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In your own words how
would you describe "Considering Doris Day" to the
fans out there?
“Considering Doris
Day” is my attempt to grant Doris Day her rightful
place as a great American artist, placing her career and
persona within the context of American society in the
second half of the twentieth century, the century
historians refer to as “the American Century.” It is not
a standard biography, but rather, a critical analysis of
the extraordinary body of work which constitutes Doris
Day’s career. I examine of all of her films, most of her
600 recordings, and all five seasons of the CBS sitcom.
It’s an examination of why her work continues to
resonate today, even though she has not worked as a
performer in over twenty years, and how she came to be a
genuine, worldwide icon.
I hope it’s an
even-handed assessment- I am forthright when I don’t
think the films are very good; some of those early
Warner Brothers films like “It’s
a Great Feeling” are just not good films, as Doris
Day herself has stated. However, the sign of just how
talented Doris Day is can be seen by looking at a film
like “It’s a Great Feeling” ,because in the midst of all
that nonsense she sings “Blame My Absent Minded Heart”
with such beauty, with such intense dramatic feeling,
that one is left a little awed. My feeling is that only
by looking at Doris Day’s growth as an actress is the
full extent of her enormous talent highlighted. By the
time of the mid- 50s she was hands down the most
versatile, most consistently accomplished A list actress
in Hollywood.
This makes the book
all sound very serious, like a textbook, and it’s not—I
treat Doris Day very seriously, as any true artist
should be treated, but I deliberate wanted to make the
book conversational in tone so that it is a fun read for
people. Hopefully I have achieved that goal.
How did you come to
write "Considering Doris Day"? Was there
something specific that inspired you to do choose Doris
as a subject?
Two things inspired me
to right the book- like John Updike I have always been
in love with Doris Day- this huge talent who also
happens to radiate a goodness and decency so rare today;
in the signings and lectures I have been giving in
connection with the book I always joke that I have to
mention John Updike in this context because it is the
only time my name will be mentioned in the same breath
as his!
Even more so, I come back to the word “underrated.”
Doris Day has never received her full due as the
incredibly gifted singer and actress she is and I wanted
to rectify that situation. I think the reason she has
not received her full due is not only because her range
is so wide- from musical comedy to heavy drama to
musical drama to farce- singing, dancing, acting- and
she made it all look effortless. When it looks
effortless, which is a state that only great artists can
achieve- think of Fred Astaire dancing- people tend to
take it for granted.
In addition, people
have made all those wisecracks along the lines of Oscar
Levant’s “I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin” and
that has caused a complete misreading of her personality
and film persona. Remember- at the time of “Pillow
Talk”, Doris Day was the only Hollywood star who
consistently played career women with great jobs who
were happy in their lives and not desperate for a
husband. People have really forgotten how
self-sufficient and capable she was, the intelligence
she always projected on film.
Finally, I wrote the
book because Doris Day has always been my favorite
singer and I wanted to share that feeling- to share a
serious look at that talent- with others.
Which part of
researching for this book was the most personally
interesting to you?
 The
most interesting part of researching the book for me was
listening to every single one of her recordings and
listening to them in chronological order. It was
fascinating to chart her growing artistry- it’s really
an evolution from the somewhat tentative beginnings, the
growing confidence, until the full flowering in the
series of brilliant concept albums she made for Columbia
Records. I really believe that amongst female pop
singers, her recording career has only been equaled by
Ella Fitzgerald.
Did your opinion of
Doris change in anyway after completing the book?
I don’t think my
opinion of Doris changed so much as the fact that
certain facts and patterns were made clearer.
Specifically, I found the dichotomy between her total
belief in her own talent-( the fact that she never had
doubts about her ability in whatever she undertook)- and
her rather marked lack of ambition to be fascinating.
Once Doris committed to a project she gave it 110%, but
I never sensed a burning desire to “make it”. In this
day and age where everyone wants to be a star, desperate
for their 15 minutes of fame, the fact that this
enormous talent could walk away from it all is very
interesting. . It also speaks to a very healthy outlook
on life. Like any fan I wish she were still acting and
singing but I greatly admire her shift to other aspects
of her life, her total commitment to improving the
welfare of animals.
What is your
earliest memory of Doris Day?
My earliest memory is
of my mother playing Doris Day records. I have a very
specific memory of being a very young boy and seeing
that highly evocative cover of the “Day
by Night” album. My mother was a big fan of Doris
Day’s, and that is why the book is dedicated to her
(along with my nephew and nieces).
What is your
favourite Doris Day record and movie?
My favorite Doris Day
record is “Day
by Night”- in
the book I call it a perfect pop album and I really
think it is. The concept of nighttime is carried out
effortlessly throughout the entire album with beautiful
songs, and the arrangements by Paul Weston are
extraordinary. I think he was the arranger who
understood Doris Day the vocalist better than anyone
else- just like Nelson Riddle with Sinatra. When I
listen to Doris sing “Moonglow” I always think “This is
as good as it gets.”
My favorite movie- I
have three favorites: “Love
Me or Leave Me”, “The
Man Who Knew Too Much” and “The
Thrill of It All”- but if I have to choose one it is
“Love
Me or Leave Me.”
It’s an extraordinary blend of terrific acting and
singing and Doris is so good that she absolutely holds
her own with James Cagney, and that speaks volumes. The
range of vocal styles she covers in the film, the deeply
thought out characterization- I think it is the best
performance by a female in a musical film that I’ve ever
seen. (I’d put Streisand in “Funny Girl” and Judy
Garland in “A Star is Born” pretty damn close)
How does Doris
compare to...
There are great
similarities and differences between Doris and
Barbra Streisand.
The biggest similarity
lies in the fact that both are absolute perfectionists
in the recording studio and on film sets- it’s why they
both shied away from live performances, with Doris never
playing Broadway and never giving live concerts, while
Barbra hasn’t appeared on a Broadway stage to perform in
over forty years, and only now has come back to the
concert stage.
There are, of course,
several differences. In terms of singing, Barbra loves
the drama of it all- she luxuriates in spinning out
sagas of lost love, the world of “if only”. Barbra can
really belt and is terrific with a full orchestra- she
is a Broadway baby and, I think, the best theatrical
singer of her generation, possibly ever. Doris Day, on
the other hand, although she sounds great with a full
orchestra, prefers a simple accompaniment- this is
something Day herself has commented upon. She is an
amazingly intimate singer and you really do believe,
just as her voice teacher Grace Raine taught her, that
she is singing directly to you. She is an artist
incapable of telling anything but the truth.
Both have consummate
acting ability which has informed all of their singing
and both are extraordinary artists. I think Doris
stretched herself more as an actress, yet Barbra
stretched herself by writing songs, producing and
directing films.
In terms of
personality, the biggest difference is that Doris Day is
a much more mellow personality. Barbra has received
somewhat of a bad rap simply for being a woman who took
charge of her own career (no one criticized Warren
Beatty for writing, directing, and starring in “Reds”),
but it’s also clear that she can be edgy and volatile.
Barbra is a much more polarizing figure- she inspires
worship and derision. Doris inspires devotion and a
smile- the first comment everyone makes to me is “I love
Doris Day.”
Who/what will your
next project be about?
My next project is a
book on
Frank Sinatra- my favorite male singer and an
absolutely terrific actor when given the right material.
It has been fun to watch “Young at Heart”, his one film
with Doris, twice now—once I studied it from the Doris
standpoint for “Considering Doris Day” and now I have
looked at it again from Frank’s standpoint.
What Sinatra shares with Doris Day and Barbra Streisand
is the fact that all three were, at the peaks of their
careers, the single biggest star in the world- enormous
film stars and top of the charts singers. All three are
not just stars, but icons. They not only reflected the
culture at large, but actually changed it.
Sincere
thanks to Tom Santopietro for taking the time to do this
Q&A interview conducted by Stephen Munns
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