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Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff (born April 3 , 1924 )The majority of sources say she was born in 1924; some sources say she was born in 1922 is an American Singer , Actress , and animal welfare advocate known as '''Doris Day'''. A vivacious Blonde with a wholesome image, Day was one of the most prolific actresses of the 1950s and 1960s . Able to sing, dance, and play Comedy and Drama tic roles, she has been an all-round star whose personality has permeated many popular and diverse movies. BIOGRAPHY Day was born in the actress Doris Kenyon , whom her mother admired. Her family was Roman Catholic and her parents were known to have Divorce d. She later embraced Christian Science . MOVIE CAREER
Day's popularity as a Radio performer and vocalist led directly to a career in films. After her separation from second husband George Weidler in 1948 , Day was apparently set to leave Los Angeles and return to her mother's home in Cincinnati , when her agent, Al Levy, convinced her to attend a party at the home of composer Jule Styne . Her personal circumstances at the time and her reluctance to perform on such short notice apparently contributed to an emotive performance of '' Embraceable You '' which so impressed Styne and his partner, Sammy Cahn , that they recommended her for a role in '' Romance On The High Seas '' (which they were currently working on for Warner Bros. ). The withdrawal of Betty Hutton due to pregnancy left the main role to be re-cast. Thus, Day began her film career, in 1948, in a "peppy" Hutton-esque role. (The film was digitally remastered and released on DVD in May 2007.) The success of ''Romance on the High Seas'' established her as a talented (and popular), performer. In 1950 , US servicemen in Korea voted her their favorite star. Early publicity saddled her with such unflattering nicknames as "The Tomboy with a Voice" and "The Golden Tonsil." She continued to make saccharine and somewhat low-level musicals such as '' Starlift ,'' '' By The Light Of The Silvery Moon ,'' and '' Tea For Two '' for Warner Bros. , but 1953 found Day as pistol-packin' '' Calamity Jane '' in what has become one of Hollywood 's most enduring musicals, winning the Oscar for Best Song for " Secret Love ." After filming ''Lucky Me,'' a lackluster musical comedy, Day chose not to renew her contract with Warner Bros. and instead freelanced under the management of her third husband, Martin Melcher. As a consequence, the range of roles she played broadened to include more dramatic roles. In 1955 , she received some of the best notices of her career for her portrayal of singer Ruth Etting in '' Love Me Or Leave Me ,'' co-starring James Cagney . She continued to be paired with some of Hollywood's biggest male stars, including Jack Lemmon , James Stewart , Cary Grant , David Niven and Clark Gable . In Alfred Hitchcock 's '' The Man Who Knew Too Much '', she sang " Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) ", which won an Oscar Award . According to Jay Livingston (who wrote the song with Ray Evans ), Day preferred another song used briefly in the film, "We'll Love Again", and skipped the recording for ''Que Sera, Sera''. When the studio pushed her, she relented, but after recording the number in one take, she reportedly told a friend of Livingston's, "That's the last time you'll ever hear that song." The song was used again in her 1960 film, '' Please Don't Eat The Daisies '' and was reprised as a brief duet with Arthur Godfrey in '' The Glass Bottom Boat ''; it also became the Theme Song for her Television show. This was her only film for Hitchcock and, as she admitted in her Memoir s, she was initially concerned at his lack of direction; she finally asked him if anything was wrong and he said everything was fine; if she wasn't doing what he wanted he would have said something. After the great critical and popular success of ''Teacher's Pet,'' Day's popularity at the US box office seemed to wane and some critical attention focused on perceived elements of "blandness" in her on-screen persona, although in some foreign markets ( Germany , Britain and the Commonwealth), she remained a top box office draw. A dynamic performance in '' The Pajama Game '' received warm critical notices, but box office returns were disappointing. In the case of ''Tunnel of Love'' and ''It Happened to Jane,'' both the critical and popular response was uneven. As a result, during the period 1957 to 1959 , she was no longer regarded a "Top Ten Box Office Draw" by US film exhibitors. Arguably, this development may have been linked to the marked decline in popularity of Musical Films during the late 1950s, and some poor choices in material made by Melcher on Day's behalf, rather than any waning in public regard. In addition, Day's popularity as a recording artist was diminished due to the growing popular taste for Rock And Roll . "Que Sera, Sera", for instance, was never a "US Number One", being kept from the top spot by Elvis Presley 's recording of " Hound Dog ". BOX OFFICE QUEEN In 1959 , Day entered her most successful phase as a film actress with a series of Romantic Comedies , starting with the hugely popular '' Pillow Talk ,'' co-starring Rock Hudson , who became a lifelong friend. The film received positive reviews and was a box office favorite. It also brought a nomination for an Academy Award For Best Actress for Day. She and Hudson made two more films together, and she also made two films alongside James Garner , starting with 1963 's '' The Thrill Of It All ''. Many of her 1960s films ignored her singing abilities and painted her as a good-hearted woman with a strong will, a hint of naïveté, and the purest virtue. Algonquin Round Table member and showbusiness wit Oscar Levant , who had known Day earlier in her career, summed up the paradox of Day's late-blooming ingenue phase when he famously said, "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin." But the public loved Day's light, frothy comedies of this period, buying enough tickets to make her by far the top female Movie Star in America during the first half of the 1960s. By the late 1960s, the Sexual Revolution and the widely discussed promiscuity of the maturing Baby Boomer generation had refocused public attitudes about sex and sexuality. Times changed, but Day's films did not. Critics, comics, and pundits dubbed Day "the world's oldest virgin" and audiences began to shy away from her repetitive, gimmicky roles. As a result, she slipped from the list of top Box-Office stars, last appearing in the Top 10 in 1966, with '' The Glass Bottom Boat '' being her final substantial hit. Day herself found many of her mid-late 1960s films to be of very poor quality (her least favorite was '' Caprice ,'' co-starring Richard Harris ) and did them only at the insistence of third husband and sometime producer, Martin Melcher. One of the roles he supposedly turned down for her was that of middle-aged adulteress Mrs. Robinson in '' The Graduate '' (a role that went to Anne Bancroft ). Later, in her published memoirs (co-authored by A.E. Hotchner ), Day said that she herself rejected the part on moral grounds. The impact of changing public tastes can also be seen in the waning popularity of Day as a vocalist and recording artist at this time. Paradoxically albums like '' Duet '' and '' Latin For Lovers '' garnered much critical praise, but did not generate strong sales within the US. (although sales were strong in overseas markets like Britain ). Day's last "Top Ten Hit" was achieved in the UK in 1964 , with her recording of "Move Over Darling", written by her son specifically for her. That Day secured her final chart success in the UK at this particular time was ironic considering that the British Invasion of the mid-1960s contributed to a decisive change in popular taste away from the type of music that Day was associated with. In 1967 , Day recorded her last album, '' The Love Album '', essentially concluding her recording career, though this album was not released until 1994 . BANKRUPTCY AND TELEVISION CAREER Melcher died in 1968 . After more than a decade as a top box office star, Day was shocked to discover that her husband of 17 years and his business partner Jerry Rosenthal had squandered her earnings, leaving her deeply in Debt . Day Sued Rosenthal and won the largest civil judgment up until that time in California , over $20,000,000 (USD). How much Day actually collected is not certain. According to Day's Autobiography as-told-to A.E. Hotchner, the usually athletic and healthy Melcher had an Enlarged Heart . Another factor in Melcher's death may be that he converted to the Christian Science religion during his relationship with Day, and his newfound religious beliefs -- which include a doctrine that illness is illusory -- led him to put off going to the doctor for some time. Upon Melcher's death, Day also learned that he had committed her to a TV series, which became '' The Doris Day Show ''. "It was awful" Day told ''OK! Magazine'' in 1996 . "I was really, really not very well when Marty passed away, and the thought of going into TV was overpowering. But he'd signed me up for a series. And then my son Terry took me walking in Beverly Hills and explained that it wasn't nearly the end of it. I had also been signed up for a bunch of TV Special s, all without anyone ever asking me." Day hated the idea of doing television, but felt obligated. "There was a contract. I didn't know about it. I never wanted to do TV, but I gave it 100 per cent anyway. That's the only way I know how to do it." Melcher died on April 20 , 1968 , and the first episode of the TV show was aired on September 24 , 1968 . From 1968 to 1973 , Day starred in ''The Doris Day Show'', a Situation Comedy which had "Que Sera, Sera" as its Theme Song . Day grudgingly continued with the show, but only as long as she needed the work to help pay off her debts. By the end of the series in 1973, Day was nearing 50, and public tastes had changed to such a degree that her firmly established wholesome persona was now completely out of fashion. Day essentially retired from acting when ''The Doris Day Show'' ended. ANIMAL WELFARE ACTIVISM Although the press had occasionally noted Day's interest in animal welfare, it was not until the early Freeway s when she saw an abandoned, stray or hit animal. She is reportedly a Vegetarian . In 2006 , The Humane Society of the United States merged with the Doris Day Animal League. ''Washingtonpost.com'' Retrieved on 06-05-07 Staff members of the Doris Day League took positions within The HSUS, and Day recorded some public service announcements for The HSUS, which is now managing Spay Day USA, the one-day spay neuter event she originated some years before.[http://www.hsus.org/about_us/accomplishments/history/hsus_and_doris_day_animal_league.html http://www.hsus.org/about_us/accomplishments/history/hsus_and_doris_day_animal_league.html ''Hsus.org'' Retrieved on 06-05-07 PRIVATE LIFE In 1975 , Day released her autobiography, ''Doris Day: Her Own Story''. it revealed to the general public many of the painful events in her private life that belied the sunny image Day projected on the screen and through her music. In particular, the book detailed Day's first three difficult marriages: # To Al Jordan, a Trombonist whom she had met when he was in Barney Rapp 's Band, from March 1941 to 1943 . She was not yet 17 when she married Jordan, and her only child, Terry Melcher (a boy), was born from this marriage. Jordan committed Suicide after their divorce. # To George Weidler (a Saxophonist ), from March 30 , 1946 to May 31 , 1949 . Weidler and Day met again several years later and during a brief reconciliation, he helped her become involved in Christian Science. # To Marty Melcher, whom she married on her 27th birthday, April 3 , 1951 . This looked like a happy marriage, and lasted much longer than her first two. Melcher adopted Terry (thus renaming the boy Terry Melcher), and also produced many of Day's movies. Day also later revealed that Melcher had physically abused Terry. His profligate spending caused money difficulties for Day that continued for a number of years after his death. After her autobiography was published, Day was married once more; this marriage, to Barry Comden, lasted from '' at one of Doris's favorite restaurants. Knowing of her great love of dogs, Comden began the practice of giving Doris a bag of meat scraps and bones on her way out. This is how he got to meet and endear himself to her. This marriage unraveled, and Comden complained that Day cared more for her "animal friends" than she did for him. The revelations contained in the book about Day's private life, and the testimony of many of her friends and colleagues about aspects of her life and career (most were scathing with regard to husband number three Marty Melcher) helped to make the book a bestseller. In promoting the book, Day also caused a stir by rejecting the "girl next door - virgin" label so often attached to her. Notably, in an interview with Barbara Walters , she commented "I don't know where that label came from. Maybe it's the way I look. Do I look like a virgin?" In later interviews, Day went on to say that she believed that people should live together prior to marriage, something that she herself would do if the opportunity arose again. Her candor won her some admiration among book reviewers and interviewers, and possibly contributed to the book's success. At the conclusion of her book tour, Day largely retired from show business, though film and TV offers continued. She seemed content to focus on her charity work and business interests (In 1985 , she became part-owner of the Cypress Inn in Carmel, California .) In May 1983 , Day became a grandmother for the first time when Terry and his wife Melissa became the parents of a boy they named Ryan. In 1985, Day hosted her own Talk Show , '' Doris Day's Best Friends ''. The show generated unexpected press when her old friend Rock Hudson appeared in the first episode. Day was taken aback by Hudson's emaciated and wizened frame, as he had always been in top physical condition. Soon after, she and the world learned that he was dying of AIDS . It had been widely thought that Day and Hudson were good friends off-screen, but Doris would later claim she never knew he was Gay . Despite the world-wide publicity the show received, it was cancelled after 26 episodes. After a brief attempt to become a Surf Music singing star, her son Terry became a staff producer for Columbia Records in the 1960s, and was famous for producing most of the hit recordings by the pioneering Folk Rock band, The Byrds . In November 2004 , he died from complications of Melanoma ( Skin Cancer ), aged 62. RENEWAL OF INTEREST During the , the progressive release of her films and TV Series /specials on DVD fed into this renewal of interest in and respect for her work, a fact underlined by the development of a large number of websites devoted to her, and the growing number of academic texts analysing various aspects of her career. In 2004, she was awarded the Presidential Medal Of Freedom but refused to attend the ceremony because of a Fear Of Flying . She has turned down an honorary Academy Award and one of the Kennedy Center Honors for similar reasons. Liz Smith , a long time entertainment gossip columnist, has mounted a campaign for several years trying to drum up support for an honorary Oscar for Day. {Link without Title} ''NYpost.com'' Retrieved on 06-05-07 SONGS Albums (see {Link without Title} for details) 10" LPs
12" LPs
Complete recorded performances of Doris Day are available by collecting the two above referenced collections: the four Bear Family collections: ''It's Magic'', ''Secret Love'', ''Que Sera, Sera'' and ''Move Over Darling'', ''The Complete Doris Day with Les Brown,'' and ''Hidden Treasures.'' Singles :(see {Link without Title} for details) Hit records:
''(For other songs, see Alphabetical List Of Songs Recorded By Doris Day .)'' FILMOGRAPHY
APPEARANCE IN POPULAR CULTURE In the 1965 Sondheim / Arthur Laurents musical '' Do I Hear A Waltz? '' Day's name was used in the song "What Do We Do? We Fly!" Day's name was also used in The Beatles song Dig It which is on the 1970 album Let It Be . Her name also appears on British 80s band Wham! 's 1984 hit Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go , with the line "You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day". In 1989, Day was mentioned in the beginning of We Didn't Start The Fire by Billy Joel . In 2001, she was mentioned in the lyrics to De Phazz 's ''Death By Chocolate'' album in the song ''Something Special'' . Day was included in the lyrics to the song "Without Love" from the 2002 musical '' Hairspray '' in the line "Without Love, life is Doris Day at the Apollo ." The Future Bible Heroes have a song called "Doris Day the Earth Stood Still" on their 2002 album ''Eternal Youth''. In 2003, Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellwegger starred in the film ''Down With Love'', touted as a throwback to the old "Rock Hudson and Doris Day" romantic comedies. In many ways, the film is almost a remake of Day's film ''Pillow Talk''. In the song "Mirror Door" from The Who 's 2006 album '' Endless Wire '', Pete Townshend 's lyrics mention a number of music icons, all of whom, with the exception of Doris Day, are dead. Only after the song was recorded and the album mass produced did Townshend discover that Doris Day was still alive. When questioned about it, he suggested asking her to appear in a possible music video for the song. Day's name is mentioned in the song 'Sandra Dee' from the Grease (1978) soundtrack in the line 'Even Rock Hudson lost his heart to Doris Day.' FOOTNOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
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