Pillow Talk (1959)

An interior decorator and a playboy songwriter share a telephone party line and size each other up.

Director:

Michael Gordon

Writers:

Stanley Shapiro (screenplay), Maurice Richlin (screenplay)

Stars:

Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 13 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

telephone party line | telephone | split screen | womanizer | split screen telephone call | 

---

Taglines:

It's ROCK -- around the clock -- in this hilarious story of a gay, young bachelor and the girls in his love-life!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Spanish TV screened this movie on 20th July 1969 while everybody was waiting for the Apollo landing on the Moon. Suddenly, the film stopped, and Spanish people could see the landing live. The film was not reshown on Spanish TV until 1999, when Spanish viewers finally could see the ending.

---

Goofs

When at the bar singing 'Roly Poly' with Jan, "Rex" lets his real accent slip a few times.

---

Quotes

Jonathan Forbes: In New York, you have air you can sink your teeth into. It has character.

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Newhart: Pillow Fight (1985)

---

Soundtracks

I Need No Atmosphere
by Joe Lubin and I.J. Roth
Performed by Perry Blackwell (uncredited)

User Reviews

Comedy to aid the sick!

So there I was, in my sick-bed when this film comes on. I start to watch, having never seen it before, and to my surprise, find myself laughing...out loud.

I have never really been a fan of either Doris Day or Rock Hudson, but I did enjoy this piece of fluff. And in our modern times when comedies currently released in the cinema can hardly raise a smile, let alone a laugh, I found this a pure delight. So the sexual politics maybe a little outdated, but there were some beautifully timed comedy set-pieces: The moment Doris Day discovers the real identity of Hudson's character has one of the best use of music I have seen in a movie since the Warner Bros cartoons!

A film that I didn't think I would enjoy, but was completely bowled over by.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

7 October 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pillow Talk

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