Doris Day Forum Banners 2016

[webmaster]

A pleasure, Tybear - and thanks for sharing your love of Doris with us.

[Tybear2015]

Youre welcome and the pleasure is definitely all mine. I am so happy that i was accepted as a member of this forum and have the oppotunity to belong to a Doris loving family. It is truly a joy to know so many Doris fans that truly appreciate and adore her as i do. Thank you for always making me feel welcome and making me feel like my comments are important and worthy of sharing.

Tybear

[Jas1]

Another great banner- thanks.

Yes, Doris was certainly versatile - I loved the story [told I think by Paul B on this forum somewhere] that Katharine Hepburn actually commented on what a sterling job Doris did on Teacher's Pet [one of Doris' truly top performances in my opinion]- I loved reading that. On Katharine Hepburn- went to my local art cinema last night to see Guess Who's Coming to Dinner- on the big screen- what a film, so ground breaking and Hepburn and Tracy were equally superb, as were all of the cast - just fabulous.

[webmaster]

Thanks again, Tybear. I find that people are very welcoming to new members here because we all share a loyalty to Doris - for a variety of reasons but mostly because of the pleasure she has given us over the years with her music and films.

Jas, you posted as I was typing. I haven't seen 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner', for me, I think it's one of those films where you know the plot so well you think, 'why go and see it? There won't be any surprises'.' But it sounds like it still packs a punch from what you say, so I'll look out for it!

Here's a black and white version of one of Puck's coloured images, coming next.

[Jas1]

Another fabulous banner Bryan.

Yes please do look out for Guess...dinner...and if you haven't seen it - Adam's Rib -with Hepburn & Tracy.

Re the former- it is a wonderful film with Spencer T in particular in outstanding form and KH more humanised performance= his closing speech is just AMAZING! The film also challenges us all I think - how liberal [for those who aim to be] are we really when having to deal directly with something - not just talk about it objectively.

Knowing that Spencer T was dying during this film and that he died shortly after completion - makes it all the more moving - and the love between the two of them - it is palpable it really is.

[webmaster]

Thanks for that, Jas - you've convinced me!

Puck's original colour image (it makes the b&w one look a bit washed out!):

[Johnny]

I love your black and white Love Me Or Leave Me banner, Bryan, and Puck's coloured version. It is uplifting to see Doris singing after seeing her in several LMOLM intense photos.

[Johnny]

Jas,
You are absolutely right about (1967), Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. It is a signature film of 1960's social change.
The performances of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn are extraordinary and hold up well to this day. I would have loved to see Tracy receive the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Beah Richards did a stellar job as Sidney Poiter's mother. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress . I forgot that Katherine Houghten who played Spencer and Katherine's daughter in the film was actually Katherine Hepburn's niece.

Spencer Tracy died two weeks after filming Guess Who's Coming To Dinner.

[Tybear2015]

Beautiful banners Bryan and Puck. I agree with Jas, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner is an awesome movie. I watched it about 3 months ago on TCM. You really should watch it if you get the opportunity. And thanks to all the members of this wonderul forum for the way you make everyone feel welcome and accepted.

Tybear

[jmichael]

Another winner from the super talented Puck.

Speaking of LMOLM, has anyone purchased the new Blu Ray version, and if so, how does the film look in HD?

Michael

[Jas1]

Puck- fabulous banner.

Johnny- I agree, Spencer T should have got the Oscar, he was nominated and Katharine H did get one- I think the film was nominated for about 7 Oscars- yes, the actress playing Sidney P's mother - was superb. I read that Sidney was so in awe of Tracy and Hepburn that he kept forgetting his dialogue and eventually it was agreed where possible, he would play his scenes to empty chairs [with Hepburn and Tracy off the set] to enable him to function. Also, all Tracy's scenes were done early each day to facilitate him and allow him as much rest as possible.

[webmaster]

Blu-Ray details on Amazon:

http://tinyurl.com/love-me-or-leave-me-blu-ray

I haven't got a Blu-Ray player so, like Michael, I'd like to know if anyone here has seen it on BR and does it make a big difference?

Just noticed this on the Amazon page:
Blu-ray Value Promotion
Purchase any three featured Blu-ray titles for a total price of $19.99. Restrictions apply, offer is valid for a limited time and while supplies last

[Ania]

Wonderful banner, great movie❤ Love it❤

Ania

[webmaster]

Thanks - btw, love your new avatar, Ania! Cool!

[Jas1]

Great [and witty] banner.

[Johnny]

I love this Doris banner. It is a wonderful and humorous tribute to both Doris and James Cagney.

Ania, I love your new avatar too!

[webmaster]

Doris and Jimmy rehearse the scene where she visits him in prison, after he shot her boyfriend, Johnny Alderman, Cameron Mitchell, who is singled out for praise in the blu-ray review in the post below.



"Of special note is Cameron Mitchell as the other man in Etting’s life. During the earlier, Hollywood portion of his career the versatile actor played a lot more than just second-string bad guys. His piano player-lover is both sensitive and restrained. And how many actors can make the claim that they were shot by Jimmy Cagney in a movie, out of jealousy?"

[webmaster]

Here's a shortened review of the blu-ray version - click on link at the bottom to read full review.

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson - Trailers From Hell



MGM’s early CinemaScope musical bio holds up extremely well, and is sufficiently adult to retain its interest as a drama. We’ve all seen musicals where beautiful performers are ‘sponsored’ by men that expect sexual favors. But how did arrangements like that work out in real life, and what happens when the singing star given a boost by a racketeer turns out to be a great talent? Does she deserve her success even if it was achieved through unfair means? In her first non-Warners picture, Doris Day is a dramatic success. She plays Ruth Etting, a real-life singer from the 1920s who got her start as the consort of a gangster, Martin Snyder. Under assured direction from Charles Vidor, Day strikes tense sparks as an ambitious performer clearly playing a dangerous game with James Cagney’s unscrupulous and unstable “manager.”...

...MGM’s version of events is just tough enough to make this Doris Day and James Cagney picture a career highlight for each. It won an Oscar for best screen story; Cagney was nominated for best actor, Percy Faith and George Stoll for best scoring, and more nods came for best sound recording and best original song, “I’ll Never Stop Loving You.”...



...Viewers that expected another Doris Day apple-pie entertainment may have been disturbed by the adult complexities in Daniel Fuchs and Isobel Lennart’s script, but they must have enjoyed the many excellent musical numbers, a big step up from some of her previous work. The songs are well staged for the CinemaScope screen. “Shaking the Blues Away” is a stylish highlight that shows Day fully in command. When she descends a flight of stairs in a bright blue gown surrounded by men in top hats and tails, the camera seems to be in awe of her. I’m not entirely certain, but the extras looked so good, I think they may be native HD, not bump-ups from standard DVD quality. For some reason the subtitles are in ALL CAPS, but we’re glad they’re included....

...The Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray of Love Me or Leave Me is an excellent choice for an upgrade to HD. The new transfer has brighter colors and a much sharper image than the old DVD, which helps when so many visuals are filmed in wide shots. To avoid the ‘CinemaScope mumps,’ two-shots are filmed with longer lenses, which often results in only one actor being in focus, even though they’re standing right next to each other. These visual drawbacks were neutralized when audiences saw these pictures on giant screens, spreading wide across their field of vision.

The extras this time give us a chance to compare Doris Day with the real Ruth Etting. Two early Vitaphone musical short subjects show Etting singing and acting in a style with little similarity to Day’s. Her voice is charming but perhaps better suited to the radio; her acting is just terrible. One of the short films features an incredibly young Brian Donlevy. A third item is a lengthy exhibitor’s promo touting upcoming 1955 product, with a number of stars talking to the camera. We see Charles Vidor and his cast briefly on the set of this film. A trailer is included as well.

http://trailersfromhell.com/love-me-or- ... BXFhPqLTIU

[melancholy]

Love the LMOLM banners especially the one where Doris is sitting at the dressing table

[webmaster]

Yes, that's a great shot, isn't it?

[Musiclover]

Thanks for the link to the complete review, Bryan. The writer notes that the choreography is uncredited. There is an extensive and rather fascinating biography of the choreographer, Alex Romero, on IMDB.com.

[webmaster]

Thanks all - and Judy for the additional information.



Howard Keel, who was making the musical "Kismet" at MGM in 1955, visits Doris and James Cagney on the "Love Me or Leave Me" set. Director Charles Vidor has his arms around Doris - I don't know the name of the man on the right but he looks familiar. Anyone know who he is?

Below, Howard with Cagney and Harry Bellaver, who plays The Gimp's henchman, Georgie.

[Johnny]

Bryan,
The fellow on the right of the picture of Howard Keel, Doris with Charles Vidor, appears to be hair stylist, Sydney Guilaroff. He styled Doris' hair for Love Me Or Leave Me.

[Musiclover]

That looks sort of like producer Joe Pasternak with Doris and director Vidor.

[webmaster]

He does look more like Joe Pasternack, above (checking them both out).

From a previous post:

Producer Joe Pasternak talks about working with Doris Day

Jim Bawden: Your big hit during this period was "Love Me or Leave Me" (1955).

Joe Pasternak: Oh, that was all Jane Powell’s fault! She was already 26 and still playing teens and she says get me a mature part. So I bought Ruth Etting’s life story for her. But it was also the story of Marty Snyder, who was the small time gangster who built her into a star. And we had to pay him for rights, too, and one of his conditions was Jimmy Cagney had to play him. Jimmy wanted to do it. Jimmy was then 55ish and stuck beside Jane still looking like a teen the pairing was incongruous. So I had to substitute Doris Day, who was looking to toughen up her image and she really got into the role. Jane cried for a week. It was a huge hit. I was stunned Doris did not get an Oscar nomination, but she wasn’t liked in the industry. Jimmy makes you feel the cruelty of his character, but you also understand his rage as he starts losing his girl. And it was my biggest hit of the Fifties."

........................
Jim Bawden: Your last big musical was "Billy Rose's Jumbo" (1962).

Joe Pasternak: Doris Day came to me with this project. She hadn’t done a musical in years. Still seethed about losing "South Pacific." But she was 40 and she insisted on all those fuzzy close-ups. After a few day’s shooting she comes to my office saying she felt our camera man, Joe Ruttenberg, was getting too long in the tooth And I said, “Could be. After all, Doris, we know you haven’t aged a bit.”

She picked her leading man, Stephen Boyd, but he lacked basic personality appeal. He looked lost without his chariot (from his role in "Ben-Hur"). We used an old Joan Crawford gimmick to make Doris look younger. We hired Martha Raye and Jimmy Durante as comedy relief and next to these two old buzzards she was dewy and fresh faced! I thought Charles Walters directed it very nicely. But it was Doris’s last movie musical." ©2011 by Jim Bawden, July 18, 2011