Your Top 5 and Bottom 5 Doris Day Leading Men

[pillowtalk]

Dominique, I love Rose Marie too...she and Doris are fantastic together! And I'm really not a fan of S.Z. Sakall either - I forgot about him.

[BabeWilliams]

Oh I love S.Z. Sakall, he cracks me up!!

[Jiminy Cricket]

Hello everybody... this is my first post. It took me a while to be able to participate,since the last year I didn't participate. But here I am... nice to meet all of you! ^^

So... let me say my list:

Top 5:
Gordon MacRae
James Stewart
Rock Hudson
James Cagney
Rod Taylor

Bottom 5:
Stephen Boyd
Rex Harrison
David Niven
Kirk Douglas
Richard Harris

Top 3 Co-stars:
Cameron Mitchell ( They look great together!)
Tony Randall
S.Z. Sakall ( I love this guy... But I forget his name all the time! Oo)

Bottom 3 Co-stars:
Allyn McLerie (I don't like her... really don't!)
Janis Paige
Paul Lynde ( I hate this guy! I really do!)

[daybyday08]

Hi! Nice to meet you.
I completely forgot about Paul Lynde. I really like him. He was very funny on Hollywood Squares.

[pillowtalk]

Nice to meet you, Jiminy!

I like Paul Lynde too. I also forgot about Cameron Mitchell...I liked him and Doris together.

[Bixby]

1. Cary Grant
2. Rock Hudson
3. Clark Gable ( In spite of his age, I love Teacher's Pet)
4. James Garner
5. Jack Lemmon
6. Rod Taylor
7. Patrick O'Neal ( I haven't seen the movie, but loved him in the television series)

1. David Niven
2. Louis Jourdan
3. Frank Sinatra

[BabeWilliams]

I forgot about Janis Paige, she was alright in Romance On The High Seas but I couldn't stand her in Please Don't Eat The Daisies.

[jmichael]

I forgot about Janis Paige, she was alright in Romance On The High Seas but I couldn't stand her in Please Don't Eat The Daisies.

Hello? Janis Paige was perfection in PDETD.

"It says here you are 29."

"I have been...."

Loved her sassy parody of a self-absorbed, talent-free Broadway diva. She nailed that part to the wall.

Michael H

[Jiminy Cricket]

Nice to meet you too,girls. ^^

About Janis Paige,I don't like her in Please Don't Eat The Daisies. Maybe the problem is the her character,I don't know. I just don't like her... =P
Sometimes I don't like the actor or actress without a reason. I just don't like!

[webmaster]

Janis Paige, as the oversexed Deborah Vaughn, gives an incredible performance. Why she wasn't nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for this is beyond me. Today, if an actress were half as good as Paige was, she would have two or three Oscars on her mantle. She was absolutely brilliant as she made a lewd play for Larry during a chance meeting in a quiet cafe. He says to her, "I'm just not available". She retorts, "Don't be silly, sweetie, everyone's available who isn't dead."

Ralph McKnight: http://www.dorisday.net/please_don_t_ea ... isies.html

And I must say I agree - but it's interesting how we, the fans, view the different people we are talking about.

Oh, and welcome to the forum, Carlos!

[Bixby]

It's just hard to see anyone hurt Doris.

[jmichael]

Janis was so good in that part that she made many people hate her. And she took it to the precipice of caricature without going over the edge. Ralph McKnight was spot on in his comments about her performance.


Michael H

[Jiminy Cricket]

It's just hard to see anyone hurt Doris.

Exactly! It's very hard to accept that! Maybe that's the reason that makes me not like her.

Oh! Thank you for the welcome!

[webmaster]

"Bixby wrote:
It's just hard to see anyone hurt Doris."

"Exactly! It's very hard to accept that! Maybe that's the reason that makes me not like her."

Yes, but you have to distinguish between fellow actors playing a part and people in real life.
For example, Louis Jourdan spent most of the picture trying to kill Doris in "Julie", but in real life they got on very well.

[Jiminy Cricket]

Yes, but you have to distinguish between fellow actors playing a part and people in real life.
For example, Louis Jourdan spent most of the picture trying to kill Doris in "Julie", but in real life they got on very well.

I know,but it's different with her. I don't know nothing about her and the only movie that I've seen with Janie Pagie is "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" (I know... I'm a stupid guy! =S). To me she IS the character... So the only impression that I have of her,is the first.

[webmaster]

Perhaps if you had seen them together in "Romance on the High Seas" first, you might feel differently!

Here they are in the TCM trailer: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index.jsp?cid=2938

[Bixby]

Somehow it seems worse when it is a woman. Louis Jourdan and James Cagney's characters don't even seem to bother me as much. Although, I am not a fan of either one even outside of those characters, but janice Paige and Mamie Van Dorn are another story.

I also know I have trouble watching Doris being interviewed by Barbara Walters. I know I am a little off the subject, but I just want to slap Barbara. She can't stand it that Doris is happy, cute, blonde and perky, but obviously so much more. She obviously has an inner strength which Barbarba does not understand at all.

[Jas1]

Re Janis Paige: - I adore her and she is a wonderful actress and from the E Hollywood story: adored and adores Doris Day. This is particularly nice when you think Doris did two plumb roles that Janis may have done and was certainly in the running for. (1) The Lead in Romance on the High Seas, and (2) Babe Williams in Pajama Game.

Re Barbara Walters: - I quite like that interview, Barbara is a very accomplished interviewer and was obviously trying to get Doris to talk about the book she had written and contributed to. I am sure it was kind of strange for interviewers at this time when Doris really did not seem to want to talk about what was in the book yet the very interviews were to promote that book - probably part of the literary deal and I think by then, Doris (on the premise a deal is a deal) was doing her bit without over-doing it, if you know what I mean (not criticising Doris). Barbara was one of the few interviews at this time who tried to push Doris to speak about certain topics and let's face it, anything in the book was fair game for discussion.

[melancholy]

Thanks for the trailer Bryan.I adore the movie PDETD and think Janis Paige was absolutely lovely and the different from Doris is so exciting to see.What I love also is the line whereas Doris says "I have a date with Rock Hudson".
Dorine

[Bixby]

From the professional point of view, Barbara played tough and tried to break her and I suppose to her that is success, but not something I admire. Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas showed much more class when they treated her like a lady.

[jmichael]

Re Janis Paige: - I adore her and she is a wonderful actress and from the E Hollywood story: adored and adores Doris Day. This is particularly nice when you think Doris did two plumb roles that Janis may have done and was certainly in the running for. (1) The Lead in Romance on the High Seas, and (2) Babe Williams in Pajama Game.

Re Barbara Walters: - I quite like that interview, Barbara is a very accomplished interviewer and was obviously trying to get Doris to talk about the book she had written and contributed to. I am sure it was kind of strange for interviewers at this time when Doris really did not seem to want to talk about what was in the book yet the very interviews were to promote that book - probably part of the literary deal and I think by then, Doris (on the premise a deal is a deal) was doing her bit without over-doing it, if you know what I mean (not criticising Doris). Barbara was one of the few interviews at this time who tried to push Doris to speak about certain topics and let's face it, anything in the book was fair game for discussion.

Well said. With Doris leap-frogging ahead of Janis in popularity and star power after ROTHS and years later landing the female lead in "Pajama Game" (after Janis originated the Babe Williams role on Broadway), things could have been very different. Neither of these wonderful women let professional jealousy or competitiveness impact their regard for each other. That's pretty rare in Hollywood, I'd venture to say. You also have to consider Doris had co-star approval in her films, and I'm sure she either recommended or, at the very least, approved of Janis playing Deborah Vaughn in PDETD.

The Barbara Walters interview is not comfortable to watch when you're a fan, but Barbara was just doing her job and she became increasingly frustrated when Doris danced around her more probing questions. Doris was no fool and knew how to avoid giving direct answers when an interviewer got too personal for her comfort level. Doris was also cool enough not to let Barbara's relentless questioning make her say something she might later regret. It's a fascinating interview and it illustrates how uncomfortable Doris was with talking about some of the unpleasant topics in her book. In the end, Doris emerged victorious because she never divulged or acknowledged anything she wasn't comfortable with. And you know, going into that interview, Doris had already made up her her mind that she was not budging on some topics, regardless of how tough Barbara could be with reluctant subjects.

I actually prefer this interview over the softball questions Mike Douglas asked Doris. He and Merv both tiptoed around sensitive areas and acted more like starstruck fans than peers or professional interviewers.

[Jiminy Cricket]

Perhaps if you had seen them together in "Romance on the High Seas" first, you might feel differently!

Probably! Maybe I can change my mind when I finally watch "Romance In The High Seas." After all, I loved the trailer! *-*

[suzie]

Lets face it our girl really knows her way around an interviewer . My very wise grandfather once told me that " just because someone ask you a question, dose not mean you OWE then an answer." Doris knows this very well and observes it regularly. Barabra was top in her field at interviewing and Doris was tops at saying only that which she wanted to say and nothing more. I say good job Doris !!

[webmaster]

All interesting stuff...



Howard Keel was originally in my top 5 and I've noticed that only Nicki has put him on that list - unless I missed another mention. Wonder why? He and Doris were great together, weren't they? Is it because Calamity Jane was essentially Doris' film?

[Jiminy Cricket]

That's funny,I like Howard,but I forgot him!
Maybe he is too obvious to choose for me! But I don't know if he would be on the list. He was great in the movie,but I guess I prefer the Calamity alone. hehehe. So,I can do without him!