Quel certo non so che

The Thrill Of It All finds James Garner and Doris Day as typical suburban couple, two kids, big house, live-in maid, and he's a doctor. Could a girl ask for more.

But Garner's the doctor for Arlene Francis who's having one of those late in life babies and she and husband Edward Andrews are excited as all heck. He and Doris get invited to their house for a little get together where Doris spontaneously extols the virtues of Happy Soap to the delight of Reginald Owen who is Edward Andrews's father. Owen is less excited about becoming a grandfather than he is with discovering Doris whom he insists become the new Happy Soap spokeswoman.

After that it's Garner who has a really difficult time in adjusting to his wife's new found celebrity. And Doris is liking the idea of making tons of money, more than Garner's practice brings in.

This was the first of two films James Garner and Doris Day are teamed and while they never became as famous as Rock Hudson and Doris Day they certainly had good chemistry together. Both by this time were becoming pretty old hands at screen comedy.

Best sequence in the film is when the spontaneous gift of a swimming pool for Garner and Day from Reginald Owen plus several boxes of bars of Happy Soap and the chain of events caused. It's still side splitting funny after 45 years.

Owen wanted a wholesome celebrity created for Happy Soap and you can't get more wholesome than Doris Day. The film bears certain similarities to the Jack Lemmon comedy Good Neighbor Sam where company owner Edward G. Robinson sees in Jack Lemmon's family wholesome spokespeople for his dairy products.

So if you want to see Doris Day morphed into Mrs. Butterworth, The Thrill Of It All is your film. Fans of Doris and Jim will be wanting more and they soon got it.

If you've seen TTOIA before, even once, even long ago on its first release in 1963, you may not remember ALL the treats you're in for under the tree, but you know it's one of Santa's most memorable Romantic Comedy deliveries in motion picture history.

If you've NEVER seen it, you still can't help grinning, from the opening frames until the brilliant payoff.

"Santa" being, in this case, one of Hollywood's finest collaborative teams at the top of their game. It's a huge team! Carl Reiner (Dick Van Dyke show), Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H) conceived it. Reiner wrote the screenplay.

Ross Hunter produced it, along with Day's then-husband, Marty Melcher, who got titular co-producer credit and a nice paycheck, but whose actual contributions are questionable at best. It's a Ross Hunter Production all the way. "Hire the best and keep them happy."

Reiner's script is tight as a drum. The continual builds and arcs he and Gelbart constructed are emotionally riveting, revealing of character, increasingly funny and broad (just pushing the edge of believability without ever violating it), with a foolproof "ticking clock" and jaw-dropping tender-yet-hysterical climax sequence unlike any before or since.

Amazing! The production visuals are as brilliantly developed as the script. This is a lavishly complex and technically challenging piece of film-making.

Ross Hunter nailed down the script, brought in Norman Jewison to direct. He cast Doris Day and James Garner as the irresistibly appealing leads. He also cast second leads to perfection: Arlene Francis and Edward Andrews. The supporting players, from Zasu Pitts to the two children – Jewison got stunning work from them too! Jewison's coordination of camera and technical work, color, set design, physical comedy touches, tweaks of his actors' close-ups – flawless.

He hired Jean-Louis to design the most beautiful costumes (LOTS of them!) Miss Day ever graced. The man was a genius and Day never looked lovelier.

But it's the grins that start from the first frames, with Miss Francis' deliriously happy laughter – soon explained – that grow and balloon into remarkable comedy set-pieces (punctuated with razor-sharp satirical on-screen bits featuring Carl Reiner himself) – and gradually explode into eye-popping visual comedy sequences that hark back to silent-film pioneers like Chaplin and Keaton – ending in the must-be-seen-to-be-believed, brilliantly staged and directed and played and edited, final sequence in stalled traffic – that lands TTOIA in the top ten Romantic Comedies of the last 100 years.

As good as all Doris Day's romantic comedies were – and they WERE – TTOIA is as good as this incredibly difficult, deceptively "easy," genre gets.

Watching it is a privilege.

Doris Day made a lot of movies that were a lot better than people knew and so many of them went practically unnoticed. A prime example was the 1963 comedy THE THRILL OF IT ALL, which starred Doris as Beverly Boyer, the wife of a doctor (James Garner), who, quite accidentally, becomes a television spokesperson for a product called "Happy Soap" and becomes an overnight celebrity much to the consternation of her husband. Day is at the height of her charm here as she is completely winning as the housewife thrown into the celebrity spotlight and doesn't really know how to handle it. Garner matches her note for note as the slightly chauvinistic husband who would rather have his wife at home. There is also a lovely supporting turn by Arlene Francis as a friend of Doris' who Doris actually helps to give birth in a cab and Carl Reiner (who also co-wrote the screenplay) has an amusing set of cameos as the star of the show where Happy Soap is advertised. A warm family comedy that showcases brilliantly why the world loved Doris Day...and still does.

I LOVE this movie. It's super kitschy, especially the '60s opening graphics, and the plot is really fun. Doris Day was at her most beautiful during this time period... the fashions she wears in this film are really stunning, and even the most casual outfits are classics. The "sexist" plot does annoy me a little - and I'm over 40 - but it's pretty typical Carl Reiner fare from this era. As most may recall, he was the force behind the Dick Van Dyke Show, which also reflected this attitude between Rob & Laura. As "hip" and sexy a couple as they were, Rob still didn't want Laura to work outside the home. I wish James Garner (as Dr. Boyer) could have relaxed and enjoyed his wife's career success a little... who wouldn't want more money?? But I suppose his resistance was crucial to the storyline here. Other than these minor points, this movie remains really good entertainment, well acted and with wonderful chemistry between Garner and Miss Day. Highly recommended!

I know a lot of people may say this movie is sexist,and it certainly does focus on a man's ego(which still exists within many men today)but this movie is one my all time favorites.I love Doris Day and James Garner was so attractive in this movie that they make a very sexy,cute couple.I love the atmosphere of comedies from the early 60's,nothing can compare to them today.As far as so many people making comments on older women not having babies in the 60's,tell that to my mom who had me in 1964 at the youthful age of 41.The commercials are a hoot that Doris does and her daughter is adorable!!I found the Spot Checker chick much more offensive,with her non-existent intelligence, than the sexist view of Mr.Garner in this movie. 9 out of 10 stars from me on this timeless gem of a movie.