The Thrill of It All (1963) 6.8
A housewife's sudden rise to fame as a soap spokesperson leads to chaos in her home life. Director:Norman Jewison |
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The Thrill of It All (1963) 6.8
A housewife's sudden rise to fame as a soap spokesperson leads to chaos in her home life. Director:Norman Jewison |
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| 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Doris Day | ... | ||
| James Garner | ... |
Dr. Gerald Boyer
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| Arlene Francis | ... |
Mrs. Fraleigh
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| Edward Andrews | ... |
Gardiner Fraleigh
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| Reginald Owen | ... |
Old Tom Fraleigh
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| Zasu Pitts | ... |
Olivia
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| Elliott Reid | ... |
Mike Palmer
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Alice Pearce | ... |
Irving's Wife
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| Kym Karath | ... |
Maggie Boyer
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Brian Nash | ... |
Andy Boyer
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Lucy Landau | ... |
Mrs. Goethe
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Paul Hartman | ... |
Dr. Taylor
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| Hayden Rorke | ... |
Billings
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Alex Gerry | ... |
Stokely
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Robert Gallagher | ... |
Van Camp
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The Happy Soap Company is owned and managed by the Fraleigh family. Although he is more of a company figurehead than an active participant in the company's day-to-day business, anything that family patriarch Tom Fraleigh wants for the company he usually gets. What he wants is Beverly Boyer - the wife of his daughter-in-law's obstetrician, Dr. Gerald Boyer - to appear as the company spokesperson when Beverly, who he meets at a small dinner party, mentions a personal and true story about how Happy Soap saved her life. She is to appear in a live commercial spot during a Happy Soap sponsored television show telling her story just as she told Tom. Despite Beverly's performance going poorly in her own mind, Tom loved it and how refreshing and honest Beverly came across to the viewer. So Tom signs her to a one year, $80,000 contract to continue doing the same. This move is questioned by Happy Soap's own managers and its advertising company. But it is questioned even more by Gerald, who ... Written by Huggo
Before the women's movement and the advances in reproductive assistance, there was The Thrill of it All, a feel-good movie for its day (and its Day, namely Doris Day). Miss Day as a typical doctor's wife, and Miss Arlene Francis as a 40-plus woman giving birth for the first time, may have portended of changes to come in society.
If the movie were remade today, it would not be surprising that Dr. Gerald Boyer would be aware of in vitro fertilization and other reproductive technology. He would even get used to his wife being a working wife.
Anyway, it is good to see a film that was released in the early part of 1963, unaware of the tragedy the world would face before the year ended.