Pillow Talk (1959)

A man and a woman who share a party line cannot stand each other, but he has fun romancing her with his voice disguised.

Director:

Michael Gordon

Writers:

Stanley Shapiro (screenplay), Maurice Richlin (screenplay)

Stars:

Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rock Hudson	...	Brad Allen
Doris Day	...	Jan Morrow
Tony Randall	...	Jonathan Forbes
Thelma Ritter	...	Alma
Nick Adams	...	Tony Walters
Julia Meade	...	Marie
Allen Jenkins	...	Harry
Marcel Dalio	...	Pierot
Lee Patrick	...	Mrs. Walters
Mary McCarty	...	Nurse Resnick
Alex Gerry	...	Dr. A.C. Maxwell
Hayden Rorke	...	Mr. Conrad
Valerie Allen	...	Eileen
Jacqueline Beer	...	Yvette
Arlen Stuart	...	Tilda

Storyline

In New York, the interior decorator Jan Morrow and the wolf composer Brad Allen share a party line, but Brad keeps it busy most of the time flirting with his girlfriends. They do not know each other but Jan hates Brads since she needs the telephone for her business and can not use it. Coincidently Jan's wealthy client Jonathan Forbes that woos her is the best friend of Brad and he comments with him that he feels an unrequited love for Jan, who is a gorgeous woman. When Brad meets Jan by chance in a restaurant, he poses as a naive tourist from Texas named Rex Stetson and seduces her. But Jonathan hires a private eye to find who Rex Stetson is.

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Plot Keywords:

telephone party line | telephone | split screen | womanizer | bare chested male | 

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Taglines:

It's what goes on when the lights go off!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

7 October 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Problemas de alcoba

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$18,750,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arwin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Production Code Administration (PCA) initially balked at the movie's title, but producer Ross Hunter refused to change it.

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Goofs

A party line phone would not ring when any phone on the line was off the hook. To call the other phone on your line, you had to dial a special code and then hang up and wait for your phone to stop ringing, indicating that the other party had answered. This is not how Jan does it.

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Quotes

Jan: [after an awkward first kiss with "Rex"] If you'll excuse me, I better go to the powder moon. I mean room. Fix my lipstick.

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Crazy Credits

As Doris Day sings 'Pillow Talk' over the closing credits, the film finishes with 'the end' on two horizontal pillows' followed by 'not quite' 'not quite' 'not quite' 'not quite' stacked vertically on four pillows.

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Connections

Referenced in The Lucy Show: Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere (1966)

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Soundtracks

Inspiration
by Joe Lubin and I.J. Roth
Performed by Rock Hudson (uncredited)

User Reviews

In spite of what we know now

In spite of what we know now, Rock Hudson still convinces as a woman-chaser!! He was never considered to be a great actor but he convinced the public for years- so what dom the critics know? This movie is brilliant in every respect-script, plot , performances and the look of the whole thing. How can Doris Day be so sexy and virginal at the same time? Rock Hudson showed a real flair for comedy in this film and it is no wonder that every romantic comedy has been judged against the "Rock Hudson/Doris Day" movies. Even the Doris Day movies NOT starring Rock Hudson were called "Rock Hudson/Doris Day" !!! Doris Day was/is one of the most underrated actresses of the last 50 years. She could play comedy with perfect timing, but convince totally in dramas (check out "Love Me or Leave Me"-fantastic performance.) I must have watched this movie dozens of times and it is still true entertainment. If you have never watched one of her movies then make a point of doing so-yes they have dated, but what has not? Real talent not hype is what true stars have. By the way the 9/10 is because of the dated plot.