That Touch of Mink

This was probably the fourth or fifth early sixties sexual innuendo comedy that I've caught up on during the 2020, now 2021 pandemic. By caught up, I mean I've been trying to screen one film a night, that I've been meaning to watch for years, from my eight thousand plus video collection. The script was funny, the actors were good and the direction was fine. I just had a couple of problems.

Cary Grant was an entity onto himself in not less than ten brilliant, classic comedies of the late thirties and early forties. He was a suave middle aged leading man in Hitchcock suspense films of the forties and fifties. By the early sixties, while he was still sophisticated and sharp, he didn't quite have it as the romantic comedy Lothario. And Doris Day, at age forty, while still quite beautiful, charming and witty, didn't convince me that she was the nervous, starry eyed young virgin who was living the lifestyle of a twenty two year old, trying to find herself.

The original idea for the Mary Tyler Moore show had Mary Richards newly divorced and starting over in a new city. They decided to change it and have her fresh out of a long term relationship. She was thirty years old and they knew the idea that she was still a naive virgin wouldn't quite fly. If Doris' character in this one was divorced from the only man she'd ever been with, and nervous and anxious with someone new, it would have worked for me. A forty year old woman, living in a tiny apartment with a roommate, working at temp jobs and staying in a room with a man for the first time was less than credible. Yes, women like this exist and I've met them. They're usually not the type that a suave billionaire playboy who looks like Cary Grant would do an immediate backflip over.

Okay, now I sound like a sexist and an ageist. The fact is, a forty year old virgin, male or female, isn't usually the most sought after partner in New York. To leave on a positive note, Audrey Meadows was perfectly cast as the wise and cynical best friend. I wish she had done more films but I guess I should be happy that Alice Kramden is forever a part of my DNA.

In N. Y. C and unemployed secretary named Cathy Timberlake (Doris Day) is splashed with water and mud by a Rolls Royce on her way . Car owner is Philip , a rich businessman tycoon (Gary Grant) who asks her for apologies . Cathy then is involved on a journey to Bermudas Islands where several antics and mayhem happen in a game of cat and mouse.

This is a sex-comedy in which a sympathetic woman falls in love with a man not interested in marriage. Classic and light romantic comedy of the 60s with two comedy masters : Doris Day and Gary Grant , both of whom exhibiting considerable rapport even when they are arguing. Doris Day was probably the only Hollywood actress by the time who could have handled this brand of bright and simple comedy with kinks in such expert fashion. The film is one of the various starred by Doris Day during the 50s and 60s , such as : ¨Lover come back" , "Send me flowers" , "More over darling" , "Do not disturb", "Glass bottom boat" , "Do not distur¨ among others , with usual partners as Rock Hudson and other big stars as James Garner, Rod Taylor and Gary Grant himself . And appearing likeable secondaries : Gig Young , he's ever better than habitual as the inevitable sidekick of the starring , John Astin also scores as a man with a lugubrious leer and besides Dick Sargent (Bewitched) as a nervous husband justly married. The screenplay gets fun lines and amusing situations , being written by expert Stanley Shapiro (producer too) that enables the actors to make the most of themselves. Furthermore , it displays a colorful cinematography by Russell Metty and and lively musical score by George Duning. The motion picture was well directed by Delbert Mann (Separate tables, Desire under the Elms , Marty) . The flick will appeal to Gary Grant and Doris Day fans.

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.

This is a movie that I can enjoy watching over and over again, and every time there's something new to notice. It would be a difficult movie to re-make today, morality having changed the way it has, but as a slice of history, it works well. The script is really well-written, with some great one-liners and sharp dialogue, and who can resist Cary Grant? A hot drink, a plate of cookies, and "That Touch of Mink" add up to a very pleasant way to pass an evening.

Very cute movie. It was very enjoyable and put a smile on my face. It's obviously a bit dated, I doubt there are many young, independant working women that swoon over losing their virginity these days. I even doubt it was quite like that back in 1962. It's still very sweet and it would make a good date movie.

I should also mention the movie looks beautiful. Movies from this era tend to look great. The quality of production in movies seriously declined the closer Hollywood got to the 70's.