Lover Come Back

[webmaster]

So what do people think of "Lover Come Back?"


Photo: Leo Fuchs

See more great photos of Doris and Rock by Leo Fuchs:
http://www.leofuchs.com/pages/rockanddoris_26.htm

Plus some new ones of Doris:
http://www.leofuchs.com/pages/doris_day_gallery1.htm

Film Reviews: http://www.dorisday.net/lover_come_back.html

[webmaster]

PS: I love this photo - also by Leo:



http://www.leofuchs.com/pages/doris_day_06.htm

[Debbi Austen]

There is wonderful chemistry between Doris and Rock and I think out of the 3 movies they did together, this is the funniest. The script has some witty lines . When I first came to this forum 3 years ago, it was my least favorite of the three Day/ Hudson films. I have since changed my mind.

LCB has the same basic plot as Pillow Talk. Day's and Hudson's characters hate each other without ever meeting. Rock's character (Jerry Webster)is a womanizer again, but he is also unethical. He uses women to steal clients, and tells them if they help him he will but them in commercials. No matter how hard Carol Templeton (Doris) tries she can't win a client over Jerry Webster. Once again, Jerry (Rock) pretends to be someone else to seduce her. He also steals her ideas,let's her spend money on him, and ultimately causes her to lose her job. I read in Doris Day: Her Own Story, that Doris didn't like the original script. She had it changed so at least when JW and CT end up in a motel together, they are married. Despite all this DD and RH reactions in the movie are hilarious. There were a lot of bedroom comedies that came out in the '60's, but none of them were as good as Doris Day's.

I didn't like the hats that Doris wore in the movie. I didn't like the eye make up either. In the black and white photos, she looks beautiful, but when you see her in color, the eye make up is too over powering.
I thought she was more sophisticated in Pillow Talk.

I rated this film "excelent."

[webmaster]

..what really bothers me is her make up. It just doesn't flatter her.

Yes, I agree. It was far too heavy in some scenes. In "Pillow Talk" her make up was lighter and looked more natural. I don't know why they piled the make up on like that in "Lover Come Back" - Doris looked younger in "Glass Bottom Boat" with less make up and made much later.

[DorisDayFanatic]

Granted the song Lover Come Back is very nice,Doris Day sings it extremely cutely, and the bird animated background etc. was very fun and enjoyable for the opening credits. But as soon as the opening credits are over I kinda lost interest. We go to New York (Big Shock), we find out the different between Workers and Loafers. Doris Day = worker, Rock Hudson = loafer. Uh Huh we had this feeling before we started watching the movie. I mean just look at the cover of the film, on either the dvd release, 1996 Universal Comedy Classic Release, or 1985 Kartes Home Video release. Ann B. Davis adds a bit of comic touch to the film but not a lot. Tony Randall's role, made me want to hit something. And than we find out about V.I.P. wow the wonder product. Than we see Edie Adams dancing as the playboy bunny at a New York night club, (so stereotypical of her other roles). Jack Kruschken as Dr. Linus Tyler, oh he should have quit acting while he was ahead, I mean this role is even worse than his role in the 1967 Doris Day film Caprice. Soo weak. Than Rock Hudson comes in as the role, trying to catch Doris Day into his web. And the movie goes on and on in a tight droll, it does get funnier though, when they find out that the V.I.P. candies are pure alchohol, and we see Tony Randall riding the top of the elevator singing "I"M KING OF THE ELEVATOR" and we see the star who played young Elly Mae Clampett, on the long running tv show Beverly Hillbillies walk up. Saying "He tore my dress off" listen girl what do you expect from a drunken weirdo.

THan we go to the press conference, where Rock Hudson brings in the candies, they all eat them like they are going out of style, all get drunk end up in different situations. Rock Hudson and Doris Day find themselves married and sharing a motel room. Than 9 months later, Doris Day has her lil baby, Ann B Davis and Tony Randall bring Rock Hudson to the hospital, he gives the classic "I love this baby line" they get married. Than we see the ending credits with the 2 parent birds, the baby bird pops out of the egg, and we here "Lover lover lover lover c'mon back"

Ok end to an interesting movie. Hopefully from my detailed review you can tell my opinion of the film.

[Ken]

I rate this as excellent. Doris & Rock were so good together.Their good friendship showed through their performances as they bounced off each other. I likes this one as much as Pillow Talk.
Ken

[Katie]

Its funny how people have different opinions on all things Doris, but we still all love her the same....

I love LCM -- I rated it excellent...and Doris looks soooo beautiful in it, I think.

Although predictable, it was still funny and great to watch.

I think Leo Fuchs took the best photos of Doris...I wish she would have been photographed by George Hurrell, to my knowledge, she never was.....????

[jmichael]

I go back and forth between Pillow Talk and this as my favorite comedy. On the whole I'll stick with PT but LCB has it moments and then some. First off no one fumes better than Doris on screen. She has it down to a science. Her slow burns that turn into outrage are hysterical.

Her reactions at the distastrous ad council testimony are dead on. That look of withering disdain when Edie Adams offers a peek at her most prominent "assets" is priceless. Another great moment is when Doris jumps out of bed at the motel, realizes she's "bottomless" and lets out a comic shriek. Her knack for knowing how to play something completely outrageous and keep it real was remarkable.

[Debbi Austen]

I agree with you Jmichael. I love the way Doris reacts. This film certainly has it's moments.

[It's Magic]

This is my very favorite of all three Doris-Rock films. The script is hilarious,and Doris look great. My favorite part has to be Rock's dream about her marrying the dry cleaner guy. It's so cute.

5 Stars all the way around. Great job,Doris!!!!!

[ray]

Didn't Rock have that dream in Send Me No Flowers???

[It's Magic]

Uhm...I don't know how this happened....I thought I posted this in the Send Me No Flowers topic.....and I posted it in LCB. Okkkaayyy,sorry about that.

[dayniac]

Love this movie - had to rate it excellent. My favorite of the movies with Rock and Tony. I think it has a great script so funny. Love the get her into the bedroom in 1 minute scene. FUNNY !
I agree - what was up with her makeup in this movie ? Not flattering some of the time. And what were they doing to her hair sometimes ? In the scenes that her hair was more natural (teaching Rock to dance) it was great but when they tried to gussy it up --- yuck !
But other than that - love this movie !!



Here's a Yugoslavian postcard !!

Great movie !!

[Natalier]

I love this movie too. I reminds me of Pillow talk. I think that Rock and Doris shpuld have done more movies together, I love the chemistry they have together you can see that they are very good friends.

[dayniac]

I LOVE this Leo Fuchs picture.



And this one, too !!!

That is a great website. Great pictures of Doris and Rock. I'm sure there have to be so many more photos - wish they'd put them on the site.

Toni

[Heatherlicious]

She always looks so gorgeous and classy, one of the things I like most about her. Despite it being really similar to PT, I loved it. Doris and Rock were just amazing together on screen. Isn't the motel or whatever in MD in the end of the movie, I think my mother told me that.

[dayniac]

I think the motel sign says its in Md.
I just love that scene too ! Really one of my favorite movies... I could watch it anytime. If TCM had wanted an essential DD movie this would have been a good one !
Love this movie !!!!
SO funny !

[Jas1]

Don't get me wrong, I love this film, very much, but I much prefer Pillow Talk and do you know why? There is not enough Doris in this one [for me]! I have said this before, but this is definately more Rock [and Tony's] film.

[dayniac]

I guess I really never thought about it like that. But, you're probably right. There is a lot of Rock and Tony and Edie -- which leaves less time for Doris. But to me the script is so much fun. All the double meanings in Rocks statements are so funny. And - I think Rock and Doris are soooo good together -- I just really enjoy this movie. I tend to watch it more than Pillow Talk for some reason. But I love PT too-- always enjoy it when I watch it. And - I really like the way Doris looks in PT - better than in LCB. In the long run -- it's probably a toss up as to which I like better.

[Ralph]

Don't get me wrong, I love this film, very much, but I much prefer Pillow Talk and do you know why? There is not enough Doris in this one [for me]! I have said this before, but this is definately more Rock [and Tony's] film.

__________________________________________________

You must remember, Rock Hudson was a huge star too! You cannot expect someone that big to stand back and allow Doris Day to shine all by herelf. Rock had billing over the Golden Girl. He was #1 male at the boxoffice.

I'll bet that the number of lines each star has, how many closeups, how many scenes, etc. are taken into consideration by their managers. If you'll recall, when "Will & Grace" started, Eric McCormick had billing over Debra Messing. Later, because she felt she was as big a star as him, she insisted that they rotate their billing as such:

Eric McCormick (his name indented right)

Debra Messing

and then

Debra Messing (her name indented right)

Eric McCormick

I remember when Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis made Boeing/Boeing together; there was a tremendous hassle about billing, screen time, etc. The ended up with their names in an X spinning from small to large.

[John M]

You must remember, Rock Hudson was a huge star too! You cannot expect someone that big to stand back and allow Doris Day to shine all by herelf. Rock had billing over the Golden Girl. He was #1 male at the boxoffice.

I'll bet that the number of lines each star has, how many closeups, how many scenes, etc. are taken into consideration by their managers. I remember when Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis made Boeing/Boeing together; there was a tremendous hassle about billing, screen time, etc. The ended up with their names in an X spinning from small to large.

Ralph, how true that is! Even where Doris is concerned. Except in Doris' book (where she SERIOUSLY downplays it), everything I've heard and read about the contratemps between Doris and Cary on their close-ups in That Touch of Mink has Doris crying, stalking off the set and refusing to come out of her dressing room until Cary gave in and agreed to be photographed from his non-prefered side. Whichever version is truer to the facts, this was SERIOUS business back then.

I think with Rock, she and Marty let their friendship overrule business. Otherwise, they would NEVER have made Send Me No Flowers, where she is THIRD banana, behind even Tony. Let alone give Rock top billing in LCB, when she was a much hotter star right then. It would have been perfectly reasonable to fight for top billing in their second film.

The one thing I've never understood, is why she and Marty didn't insist she be billed above the title in The Pajama Game. She'd been billed above the title almost back to her first film, and yet they let Warner Bros. change that with this one film. Very strange. It was a moderate hit on Broadway, but not the kind of iconic piece like "Oklahoma!" or "South Pacific," where you could say that the piece was the star and bigger than any one player. Doris was CERTAINLY bigger in the public's mind at that time than the show TPG was. Just a weird little decision.

[dayniac]

This is the cutest publicity photo of Doris and Rock !!

[Tanja]

Hi @ all,

Doris & Rock


Tanja

[Ralph]

The one thing I've never understood, is why she and Marty didn't insist she be billed above the title in The Pajama Game. She'd been billed above the title almost back to her first film, and yet they let Warner Bros. change that with this one film. Very strange. It was a moderate hit on Broadway, but not the kind of iconic piece like "Oklahoma!" or "South Pacific," where you could say that the piece was the star and bigger than any one player. Doris was CERTAINLY bigger in the public's mind at that time than the show TPG was. Just a weird little decision.

_____________________________________

Actually, John, they just presented her billing in a different way. She did have sole star billing in "The Pajama Game," judged by the size of her name. There was no way that John Raitt's name would be the same size as Doris'. Warner Bros. posted billing very slyly to give Doris the edge. If you'll notice in "Calamity Jane," Doris' billing is different than Howard Keel's. In "Lucky Me," Doris Day's name is slightly different than Robert Cummings and Phil Silvers. Even in her debut in "Romance on the High Seas," everyone's name is in caps and lower cases, but Doris' is in all caps, letting us know that even though her name comes "last," she is actually the star.

On the screen in "Pajama Game," they show the title and then Starring Doris Day" in big letters, followed by smaller fonts for "co-starring Raitt, Haney and Foy, Jr." It's the same, in my opinion as "above the title." If Frank Sinatra had done the picture, his billing would have been the same as Doris' and Janis Paige would have been billed "co-starring" in smaller print.

I, too, wondered why Marty didn't fight for billing over Rock Hudson for "Lover Come Back." Doris' boxoffice was much better than Rock's, but probably, out of respect for him, Cary Grant and James Stewart's long, distinguished careers, she accepted second, but EQUAL billing to them. It was also surprising that Rock and Doris allowed Tony Randall to receive third, but equal billing in LCB and SMNF. What was that all about? Tony wasn't a top leading man, nor was he a boxoffice star.

I wonder what would have happened if Doris and Kate Hepburn had accepted "The Children's Hour"? Elizabeth Taylor, who's boxoffice didn't come near Doris' got billing over Kate in "Suddenly Last Summer." Because of that, Doris and Marty would have insisted that Day be billed first over Hepburn and James Garner. Agree?

BTW, "Pajama Game" is one of the most revived musicals in history. It's very popular on the summer stock, dinner theatre, college and high school circuits.

[John M]

Sole star billing is one thing, but in Holywood negotiations, it's a MAJOR decision whether you are billed above or below the title. And a separate one from how you are billed relative to co-stars. Doris had solo star billing as far back as Tea For Two, but it was always above the title. Doris WAS billed above the title in CJ, an entirely separate consideration from having a different credit card from Howard Keel. The only reason I can think Marty would let it go was that it was timed to appear on screen with Eddie Foy singing the lyrics. To put her name first would have thrown off that design.

As far as Tony Randall is considered, with PT they didn't know how big a hit the movie and team would be, then as far as the later two films, even Doris said in her book that he was an essential third of the (three-part) team, and he was given billing accordingly. But I do think Doris deserved top billing in LCB. Oh well...