Actress Doris Day, known for her many starring roles in romantic comedies throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, has passed away, after a battle with pneumonia. She was 97. Known for her wholesome image, Day was one of the biggest box office sensations of her time, having appeared in numerous movies opposite the likes of Cary Grant and Rock Hudson, thanks to her glowing smile and charming personality.
Day first appeared in a supporting role in the 1948 film Romance on the High Seas. This quickly catapulted Day to leading lady status, appearing in a slew of romantic comedies soon after, with her next two films - My Dream is Yours and It’s a Great Feeling - re-teaming her with her High Seas co-star Jack Carson.
Day’s first dramatic role came shortly after, with a supporting part in Young Man With a Horn. While she would occasionally take on more of these roles throughout her career, her comedy roles didn’t slow down. Day’s most known dramatic performance came in 1956, when she appeared opposite James Stewart in The Man Who Knew Too Much, Alfred Hitchcock’s remake of his 1934 film of the same name. The film earned an Academy Award, not for Day’s acting, but rather for Best Original Song, when she sung the widely popular “Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).”
Day was an accomplished musician, as much as she was an actress, having began her career as a big band singer in 1939, and recording her first song, “Sentimental Journey” in 1945. This led to Day either getting a chance to sing in many non-musicals, while also appearing in a fair amount of musical films. Her most well-known musical film was in 1953, when she appeared as the title character in western musical Calamity Jane. The film won a Best Oscar for another song that Day sang, titled “Secret Love.” Other musicals Day was known for include The Pajama Game and Tea for Two.
While Day was a leading lady from nearly the very beginning of her career, she soon became a box office success when she appeared in the 1959 romantic comedy Pillow Talk, alongside Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. Day received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and the film would go on to enter the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, which preserved movies that were “culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant. The film also won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and was nominated for one other award, Best Supporting Actress (Thelma Ritter).
Pillow Talk was seen as one of the biggest hits of 1959, and would lead Day, Hudson, and Randall to appear in two more films together - Lover Come Back and Send Me No Flowers. Day then appeared in two more popular films alongside James Garner, The Thrill of it All and Move Over, Darling. However, by this time, the film industry began to change, though Day’s on-screen persona did not. As more films took a different approach towards sex, Day’s wholesome image remained the same, and as a result, her popularity began to wane. She released her final film, With Six You Get Eggroll, in 1968, and soon retired.
Day still kept busy after her acting career came to an end, particularly as an animal rights activist. In 1978, she founded the non-profit organization The Doris Day Pet Foundation, which later became the Doris Day Animal Foundation, which would rescue animals throughout the US. In 1987, she created a second organization, the Doris Day Animal League, another non-profit organization that looked to reduce animals’ pain and suffering.
Day never appeared in another film after 1968, though she was offered roles since then, most notably by Clint Eastwood in 2015 for an ultimately scrapped project. Though her acting career only spanned twenty years, she still made a huge impact in the business, and is seen as one of the leading faces of 1950s and 1960s film.
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