Based on the hit Broadway musical, featuring the choreography of Bob Fosse.
Directed by: George Abbot, Stanley Donen
Written by: George Abbot, Richard Bissell
Starring: Doris Day as Babe Williams, John Raitt as Sid Sorokin, Carol Haney as Gladys Hotchkiss, Eddie Foy Jr. as Hinesie, and Reta Shaw as Mabel
I stuck this film on my Netflix list because it was performed by my high school during my senior year. That year I had done full time Running Start (college courses for both high school and college credit) and many of my friends were cast in the play but I had no time to go and see it. My mother did, however, and said she was disgusted with the entire thing.
I wasn't too worried, considering the film starred Doris Day - whom I love as an actress and singer. When I read the premise of the plot on the Netflix envelope, I got a little apprehensive, and by the time the first few songs had played through, I was disgusted as well. I never thought I'd ever see Doris Day singing and wish she would just be quiet. Seriously. Not that she wasn't talented enough for the role, but the entire plot was so patched together I wasn't exactly sure what was the point of the movie until it congealed into something slightly recognizable as linear halfway through the movie.
The songs were a little odd in movie format, I definitely recognized them as being originally intended for the stage. And while Ms. Day is certainly talented, her voice lacked the shine it usually takes on - she seemed nearly to be forcing the music out. The man who played opposite her was wooden on the screen and when showing emotion, came across as either the complete tough guy or the moonswooning teen.
The one brilliant spot in this film was the character of Gladys. She was the center of the comedy, her songs were the high point and she should have gotten billed as the top actress instead of Doris Day since she kept the movie from being a complete humiliation of what I'm assuming was a great play. I'll give it two pairs of pajamas out of a possible five (2/5).
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