Move Over Darling

[Johnny]

This insightful passage in Tom Santropietro' s book , Considering Doris Day speaks to the production values in Mive Over Darling:

"Doris' follow-up film, 1963's Move Over Darling, reteamed her with James Garner. Directed by Michael Gordon (Pillow Talk), Move Over Darling is the last of Day's A-list pictures, a film, whatever its' merits, whose production values are at least worthy of the biggest star in town. After this film, cheap production values and second-rate scripts unfortunately became the order of the day. It is as if all the verve of Day's film career left with the last frame of Move Over Darling ."

[jmichael]

I remember MOD getting a huge promotional push from 20th Century Fox and it was touted in the press as the big Christmas film of the year. Given its tragic history with Marilyn, Dean and Cyd originally cast in the leading roles and then resurrected a year later with the number one box-office star taking over Marilyn's role, MOD was embraced by the public. I think it ranked among the Top Ten Box Office Films of 1963.

This was a time when movie stars mattered and they sold tickets. Doris was perhaps unique among other female stars in that she had established herself as the top romantic comedy leading lady and she had hit him after hit film to prove it. Others dabbled in that lane - Shirley MacLaine, Debbie Reynolds, Shirley Jones, Mitzi Gaynor, etc. - but they didn't draw crowds like Doris. As James Garner said, Doris was the Fred Astaire of comedy and anyone worth their salt looked good when they were paired with her.

[Peter Flapper]

Hi Michael & Johnny,

Move Over Darling is one of the films I will put on when I'm down, it always cheers me up. There are so many funny situations and mistaken identities. For me, the scene in the hotel on the balcony with the hedge is one of the most funny parts of the film and the car wash scene. A fun film, with a sad MM history. I have seen footage of Marilyn and she did a great job there. But if I have remembered correctly for the cast and crew it was hard working. Move Over Darling still holds up today. Thank you for all the extra information!!!

Greetings,

Peter

[howard]

Move Over, Darling, no matter how many times I've seen it, never fails to make me laugh. I love the scene where Doris takes Wally Cox to meet Garner. DD's expressions in that scene are priceless.

[jmichael]

Me too, Howard, but I think you meant Don Knotts, right?

I think the MOD supporting cast was better than what I've seen in the rough footage they assembled of SGTG, especially Don Knotts over Wally Cox. The department store scene with Doris and Knotts is funnier than the one with Marilyn and Wally. Bergen plays Bianca broadly but I loved how game she was for the physical comedy. Her scene with Doris as the masseuse is hilarious. The one supporting cast member I wish they had kept was Tom Tryon as Stephen Burkett. I could never see Chuck Connors posing any threat to James Garner in a manly man contest.

[Johnny]

In David Kaufman's book on Doris Day, the following passage describes James Garner's commentary in working with Doris Day:

"I think Doris is a very sexy lady, who doesn't know how sexy she is. That's an Iintegral part of her charm , Garner explained. One other thing about acting with Doris-- she was the Fred Astaire of comedy. Whether it was Rock Hudson or Rod Taylor or me or whoever - we all looked good because we were dancing with Clara Bixby ...Making a movie with Doris was a piece of cake."

[Johnny]

Variety Review on Move Over Darling
December 31 - 1963

By Variety Staff

" Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue is the the nature of Move Over Darling, a reproduction of the 1940 romantic comedy My Favourite Wife, which costarred Cary Grant and Irene Dunne."

It's complicated history is revealed in the writing credit; screenplay by Hal Kanter and Jack Sher based on a screenplay by Bella Spewackand Samuel Spewack from a story by Bella Spewack, Samuel Spewack and Leo McCarey.

" The old is the basic yarn about the guy who remarried five years after his first wife is thought to have perished only to have his first wife turn up alive and kicking at the outset of the honeymoon.
The new are chiefly lackluster embellishments tagged on. The borrowed to cite one example , is a telephone sequence that owes more than a little something to Shelley Berman . The' blue' isn't of a really offensive nature.

Doris Day and James Garner play it to the hilt, comically, dramatically, and last, but not least ( particularly in the case of the former), athletically. What is missing in their portrayals is a light touch - #the ability to humorously convey with a subtle eyelash- bat or eyebrow -arch what it tends to take them a kick in the shins to accomplish.

Others of prominence in the cast are Polly Bergen as the sexually- obsessed second wife (it's never really much of a contest between her and Day). Thelma Ritter as the understanding mother-in-law and Chuck Connors as the male animal who shared the small island hunk of real estate alone with Day for five years.

[scooter]

Many funny scenes and I liked Polly Bergen as the 3rd side of the Triangle...not a great fan of Chuck Connors...and I always thought more could have been made of that role..but not with Chuck..

I also wasn't overly keen on most of Doris ' Moss Mabrey wardrobe...or the hair styles not to mention "that wig"!!

But I like the movie overall...and it was certainly streets ahead of a lot of what was to follow.