No me manden flores

The main character is dying, but not the movie! It shall live forever. This is one of five golden, grown-up comedy classics Doris Day starred in, the others being "Teacher's Pet", "Pillow Talk", "That Touch of Mink" and "Lover Come Back". Of course, Hollywood never gives an Oscar for comedy. Drama is deemed deep! Nothing is deeper than comedy. Actually, drama is often unintentional comedy.

The critics disliked the movie because the subject is grim: terminal illness, or fear thereof. But if you take that attitude, nothing at all is funny. Actually, death is just the theme around which a lot of variations about modern life are spun. This film is masterful in every respect, a real treat. Paul Lynde is priceless as the effeminate undertaker. Doris Day is a miracle. Even the theme song is a thrill. Oh, why did we stop making these clean, domestic movies dealing with practical issues and everyday life?

Admittedly, I would have never seen a Rock Hudson picture if I hadn't seen a clip from this movie of Hudson in a wheelchair rolling out his backdoor, bouncing off a mattress and rolling back into Doris Day on "The Beverly Hillbillies." Determined to see the whole of this movie based on that one funny scene, I got myself a copy of this movie and loved it ! Hudson plays a hypochondriac who mistakenly believes he is dying. Trying to set up his wife played by Doris Day for after he is gone, he sets off one horrendous fight that looks like a comic version of "War of the Roses." Tony Randall has the Danny DeVito role in this comedy that also stars Paul Lynde in one of his best roles next to Uncle Arthur on "Bewitched" and Edward Andrews, a great actor of the Sixties whose first name is almost an anagram of his last. The movie is fast, furious and enjoyable, but mildly dated for it's times. While the times may have changed, the humor basicly has stayed the same.

One early morning around 1:00 AM I was seeing what was on TV and I started to watch Send Me No Flowers. I had no idea what it was, but when I saw Norman Jewison's name in the opening credits, I made a point to keep it on the channel. So then it gets to the wildly creative opening scene, with Rock Hudson in bed, looking miserable. There's a voice over asking questions about his ailments, and it comes off like a cough syrup commercial from 40 years ago. That one scene was creative enough to make me think "I don't care if the word 'flowers' is in the title, I'm going to watch this thing!" The story is funny as well. Hudson plays a hypochrondriac who thinks he's going to die. He decides to try and set his wife up with a new man in the few weeks that he believes he has left to live. I had never seen a Hudson/Day/Randall movie before. I enjoyed the chemistry between the three of them a lot more than any pairings in romantic comedies of today. It was also interesting to see an earlier movie from Norman Jewison. It has nothing in common with his later movies, but the always original Norman Jewison style still shines, even in this, a somewhat formula based movie of it's time. The dialogue was clever and the actors deliver it beautifully. My only complaint would be that occasionally the comedy gets kind of silly and sitcom-like. The rest of the movie is so smart and well written that the sillier scenes feel out of place. I since have also seen Pillow Book, but I think I prefer Send Me No Flowers. I hope one day soon I catch this on TV at 1:00 in the morning again.

For the last film of Rock Hudson-Doris Day-Tony Randall, Rock and Doris are already married so it's not like Rock is in hot pursuit of our all American virginal goddess. Instead they seem like a typical suburban couple of the early sixties except for one problem, Rock is an obsessive compulsive hypochondriac.

Another visit to Edward Andrews the doctor and a big misunderstanding convince Rock he's a terminal case and he starts making preparations both to meet his Maker and make sure about Doris who he leaves behind. That causes all kinds of funny situations that Rock and Doris muddle through with the fumbling help of a lot of people.

Hudson and Day did three films together and by rights they should be listed as a trio with Tony Randall because he was in all three of the films and added so much to them as Hudson's comic foil. Of course this was in the day much before he became TV's most famous fuss budget, Felix Unger. Still you can see traces of Felix in all three of Randall's roles with Rock and Doris.

Send Me No Flowers is the weakest of the three comedies I feel because the Hudson-Day team works so much better with Rock trying to grab a little nookie from Doris and getting hooked for his troubles. Still the film has some really nice moments. All three of their films were well cast with some of the best supporting players around.

My favorite in Send Me No Flowers is Paul Lynde as the cemetery director who just loves his job. He has two scenes, one with Rock buying a cemetery plot and a second with Doris where he inadvertently solves the problems Rock's hypochondria works them into.

Rock and Doris surely made one wonderful movie screen team.

Different from their previous two film teamings, Doris Day and Rock Hudson are actually husband and wife throughout instead of just getting married by the end of their other ones. And third co-star from those same two movies-Tony Randall-is also married this time though we never see his wife or offspring here! Anyway, Hudson mistakenly thinks he's about to die due to some selective overhearing of his doctor when he's in the rest room and only Randall knows initially. That premise drives much of the plot with Randall, especially, getting some good laughs from his behavior from that point on. Ms. Day, herself, has some amusing moments at the beginning and some good slapstick scenes though one sequence involving an out-of-control golf cart was, perhaps, a little too much. Hudson, well, he seems even more comfortable doing comedy scenes than his previous two films with Day and Randall and partly seemed to really have a ball here, that's for sure! There's also good supporting turns from Edward Andrews as Hudson's doctor and Paul Lynde as a funeral director who seems too enthusiastic for his job! My mom and I really enjoyed this one so that's a recommendation for Send Me No Flowers.