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:

The uninhibited story of a carefree bachelor...a careful career girl...and how they learn that PILLOW TALK is no fun...for just one!

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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

Spanish TV screened "Pillow Talk" 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 TV until 1999, when Spanish viewers could, at last, see the ending!

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Goofs

When "Rex" is split-screened with Jan when she is in bed and they are talking on the phone, you can see a fly buzzing around at the foot of it. A true high-rise apartment in the city is unlikely to have even an occasional fly.

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Quotes

Brad Allen: [on the phone pretending to be Rex] Am I gonna see you tonight?
Jan: I'd love to Rex, but I already have a date.
Brad Allen: Who with?
Jan: A client. You don't know him. Jonathan Forbes.
Brad Allen: Of course, you're not the kind of girl who would break a date.
Jan: No I'm not.
Brad Allen: And I ain't the kinda guy who'd ask you to.
Jan: I know you're not.
Brad Allen: I'll pick you up at 8.
Jan: I'll be ready.

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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

Featured in Doris Day: A Sentimental Journey (1991)

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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.