Pillow Talk/The Thrill Of It All

Double bill of classic Doris Day films. In ‘Pillow Talk’ (1959), Jan Morrow (Day) is a level-headed interior designer who shares a phone line with resident swinging bachelor Brad Allen (Rock Hudson). He annoys her by hogging the line with calls to his numerous girlfriends, whilst she irritates him by her refusal to accept his sweet-talking charms. Brad decides to teach her a lesson by seducing her under an assumed identity, but his plans are complicated by mutual friend Jonathan (Tony Randall), who has his own designs on Jan. In ‘The Thrill Of It All’ (1963), chirpy housewife Beverly Boyer (Day) becomes a celebrity overnight after inadvertently charming the manufacturer of Happy Soap at a dinner party. After a single television appearance Beverly becomes an advertising star – much to the chagrin of her neglected husband, obstetrician Gerald (James Garner).
Pillow Talk
Jan Morrow (Doris Day) and Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) have never met, but they’re sworn enemies because of one small appliance in their lives: the telephone. The two share a party line, and Jan is outraged over the amount of time Bill spends wooing women over the phone. A convenient triangle emerges when a client (Tony Randall) of Jan’s–she’s an interior decorator–falls in love with her and happens to be Brad’s old college chum. When Brad makes the connection, he decides to try to court Jan himself, to make her more sympathetic to his phone woes. Of course, she’d never go for such a heel, so he passes himself off as Rex Stetson, a Texas rancher visiting New York. The ensuing tale, albeit predictable, is lots of fun, with some quick-witted dialogue and some clever use of split-screens for the phone calls. Thelma Ritter is hilarious as Jan’s always-hung-over maid, Alma; and the pairing of Rock and Doris works beautifully, as always. –Jenny Brown
The Thrill of it All
James Garner substitutes for Rock Hudson in this hilarious Doris Day outing. Housewife Beverly Boyer (Day) happens by chance to give an executive of Happy Soap an honest appraisal of one of his company’s products. Charmed by her forthright and honest manner, he makes Beverly the company spokesperson. When she becomes an advertising sensation, her husband (Garner) has to deal with the social ramifications of his wife making more money than he does. Day and Garner are both in good form, and Garner nicely portrays the mounting frustration of bewildered husband Gerald. Gerald’s refusal to accept that Beverly’s new career infringes on her duties as housewife is, of course, outdated thinking today. Nevertheless, the film works and is sincerely funny. No wonder: comedian Carl Reiner cowrote the script.