That Touch of Mink (1962)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Delbert Mann

Writers:

Stanley Shapiro (writer) and
Nate Monaster (writer)

Release Date:

14 June 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Two of Hollywood's most beloved stars, Cary Grant and Doris Day, sparkle in a breezy, stylish comedy that's rich with romantic delights.

Plot:

A rich businessman and a young woman are attracted to each other, but he only wants an affair while she wants to save her virginity for marriage.

Plot Keywords:

Homophobia | Unemployment Office | Hotel | Fear Of Sex | Homophobic Slur

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Philip Shayne
Doris Day	...	Cathy Timberlake
Gig Young	...	Roger
Audrey Meadows	...	Connie Emerson
Alan Hewitt	...	Doctor Gruber
John Astin	...	Mr. Everett Beasley
Dick Sargent	...	Young Man (Harry Clark) (as Richard Sargent)
Joey Faye	...	Short Man
Laurie Mitchell	...	Showgirl
John Fiedler	...	Mr. Smith
Willard Sage	...	Hodges
Jack Livesey	...	Doctor Richardson
Mickey Mantle	...	Himself
Roger Maris	...	Himself
Yogi Berra	...	Himself

Runtime:

99 min | Canada:80 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | UK:U | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Arwin Productions

Trivia:

In her autobiography, Doris Day wrote that Cary Grant was very professional and exacting with details, helping her with her wardrobe choices for the film and decorating the library set with his own books from home. However, he was a completely private person, totally reserved, and very distant. Their relationship on this film was amicable but totally devoid of give-and-take.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Cathy and Connie are going to sleep after Cathy's first day with Mr. Shayne, Connie places the card from the unwed mothers' home next to the clock, but when Cathy wakes up at 2:30 AM, the card is suddenly next to the phone.

Quotes:

Cathy Timberlake: How would you feel? Here I am, he practically runs me down and then drives right away! And doesn't have the decency to apologise himself. Furthermore I have a job interview and have to go like this. He doesn't care.
Roger: Ohhh...
Cathy Timberlake: You know what I'd like to do?
Roger: Throw the money in his face?
Cathy Timberlake: Exactly! I'd like to throw that money right in his face.
Roger: Would you?
Cathy Timberlake: Yes, I would.
Roger: I've waited seven years for this moment. You come with me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)

Touch of Mink - Pretty Amazing Film

I would not place 'Touch Of Mink' with the likes of Tarkovsky's films, but I will say that it is a beautifully-filmed fantasy that is really titillatingly funny in a genuinely charming way. Even the most serious film viewers cannot deny the smiles that are inevitable when Doris is on the screen. The film's story evolves when two lives are randomly thrown together - that of a hard-working waitress and a rich bachelor playboy. What ensues is delicious full-on Technicolor romantic comedy.

There are also some classic moments: The hand emerging from the 'atuomatic' restaurant where Doris and Audrey work to smack the face of a particularly offending male patron (those where the days when a woman could smack a man in a film and get great laughs...) - Doris's fantasy sequence as she's driven through the streets in a bed - with a man - and they're NOT MARRIED! It's a harmless, light film that still has such a centered beauty and sophistication that shows off the bright side of Hollywood-produced films of that era. As previous posters have commented, HD Digital video just cannot produce the same wonderful hues of celluloid - and there is something irresistible about Ms. Day in this film - her character's innocence is rather genuine, as is her male lead (Cary Grant) who obviously loves her for his ability to win her over with gifts and his own brand of charm.

I think it's important to have a second look at many of Doris Day's films in the lights of the 21st century. Touch of Mink, in particular, holds a dream-bubble of blissful idealism and moral irony that has incredible resonance today, when so many have found that we must reexamine our attitudes toward casual sex. This is the central core of the film, and many would now see's Ms. Day's character's reaction to such a thought as far more intelligent than when it was viewed in the 1970's- 80's.

Give the film a view; especially on a Friday night when you really, truly want to be entertained by a dazzling screen star.