Tempero do Amor

If one of today's "actresses" gave half as good a performance as Doris Day gives in "The Thrill of it All," they'd be nominated for an Oscar. Just look at what wins Academy Awards today! Day's acting in "Thrill" is just as good, or better, than Helen Hunt in "As Good As it Gets."

Hollywood seems to have "had it in" for Doris. In this film, she was so natural, so damn good, and above all, FUNNY. She and James Garner made a handsome couple and gave this film that extra sparkle. Thanks to the clever script/screenplay by Carl Reiner, this comedy had lots to say.

I enjoyed all of the performers here. Zazu Pitts was extremely funny as Olivia, the maid. Doris has always had wonderful support in her films and this one was no exception. Arlene Francis was great as the expectant older mother and Edward Andrews deserved a best supporting Oscar nod. Why he didn't get one is beyond me. It's similar to the way the Oscars ignored Tony Randall's superb work in all three Day/Hudson flicks.

Alice Pearce ("Bewitched") was a scream as the money hungry wife during the traffic jam. This is the scene where Andrews displayed his expertise in comedy (this should have been Oscar time for him).

One of my favorite scenes in the picture was when Beverly and her Dr. husband were besieged by Bev's fans in the restaurant. Very effective and not overdone.

Day was wonderful in most of her scenes and really broke me up when she first did her soap commercial. The whole picture is a delight and director, Norman Jewison was right on target. Boy, do I wish he'd directed "Pillow Talk," for he would have kept a tight reign on Doris' tendency to get "too cutesy." Here, she was appropriately mature AND sexy.

Very touching was the scene after the baby was born in the back of the limo. Day is overwhelmed by the experience of assisting in the birth and just wants her Dr. husband to hold her. Beautiful. This one gets the highest rating in my book.

Doris Day was one of my favorites in the 50s and 60s, even in her

final clunkers, she always rose above the material. Thankfully in

the early 60s she was at her most productive, giving really fine

comic performances that not even Goldie Hawn could match in

quality. Here's she's the attractive housewife to James Garner's

equally attractive pediatrician husband. They live in the burbs, and

at a dinner party, she's suddenly offered the opportunity to become

a pitchwoman for a line of laundry detergent. It's not a hard

job--the advertising agency simply shoots the TV spots in her

home. But Doris becomes a star, and her well-ordered life veers

completely out of control. Her mildly chauvinistic husband (typical

of the times) hates her working, taking time from him and the kids

(okay for him to be constantly busy and challenged by his work).

You need know nothing more of the plot, which involves the head

of the agency's wife giving birth in a limousine, and the by now

somewhat separated Day/Garner partnership finds their spat over

with a big embrace before the final credits.

A smart script by Carl Reiner and Doris at her comic and

glamorous best (the costumes are really gorgeous early 60s

knockouts) with wonderful chemistry supplied by hunky Garner.

The kids are cute, Arlene Francis and Edward Andrews are fine

comic foils. I've seen this movie a half a dozen times, and always

watch when it's on late-night TV. The scene where Doris finally

loses her temper over her husband's un-reasonable jealousy and

anger over his wife's career, is a howler. As she demonstrated in

all her movies with Rock Hudson, nobody can boil over in comic

rage better than the adorable Miss Day.

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.

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!

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.