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Teacher’s Pet (1958)

Doris Day and Clark Gable are two of the best that Hollywood ever dished out, so it’s no surprise that “Teacher’s Pet” is an extremely good movie. Day plays Erica Stone, a professor of journalism at a local university. Her father ran a small newspaper for years, and she honors his memory as she teaches her students how to write. She decides she’d like to enrich her class by inviting in a guest speaker, and what better guest than James Gannon (Clark Gable) the city editor for the largest newspaper in the town? She sends him a nice letter, inviting … Continue reading →

I’ll See You in My Dreams (1951)

Doris Day and Danny Thomas star in “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” the dramatized true story of lyricist Gus Kahn, who penned such classics as “It Had to Be You,” “Too-too-Tootsie, Goodbye,” “My Buddy,” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams.” I was glad to see this film—I’ve heard these songs my whole life and never knew who wrote them. Gus is the son of poor German immigrants and he wants a better life for himself. He’s written several song lyrics and poems and hopes to sell them to a sheet music company, but when he takes his work … Continue reading →

It Happened One Night (1934)

Clark Gable felt a little grumpy when he was approached to take the leading role in “It Happened One Night.” He didn’t think it was a very good story. Claudette Colbert only took the part because it was only going to take two weeks to film, and she was heading off on vacation. What started out as a half-hearted attempt by both actors turned into the vehicle that would win each of them their only Academy Awards. Gable is Peter Warne, a newspaper reporter who hasn’t had a good story for a long time. At odds with his editor, he … Continue reading →

The Pajama Game (1957)

“The Pajama Game” launched a couple of hit songs I know you’ll recognize. “Hernando’s Hideaway,” the classic tango song, came from this movie, as well as the song that goes, “Hey there, you with the stars in your eyes.” The latter was performed by the velvet-voiced Doris Day, who stars as Babe Williams, employee of the Sleeptite Pajama Factory. She’s lobbying to get all the employees a seven and a half cent raise per hour. They’ve made her their leader and she’s taken the reins fearlessly, willing to face down management to get what she wants. Seven and a half … Continue reading →

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

This quirky movie was by far my favorite out of all the films produced in the year 2006. Perhaps it’s because I’m an author, but I completely related to the story. Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) works for the IRS, doing audits. He has a bit of an OCD about his routines, from getting ready in the morning to keeping the exact time on his watch. He’s single and has no one to distract him from his patterns. Until one morning, that is, when he starts to hear a woman’s voice narrating everything he does. At first, the voice just says … Continue reading →

Dancing Lady (1933)

Oh, wow. Well, let’s just say this movie is all about Clark Gable and we won’t worry too much about Joan Crawford, his co-star. She plays Janie Barlow, a girl who badly needs a job. She’s a dancer and doesn’t know how to do anything else, and doesn’t want to do anything else. After getting into a bit of a scrape, she’s saved from jail by a rich playboy named Todd Newton (Franchot Tone) who thinks she owes him something now. She tells him that she doesn’t want his help if it comes with strings. He removes the strings, temporarily, … Continue reading →

With Six You Get Eggroll (1968)

Doris Day stars in “With Six You Get Eggroll,” a light-hearted look into what happens when two families try to merge into one. Day is Abby McClure, a youngish widow who is raising three sons with just the help of her housekeeper. In need of a date for a business dinner, she checks out her address book for any likely candidates, coming upon the name of Jake Iverson, an old friend of her husband’s. She’s heard that Jake’s wife died some time before and decides that he’s not a terrible solution to her problem, so she calls him up and … Continue reading →

Lucky Me (1954)

“Lucky Me” is a cute Doris Day movie with the typical singing, not a lot of dancing, romance, and a happy ending. Day stars as Candy Williams, a young singer who has been trying to break into show business for what seems like forever, using a less-than-polished show run by Hap Schneider (Phil Silvers) as her vehicle. When a foolhardy move on Hap’s part leaves them stranded at a nice restaurant with no way to pay the bill, Candy and her friends take jobs at the restaurant and adjoining hotel to work off their extravagant dinner. Who should happen to … Continue reading →