Doris Day Movie Recommendation #3

Pillow Talk (1959; in color)- 1 hr 43 mins

Interior decorator Jan Morrow (Doris Day) and songwriter Brad Allen’s (Rock Hudson) worlds collide daily over their shared NYC party line. Neither are pleased with the arrangement. Jan can’t stand Brad’s constant and deceptive playboy philandering which prevents her from making any calls of her own, and Brad hates that she butts in. While the two may have each other’s number, they have never met in person. When a chance meeting introduces Jan to Brad, he is taken aback by the beautiful blonde. In an effort to seduce her, Brad takes on the persona of Rex Stetson: an upstanding and genuine Texas rancher. Jan quickly falls for the handsome “cattleman.” However, when their mutual friend, Jonathan Forbes (Tony Randall), discovers that Brad is trying to steal his girl under false pretenses, he decides to cut in. He may just throw a wrench into Brad’s plans now that he knows about their connection!

When this now iconic film was released, theater managers were actually hesitant to book it in their theaters. Why a romantic comedy? Epics, dramas, westerns, and war films were popular at the time. Everyone’s mind changed, though, when after two weeks in New York, Pillow Talk proved to be a massive hit. Audiences just wanted to go to the movies, have a good time, and laugh. Pillow Talk did just that, ushering in a new era of Rom-Coms that would dominate through the ‘60s. 

Above all, though, this fresh Rom-Com featured one of cinema’s all time favorite “couples” working together and bringing their magic to the screen. This was the first time that Day and Hudson had worked together as a screen team and it’s no wonder that audiences wanted to see them together again and again. The films’ plots weren’t always believable but their chemistry certainly was.

Of their famous pairing Hudson said, “Doris and I became terrific friends.  She’s a dynamo – a strong lady. And boy, what a comedienne she is! The trouble we had was trying not to laugh.  Doris and I couldn’t look at each other. You know, that sweet agony of laughing when you’re not supposed to? That’s what we had.” The laughs are just as catching for the audience!

Availability: Youtube, Amazon, Googleplay, DVD, and Blu-ray.

• Purchase DVD (4 for the price of 1): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-4-movie-laugh-pack/30199591?ean=0025192371004&st=PLA&sid=BNB_ADL+Core+Generic+Media+-+Desktop+Medium&sourceId=PLAGoNA&dpid=tdtve346c&2sid=Google_c&gclid=CjwKCAjw7anqBRALEiwAgvGgm5jq_vJnRZ06F8wz0hG1k45sR8MZHs8Txqrad3QvQalCcG4KvOw1MBoCK74QAvD_BwE

• Purchase Blu-ray: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/dvd-pillow-talk-rock-hudson/3622490/2689404063675?st=PLA&sid=BNB_ADL+Marketplace+Good+New+Media+-+Desktop+Low&sourceId=PLAGoNA&dpid=tdtve346c&2sid=Google_c&gclid=CjwKCAjw7anqBRALEiwAgvGgm_zTB8OrgVHSSXfqLm_dhafFmeV3AZl7Z78F3CaF-wNP24ZosGHyfBoCJ8YQAvD_BwE