The Thrill of It All

If one of today's "actresses" gave half as good a performance as Doris Day gives in "The Thrill of it All," they'd be nominated for an Oscar. Just look at what wins Academy Awards today! Day's acting in "Thrill" is just as good, or better, than Helen Hunt in "As Good As it Gets."

Hollywood seems to have "had it in" for Doris. In this film, she was so natural, so damn good, and above all, FUNNY. She and James Garner made a handsome couple and gave this film that extra sparkle. Thanks to the clever script/screenplay by Carl Reiner, this comedy had lots to say.

I enjoyed all of the performers here. Zazu Pitts was extremely funny as Olivia, the maid. Doris has always had wonderful support in her films and this one was no exception. Arlene Francis was great as the expectant older mother and Edward Andrews deserved a best supporting Oscar nod. Why he didn't get one is beyond me. It's similar to the way the Oscars ignored Tony Randall's superb work in all three Day/Hudson flicks.

Alice Pearce ("Bewitched") was a scream as the money hungry wife during the traffic jam. This is the scene where Andrews displayed his expertise in comedy (this should have been Oscar time for him).

One of my favorite scenes in the picture was when Beverly and her Dr. husband were besieged by Bev's fans in the restaurant. Very effective and not overdone.

Day was wonderful in most of her scenes and really broke me up when she first did her soap commercial. The whole picture is a delight and director, Norman Jewison was right on target. Boy, do I wish he'd directed "Pillow Talk," for he would have kept a tight reign on Doris' tendency to get "too cutesy." Here, she was appropriately mature AND sexy.

Very touching was the scene after the baby was born in the back of the limo. Day is overwhelmed by the experience of assisting in the birth and just wants her Dr. husband to hold her. Beautiful. This one gets the highest rating in my book.

One of my favorite Doris Day movies with James Garner, her OB doctor husband; but the funniest scenes of all was when Arlene Francis, who plays an older woman having her first child in a taxi cab because of a traffic jam, and her hubby is running all over the place. It is still an undated romantic comedy with some great one-liners. Doris gets bored with home life and becomes a superstar TV commercial for soap products; still this is one of her best because the writers were the best; Larry Gelbart and Rob Reiner 7/10

Doris Day was one of my favorites in the 50s and 60s, even in her

final clunkers, she always rose above the material. Thankfully in

the early 60s she was at her most productive, giving really fine

comic performances that not even Goldie Hawn could match in

quality. Here's she's the attractive housewife to James Garner's

equally attractive pediatrician husband. They live in the burbs, and

at a dinner party, she's suddenly offered the opportunity to become

a pitchwoman for a line of laundry detergent. It's not a hard

job--the advertising agency simply shoots the TV spots in her

home. But Doris becomes a star, and her well-ordered life veers

completely out of control. Her mildly chauvinistic husband (typical

of the times) hates her working, taking time from him and the kids

(okay for him to be constantly busy and challenged by his work).

You need know nothing more of the plot, which involves the head

of the agency's wife giving birth in a limousine, and the by now

somewhat separated Day/Garner partnership finds their spat over

with a big embrace before the final credits.

A smart script by Carl Reiner and Doris at her comic and

glamorous best (the costumes are really gorgeous early 60s

knockouts) with wonderful chemistry supplied by hunky Garner.

The kids are cute, Arlene Francis and Edward Andrews are fine

comic foils. I've seen this movie a half a dozen times, and always

watch when it's on late-night TV. The scene where Doris finally

loses her temper over her husband's un-reasonable jealousy and

anger over his wife's career, is a howler. As she demonstrated in

all her movies with Rock Hudson, nobody can boil over in comic

rage better than the adorable Miss Day.

Doris Day made a lot of movies that were a lot better than people knew and so many of them went practically unnoticed. A prime example was the 1963 comedy THE THRILL OF IT ALL, which starred Doris as Beverly Boyer, the wife of a doctor (James Garner), who, quite accidentally, becomes a television spokesperson for a product called "Happy Soap" and becomes an overnight celebrity much to the consternation of her husband. Day is at the height of her charm here as she is completely winning as the housewife thrown into the celebrity spotlight and doesn't really know how to handle it. Garner matches her note for note as the slightly chauvinistic husband who would rather have his wife at home. There is also a lovely supporting turn by Arlene Francis as a friend of Doris' who Doris actually helps to give birth in a cab and Carl Reiner (who also co-wrote the screenplay) has an amusing set of cameos as the star of the show where Happy Soap is advertised. A warm family comedy that showcases brilliantly why the world loved Doris Day...and still does.

"The Thrill Of It All" was one of my best childhood memories. In the days prior to wall-to-wall cable stations, there were certain films that enjoyed a regular place on the weekend matinée lineup on local TV stations. This was one of them. And the funny thing is when I originally saw it, I never thought of it as dated or sexist (this is a memory from about 28 years ago). Even though I grew up in a household where both my parents worked (and my dad never gave it a second thought since there were six of us), I merely accepted the script as a reflection of the 1963 sensibility and not my own. You really can't watch a movie that's older than you are (I'm guessing lots of you are under 40) and expect it to reflect modern-day sensibilities. That said, the film is expertly written taking several stabs and jabs at the TV advertising (as well as the network) industry. Doris Day was the quintessential modern wife/mother on-screen at the time, and James Garner was a perfect spousal foil for her. And what a touch of class by Arlene "What's My Line" Francis as an elegant expectant (albeit older) mother and nervous expectant father Edward Andrews.