move Over Darling" on the big screen... Maybe… One… Day.

P

[Johnny]

In the book The Doris Day Scrapbook by Alan Gelb, there is an interesting passage in the form of a letter from director of Move Over Darling Michael Gordon to the author that describes what it was like to work with Doris Day.
It reads:
"She was enormously talented, hard -working and cooperative... One of the things I remember with a special pleasure and admiration is the unswerving dedication to truth that characterized her approach to comedy. It was her own unique comedic truth, to be sure, but it was comparable in its' own terms to the kind of emotional truth that she was able to draw on so movingly in films like The Man Who Knew Too Much and Midnight Lace. Her protracted crying sequence in Pillow Talk, for example was funny not because she acted, as many comedians do, absurdly, but because of her genuine emotional involvement in what the audience saw as an absurd situation.

That kind of involvement yielded in Move Over Darling a wonderfully surprising and delightful ad-lib. Visualize Doris trapped in a car wash in a convertible with the top down, doused with detergent foam and drenched with spray. Then suddenly as the terrifying revolving cylinder of brushes is inexorably bearing down on her, over the horrendous din you hear her cry out faintly, in poignant deaspiration ," My hair!!!"
The screenwriters and I wished we'd thought of something like that. Doris spontaneously did frequently. "

[Musiclover]

Nice recollection from director Gordon, Johnny. Other directors have used "hard-working" and "cooperative" when describing Doris.

[jmichael]

Agree with Judy.

Gordon's comments reinforce what Tony Randall said about her: she was a natural. That word is bandied about a bit too freely sometimes, but it applied in spades with Doris. There was no Stanislavksi method acting going on. No holy grail of acting tips to cling to or an on-set acting coach to please. Doris didn't have to attend Actor's Studio classes or sidle up to Lee Strasburg to garner a "serious actress" reputation. It all came from within and she was smart to trust her instincts.

I rest my case.

Michael

[howard]

"Move Over Darling" airs tonight on TCM - 5:00 p.m. PST and 8:00 p.m. EST. Funny, funny movie!

[Johnny]

In David Kaufman's book on Doris, there is a truly interesting commentary from James Garner on working with Doris on Move Over Darling.

"Whenever Garner spoke about working with Day, he would emphasize how different she was from the girl-next-door image she sustained. "You can't miss with a girl like that",he once said. "I'd rather have Doris than Liz Taylor. Everything Doris does turns to box-office gold. And she is not at all the wholesome, malt-drinking, all-American girl everyone supposed".

"I think Doris is a very sexy lady who doesn't know how sexy she is. That's an integral part of her charm, Garner explained. "One other thing about working with Doris-- she was the Fred Astaire of comedy.....we all looked good because we were dancing with Clara Bixby .....Making a movie with Doris was a piece of cake".

[JayWint]

Continued our Doris film watching last night with this one. Unlike Day-Niven, Day-Garner clicked and it showed on screen. An enjoyable movie with Edgar Buchanan particularly funny as the judge. Plenty of laughs and quite entertaining overall.

[Johnny]

Today we celebrated a Covid - Halloween by watching Doris Day in Move Over Darling. No matter how many times I see this film , there are so many moments of joy to appreciate. From the hilarious opening in the court scene with Edgar Buchanan to Doris giving a Swedish massage to Polly Bergen to Doris driving through the car wash to a closing scene back in the courtroom. Move Over Darling showcases Doris' brilliant comedy skills, especially physical comedy.

Doris' scenes with the children are heartfelt and tender. These scenes ground the film.

The scenes with Thelma Ritter delight. I would have liked to see more of her. She is outstanding in everything she does.

For anyone who has not seen Move Over Darling in some time; it is well worth seeing again . Doris looks radiant in the film.

The film was originally titled Something's Gotta To Give as a movie starring Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin and Cyd Charise.

In Tom Santopietro's book, Considering Doris Day it states about Marilyn :
" When Monroe's existing footage from Something's Gotta Give was pieced together in 2005 in order to give a glimpse of what might have been, the resulting one hour of footage proved both facinating and as bit heartbreaking. Monroe no longer had the fortitude to withstand a grueling production schedule and the remaining footage shows an etherally beautiful , vulnerable, and nearly broken star".

[Johnny]

Movie Trivia -Move Over Darling


The movie Ellen (Doris Day) describes to Bianca (Polly Bergen), while giving her a massage is My Favourite Wife, (1940), of which this was a remake.


Doris Day proved what a trouper she truly was when James Garner accidentally cracked 2 of her ribs (during the massage scene), when he pulls her off (Polly Bergen ). Garner wasn't even aware that Day was injured until the next day, when he felt the bandage while putting his arms around her.

When Bianca is helping Nicholas out of the car and into the house, (Nicholas pretending to have hurt his back ), the jacket Bianca is wearing is the same pattern/material as one of Marilyn Monroe's dresses from Something Got To Give, (1962), - specifically Marilyn's dress when she first comes home and sees her children in the pool (on which this film's script is based.

The car Doris Day drives and goes through the car wash is a 1963 Chrysler Imperial...only 531 '63 Imperial Crown convertibles were built in 1963.

[Johnny]

Move Over Darling Production History

In Tom Santopietro's book Considering Doris Day , the following passage references the history of the film Move Over Darling.

"The production history of Move Over Darling is one of the more interesting in Hollywood History. Originally intended as a starting vehicle for Marilyn Monroe titled Something's Gotta Give, production on the film was scrapped when Monroe's emotional fragility caused her to be fired from the George Cukor film. Months later the script reemerged as Move Over Darling starring Doris Day. (When Monroe's existing footage from Something Gotta Give was pieced together in 2005 in order to give a glimpse of what might have been. The resulting
one hour of footage proved both facinating and a bit heartbreaking. Monroe no longer had the fortitude to withstand a grueling production schedule and the remaining footage shows an ethereally beautiful, vulnerable, and nearly broken star".


Originally, I intended to post Bosley Crowther's
NYT 1963 review of Move Over Darling. I realized it was posted on February 25 -2006 by Ralph on the Doris Day Forum.

Crowther appears to have a mean spirited negative tone when reviewing Doris Day films. He rarely compliments Doris' performances ,(exception - Pillow Talk).

The Box office for Move Over Darling grossed $12,705,882 in the United States becoming one of the biggest hits of the year and helping keep 20th Century Fox afloat after the losses it had incurred in the making of Cleopatra. Move Over Darling earned $6milliom in U.S. theatrical rentals.
Obviously The Move Over Darling audience found a great deal more to appreciate than critic Bosley Crowther.

[Johnny]

There have been many posts on Marty Melcher 's influence on Doris' career. In David Kaufman 's book there is another interesting passage on Marty while Doris was making Move Over Darling.

"By failing to adapt to the revolutionary changes engulfing both the music and film worlds in the early 1960's , the backward looking Melcher squandered what might have been his wife's ongoing career in both realms. As shrewd as he had been in managing Day's career during the past two decades , Melcher conservative at heart, failed to keep up sith the changing times"

A press release for Move Over Darling presented a positive spin on Melcher increasing control of interviews wìth his wife. " He makes her contacts, intimate or slightl , swear what they are what he describes as, "areas of sensitivity ", which are not to be touched upon in conversation.The protective cocoon of hard-shelled devotion leaves Doris completely free to work on her pictures- the thing chr likes to do most and best. "

"The release written by Don Prince was surprisingly candid. "Those that say that Miss Day is the girl-next-door on a golden treadmill don't know their Day. She is plagued by insecurity stemming from emotional trauma sustained in her past. She hates to make decisions, and will call Marty to ask him such trivial questions, as to what dress to wear to dinner, but she is a compulsive worker."

It is difficult to understand the statement about Doris' difficulty making decisions when it was clear that her decision making in acting, music and her leadership on the Doris Day Show was evidently strong.