The Doris Mary Anne Kapplehoff Special (1971) (TV)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Bill Foster

Writers:

Alex Barris (writer)
Gary Belkin (writer)

Release Date:

14 March 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Plot Keywords:

TV Special | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Doris Day	...	Herself
Perry Como	...	Himself

Also Known As:

The Doris Day Special (USA) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Ilson/Chambers Productions

Trivia:

This was one of two one-hour musical specials that were part of CBS' 1968 multi-million-dollar contract with Doris Day's production company, a contract that Day insists to this day was negotiated by her husband and manager Martin Melcher without her knowledge. When Melcher died suddenly in April of 1968, Day chose to go ahead and honor the contract, appearing in this special and Doris Day Today (1975) (TV), as well as starring in her popular, eponymous CBS sitcom for five seasons, from 1968-1974.

A time capsule for Doris Day fans, and what a great raconteur she was!

I recalled seeing Doris' first special back in 1971, and really enjoying it, but I was totally amazed to see it again now on a beautifully produced DVD (great sound, great early 70s visuals faithfully reproduced).

The ever-relaxed Perry Como was an appropriate guest star, and Rock Hudson provides a very funny cameo. But it is Doris's show, and this program uses all her talents brilliantly. Most people don't remember that she was not only the biggest female star in Hollywood throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, but one of the most popular recording stars of her generation.

We get to hear many of her signature tunes ("It's Magic," "Sentimental Journey," "Everybody Loves a Lover" et al) sung as only Doris could (and her voice was still in its prime), share in her incredible love for animals (a great sequence with her many beloved dogs), see her dance and prance and model the many mod fashions of the day, and watch a number of her many crying scenes from the movies.

The outtakes are terrific too; a major highlight is a lovely waltz by Doris and the male dancers (if you know her history, you know she was a professional dancer who was in a terrible car accident as a teenager, when the car was hit by a train, which ended her dance career, and she became a singer, and here she is still dancing gracefully at 47!)But what is most surprising is her storytelling capabilities; her sense of humor is natural and engaging, and her patter (the outtake about how she got to Hollywood is hysterical) is terrific.

Do I love Doris? You bet, and so will you, whether it's for the first time or as an amazing rediscovery.