April 7, 2018

DVD Review: DORIS DAY - A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY

Starring Doris Day (of course), Betty White, Tony Randall, Kaye Ballard, A.E. Hotchner, Ross Hunter, Clint Eastwood, Kirstie Alley, Terry Melcher, Les Brown; Narrated by Roger Ebert. Directed by Dick Carter & Steve Norman. (1991/80 min).

Sentimental indeed...

As of this writing, Doris Day is 96 years old and has now been out of the limelight longer than she was ever in it. The fact that she's still a household name is a testament to her talent and status as a legend. Even today, mention her name and we immediately picture the funny, sunny blonde who lit up the screen in countless comedies and melted the hearts of her male co-stars. Admittedly though, I used to get her confused with Debbie Reynolds when I was a kid.

The appropriately titled Doris Day - A Sentimental Journey is a long, loving look at a remarkable career that spanned several decades, which began with her stints as traveling singer with Les Brown's orchestra and ended with a successful television series. In between, she starred in dozens of films in a variety of genres, but was best known for her romantic comedies (particularly those with Rock Hudson). Interspersed among loads of film clips are comments by friends and colleagues, all of whom have nothing but praise for her, both personally and professionally.

Made in 1991 and narrated by Roger Ebert, Day tells most of her own story, detailing a humble childhood, early career setbacks, marriages (loving or otherwise) and financial hardships, such as briefly ending up bankrupt after her third husband's death (her TV series, The Doris Day Show, kept her afloat and paid her legal fees). The film ends by briefly showing what Day has been up to since retiring from acting, living in Carmel and getting involved in animal activism.

Doris Day - A Sentimental Journey doesn't dig too deeply or offer any revelations about its subject, but does anyone really want "dirt" on Doris Day? Ultimately, this film is an affectionate - and sentimental - tribute to a legend and her remarkable career.

BONUS FEATURES
APPEARANCE ON THE MERV GRIFFEN SHOW - From 1976
EPISODE FROM THE DORIS DAY SHOW - "The Job" (1968)
DORIS DAY MOVIE TRAILERS
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS

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