Romance à Rio

This was Doris Day's first film and what a fun one it was. I saw it as a kid in the old Monache Theater and then later on TV. I was surprised how well it had worn and was delighted to hear Doris Day, 23 years old at the making of this film, using the slang of the day, such as "Natch...Natch but def." Carson, Paige and DeFore were great as was the ever-insufferable curmudgeon, Oscar Levant alongside "Cuddles" Sakal, the perennial loveable Jewish uncle. Carson is especially good doing a Calypso number and the story is pure 1940's cotton candy.

In this Technicolor musical rom-com from Warner Brothers and director Michael Curtiz, married couple Michael (Don DeFore) and Elvira Kent (Janis Paige) have been together 3 years but they still don't trust one another. When Michael cancels their anniversary cruise to South America at the last minute due to business, Elvira doesn't believe him, so she concocts a dubious plan: she'll tell Michael that she's going on the cruise by herself, but will send nightclub singer Georgia Garrett (Doris day) in her place. That way Elvira can stay in New York and watch to see if Michael is cheating. However, Michael hires private investigator Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) to go on the cruise and watch to see if Elvira is cheating. Mistaken identities and blossoming romance produce havoc and laughter.

This mildly amusing confection was Doris Day's movie debut, and her persona is a bit different from her later "virginal" image. Here she's a distinctly blue collar dame, with attitude and some rough edges. She's still likable, and clicks with Carson. The color cinematography pops, and there are some nice set designs. The movie earned two Oscar nominations, for Best Score (Ray Heindorf) and Best Song ("It's Magic").

Doris Day was a huge radio and recording star when she appeared in "Romance on the High Seas". However, she was not a movie star...as this is her first film. Some of this shows...particularly her makeup as she is very freckly...which I thought was quite cute but which the studios hid in subsequent movies. She went over very well regardless and Warner Brothers soon signed her to a seven year contract...and she soon became a mega-star in pictures.

The plot is a bit silly. Elvira Kent (Janis Paige) suspects her husband, Michael (Don Defore), is cheating on her. And, he suspects the same thing of her. So they each come up with a plan...she pays Georgia (Doris Day) to pretend to be her and take a cruise while she stays home and secretly keeps an eye on him. And, he hires a detective (Jack Carson) to take the cruise and follow Elvira and prove she's been cheating! But there's a problem...the detective slowly begins to fall in love with the woman who he THINKS is Elvira!

The plot is quite slight...but the picture excellent for many reasons. Carson and Day are simply terrific and Day sings some very lovely tunes. The picture also is quite romantic...and fun and made more so by the presence of some wonderful character actors (S.Z. Sakall, Franklin Pangborn and Oscar Levant). All in all, this is the sort of fun picture Warner Brothers could make best...and you can't help but enjoy it.

By the way, while Defore and Paige receive higher billing, clearly Doris Day was the star or at least co-star of the film. I guess the studio just didn't have much faith in her drawing power...but that wasn't to last!

One of the delights of "Romance on the High Seas" is the remarkable debut of Doris Day. Having replaced an indisposed Betty Hutton, Day stepped into this role with all the zest and zip that she brought to her total career.

It's rather amazing to me how accomplished Day was in her initial screen effort: her comedic work, singing, and general enactment was like that of a seasoned professional. All the infectious Day sparkle and spirit was there from the beginning, after only a brief period as a band singer.

Ably assisted by the multi-faceted Jack Carson, pretty other-woman Janis Paige, vulnerable foils Don DeFore and Oscar Levant, and top character actor S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, this Warner Bros. musical bounces along merrily. Fetching songs, a witty script, nice settings in Rio and Cuba, and a stylish specialty number by Avon Long keep things moving along right to the kaleidoscopic finale staged by Busby Berkeley.

"Romance on the High Seas" is a pleasurable way to spend an evening. As Doris's song goes, "It's Magic."

This one's a hoot!

This film's male cast is a very good one, and they receive most of the cargo of really funny lines: Don De Fore, Cuddles Sakall, Oscar Levant, and Canada's own Jack Carson. Oscar's misanthropic lines are usually acerbic enough, and self-referential enough, to sound as though he wrote them himself.

I was a little wary since this video is part of the Warner Brothers "Doris Day Collection". But Doris is really quite winning. According to an anonymous and unsung IMDb contributor, Judy Garland was the first choice for Doris's part. That would have been a poor fit; the role certainly calls for someone lighter. The second choice, Betty Hutton, would have been a good one as well, but Lady Day (sorry) won me over. She sings a number of delightful songs -- she just happens to find a jazz combo on shipboard to accompany her -- and there is nothing here as risible as "Que Sera Sera", the sugary kidnapping tune from "The Man Who Knew Too Much". "It's Magic" is the showstopper.

The cruise ship makes several stops as it's travelling south: Cuba, Trinidad, Rio. A song in the Hollywood version of the local style generally erupts spontaneously. Busby Berkeley called the shots on these, and his influence is, shall we say, detectable. Jack Carson sings a calypso number in an unsteady Trini accent, but it's not too bad considering he was attempting it 50 years ago, mahn.

Try booking a passage with this ship of fools the next time you're in need of a vacation.