Thanks for very kindly agreeing to do this Q&A session for the ‘Discovering Doris’ website.

When/how did you first meet Doris’ son Terry Melcher? What are your memories of  your early days working together?
Back in 1958, the independent record label owned by Doris Day and Marty Melcher (Arwin Records) released a top ten single by Jan & Arnie (my high school friends) and the song “Jennie Lee” went to number eight on the Billboard & Cash Box charts in the US. I thought that it might be a good idea to ‘see’ what was going on at Arwin Records and somehow I was able to audition an original song of mine for the head of A&R, Joe Lubin. I was fifteen years old at the time and I knew nothing about songwriting! Mr. Lubin turned my song down but encouraged me to keep on writing. Arwin Records was located in the same office complex in Beverly Hills as all the other Doris Day businesses and that’s where I met Terry Melcher. Terry and I became friends a year later.

During the mid-1980s Doris made a return to the recording studio. How did this come about and how did you become involved?
Terry and I were young record producers at Columbia Records in the very early sixties and we always seemed to work on music together for the rest of his life. Terry was able to interest Doris in recording a few songs and I ended up co-producing part of the “My Heart” album. Terry and I wrote three of the songs together (“My Heart”, “The Way I Dreamed It” and “Happy Endings”). The album also contains two of my songs that I wrote the words and music for: “Disney Girls” & “Heaven Tonight”.

You wrote a number of new “original” songs for this project. What inspired you when writing these and which out of all of them is your favourite?
Actually, knowing that Doris ‘might’ be recording again created an opportunity for Terry and me to finish some songs that we were ‘slowly’ working on. I really like our “My Heart” song and Terry and I wrote a lot of “My Heart” at Paul Francis Webster’s home two doors down from Terry’s mom’s house in Beverly Hills. [FYI: Doris was living in Carmel at that time and Paul Francis Webster had recently passed away.]

What was the preparation before rehearsals with Doris?
Usually Doris used to rehearse with Bill Miller before recording many of her great Columbia Records albums but I think Terry worked alone with Doris on the “My Heart” album songs before she recorded them. As Terry and I are the producers of what Doris was about to record, we worked out the correct song keys with Doris beforehand and then created the backing tracks.

Did Doris get involved with the actual creative process of this project i.e. with arrangements, song choices etc?
Luckily for Terry and me, Doris was deeply involved in all aspects of her “My Heart” album. Say no more!

What was it like working in the studio with Doris? Do you recall how long it took for Doris to complete her vocal work?
Because of knowing Terry all those years ago, I was able to be a young ‘fly on the wall’ at Doris Day sessions at Radio Recorders and Columbia Recorders and I was amazed at how prepared Doris was when the orchestra began playing in the studio for the run-through of the song(s) about to be recorded. Her seemingly effortless vocal recording was astounding and so natural sounding. When we recorded the “My Heart” songs, the vocals were recorded smoothly and quickly. Doris is such a pro!

What was the highlight for you of this entire project?
To know that Doris was pleased with the songs, the arrangements, and her recorded vocals.

Do you have any idea why the songs never got a “commercial” release during the 1980s?
I never thought about it other than someday these recordings would be released and shared with her worldwide fans.

As you will likely know this project is significant as it was Doris Day’s last to be completed as a recording artist. How do you feel knowing that your songs have now been given an “official” release by Sony Music UK?
I’m very proud to have contributed some of my songs to the legacy of such an important international recording artist.

In 1993, you were part of the “Doris Day Best Friends” charity event what was that experience like?
I really enjoyed watching Doris talking to her old friend, Les Brown, at the event. I only wish she could have sung one song with Les’s band (It was the Les Brown Band for the “Doris Day Best Friends” charity event). [See the above photo of Doris with Bruce taken from the 1993 event ]

Terry was a very talented man. How will you best remember him?
Terry was my best friend and he (along with Doris) encouraged me to write songs. I owe them my songwriting Grammy! Also, Terry always made me laugh a lot! Terry was a great record producer, songwriter, arranger, and he had a fantastic voice.

What did you think when you heard Doris was to get The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award?
What an honor & well deserved…..Doris Day’s singing still stops me in my tracks!

Our readers would love to know what projects you are currently involved in. So please do tell us what does the future hold for Bruce Johnston?
As a very long time member of the Beach Boys, I still spend most of the year in concert worldwide but I do plan to put a great deal of focus on writing songs for television & movies over the next ten years.

MY HEART
Label: Sony Music UK
UK Release Date: 5 September 2011
Order the CD from amazon.co.uk & amazon.de
(amazon.com also offer the CD on import)

1. Hurry, It’s Lovely Up Here (Written by Alan Jay Lerner & Burton Lane) +
2. Daydream (Written by John Sebastian) +
3. Way I Dreamed It (Written by Bruce Johnston & Terry Melcher) +
4. Heaven Tonight (Written by Bruce Johnston) +
5. My One & Only Love (Written by Robert Mellin & Guy Wood)
6. My Heart (Written by Bruce Johnston & Terry Melcher) +
7. You Are So Beautiful (Written by Billy Preston & Bruce Fisher) +
8. Life Is Just A Bowl of Cherries (Written by Ray Henderson & Les Brown)
9. Disney Girls (Written by Bruce Johnston) +
10. My Buddy (Written by Walter Donaldson & Gus Kahn)
11. Happy Endings (Bruce Johnston & Terry Melcher) +
    [Sung by Terry with introduction by Doris Day]
12. Ohio (Betty Comden, Adolph Green & Leonard Bernstein)

+ Previously Unreleased Song

Over the last 30 years, Ted Carfrae has been a prominent name on the UK and USA music scene having produced, engineered and mastered many hit records for Universal, EMI and Sony/BMG. He has to date achieved Gold and Platinum Sales Award status and worked with singers as diverse as US Seventies icon David Cassidy, Crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, the great Cilla Black, British Soul Queen Jaki Graham, Classical singer Katherine Jenkins and pop artists, Sheena Easton, Jane McDonald and Liberty X amongst many others.

In 2010, Carfrae got the green light to start work on “unfinished” recordings which GRAMMY award-winner Doris Day had cut during the mid-1980s with her late son Terry Melcher. Carfrae injected new orchestrations into the project and used his artistry and skill as an experienced record producer to create a series of sparkling recordings ready for release. A selection of the completed songs were then hand-picked by Ms. Day for inclusion on her latest album “My Heart”.

MY HEART
Label: Sony Music UK
UK Release Date: 5 September 2011
Order the CD from amazon.co.uk & amazon.de
(amazon.com also offer the CD on import)

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TED CARFRAE:

When/how did you first discover Doris?
I’ve always loved Doris Day – my mum and dad were huge fans and I remember seeing Pillow Talk when I was a kid growing up in Singapore in the early sixties, it was probably one of my first ever trips to the cinema and I’ve loved Doris ever since. Her music was always around when I was growing up so I don’t remember a time without Doris Day’s music playing, either through her films or her massive hit singles. Being asked to produce this album is truly a privilege and an honour.

What about Ms. Day do you admire most?
I admire just about everything about Doris Day, her incredible personal courage and of course her sheer talent – she is a truly gifted and unique talent as well as being a very genuine person – I like that quality best about her because what you see is what she is, she’s amazing.

How did you come to work on Doris Day’s new album project “MY HEART”?
I was initially approached by a dear friend of mine from LA called Jim Pierson, Jim and I have worked on a lot of projects together over the years and when he mentioned the possibility of working with Doris Day a couple of years ago, I happily agreed to be a part of it as it was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

What skills/expertise did you bring to the album?
My whole background as a sound engineer and producer is based around working with great vocalists and I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with and learned from some of the finest voices in music history, a diverse range of vocal styles from Ella Fitzgerald and Julie Andrews to the late, great Freddie Mercury and it really doesn’t get better than that. I also learned the tricks of the trade from incredible record producers such as George Martin [Beatles] and his sound engineer Geoff Emerick, I was like a sponge in those early days, and I still use the techniques that were passed on to me so by these legends on every album I have ever made so I guess, to answer your question, the skill and expertise I have is the experience to know instinctually, when I am faced with a perfect vocal take and then what to do with it. In a nut shell, that is what I do.

Many fans will be familiar with “unfinished” versions of the new songs which feature on “MY HEART” as they originally surfaced during the eighties on Doris’ chat show for cable TV. Please explain some of the creative and technical hurdles you had to tackle to make the recordings fit today’s “mainstream” pop market.

When Jim sent me the original mixes early on, I noticed that they were very synthesiser based and both Jim and I agreed that we wanted to change that, to strip the arrangements down and start from scratch if needed to create a more open and intimate soundscape. The first thing we did was to transfer the original 24 track master tapes to ProTools so that I could audition each single track very closely and carefully assess what needed attention. When the multitracks arrived for me to listen to, I really didn’t know what to expect but I was very clear in my mind from the outset that I didn’t want to make a record that sounded vastly different from previous Doris Day albums, while at the same time I wanted to make an album that would stand up in today’s music marketplace. Ultimately, the glue that held everything together was Doris Day’s incredibly beautiful voice and the general direction of the album was pretty much dictated by her performances. I started by listening to each vocal on its own and then I would bring in the existing elements one at a time so that I could make a decision about what did and didn’t work for me. From there I looked at the arrangements and would possibly edit those around if necessary and then I enlisted the talent of some great musicians in Nashville and the UK and we started to fill in the gaps. On some songs I decided to replace virtually all the instruments as in the case of ‘You Are So Beautiful’. The vocal was somewhat different from Doris’s earlier recordings, she was vulnerable and intimate so I wanted to preserve that intimacy and keep it very simple and understated. My pianist James Baker delivered an incredible performance and we added a new bass guitar and a single acoustic guitar.

One of the main technical hurdles I had to overcome was microphone spill. Doris recorded most of the vocals live with the musicians in the studio so she would have been behind a screen of some kind, separated to some degree but not isolated and of course her microphone would naturally pick up the other instruments in the room. On this particular track, the acoustic guitar must have been directly next to Doris because the spill on Doris’s vocal track was considerable. My task was to very carefully and painstakingly restore all the vocal tracks to eliminate as much spill as possible without touching the vocal itself, this was at times very challenging but certainly worth the hours of restoration work that took place.

Who else did you involve on the project?
My Nashville-based music partner CJ Bloggs was involved. We collaborate through my company TCM Music Group (www.tcmmusicgroup.com) and on this project we enlisted some great Nashville musicians including my long time pianist James Baker. James is simply one of the most instinctual musicians I have ever worked with and he is so versatile he can play anything I throw at him, his performances on ‘Daydream’ and the previously mentioned ‘You Are So Beautiful’ are superb. I also got to work with another mate, Hugh Burns, he is probably best known for his incredible acoustic guitar work on George Michael’s ‘Jesus To A Child’ single. Hugh is so original and gets totally absorbed in the work and he played some great guitar licks on the radio friendly lead track ‘Heaven Tonight’– it really is a hit song so I hope people will get behind it and request it on their local and national radio stations around the world.

What is your favourite new song on the album and why?
There are three favourites for me, ‘Heaven Tonight’, ‘My Heart’ and ‘You Are So Beautiful’ – if I had to choose one of the three I would probably choose ‘Heaven Tonight’ because it is so different from anything Doris has recorded before and it’s catchy and infectious. I love the arrangement and Terry and Bruce’s backing vocals are wonderful. It’s such a good song so fingers crossed that some DJ somewhere in some radio station champions the track and it becomes a massive hit, it really deserves to do well. I also have to mention in the same breath that ‘My Heart’ is so sublime that I never tire of listening to it over and over again – it’s another classic.

How is “MY HEART” different from Doris’ earlier studio albums?
I guess the one thing that makes this album different is the overall sound. This album is less orchestral and definitely has a pop influence but having said that, it is unmistakably Doris Day at her very best so this album will sit well with her back catalogue and I think there is something here for everyone.

How would you describe to reader’s the overall feel and sound of the new album?

This album has a pop influence primarily because it is less orchestra based than previous albums. I wanted to inject something fresh and contemporary while at the same time I wanted to retain the quality and richness that Doris Day records are renowned for. I think we have successfully struck the right balance and that is evidenced by the fact that the three early recordings included on the album sit so well with the new ones.

What is your proudest or happiest memory from the entire “MY HEART” project?
Without doubt this has been a real highlight in my career and I am as proud as can be to now be officially associated with Doris Day forever – how fantastic is that? It has been such an amazing experience that to isolate just one particular part is pretty much impossible but I particularly enjoyed Doris’s hands on involvement from start to finish, she chose all the songs that would be included on the album, she approved all the final mixes and mastering so to have Doris so directly involved was absolutely fantastic. For me personally, I always enjoy the final mixing stage best,I suppose it’s because all the hard work of recording and decision making is done and dusted and I can sit and relax in the studio by myself and piece everything together and bring the music to life, it really is the time when I am truly happiest and in my element.

What next for the hit producer and mastering engineer Ted Carfrae?
Good question, I of course hope to do more projects with Jim in the future but currently enjoy working with CJ promoting the TCM Music Group. Additionally, to that my mastering website (www.tcmmastering.com) is going from strength to strength because apart from working on some great music, I also get the chance to meet some wonderful up and coming artists and producers from around the world so all I can say is that I feel so blessed to have had so many wonderful opportunities come my way and look forward to the future.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank some people without whom this album would have not been possible. Firstly to Doris and Terry for recording these wonderful performances all those years ago, to Jim Pierson for having the vision and allowing me to take part, to my music partner CJ Boggs and all the brilliant musicians in the US and UK who were all as excited as I was to be involved, to Sony UK, to all the incredible artists, producers and engineers I have been lucky enough to work with over the past thirty odd years who so generously taught me everything I know about making music and finally to Paul Carfrae-Maddox without whom I would simply have no career. I am forever in your debt.

Sincere thanks to Ted Carfrae for doing this Q&A interview for “Discovering Doris”.

MY HEART
Label: Sony Music UK
UK Release Date: 5 September 2011
Order the CD from amazon.co.uk & amazon.de
(amazon.com also offer the CD on import)

TED CARFRAE’S TRACK-BY-TRACK APPRAISAL:

• HURRY IT’S LOVELY UP HERE – This song was featured in one of Doris’s 1970’s television specials and I’ve always loved the song. Here, I remixed the song especially for this album from the original multitrack masters.

• DAYDREAM – This was a huge hit for the Lovin’ Spoonful in the sixties and I think Cass Elliot also had a hit with it, it’s a great song. We re-recorded the whole backing track on this one and the band got a great vibe going.

• THE WAY I DREAMED IT – This is a song written by Terry Melcher and Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys. The original version was pretty much a demo but Doris’s vocal was perfect. We re-recorded this one at our studios in Nashville TN with my engineer CJ Boggs at the helm as always.

• HEAVEN TONIGHT – I really love this song and I’ve never grown tired of it even though I must have heard it hundreds of times during the recording and mixing process. This is one of the songs that were buried under a ton of synthesizer sounds and I was delighted to discover the wonderful rhythm tracks that lay beneath, with the exception of the new guitar parts we used the original rhythm section, with a great arrangement and impeccable vocal, this is a real departure from anything Doris has ever recorded before. I really hope this song gets to radio and becomes a huge hit for Doris and her legion of fans around the world; both she and her fans deserve it.

• MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE – I believe this is Doris’s favourite song from her early sixties duet album with André Previn. The original stereo mix had the lead vocal panned hard right so the vocal came out of the right side speaker only and this made it quite difficult to segue into the album so Jim Pierson and I decided to re-mix the song from the original master tapes and this brand new mix fits perfectly on the album.

• MY HEART – This is another Melcher/Johnston composition and it is one of my favourite songs on the album. It’s a timeless classic and Doris once again delivers one of her finest and most heartfelt vocal performances ever. It’s simply stunning and I hope the fans embrace it and request it is played on local and national radio stations because it is another potentially huge hit.

• YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL – This really is such a special track because of its simplicity featuring just bass, piano, acoustic guitar and vocal. Doris is wonderful on this song and it’s a perfect example of ‘less is more’.

• DISNEY GIRLS – I’ve always loved this song, originally a hit for the Beach Boys and this is another one that emerged and surfaced through a plethora of synthesizers. Again the vocal is perfection itself as is the arrangement with Bruce and Terry supporting Doris beautifully on backing vocals and the strings are wonderful.

• MY BUDDY/HAPPY ENDINGS – This is a very special inclusion on the album because Terry Melcher performs the song and it clearly has a special significance for Doris personally, originally recorded as a demo for Doris to record during the various recording sessions that took place in Hollywood and Santa Monica throughout 1984 and 1985, for one reason or another Doris never got around to recording it. Doris recently recorded a special spoken intro for the song that is very touching and evokes her personal feelings about the song and more importantly Terry himself.

The “Pillow Talk” gift set retails for around $70-80USDs (item #V7160) and is available now from all good toy stores across the USA and Canada (e.g. Toys R Us). It can also be ordered from amazon.com or via our special page devoted to the set which includes a VIDEO REVIEW.

Above photograph provided courtesy of Pierre Patrick

Below is an exclusive interview with Liz Grampp who is the Director of Marketing for Mattel’s Barbie Collector series:

Why was 2011 the right time for Mattel to finally pay homage to Doris Day?

Doris Day has always been a top requested doll. In 2011, Mattel has been celebrating our favorite couple – Barbie and Ken. This led us to want to celebrate other famous couples on screen romances. What could be more iconic than Doris Day / Rock Hudson in the movie Pillow Talk?

Can you tell readers a bit about what the actual process for producing this set involved and how long it took from ideas on paper to it going on sale?

It takes about a year and a half from concept to launch for a doll set such as this. First, we brainstorm internally to create the overall 2011 Collection. Then we work with partners to acquire the official licenses so we can create perfectly detailed and approved dolls. Our artists and designers at Mattel begin creating the dolls, including sculpting the faces to perfect detail, and recreating important character traits – those eyes! That smile! Our designers also research the costumes and translate them to the Barbie doll scale. Also part of this process our packaging design team works closely to bring the setting of the dolls to life, evoking best memories of the film.

Do you think Barbie would likely have been a Doris Day fan? If so, what do you think she would adore best about the Hollywood star? Also what do you think she makes of her new gown?

Barbie is absolutely a fan of Doris Day on screen and off. She loves her plucky personality, the spirited woman, making her own way in the world always with style, charm and grace. Barbie is a big fashion collector, so to have a replica of the famous Pillow Talk gown is a big fashion coup for Barbie’s closet!

Will there be any difference from the preview dolls launced at the NY Toy Fair to the ones that go on sale in July 2011? If changes were made why was this?

The dolls launched this fall match the design of the prototype dolls shown at NYTF.

Can collectors expect further fashions for their new doll being made available or indeed perhaps another doll of one of Doris’ best loved movie characters such as a ‘Calamity Jane’?

Doris Day is such an icon of film, there would always be an opportunity to expand the collection with her other best loved characters, though there is nothing currently planned for 2012.

What will the packaging be like? Does it feature any further references to the movie.

The packaging features adorable images of the film’s original promotional materials of Rock and Doris on the phone.

Now that the set is soon to be released in the USA what sort of things are you and your marketing team doing?

We have had such fun reaching out to all the Doris Dan fans! In addition to this website interview, we featured the dolls in a US radio promotion. I would love to hear what the fans of this site think of the dolls.

At what retailers will American fans be able to find the set? Also where can overseas fans purchase it?

The dolls are available at retailers such as Toys R Us, and most major online retailers. The dolls are also available at www.barbiecollector.com with shipping to the US and Canada. If the doll is not available at your local toy or collectible store, I recommend purchasing from a global online retailer or a Barbie Dealer. Barbie dealers are listed on our website and ship globally.

From your experience who do you think the set will appeal to/is aimed at?

The set is designed for Barbie Collectors who avidly spend their time collecting and displaying Barbie dolls. It is also created for the Doris Day fan, who may have a specialized interest in Doris Day or classic film memorabilia.

Do you have any final words which you’d like to express to the many, many avid Doris Day collectors out there in cyber space?

On behalf of our designers and artists at Mattel, I hope you love the dolls as much as we enjoyed creating them. I would be happy to hear your feedback! I’m also happy to welcome you to the world of Barbie collecting where we feature many classic celebrities and iconic moments, as well as fashion and fantasy dolls. To learn more, please visit us at www.barbiecollector.com.

What next for Barbie & Mattel?

We are already busy working on 2012 collections and beyond! We have more classic celebrities and both contemporary and classic films yet to come.

Thanks to Liz Grampp as well as Holly James at Mattel UK for their input on this article.

The New York City photographer and graphic designer Michael Williams was the first to snap Mattel’s ‘Barbie’ doll homage to Doris Day & Rock Hudson at the 2011 New York International Toyfair. We thought we’d invite Michael for a quick chat about his impressions of the toyfair and Mattel’s delightful dolls.

Do tell us how you got into photography and how your interest came about in photographing dolls as you do have a beautiful portfolio of work displayed at www.mawphoto.com

I was never your “normal,” or perhaps I should say “ordinary,” little boy who liked to play with action figures and toy cars in the sandbox. I got my first Barbie, Sweet 16, when I was 5 years old, and progressed to Malibu Barbie & Ken, Pretty Changes, and Superstar Barbie before selling them all off at a garage sale by the age of 10. The fact that my conservative rural parents didn’t bat an eye at their son playing with dolls, and whose mother nurtured his creativity without judgment, was indeed a rare exception to the rule most males would have encountered if they had asked for dolls on for their 5th (through 8th) birthday. As a child, I simply loved the escapist fantasy of these glamorous characters in their evening gowns going on James Bond-like adventures in their bright yellow plastic mobile home, since we couldn’t afford the A-frame Dreamhouse, back then. They were an outlet for my imagination, and I got to be the costume & set designer, hair stylist, screen writer and director, all in the confines of my small-town, Midwestern, middle-class, orange shag-rug-carpeted living room.

For those non-collectors who can’t conceive of why adults could become so involved in these dolls, I would like to point out that in 2002, The Sims became the top-selling PC game in history, attracting casual gamers and female gamers (which accounted for 50% of sales)—unusual in a market traditionally dominated by young males. The game focuses entirely on the lives of virtual people called “Sims” placing the player in control of their virtual “world”. Will Wright, the game’s designer, likes to refer to it as a “digital dollhouse.”

This desire to live a fantasy life through avatars in another medium is nothing new to mainstream popular culture. Obviously, Hollywood thrives on it, and I just hope to introduce a wider audience to the more tactile and three-dimensional pleasures of collecting and customizing such characters in the miniature scale of fashion dolls. The first time a doll resurfaced in my adult life was right before moving to New York in 1994. I was on a yearlong fellowship studying studio photography in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, when my best friend there gave me a Dutch-talking Barbie, complete with little wooden shoes. He and his boyfriend would often buy cheap playline dolls to repaint and restyle as their favorite silver screen icons, like Joan Crawford or Bettie Davis. And so I had my first introduction to grown men who play with dolls.

When I returned to the US and moved to New York, I discovered the Barbie on Madison boutique at FAO Schwarz and fell in love with 35th anniversary retro reproductions of the very first #1 ponytail Barbie dolls from 1959, and I got a couple as novelties for my bookshelf, because I love vintage 1950s and 60s film and fashions, personified by actresses like Audrey Hepburn and Doris Day. Soon what started as a whim grew into a collection that spilled over onto a second, then a third SHELF, and then a second, then a third entire CABINET of shelves. Helping found a Barbie Collector Fan Club so I could have a support group of fellow enablers and addicts only served as a catalyst to my growing obsession.

ABOVE PHOTO: Audrey Hepburn doll photographed by Michael Williams for ‘Haute Doll’ magazine (Left) / Audrey Hepburn in her 1957 movie “Funny Face”

A past issue of Haute Doll included a fashion feature I shot on an Audrey Hepburn Barbie doll dressed and styled after the costumes from the famous film FUNNY FACE, inspired by the vintage photography of Richard Avedon, in collaboration with two other collectors (who created the clothes and repainted the dolls). This was a dream come true for me to complete and let me travel back in time to when the style of Givenchy’s couture creations were all the rage and Avedon’s muses were on the cover of every fashion magazine. I enjoy escaping back through time to that era, where women wore pearls and little white gloves and both men and women wore hats, and these dolls can personify our idealized vision of that bygone Camelot.

I moved to New York to photograph portraits, fashion, and performing arts publicity. Unfortunately, I was naive and underestimated the cost of living, and the amount of competition, and after a year of the feast-or-mostly-famine lifestyle of freelance assisting, I finally threw in the towel and went for a desk job with health insurance and a 401K. After taking an agency position, I had put away my camera and didn’t really touch one again except for family gatherings and birthday parties. But finally, in 2005, at the urging of a friend, I contacted Karen Caviale at Haute Doll to cover the international Toyfair, because I had heard they weren’t going to be in town for it that year to cover it themselves, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to get my foot in the door. I soon found myself fully submerged in freelance work for Haute Doll, with up to four stories per bi-monthly issue, which has taken me across the continent to Toronto, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Boston for doll conventions, and across the world via my email interviews with doll artists from around the globe. Sadly, Haute Doll stopped publishing this past summer (2010) but now I’m lucky to be contributing to Fashion Doll Quarterly (FDQ).

The most rewarding aspect of this work is that I found a way to return to photography, the passion that originally brought me to this city. Perhaps on a smaller physical scale than I might have originally envisioned, but with all the artistic freedom to follow my creative vision wherever it’s tiny stilettoed plastic heels wants to go.

What was the general buzz like for Mattel’s new “celebrity” range of Barbie dolls at the toyfair? [in particular the set inspired by Doris & Rock's magical movie "Pillow Talk"]

My personal favorites were the PILLOW TALK giftset as well as the Francie and Toki Doki Barbie, and it seems a majority of the FLICKR users and collectors commenting on my FLICKR album and the doll boards agree that they’re at the top of their wish lists for the 2011 Barbie season. People love getting “two-for-one” with the wonderful pairing of Doris Day and Rock Hudson, and I think the resemblance of the doll to Rock Hudson is especially impressive, perfectly capturing exactly what he looks like, in what appears to be a custom face sculpt for him.

Are you an admirer of Doris Day? If so, how did you first discover her work and do you have a favourite Doris Day movie or song?

GOD YES, along with Audrey Hepburn (and I already have the Mattel “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” doll and fashions from many years ago). They are my two all-time favorite fashion icons, actresses, and genuine personalities from that golden era of classic mid-century Hollywood films. I discovered the work of Day after I’d long been a fan of Hepburn, in part due to the film “Down With Love,” which I understood was a tribute (or lampooning) of the Day/Hudson films, and I wanted to see the originals for myself. I must confess I had only a vague remembrance of seeing Day on her TV show, in syndication as a child, and finding it rather dull. But once I discovered her romantic comedies with Rock Hudson (as well as her Hitchcock film), I saw what an ebullient, vibrant talent she had on screen, with the perfect combination of beauty and style, paired with her hilarious gift for comedy and a huge heart of gold. She made being a romantic, goodie-two-shoes good girl sexy, in my opinion. Who doesn’t love a gorgeous lady who is funny, too, and maintains a code of honor and self-respect? 

THEN I discovered her singing, and realized how woefully underrated she is today for her contribution to the American Songbook. Her voice is stunning, and while too many of the songs she recorded are dismissed as cheesy trifles, I find that when she was given good material to work with, she sang it better than anyone else. Finally, in the past year, I read a biography on her, and really gained respect for her life’s work, especially when I read about some of the personal struggles that she endured.

I’m still waiting for the Academy to honor her with an honorary Oscar for her lifetime achievement and wish she’d show up for its bestowal.

 Seeing as you are quite an authority on dolls what was your initial reaction to Barbie’s tribute to Ms. Day?

I was ecstatic when I saw that film title PILLOW TALK and saw the amazing dolls. Her gown is a fantastic reproduction of the one from the film, and while I generally prefer closed-mouth dolls who look more demure, the open-mouthed, full smile of this face sculpt is undeniably the expression I remember Day wearing best, that cheek to cheek smile that just lit up the screen with her optimism and love of life.

 Your technique at photographing each doll is truly exquisite. Can you give any budding photographers who are reading this feature any tips on how to create such a stunning photo of something so small? Also what camera do you use when doing your work?

If you’re referring strictly to shooting dolls on location at a trade show, you’re limited to the available light and your camera flash. I use a professional digital SLR, the Canon 5D Mark II, with a macro zoom lens and an off-camera flash mounted on a bracket, and fitted with a round translucent diffuser to soften shadows. When shooting verticals, the bracket allows me to keep the flash above the lens, rather than off to the side, preserving better lighting. If you refer to my doll photography shot in the studio, I always use an off-camera flash mounted on a light stand with an umbrella diffuser to soften the shadows, and mount the camera to a tripod, so I can easily bracket exposures and combine the best shadows with the best highlights, when necessary, in Photoshop. And I go crazy with the miniature diorama details, which I feel add authenticity to the image.

Other than your photo work of dolls what else do you love to snap?

I love to photograph modern dancers on stage, and portraits of people, as well as some travel work that combines landscape, cityscape, food and architecture.

ABOVE PHOTO: Doris Day as Jan Morrow in the 1959 movie ‘Pillow Talk’ (Left) / The NEW 2011 ‘Barbie’ doll dressed as Jan Morrow (Right)

What’s the next big event in doll-land which you will be covering Michael?

Hard to predict…but it will have to happen in New York, as it’s too expensive to travel to the various doll conventions around the world. Hopefully we’ll get to see some more fun events unravel in Manhattan before next year’s toyfair. In the studio, I’d love to collaborate again with a friend of mine, a super-talented doll fashion designer, to replicate the OTHER fashions from PILLOW TALK and do a fashion feature once the Mattel giftset is released. Wish me luck!

Thanks to Michael Williams for agreeing to do this interview with Discovering Doris!

We have just received from the author’s publisher McFarland a new 2010/11 paperback edition. Although it is a straight re-issue of the 2005 edition we would still recommend it to any fans who haven’t yet given it a go as it is a great “reference” book to have to hand about the star’s career. We can also confirm that after lots of production delays the new paperback edition is finally available to order from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. For more information about its content we would suggest you read our original review about the hardback edition.

Below is an exclusive interview that Garry gave to the ‘Discovering Doris’ website:

How did you first discover Doris Day and how did your book about her come about?

As a young child, “The Doris Day Show” was one of the television programs I watched–along with other classics from that era (“The Odd Couple”, “All in the Family”, “Mission: Impossible”, “Mary Tyler Moore”, etc. I knew she was a singer and a movie star, so it was a treat to see her every week.. Of course, that was an age when there was no such thing as home video or DVDs, and there were only the three major networks on television.My book came about when nothing was being done on Doris Day. I proposed a new biography to publishers, but they said there was no interest in Doris.. So I decided to write a reference book since McFarland was interested in that type of format–and it serves as proof of her unprecedented successes in the entertainment industry.

Can you tell us a little about the research process which was involved to compile your extensive read?

Everything from watching all of her films, television appearances and listening to her recordings, as well as print interviews and materials. It took quite some time to acquire the information because not all of her films were released on video, and this was before the TV series’ DVD release as well.. I’d offered Doris to clarify a few things, but her representative was able to help in that area.

What was the highlight from writing your book on Ms. Day?

I believe it was seeing it realized, proving to publishers they were wrong in not feeling there was an audience for Doris Day anymore. Of course there was an onslaught of books after “Sentimental Journey”, which was a bit upsetting since those authors benefitted in many ways that I did not.

What aspect of Ms. Day’s abilities do you most admire?

As a performer, it would be her instinct, whether it was acting or singing. She analyzed everything she did–usually very briefly– but she didn’t overanalyze, much to her credit as an actress and singer. As a person, it would be her optimism. To have gone through the many terrible things she did, and to have worked as hard as she did for decades, and to have survived it all says much about her character. Also, it refreshing how she decided to move on with what she wanted to do in her later years, and doing so on her own terms. That’s not typical of performers of her stature, and I feel it’s great she did what she wanted to do in the past several years. She certainly earned it.

Do you have a favourite Doris Day film or album?

Of her films, “Love Me or Leave Me” because of the great acting and music. “The Man Who Knew Too Much” because of the great acting as well, and I love London and enjoy Alfred Hitchcock’s works. “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies” because the scenes with the children reminds me of my upbringing–the working father who’s exhausted, the mother who’s juggling many things, and the houseful of boys–I have four brothers, and I can relate. “Latin for Lovers” was terrific and is my favorite Doris Day album, though I recall “With a Smile and a Song” being in the the family album collection and liking “High Hopes” from the LP.

For anyone who hasn’t yet read your Doris Day book how would you say it differs from the many others which have been released about her over the last few years?

“Sentimental Journey” is not only an overview of Doris Day’s life, but careers in film, music and television. It contains information on everything she has done and can be reference book to look up answers to questions like ‘How many US Top 40 hits did she have?’.

Can fans expect any new content from the paperback edition?

I don’t believe there will be new information.

As well as writing a book on Doris Day you have also published books about Jean Seaberg and Paul McCartney & Wings. What inspires you to select each subject? Are there any similarities or connections between these subject which you’d like to share?

I’ve chosen subjects that I’ve been interested in–and like. Some write about subjects they don’t like and we know what kind of works those end up being. And I write them in ways to satisfy the audience it’s intended for: the McCartney & Wings book is an easy read, while Seberg is more detailed, simply because the latter’s audience is smaller.

Many readers out there in cyber space may not be familar with your work. Can you tell them a little about your background and how a respected film-maker like yourself made the switch over to writing.

I haven’t realized as much in film as I’d like to have, but I’d written a few screenplays and that is how the move happened.

And finally, what is next on the cards for Garry McGee?

I’m working on a couple screenplays now, hoping they’ll be optioned. Also am finishing the third Jean Seberg work and awaiting a publisher. With film, I’m producing “Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg” with Fourth Wall Films (www.jeansebergmovie.com) which will be completed next year. I’m also continuing work on my home and just hung up a framed letter from Doris Day to Jean Seberg which her sister gave me years ago. Thank you Stephen and continued success with your wonderful website!

Thanks to Garry McGee for agreeing to do this interview!

As we previously reported, the singer-songwriter Melinda Schneider has just released her tribute to Doris Day ‘Melinda does Doris’. Having just heard the album in full we were impressed by what is a very enjoyable collection of songs by a lady who is so clearly a talent of the Australian country music scene. We actually found Melinda’s sunny personality, country twang and rich vocal just so appealing which judging by the album’s chart success seems to have been felt by many other music lovers downunder!

The big triumph of Melinda’s latest long-play is it transforms many standards of over 50-years-old into contemporary pop tunes, fine examples of this are made with “Put ‘Em In A Box, Tie ‘Em With A Ribbon (And Throw ‘Em In The Deep Blue Sea) and her lovely duet “Love Somebody” with David Campbell – both of which we have just had time and time again on the repeat button. Other highlights are “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps”, “The Black Hills of Dakota” and a truly captivating ukulele version of “I’ll See You In My Dreams” which in our opinion stands firmly alongside Doris Day’s original as being one of the best ever versions cut of this heartfelt song (written by Isham Jones and Gus Kahn).

We recommend that you treat yourself to Melinda’s tribute as it is one of those albums that come along from time to time actually well worth the listen. ‘Melinda does Doris’ is available now across Australia or online from amazon.com and melindaschneider.com.

Below is an exclusive interview that Melinda did for the ‘Discovering Doris’ website:

How did you first discover Doris Day?

I was first introduced to Doris Day by my mum, Mary. I come from a show biz family, my mum is a wonderful singer and yodeller. She loved Doris Day and ‘The Black Hills Of Dakota’ was one of the first songs mum taught me how to harmonise…as an 8yr old. As the years went on, we would do the song at family parties in three part harmony with my mum’s sister Rita, also a wonderful comedian…aaah happy memories.

What impressed you most about her then and what has kept you interested in her until now?
I most loved the happiness and joy she exuded, of course her velvety voice, incredible dancing and comedic streak as an actress…there’s nobody like Doris.

If you could only pick one Doris Day song and one of her films to take with you on a desert island what would they be and why?
I would take the song ‘It’s Magic’ with me on the desert Island….I’d be looking at the stars each night getting lost in the silence of being stuck in the middle of nowhere and listening to the beautiful lyrics falling in love again each time I heard it. ‘Calamity Jane’ would be the film….it’s always been my favourite….it has it all, romance, action, comedy and a happy ending.

Has Ms. Day’s career or life in anyway inspired or influenced you?
When I think of Doris I always remember to keep my chin up and take the high road….she’s full of class and optimism.

Do you consider yourself in anyway similar to Ms. Day?
Yes actually, we were both born to German Catholic parents, though I’m not sure if her mother yodelled….and I’m also a mad animal lover, I wanted to be a vet and worked at a clinic when I was 13. I’ve had dogs all my life and they are like my babies….I have two Lab/Kelpie crosses, sisters Rosie and Daisy who are 12 and beautiful.

How and when did your new DD tribute album come about?
I took part in a Doris Day Tribute concert 7 years ago in Melbourne, Australia for the Midsummer Mardi Gra festival and was asked to sing ‘Deadwood Stage’, ‘Secret Love’, It’s Magic’ and ‘Black Hills Of Dakota’ and the response at the concert was magical….it made me realise I had to record some Doris songs one day. Then earlier this year I was writing songs for my next original country album and I was approached to do ‘Dancing With The Stars’, I knew then, that I was about to be all singing AND all dancing and the timing was just perfect for this record.

As you are best known in your homeland of Australia for your country music did you have any reservations about recording songs by a singer who is so much associated with the pop world?
Not at all…I am a songwriter and I believe in great songs, no matter what the genre. Doris’ catalogue is full of them.

Can you tell us any stories about the making of ‘Melinda Does Doris’?
Do any of the recorded songs now hold extra special meaning for you? I loved making this record. Chong Lim, my producer did a great job and my country players, Ian Lees (bass), John Watson(drums) and Mark Punch (guitar and Uke, he’s obsessed by Doris) really put my stamp on this record, then we added strings and horns and it was done! It’s the easiest record I’ve made, because the songs are great. I tried to be myself with this vocals and wanted to succeed in paying homage to Doris without impersonating her. One thing I did notice during the vocal takes was how difficult some of these songs are to sing. You really need to have great technique as singer to pull them off. I came to love ‘Teacher’s Pet’, ‘Sentimental Journey’ and ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’ a lot more after I recorded them. I actually started crying during the vocal of ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’…it was one of those magic moments in the studio where my musicians were looking at me and they were choking up too. I was thinking of my dad, he passed away 7 years ago, I miss him sooo much.

What has been the most “magical” moment of this entire project so far?
It’s been so much fun recording an album with a horn section and I’ve been blown away with how well the album has been received. I’ve had nothing but positive comments about it from Doris fans in Australia and that’s a big relief for me…they are huge shoes to fill.

As Doris Day has a large fan base in the UK and USA do you intend to tour with your new album in either of these countries or indeed anywhere else overseas?
I would love to do some touring in the UK and the US and have the album released there….I’m open to all possibilities.

What can Ms. Day’s fans around the world expect from your new album?
Hopefully some happy memories, fun, joy and great songs. I hope they like what I’ve done with them.

If Ms. Day was reading this article now what would you like to say to her?
Doris if you are reading this I would like to thank you for all the happiness and joy that you have brought to so many people and to the world. You were given the immense natural gift of being multi talented, but you worked so hard with what you had to succeed and have endured many things along the way. Your strength, courage, joy and elegance and is what remains as well as your incredible body of work. I hope I get to meet you some day!

Now you have recorded this tribute album do you have any other aspirations you are keen to fulfil?
Oh, There’s a long list! I want to keep writing songs and making records, I’d also like to get back into acting and keep exploring different genres of music….I like to keep things interesting. As long as I am doing what I love for many years to come….I’ll be happy.

What does the future hold for Melinda?
More of the same with my music career I hope, I’d also like to have a child, if that’s meant to be it will be I guess…que sera sera

Before you go can you tell us of any favourite books, songs or albums you are currently enjoying and would recommend to our readers?
I am currently reading ‘My Booky Wook’ by Russell Brand, albums Nancy Wilson ‘With My Lover Beside Me’ and ‘The Rising’ Bruce Springsteen.

Thanks to Melinda Schneider and Suzy Byrne (her representative at Universal Music Australia) for making this interview possible!

Below is the transcript of the first interview which Doris Day granted Pierre Patrick to talk about her successful television sitcom ‘The Doris Day Show’ (from Mothers Day 1996). Pierre Patrick’s latest book”A Beautiful Day – The Doris Day Companion” is available now.

Pierre: Happy Mothers Day.
Doris: Thank you very much.

It’s great that I get to talk to you on Mothers Day. When I started to watch the show, I was just a little kid. And you were the perfect mother on television. And later on, I fell in love with you.
That’s sweet. Well as you know, when my series was on, I had two sons. Philip Brown – I love Philip so much – and Tod Starke, who played Toby. Tod was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 21. I was horrified when I heard that. I’m in touch with Philip, and he called me to wish me a Happy Mothers Day. He said “For three years you were my mother, and you were the best.” That was so sweet.

Now, originally you did not want to do the series, but you made it work and made it great! How did you do that?
I was a wreck the first year. I was in bad shape, but I didn’t take that on the set. I believe in giving 100% . And if you don’t, get out of it and don’t do it. You have to give your all and do it whole heartedly, really with your heart.

Connie Edney was very much responsible for the Doris Martin look. How did she make it all work, especially with all those fashion shows?
They were wonderful. I love our fashion shows. The bicycles, the dogs, the clothes… Connie did such a great job. She really has class. This lady has such taste and she knows me so well now. This is how we worked: Thursday would be the last day of filming an episode. On Friday morning, we would get a new script, read it, and rehearse. And on Friday afternoon, my favourite, trying on all the new clothes. Connie would go shopping Friday morning and put all the outfits together all around my dressing room. And Joy Turney would do all the alterations. Joy was great and she took care of all the other women on the show, like Rose Marie and Jackie Joseph. Joy was an angel. She would do the stitching and mending, and fast during all the fashion shows. She would whip those beautiful capes together in nothing flat. And Connie took such good care of me. We had the greatest crew. My makeup man, Harry Marit, who was with me for years was just wonderful. He passed away just a few years ago, and it broke my heart. His daughter is a makeup artist now. And my hairdresser, Barbara Lampson, who’s been with me for years and years, she is just wonderful.

Now how about those incredible sets?
Weren’t they fabulous?! Perry Ferguson II designed those. He even remodelled the kitchen in my house. I wonder what he is doing now? He loved horses. Maybe he’s raising horses. But he did a great job designing my apartment. I just loved him. He did everything right. We would talk about how things were going to be done, and he did it perfectly. And he also designed the farmhouse.

Let’s talk about the cast.
Peter Lawford…….well you know every time I think of him, I could cry. I just loved working with him as Doctor Lawrence. I thought we were really good together. We really bounced off each other. He never sounded like he was reading a script, and he told me the same thing. We always did our scenes like they were improvs from the top of our heads. I thought we were really right together. It is really sad that he passed away. Also, Patrick O’ Neal was just wonderful. I really liked him.

Your thoughts on McLean Stevenson.
Oh God! I just read something he wrote about me before he passed away. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know he felt that way about me. He was very good and very funny. I don’t know why they didn’t keep him. I think the word around was that he was too goofy. And he couldn’t run a big magazine like “Today’s World” and be like he was, I guess in M*A*S*H, with his style of comedy. He wasn’t legit enough to do that. And John Dehner could be very much in charge and yet so funny and the same time. We had arguments. I would jump on his desk, I would put my feet on his desk, plus he gave me the tiniest little office to work in. Oh, John Dehner was my love. When he passed away, it broke my heart. We were good together. We used to crack up so much.

You and Rose Marie made a very good team.
Rose Marie was very funny. She used to crack me up all the time. It was really fun working with her. She now has a lot of dogs because of me. I used to bring two or three dogs with me every day on the set.

I know you used to pester her about wearing all those fur coats.
Oh! Oh! Oh! She would tell me, “Well you used to wear them!” And I used to tell her that was a long time ago. And no one was talking about it then. Nobody knew the abuse these animals were enduring. I used to tell her, “Get out of those skins!” She used to tell me, “You keep caring about them and I’ll keep wearing them!” She was bad. Oh! She called me Do and I called her Ro.

Jackie Joseph.
I used to call her Little Jackie Joseph. She was a very funny person. She had special values to bring to the show. I came up with this idea. I told her, “You should wear an outrageous hairdo. And when Cy would walk by, he would just go bonkers looking at your hairdo. And of course the hair was just normal for you.” And there are a lot of people like that. She loved it. She got the biggest kick out of it. She was in With Six You Get Eggroll.

Paul Smith as Ron Harvey, who also played Jodi Foster’s father in the first season.
Wasn’t that something? Wasn’t he good? There’s one in every office. He was marvellous. Do you remember the show with the dancing school, with Larry Storch? He was having a problem because somebody else had a dancing school. Rose Marie and I took dancing classes and I think Ron Harvey was in there too.

Bernie Kopell and Kaye Ballard.
He’s a genius. He was in The Thrill of it All. Bernie is an absolute genius with dialects. He just transforms himself. He and Kaye were brilliant together. And Kaye and I were really good together. “Wooooo! Have I got a fellow for you!” Always trying to fix me up with somebody. I’d say “Leave me alone, I’ve had enough!” Oh! I loved Pallucci’s Restaurant. We had such fun with those shows. It was so convenient that the apartment was located upstairs. With the terrace and the spiral staircase I have right here in my house now. As a matter of fact, most of the furniture in the farm house and apartment I paid for all myself. We bought good things, antique things, and I ended up with everything. It was really my own. That apartment had to be kept just so. I was always going around “Ay! Finger marks on the doorway here!”

Billy De Wolfe.
He was one of my best friends. Oh! He was so, so good. He loved all my doggies. And Kaye Ballard just adored him too. Now Kaye Ballard loved to have get-togethers. She would have so many people at her house, and the spaghetti would be flying! And Billy would be there and he’d say to me “Clara,” which was my funny name, “I’ll pick you up at 6:30 prompt.” He’d say it like that so I’d be ready. We’d go out and have such fun. We had a great time. I fell in love with him in Tea for Two and Lullaby of Broadway, two great movies we made together.

Denver Pyle, who directed some of the episodes, too.
Oh! Buck, my love! I love him so. He was so good as my father. We had such lovely, tender moments, and also in the first season Jim Hampton, who played Leroy B Simpson, was just the cutest.

Van Johnson
Oh! God! He’s another one that calls me Clara. So, so funny.

Edward Andrews.
Edward was in so many of my films, we were like related. He was just like part of my family. I adored this man. When I worked with him, he convulsed me, also John Dehner. Very difficult to work with him. We had to stop and the director would say, “Doris pull yourself together, we’ve got to get this show on the road.” But I couldn’t help it. They were just incredible to work with. All the people around me in my series and in my films were incredible. I adored Eddie. There will never be another Edward Andrews or John Dehner, never. The guest stars on the show were great. Lee Meriwether, who played Peter Lawford’s nurse, Henry Fonda, Tony Bennett, Bob Crane, and Jodi Foster. Remember that? That cute little kid? Plus, we even had James L. Brooks as one of our writers, who ended up doing The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Simpsons, and was nominated for an Oscar for Broadcast News. He wrote our guide episode, which is listed as our first where I work for a women’s magazine in New York I think it would be nice to get the series back on the air.

Any favourite episodes?
One that I loved was a man who came in to the office and invited me to a premiere (DORIS STRIKES OUT). He was very handsome, but I had a baseball game to umpire. And I wanted to do both. I had to rush home and get dressed. And I was calling everybody out to make the game go faster! And they were really safe. Billy would say “MOM! He was safe! How can you do that!” “I said out! I’m in a hurry! Lets get this thing going.” Oh god! I really enjoyed that. I had such a ball doing that one. Another one I like that I was winging it all the way through was where I had a date with a man who hated women, who was writing articles for the magazine (THE WOMAN HATER). And meeting me changes his entire view of women. So I had to change his mind again so he would still write for the magazine. Well there was a restaurant scene in the episode where the whole thing was ad-lib. “I have a corn on my toe.” I mean is there anything worse than that? For someone to say that? And I chewed gum and combed my hair at the table. I fixed my teeth. I asked him to hold my mirror so I could do that. I changed tables about four times. Then I hollered to the waiter “Don’t forget the ketchup!” and this was a fine French restaurant. And then ordering dessert. Vanilla ice cream with chocolate on top and the chocolate ice cream with caramel on top. And the strawberry ice cream with strawberry on top. Peanuts all over, “don’t forget the cherry!” none of that was written. They said “Come in and do what you want.” And I thought about the most obnoxious things. First of all, I was late and I came in and I went “Yoo-hoo!” Then I said “Are there any stars here? Cause I want to get some autographs.” All these things came to me. It was so much fun.

Any special favourite characters?
Well it would be definitely have to be Nelson. A dog among dogs, played by Lord Nelson. I loved him very much and I miss him terribly. One thing I must say, before we go, it was a really wonderful show to do !

And a wonderful one to watch!

This interview is reproduced by kind permission of Pierre Patrick.

Doris Day and Rock Hudson’s first movie together was ‘Pillow Talk‘. The making of the feature film enabled the two stars, who had barely met before, to really get to know each other. This was a dream come true for Rock as he had been a massive fan of Doris [or "Eunice" as he would call her] since her big-band days when he was serving in the Navy.

“It was evening, and we passed under the Golden Gate Bridge…its lights went on, and the voice of Doris Day began singing ‘Sentimental Journey’ over the loud-speakers. Well, that was the saddest bunch of sailors you ever saw. She had the whole ship in tears, including me. Fifteen years later, Doris and I worked together for the first time in Pillow Talk and by way of contrast, it was laughter all the way…” – Rock Hudson

‘Pillow Talk’ was originally titled ‘The Way The Wind Blows’ but producer Ross Hunter took the decision to rename it after he heard Doris Day’s catchy new song “Pillow Talk” which he believed had hit-making potential. The film also had all the ingredients of being a big crowd pleaser as it had a very entertaining storyline. It told the tale of two strangers who share the same phone [party] line. Confrontations follow with the two very opposite personalities falling out. Things quickly however change once Rock’s character discovers exactly who he is fueding with and more to the point how beautiful she is. The very colourful “will they, won’t they get together” moments keep audiences glued to their seats until the end of the fast paced romantic-comedy.

“Before we got under way, I had some apprehensions. I had never played comedy before, and here I was, thrown together with one of Hollywood’s most accomplished comediennes…but the best acting lesson came from Doris – her sense of timing, her instincts – I just kept my eyes open and copied her. I don’t really know what makes a movie team….I’d say, first of all, the two people have to truly like each other, as Doris and I did, for that shines through…” – Rock Hudson

The Hudson-Day on-screen magic enchanted critics and movie lovers alike ensuring ‘Pillow Talk’ the #1 spot at box-offices around the world. Doris Day was also nominated for her role in the picture as ‘Best Actress’ by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences but quite surprisingly the top award eluded her. The movie did however receive winning Oscars for ‘Best Story’ and ‘Best Screenplay’.

The runaway success of ‘Pillow Talk’ was also the saving grace of  Doris Day’s film career as although her last two pictures had failed to attract audiences in their masses her reinvention as a strong, vibrant and sexy career women ensured Hollywood’s bright spotlight was again pointed in her direction. Doris Day was back at the top of her game and proclaimed as a #1 box office attraction. This multi-million dollar trend was something Doris remarkably was able to sustain for a further 5 years!

“This girl has never had an acting lesson in her life but she draws on a wellspring of emotion and experience that makes her one of the finest instinctive actresses in the world.” – Michael Gordon (Director of Pillow Talk)

Hollywood’s golden couple were re-united again in the smash 1961 movie ‘Lover Come Back‘ featuring yet another catchy title tune by Frank de Vol which beautifully complimented the movie’s playful Oscar nominated script and screenplay. Doris played yet another independent career woman whilst Rock caused mischief as another cad. The characters may have seemed familiar but the story was fresh. It revolved around two characters who worked for rival Madison Avenue advertising companies. A battle eventually began over a non-existent product and a whole lot of laughs followed.

The third and final Hudson-Day picture ‘Send Me No Flowers‘ boasted a title song penned by pop maestros Burt Bacharach and Hal David but it received a very luke-warm response on release. In this 1964 movie, Rock plays a hypochondriac who mistakenly thought he was on his death bed and so began the quest to find his wife the perfect replacement husband. The film’s downfall was its timing as it arrived at a time when American was experiencing a sexual revolution leaving slap-stick “sexless” comedies very much out in the cold.

Doris Day and Rock Hudson were never destined to re-unite again on the big screen but their years of working together had ensured a very firm friendship. The pair did on occasions though collaborate for television. In 1971, Doris took great pleasure in welcoming her pal on stage as a special guest for her CBS television musical extravaganza, ‘The Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff Special’.

By the mid-1970s, Doris had decided for a multitude of reasons to depart Hollywood and move out to the picturesque surroundings of Carmel. She took a step back from her busy Hollywood career and turned her attention to animal welfare work. The prospect therefore of further Hudson-Day reunions were slim.

In 1985, Doris was finally enticed to return to American television when she was offered a new series for the Christian Broadcast Network titled ‘Doris Day’s Best Friends’. The show’s appeal for Doris was it would centre around animal welfare issues but also offer her an opportunity to call on many of her old Hollywood friends who would join her for a chat. Doris of course wasted no time in contacting dearest Rock who was invited to join her on the debut show and also the press conference launch.

Doris was not however prepared for what she was about to discover, as after years of not seeing Rock, he arrived looking physically ill and a mere shadow of his former self. Something was apparently very wrong and clear for everyone involved with the show to see.

Rock, whose real life had been masqueraded by his strong heterosexual roles on film was in fact a gay man who was now dying from an unfathomable new virus called AIDS.

“…She asked me if I would speak to him and move him to a guest cottage or property. She was gonna make chicken soup for the next 5 years if that’s what it took she’d do anything to nurse him back to health….” – Terry Melcher (Doris’s Son)

Rock Hudson’s last public appearance was ironically to be with Doris Day on her last ever mainstream show. They fondly reminisced of their many happy times shared – the good old days. “I miss those laughs we used to have” Doris exclaimed. “Oh me too” Rock replied.

Immediately after the show’s taping Rock headed for treatment. He boarded a plane for Paris in which he collapsed. Two months later to everyone’s dismay he passed away at the age of only 60. The episode with Rock was televised after Rock’s death accompanied by a tearjearking tribute from Doris:

“I had to have Rock Hudson as my first guest so I called him and he said “I’ll be there…you can count on me” & that was the truth! All his friends and there were so many could always count on him. He didn’t talk about his illness any time…I can only tell you my friends it was a heartbreaking time for me without my faith I would be a lot sadder than I am today. I know that life is eternal and that something good is gonna come from this experience. Anyway let’s think of him with laughter ‘cause he was so funny!” – Doris Day

‘Discovering Doris’ can not think of a nicer way to spend an evening than in the company of a Doris Day and Rock Hudson movie. These are movies which have retained their charm and universal appeal after decades. Enjoy!

The up-and-coming Warner Brothers musical star was just a name to me in the early ‘50’s and part of jocular word-play humour aimed at her name and the posters for Tea for Two when the school ‘bus stopped each morning outside the Royal Cinema. Sometime later, a school holiday visit to see the much praised The African Queen was much enjoyed but it was the featured trailer for the following week’s film which really grabbed my attention. Lullaby of Broadway was the title and Doris Day the star, with top-hat and tails, dazzling smile and a voice which ensured Bogart and Hepburn were instantly forgettable! Hardly any need to guess who was in the audience the following week to enjoy the complete film! Thus began my quest to track down all the movies, recordings and anything else which would celebrate the Day talent. It also triggered an on-going journey towards my appreciation of all types of music and singers following the decision not to remain solely caught within the full beam of Day’s star quality!

By the time Lullaby of Broadway was released, Doris was already a major star with hit records and many popular films. The circumstances which lead to such a parallel movie and solo recording career began around 1947 after two embryonic stints with the Les Brown Band. Sentimental Journey had been the ideal popular recording to welcome home returning servicemen in 1945 and with a few other big-band hits, Doris had established sufficient popularity to spring-board her departure from band singer to a solo career and initially much radio work. Already established on Your Hit Parade, she attended a party at Jules Styne’s house in Beverly Hills and with encouragement from Sammy Cahn and with Styne’s piano accompaniment, Doris sang Embraceable You which obviously convinced them of her potential. The team had written the score for a film due to be produced at Warner Brothers with a singing part which had been offered and declined by both Judy Garland and Betty Hutton, possibly due to their respective iron-clad contracts with MGM and Paramount. The director, Michael Curtiz, signed up the reluctant Doris to the role after a dramatic and tearful audition caused by her current personal problems; obviously an emotional crisis which proved beneficial under the circumstances.

The film was called Romance On The High Seas (1948) and Doris made her screen scene debut with the camera shot just giving a back-view before the audience was allowed to glimpse the face which helped make her a major film star for the next twenty years. She played a hip gum-chewing honky-tonk singer, Georgia Garrett, who not only desires success but has ambitions to travel but is thwarted by financial constraints. However, the film’s dense plotting soon involved her in a multi-layered tale of switched identities in colourful settings on a cruise ship which happily ended up in Rio at carnival time. With the appropriate casting of Warner Brothers’ stalwarts, Jack Carson, Janis Paige and Don Defore, the fourth-billed Doris was listed ahead of Oscar Levant and S. Z “Cuddles” Sakall. She displayed a fresh and natural talent which made her an instant star with audiences, and the tuneful score included I’m In Love, Put ‘Em In A Box, Tie ‘Em With A Ribbon and It’s You Or No One; all accompanied by the Page Cavanaugh Trio. However, It’s Magic became the hit for Doris and was also the popular choice of many other singers and its success encouraged Warner Brothers to rename the film for its UK release.

My Dream Is Yours (1949) a remake of the thirties film, Twenty Million Sweethearts was again directed by Michael Curtiz. It used the formula of an up-and-coming singer, Martha Gibson, seeking fame in radio and discovering the chosen path, people and journey to be somewhat less optimistic and smooth than anticipated. The role gave Doris many scenes which showcased her natural acting ability, and echoing her period with Les Brown, she had a young child to consider within the plot equation. With top-billed, Jack Carson, Doris was listed ahead of the somewhat bland Lee Bowman and pompous Adolphe Menjou, with S.Z. Sakall on hand to fuss and fluster, and acerbic Eve Arden ready with welcome one-liners. The thin plot was boosted by a technically advanced dream sequence featuring the Bugs Bunny and Tweety cartoon characters, combined with the live action Doris and Jack in the number, Freddy Get Ready (based on The Hungarian Rhapsody No 2). Another novelty number, Tic, Tic, Tic had lyrics to do with the atomic bomb and Geiger-counters! Doris was in great voice with the updated lyrics of Canadian Capers, originally dating from 1915, giving her another hit. Other songs involved the talents of Harry Warren, Ralph Freed and Harry Dubin with I’ll String Along With You surviving the original 1934 movie when Dick Powell made it popular. The title song was also an ideal ballad for Doris, with the effective up-tempo Someone Like You providing a likeable contrast.

Modern satire is cruel and often ill-defined so the ‘40’s equivalent, It’s A Great Feeling (1949), can merely be considered a gentle send-up of the studio system. Warner Brothers obviously viewed the script as a good public relations exercise with many cameo appearances by contract stars like Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford and Sydney Greenstreet, who sent up their established movie images? Directors, Michael Curtiz (who directed her first two films), David Butler (director of this film), King Vidor and Raoul Walsh were also actively involved in the plot, as was Ray Heindorf, the studio’s musical director. The slender tale of a home-town girl working as a studio waitress in the hope of stardom, but finally settling for marriage and presumably domesticity, was, and still is fun to view. Let’s face it, in the Forties, most girls dreamed of ending up with Errol Flynn as their bridegroom! Needless to say, Doris, second-billed to Dennis Morgan, played the eye-fluttering starlet with relish, aided once more by Jack Carson; the two men playing themselves and competing for Doris’ on-screen attention. She sang That Was A Big Fat Lie which when reprised by Jack Carson’s Maurice Chevalier impersonation derived from the famous vocal-dub joke in Singin’ in the Rain. With so many comedy set-pieces and sight jokes it would have been easy for the score to have become minor key, but fortunately Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne again supplied Doris with a few good songs, which made up for some of the unflattering fashions she had to wear while singing them! At the Cafe Rendezvous was performed in black wig, thick French accent which ended with a prat-fall to end the scene! The big production number There’s Nothing Rougher Than Love, was a bizarre fantasy dream sequence and possibly the reason Doris did not record it commercially. However, Doris had no such distractions when singing the film’s ballad, Blame My Absent Minded Heart, nicely reprised by Dennis Morgan, with the title song a lively credit-opener to preface the erratic plot which followed.

Pre-dating the vinyl album, soundtrack recordings were a rarity at this time and Doris re-recorded almost all her film songs for Columbia. They are available on many current compilations as well as the Bear Family box-sets. Fortunately, Doris Day – It’s Magic – Her Early Years At Warner Bros. (WSM 8122755432) was released in 1998 and includes almost all the soundtrack versions of Doris’ featured songs with the exception of At The Cafe Rendezvous. It should be noted, however, that with the emphasis on Doris, songs performed by others have been omitted, even though, with a running time of just 42 minutes, non-Day featured songs like the calypso-styled, The Tourist Trade and Run, Run, Run by The Samba Kings and Avon Long featured in Romance on the High Seas, could and should have been included.

Moving from Technicolor gloss to stark black and white, Young Man With A Horn (1950 – UK title: Young Man Of Music), a musical melodrama, was directed by Michael Curtiz and vaguely based on the life of Bix Beiderbecke. Harry James provided Kirk Douglas with the necessary ghost trumpet needed to obsess the musical perfection he reaches for but fails to achieve. Lauren Bacall played the ambivalent society bitch determined to emotionally destroy all around her. Third-billed was Doris in the sympathetic but somewhat subservient role of Jo Jordon, a big-band singer; a life she knew only too well. In her first dramatic part, she acted with sincerity and sang The Very Thought Of You, With A Song In My Heart , I May Be Wrong and Too Marvellous For Words between the taut and sombre plot twists. The intense performance by Douglas, was backed-up by Hoagy Carmichael and Juano Hernandez as believable musicians. The Columbia album Young Man With A Horn (Columbia/Legacy – CK 65507), available on CD is not soundtrack but does reunite Doris with Harry James on several tracks and also includes some James solo instrumentals.

Around this time servicemen in Korea voted Doris “the girl we would take a slow boat back to the States with”; an affirmation she had finally arrived with the right to be finally topped-billed. It was fortuitous she moved from stark reality to a fluffy musical comedy which allowed not only ample opportunity to sing, but also to dance on screen for the first time. The “Let’s put on a show” Tea For Two (1950) was loosely based on the stage success, No, No Nanette, but rewritten as a typical Warner Brothers back-stage tale. It mattered not that most of the likeable score had been discarded in favour of other songs, and with the mood bright and breezy, director David Butler ensured Doris had the full support of Gordon MacRae for songs and Gene Nelson for some nifty footwork. Adding the comedic force of Eve Arden, the effete humour of Billy De Wolfe, and the neurotic outpourings of S.Z. Sakall was pure necessity, with Patrice Wymore occasionally jamming a jealous spanner in the works. Doris played an heiress eager to invest in a Broadway show and grab some show business star-dust for herself in a plot which involved a bet that she should say “No” to every question for twenty-four hours. Coached by Nelson’s wife, Miriam, Doris worked hard enough to make the dancing look easy on screen. However, no musical can be successful without songs and Doris, MacRae and Nelson, sang I Want To Be Happy, I Know That You Know, Do, Do, Do, I Only Have Eyes For You and the agreeable title number Patrice Wymore took care of a production number, Crazy Rhythm with Gene Nelson adding some spectacular dancing whilst The Charleston showcased young dancers in a lively work-out and provided the only reminder the action was set in the year of the Stock Market crash (1929) as costumes and hairstyles reflected pure Fifties! An attractive medley from an on-stage No, No Nanette production tied up all the loose ends of the plot in the speedily reached finale.

Despite the huge box-office success of Tea For Two, the film which followed, The West Point Story (1950 – re-titled Fine and Dandy in the UK) was a disappointing backward step for Doris as she was third-billed behind James Cagney and Virginia Mayo. At least it reunited her with Gordon MacRae and Gene Nelson but this routine tale about a Broadway director staging a revue at West Point promised more than it delivered and was let down by the film’s drab black-and-white photography and routine direction by Roy Del Ruth. Cagney had the opportunity to sing, dance, and veer between feisty light-weight comedy with a nice line in on-the-spot tantrums, with It Could Only Happen in Brooklyn his big number. The Sammy Cahn/ Jule Styne score also included the attractive Military Polka heavily promoted by marching men in uniforms in keeping with the location. Gordon MacRae smoothly delivered Long Before I knew You and shared You Love Me with Doris who triumphed in solo mode on the perky Ten Thousand Sheep; fortunately she recorded the two latter songs. The Kissing Rock was reprised throughout the film by all the cast. An ensemble piece rather than a Day movie, the lack of clear focus branded this film as lacking in distinction.

The melodramatic Storm Warning (1951) gave Doris her first non-singing role. This change of pace was significant for several reasons; the hard-hitting subject matter involving the Ku Klux Klan; the opportunity for Doris to work with her childhood idol, Ginger Rogers (who played her sister) and the only Day movie in which her character dies. With Steve Cochran moodily menacing as the husband and Ginger in a gutsy sophisticated role, Doris was somewhat grounded as the pregnant wife which at least allowed her sympathetic nature to believably flourish in a part which stretched her dramatic abilities. Ronald Reagan was also on hand as a good guy. Director Stuart Heisler, an expert at such film noir assignments, provided the intense atmosphere, and the film, rarely seen, still stands up well in the context of its subject and as one of Doris’ less typical films.

From realism to familiar back-stage musical territory must have delighted Doris and Lullaby of Broadway (1951), directed by David Butler, and was a lavish song and dance event in full Technicolor. Warner Brothers otherwise cut other costs by raiding their own music catalogue in order to provide Doris and others with lively numbers. The plot involved Doris as an aspiring singer/dancer, Melina Howard, returning from Europe to seek her mother (Gladys George), a faded Broadway star well in decline but intent on hiding the truth from her daughter. The opening number, Just One of Those Things, the heart-stopper which originally grabbed my attention with Doris in top hat and tails, still confirms what a great number it is! Doris’ co-star was the amiable Gene Nelson and they seemed to strike sparks in their duets and dance numbers together. You’re Getting To Be A Habit With Me, Somebody Loves Me and I Love The Way You Say Goodnight are shared and Gene sings and keeps his twinkling taps busy on Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart. Gladys George, a once popular Warner Brothers star, was ideally cast, pulling the heartstrings despite her hard exterior and delivering A Shanty In Old Shanty Town and Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone in the defiant way certain aging divas nowadays identify Sondheim’s I’m Still Here! as their anthem of survival! Comedy provided by Billy De Wolfe, Florence Bates and “Cuddles” Sakall kept the buoyant mood busy and somewhat unbelievable and prevented the plot from overdosing on cloying sentimentality. The perfect finale featuring the title song gave Doris and Gene the benefit of spectacular staging and slow-motion dance choreography which added elegance to the inevitable happy ending.

On a gentler level, On Moonlight Bay (1951), based on the Penrod stories by Booth Tarkington, was clearly seeking to emulate the style and success of Meet Me In St. Louis. Maybe it failed to reach the same level of period charm, but the film was successful enough to inspire a sequel and it remains a movie Day fans cherish with each television transmission adding further numbers to her fan-base. With the emphasis on tomboy Marjorie Winfield played by Doris, the plot dwelled on her family’s light-hearted tribulations in-between nostalgic songs. Cuddle Up A Little Closer, Tell Me, Till We Meet Again, I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles and the title song sung by Doris, Gordon MacRae and Jack Smith who played her suitors. On hand with spiky comments, Mary Wickes played the busybody maid and key figure in the corny plot. The film provided pure entertainment with the feeling nothing too drastic would ever happen to threaten the cosy atmosphere permeated by Roy Del Ruth’s assured direction.

The bio-pic I’ll See You In My Dreams (1951) detailed the life of the lyricist, Gus Kahn, who claimed fame with Ain’t We Got Fun, It Had To Be You, The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else and many other songs. Intended as a starring role for Danny Thomas, Warner Brothers’ on one hand needed to protect the film’s box-office potential by giving Doris top-billing yet opted for black and white photography, which conversely did the movie no favours! However, directed by Michael Curtiz, this formulaic movie artfully combined the dramatic and interpolated musical elements of the story. Doris in the role as wife and composer expanded her innate acting ability in scenes with Thomas and they gelled well together. The show business milieu was well-conceived and the passing years indicated changing period and fashion with effective simplicity. Humour and poignancy was shared in equal measure as the tale unfolded with Frank Lovejoy and Patrice Wymore, who had Love Me Or Leave Me as her big production number, in the supporting cast.

Starlift (1951) is probably Doris Day’s rarest film, having never been shown on UK television. She was top-billed and supported by Gordon MacRae, Gene Nelson and Virginia Mayo with numerous Warner Brothers stars, like Cagney, Phil Harris, Jane Wyman and Randolph Scott making token appearances as themselves. The background was a Californian US base during the Korean War and Hollywood’s flag-waving idea of providing troop entertainment without their stars having to travel too far from the studio. To emphasize realism and propaganda, Air Force officers explained to the stars the mechanics of looking after injured troops, the departure of men to the front and other base operations. The forgettable romantic plot involving a publicity stunt existed as an excuse to link the songs, dances and comedy. Doris sang You’re Gonna Lose That Girl with MacRae and her solo numbers were You Outta Be In Pictures, You Do Something To Me, ‘S Wonderful and a snatch of Lullaby of Broadway. However, Doris only occupied a small section of the movie which short-changed moviegoers who expected more considering her star-billing.

The Winning Team (1952) may have top-billed Doris but Ronald Reagan was really the star. He played Grover Cleveland Alexander, a telephone company technician who aspired to and succeeded in becoming a professional baseball player. Reagan was convincing if slightly too old for the part, with the plot following the usual highs and lows of baseball fame and the resulting detrimental effect on family life. Doris as girlfriend/wife gallantly offered a sensitive performance but there was no escaping her second place billing and status within the plot. She did get to sing Ol’ St. Nicholas and personally succeeded in giving her character some personable charm, but this film with its pedestrian direction by Lewis Sieler continued the lull in the silvery

Day movie career with the feeling that Warner Brothers merely exploited her name in order to boost its box-office viability.

At least April In Paris (1952) returned Doris to musicals even if the movie, directed by dependable David Butler, was a dull affair. It involved a State Department invitation to represent the USA at a Paris festival being sent in error to the slightly zany Ethel “Dynamite” Jackson, played by Doris, when in fact it is intended for the great actress Ethel Barrymore! Doris’ co-star was Ray Bolger who although an excellent dancer lacked leading man potential in movies; his milieu was comedic roles on Broadway. Adding to the problem was third-billed Claude Dauphin’s inept acting and terrible English which left Doris to finely shine her radiance over the thinly plotted proceedings. Initially set in New York, a journey by luxury liner soon found her in Hollywood’s idea of Paris. The ensuing misunderstandings and mistaken identities indolent of such a banal plot did at least leave room for some lively musical moments. Apart from his collaboration with E.Y Harburg on the title song nicely sung by Doris, Vernon Duke teamed with the ubiquitous Sammy Cahn for new songs I’m Gonna Ring The Bell Tonight and That’s What Makes Paris Paree which provided the musical means to mount decent production numbers whilst the ballad I Know A Place was well ahead of the remainder of the score.

By The Light Of The Silvery Moon (1953), the sequel to On Moonlight Bay put the Day career back on track. It featured the same co-stars, family and a similar plot mix of good-natured comedy set in the pure nostalgia of 1917 which just moved the action on from where the previous movie left off. Doris set the mood with her portrayal of the likeable tomboy now exhibiting female foibles on her capricious journey to womanhood and love! On the way, she finally fell for Gordon MacRae who celebrated this fact with Just One Girl while Doris had fun with King Chanticleer. The remaining songs If You Were The Only Girl In The World, Ain’t We Got Fun, Your Eyes Have Told Me So and I’ll Forget You just added tuneful resonance to a warmly appealing movie.

Despite the return to form and box-office success, Doris must have wondered just where her career was heading. Fortunately Calamity Jane (1953) gave her a tailor made role equal to her abilities. Doris turned the vivacious if ambivalent, two-fisted, back-slapping, pistol-toting tomboy into the bombastic but irresistible character we all rooted for. The plot was quite predictable, leaving welcome spaces for the songs which were certainly top-notch, having been written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster for an unproduced stage musical until Warner’s snapped it up as the ideal vehicle for their musical star. That great opener, The Deadwood Stage [Whip-Crack-Away] was followed by Just Blew In From The Windy City, The Black Hills of Dakota, A Woman’s Touch and the massive hit Secret Love which received an Oscar as Best Song. The film’s finale emphasized the reassuring notion that love had tamed Calamity Jane’s excesses and with her newly found femininity in full bloom and finally hitched, she headed for life-long domestic bliss with Wild Bill Hickok played with gusto by Howard Keel. No matter if the character and theme echoed Annie Get Your Gun in many ways: at least Calamity Jane has had the advantage of being seen constantly over the years and is the Doris Day movie which has kept her name popular with younger generations, whereas MGM’s movie of Irving Berlin’s masterpiece was unfortunately locked in the archives for over thirty years until its DVD/video reissue not long ago.

Calamity Jane was particularly popular in the UK and every song received extensive airplay with Philips releasing four 78’s until the availability of the 10 inch album at a later date. Most of the songs had been re-recorded by Doris for Columbia, including Tis Harry I’m Going To Marry which she did not sing in the film and the only included soundtrack items were The Deadwood Stage (without the middle segment), I Can Do Without You, Secret Love (alleged to have been recorded in a single take), and Howard Keel’s Higher Than A Hawk.

Warner’s first musical in Cinemascope, Lucky Me (1954) was a slip-shod affair which came nowhere near the quality of Calamity Jane. Doris played Candy, a superstitious member of a theatrical troupe stranded without work in Miami and so down on luck they are forced to survive by working in a hotel kitchen. Adding a songwriter (Robert Cummings) and false identities to the mix of overdone backstage capers from Phil Silvers, Eddie Foy Jr. and Nancy Walker, plus a bitchy turn from spoilt socialite played by Martha Hyer, at least provided Doris with the love interest and the script’s basic function. Fortunately, she surmounted these odds, looked great, and delivered vivacious performances of The Superstition Song; I Wanna Sing Like An Angel, I Speak To The Stars and The Bluebells Of Broadway. The remaining Sammy Fain/Paul Francis Webster songs included a couple unused from the Calamity Jane score (Love You Dearly and Men!) which joined High Hopes and Parisian Pretties for additional tuneful moments. Only I Speak To The Stars and The Bluebells Of Broadway were released as a single by Columbia which clearly signalled lack of faith in the movie but the unreleased Love You Dearly was later rescued from permanent obscurity and included in the Bear Family anthology.

Dream casting teamed Doris with Frank Sinatra for Young At Heart (1954), a remake of the 1938 movie Four Daughters based on a story by Fanny Hurst and produced by Doris’ own Arwin production company for Warners. With Sinatra’s movie come-back fully established and the name of his previously released hit chosen as the films’ title, this drama with music had all the ingredients to induce box-office excitement. The story of a family of three (reduced from four) daughters; their romances; overseen by a musical father and a grouchy but wise aunt (Ethel Barrymore) was classily mounted and played as totally irresistible soap opera. Doris looked terrific in her role as one of the sisters, Laurie Tuttle, and handled her excellent songs contributed by many including Mack Gordon and James Van Heusen, with great feeling which consolidated her warm-hearted performance. These included the ballads There’s A Rising Moon, Hold Me In Your Arms and the happy hit Ready, Willing and Able . Sinatra obviously insisted on bringing his own choice of standards from his favourite repertoire and Just One Of Those Things, Someone To Watch Over me and One For My Baby were set in a suitably smoky night club atmosphere to match his moody and convincing performance as a disillusioned songwriter/performer. The happy ending he demanded in place of the original downbeat finale, at least found him smiling and fully recovered from the preceding angst, and he and Doris shared You My Love with both committing their individual versions to disc and Sinatra’s version reaching the Charts.

As Doris’ 17th and final film under her Warner Brothers contract, she was now free to look to other studios for interesting projects, with third husband, Marty Melcher, whom she married in 1951, eager to extend his role from manager to producer. She later commented about the ending of her contract:

“I had but one year to go on my seven year contract and no prisoner ever waited deliverance day more eagerly than I anticipated being sprung from Warners. I just wanted the privilege of being able to say “No”. It was a word that had been banished from my vocabulary and I meant to put it back where it belonged”  – Doris Day

However, after three movies for MGM and Paramount, Doris returned to Warner Brothers on her own terms for The Pajama Game (1957) which was directed by Stanley Donen. The hit musical which had starred Janis Paige on Broadway, had a catchy score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, with choreography by Bob Fosse, and offered Doris a role too good to miss. Labour relations, pay negotiations and management problems may have seemed an unlikely subject to form the basis of such a musical but with a believable central romance, peripheral comedic characters and engaging songs, this one was a winner. As Babe Williams, head of the factory’s grievance committee, Doris soon set her heart on the physically and vocally virile John Raitt who played the newly arrived factory-floor manager. Complications ensured the path to romance was particularly bumpy when a negligible and crooked pay deal inflamed the workers to take necessary strike action. With most of the original stage cast imported from New York, Doris was the sole box-office name and she lead the proceedings with energetic enthusiasm combined with occasional vulnerability and was in great voice for I’m Not At All In Love backed by the factory girls, Small Talk and There Once Was A Man with John Raitt; joining the ensemble for Once-A-Year Day and Seven And A Half Cents. The secondary jealousy-driven relationship between the Carol Haney and Eddie Foy Jr. characters set up numbers like Hernando’s Hideaway and I’ll Never Be Jealous Again which left John Raitt with the hit song, Hey There, and although Doris just caught its crumbs, her brief tearful reprise was a key scene set evocatively against the changing colours of a railway crossing and demonstrating her ability to act through the lyrics of the song. Three minor songs had been omitted from the film adaptation so Adler and Ross decided to write an additional ballad, The Man Who Invented Love for Doris but unfortunately despite the fact Columbia released her commercial recording, the filmed scene and song was cut from the film which probably caused Doris some disappointment. However the Region 1(USA) DVD of The Pajama Game (Warner Bros. 35085) has rescued the scene from the cutting room floor and included it as a welcome “extra”. Overall, this film was a faithful adaptation of a popular musical and despite the ailing musical genre by the late 50’s it was a critical and box-office success which later encouraged Warner Brothers to snap up other Broadway successes like The Music Man, My Fair Lady and Gypsy for similarly high-profile transfers to the big screen without the loss of their original integrity.

After The Pajama Game Doris never worked for the studio again. The films Doris made at Warners certainly succeeded in making her a star name, despite the fact many of them fell short of expectation, but the musicals were entertaining and popular. Maybe the few dramatic movies expanded her acting range but these roles could have been played by any competent actress. No doubt her contract made it necessary that she should accept such parts and did no harm to her movie stardom which peaked in the early Fifties and would do so again ten years later when working at Universal Studios. Her need to concentrate on movies possibly overshadowed her recording career and only in recent years has her vocal ability been fully appreciated. It is perhaps ironic that this realisation came after she had made her last album and movie around 1968. Now living in Carmel, Doris has championed animal rights and her own contingent of dogs and cats keep her near home with her maxim firmly fixed on today and not the past.

Allen Pollock
(British music/film critic and researcher)

Nellie McKay’s “Normal As Blueberry Pie – A Tribute To Doris Day” album is available now.

We want to wish Nellie a very Happy Birthday for today (13th April). Below are some questions which we’d love you to answer please for the ‘Discovering Doris’ website:

How did you first discover Doris Day and what did she mean to you as a teenager?
I found ‘It’s Magic’ – an album compiled from her movie recordings – in a record shop and her smiling face seemed so reassuring and kind, I had to buy it. I listened to it all the way home – she took me out of this world to a lovely, romantic movie land – a picnic in the sun.

Has that changed now in your adult life/after recording your tribute album?
I guess I’m still a teenager at heart – her voice is a warm caress, giving you hope and good feeling.

What is your all-time favourite Doris Day song or album and why?
I love ‘I’ll String Along With You’ – it’s understated, gentle and terribly romantic.

What inspired you to record Doris Day’s music for your 4th studio album and did you find this project in any way difficult to get off the ground because her music isn’t currently mainstream?
My A&R, Mitchell Cohen, suggested it and pushed for it and I am very grateful as I would never have had the moxie to do it myself. I think there are a lot of people out there hungry for tributes to Ms. Day – they have so much love for her.

This album project became one of your most successful, as it reached #5 on America’s Billboard Jazz chart. Were you surprised by its runaway commercial and critical success?
Thank you! I’m always surprised if we sell one copy, but I think in this case it had to do with the overwhelming affection people feel for Ms. Day.

Have you sent Doris Day a copy of your CD? And, if so, has she commented on it?
We are just now sending her one – we are very slow. I figure she’s very busy with her Animal Foundation – fighting for animals takes a lot of time! But if and when she hears it, I hope she likes it – I hope her doggies like it too.

Outside of America, Doris Day’s 2nd most successful music market in the world is the United Kingdom (where you were born). Will you therefore be bringing your tribute album to the UK or indeed any other international countries?
I hope so! When I visited Ireland a few years ago it seemed every lady I met had a special place in her heart for Ms. Day. And my Uncle Patrick, in England, idolized her from the time he was a small boy.

Will you follow up with any similar such album projects? If so, whose music would you like to record next?
Ms. Day recorded enough songs to easily fill a tribute set, so maybe another to her! Otherwise I would like to do an old-fashioned warbly album, in the style of Irene Dunne or Kitty Carlisle Hart.

Do you have any final words which you’d like to say to Doris Day’s fans from around the world?
You have the best taste. Isn’t she marvelous? Doris Day forever!

What are your general plans for the future?
Honestly, to try to keep one’s chin up and stay on the bright side of life, like Ms. Day.

Thanks to Nellie McKay and her agent Carla Parisi for agreeing to do this Q&A interview (conducted by  Stephen M).