Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?

Doris Day has always been fun to watch as she brings her characters to life on the screen. She can play such a broad scheme of emotions, often switching gears in a second. She was particularly delightful as Maggie Garrison, the very happily married wife of Peter Garrison. Then they hit a bump in their relationship--the same night that the the power goes off in New York and the NE part of the country. Maggie retreats to their country home and Peter follows. But this is made more challenging by the loss of power and all the people stranded everywhere. Doris Day is at her funniest when her husband finally does catch up with her and she's so sleepy she can't stay awake. Various coincidences and misunderstandings add up to an amusing and enjoyable film. Also of note is Steve Allen's performance as the Radio Announcer and it was fun to see Pat Paulsen as the Conductor. Both of these characters contributed to the atmosphere during the blackout. It's interesting to note how these New Yorkers in the 1960s handled the power outage, now that we've experienced 9/11.