Search - Doris Day Collection 1 (Billy Rose's Jumbo / Calamity Jane / The Glass Bottom Boat / Love Me or Leave Me / Lullaby of Broadway / The Pajama Game / Please Don't Eat the Daisies / Young Man with a Horn) on DVD

HAPPY "DAYS" ARE HERE AGAIN

Paul Brogan | Portsmouth, NH United States | 04/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If there is any question in anyone's mind as to why Doris Day is ranked by the distinguished annual Quigley Poll of top ten box-office stars, as the number one female star of all time, it will be put to rest by this great collection.

There is something for everyone contained in this beautiful set, complete with a nice array of extras.

Contained herein are films produced over a 16 year period and clearly showing that Miss Day could do it all - sing, dance, act in dramas or show a comic skill that few if any have come close to rivaling.

"Young Man With a Horn" featuring Kirk Douglas and Lauren Bacall gives Miss Day a great chance to emote skillfully and to render perfect renditions of several great band tunes. It's a well-made drama and her first film to play New York's famous Radio City Music Hall. In "Lullaby of Broadway" she sings, dances and dazzles as only Doris can with a wonderful cast of great character performers. She also gives the best rendition of the title tune ever recorded.

"Calamity Jane" allows Miss Day to let loose with a brilliantly executed performance as the famed woman of the wild west. She makes it her own, singing the Oscar winning "Secret Love" as well as delivering a powerhouse portrayal in a near perfect film co-starring Howard Keel, on loan from MGM. It's as good as anything Metro put out during their "Golden Age".

"Love Me or Leave Me", opposite James Cagney, is one of the most raw, real and no-holds barred biographical films ever turned out. Miss Day should have not only been nominated for an Oscar for her unforgettable performance as 20's singer Ruth Etting but should have won the prize. Her first film at MGM enabled her to dazzle the critics and the public with a first-rate acting job by any standard as well as rendering more than a dozen songs as only she can.

"The Pajama Game" is a near perfect screen version of a Broadway hit and Miss Day and much of the original Broadway cast perform at a breathless rate, breathing new life into some well-loved tunes. A great couple of hours of sheer entertainment.

Direct from her Oscar-nominated turn in "Pillow Talk", Miss Day played a mother of 4 in the screen version of Jean Kerr's hit, "Please Don't Eat the Daisies". How many other actresses of the time at the peak of their game would have played a mother role times 4? Miss Day and co-star David Niven are completely believable in this delightful, heartwarming and completing winning romp. "Billy Rose's Jumbo" took 27 years to reach the screen but it was worth the wait. The 1962 musical featuring some of Rodgers and Hart's best tunes is given the lavish MGM treatment. Miss Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye etch memorable performances in one of the last of the great MGM musicals. Finally, Miss Day had one of her biggest hits with the 1966 "Glass Bottom Boat". It's a wonderful slapstick comedy featuring an amazing cast of actors and comics, all set aside the background of California's Catalina Island. There are non-stop laughs and Miss Day secures her place as one of the funniest lady in film history, all the while maintaining her femininity and the endearing qualitiea that have made her an American Icon. "The Doris Day Collection" is a value at any price. It'll make your "Day"!"

Top Notch Set

Samuel M. Samuelian, Jr. | Media, Pennsylvania USA | 05/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can only rave about the care taken by WB Home Video to ensure that this set had wonderful picture and sound quality. The newly restored "Love Me Or Leave Me", and "Jumbo" not only have spotless picture quality with stunning colors but also have restored sound that will have you thinking you are watching a current movie rather than films made so many years ago. "Lullabye of Broadway" and "Young Man With A Horn" are excellent as well (but don't have the full fidelity sound of the other two). "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" and "Glass Bottom Boat" are gorgeous on the screen (and we project an eight foot picture!). "Calamity Jane" and "Pajama Game" are identical to the previous releases of these titles. They are very, very good if a tad lesser in picture quality. I had hoped that they would have received the first rate sound restoration of the first two mentioned above, but this would have required more expense and I feel this set is a bargain. There are many nice extras, too. Here's hoping other musical stars...like Mario Lanza...will receive this top notch treatment in DVD releases from WB."