Considering Doris Day

Book Description

The biggest female box office attraction in Hollywood history, Doris Day remains unequalled as the only entertainer who has ever triumphed in movies, radio, recordings, and a multi-year weekly television series. America's favorite girl next door may have projected a wholesome image that led Oscar Levant to quip "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin," but in Considering Doris Day Tom Santopietro reveals Day's underappreciated and effortless acting and singing range that ran the gamut from musicals to comedy to drama and made Day nothing short of a worldwide icon.
Covering the early Warner Brothers years through Day's triumphs working with artists as varied as Alfred Hitchcock and Bob Fosse, Santopietro's smart and funny book deconstructs the myth of Day as America's perennial virgin, and reveals why her work continues to resonate today, both onscreen as pioneering independent career woman role model, and off, as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor. Praised by James Cagney as "my idea of a great actor" and by James Garner as "the Fred Astaire of comedy," Doris Day became not just America's favorite girl, but the number one film star in the world. Yet after two weekly television series, including a triumphant five year run on CBS, she turned her back on show business forever.
Examining why Day's worldwide success in movies overshadowed the brilliant series of concept recordings she made for Columbia Records in the '50s and '60s, Tom Santopietro uncovers the unexpected facets of Day's surprisingly sexy acting and singing style that led no less an observer than John Updike to state "She just glowed for me." Placing Day's work within the social context of America in the second half of the twentieth century, Considering Doris Day is the first book that grants Doris Day her rightful place as a singular American artist.

Customer Reviews:

A four-star idea, executed rather poorly..........2007-09-07

I've been a Doris fan for more than 50 years, since I saw her film "Calamity Jane" when I was nine. I too, think she is underappreciated and was a unique singer. But Tom's writing here needed some good editing. How many times need he tell us that she had a great figure, that she followed her vocal coach's advice to sing each number as if it were to only one person, that Warner Brothers musicals were not put together as well as MGM's, that her combination of tomboyish sensuality was irresistable, that she put her business affairs in the hands of a husband who eventually made enough bad decisions to impoverish her and tarnish her artistic opportunities? He reviews every film in too much detail, seeing homosexual hints in the plots of nearly all of them. Many of his criticisms and praises are right-on, but oh, so repititious and pretentious. He analyzes most of her two-minute single vocal releases in detail that takes four minutes to read. I learned a lot I did not know about Ms. Day by reading this, but instead of it being a joy to savor, it became a chore to finish, because the tone and style of his narrative got almost obnoxious. She deserves a book like this, just not this one, even though the author adores the star as much as I do.

Missed Opportunities - Drew Savage, Author.......2007-07-28

I found this a difficult book to read. Instead of the usual narrative format adopted by most biographers, Mr. Santopietro has chosen instead to divide his book into sections. After an introduction covering Miss Day's early life and initial rise to fame as a singer with the Big Bands, there are chapters on her movies, recordings, and television shows. The latter part of the book focuses on her transition away from the role of top flight entertainer to that of animal welfare champion.

Unfortunately, the chapter on movies vascillates between what seems like an endless repetition of Mr. Santopietro's adulation for Miss Day, and a dissection of each film production into a myriad of mind-numbing minuitae. Most of these comments are at best unflattering, at worst downright damning. To be candid, if I had not already seen most of the movies, the author's comments would be enough to make me reach for the 'off' button on my remote control every time one was scheduled.

This is very disconcerting,as,equally candidly,I find most of her movies very enjoyable indeed, and some are just delightful.

Only in the section on Miss Day's recording career does the book really come to life for me. The comments here are insightful, interesting and even intuitive as the author speculates on some of the recordings that might have been, as well as presenting a worthwhile interpretation of those that came to fruition.

With the section on the TV shows falling somewhere between these two extremes, it's almost as if the book was written by three different people.

I am too young to have fully appreciated Miss Day's talents the first time around, but I do have a good ear for music. I also have an in depth interest in the genre that has prompted me to study, write about, and present a number of aspects of 'The Golden Age' of popular music. As I'm writing this review, the 2-on-1 CD coupling of 'What Every Girl Should Know' and 'I Have Dreamed,' is playing in the background. It remains, along with many other examples, a superlative example of a multi-talented artiste.

This book should have been a new and much needed window on those talents. What a pity it is not. In a way this is, perhaps, a little ironic. We are left with a piece of work that, as with certain aspects of Doris Day's own career, reflects some missed opportunities.

Opinionated, repetitive, annoyingly pompous.......2007-07-15

I've always felt that Doris Day has never received her proper due from the film community, even though the public has embraced her during her active career and in the decades since her retirement. I was hoping this biography would shed some light on why this might be. Instead, Santopietro bemoans the fact that she was made the subject of ridicule in the late sixties by the very folks who were her fans a decade earlier. But where's the analysis of why Day has never received any of the prestigious awards - AFI Life Achievement, Life Achievement Academy Award, etc? Sure... her films were mostly light comedies, but Day was excellent in them, displaying an innate sense of comedy. And at this point in her life, why not honor the actress with a token of the industry's gratitude for the body of her work? Santopietro gets many things dead wrong, For instance, he praises her performance in Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much," far from her best role, while endlessly overpraising "Love Me or Leave Me," a fine film with a strong co-star (James Cagney), but not the benchmark film the author paints it to be. Cursory attention is given to an enormously popular Day film, "Calamity Jane," made under her Warners contract. Yes, "Calamity Jane" was made three years after "Annie Get Your Gun," but it is a FAR superior film, though the subject matter is similar. "Calamity Jane" doesn't have an Irving Berlin score, but it does boast the Academy Award-winning song, "Secret Love," which became a Doris Day signature song. But so many of her early films are attacked as if Day herself had a say in their content. She was a Warners contract player, under the iron hand rule of Jack Warner. You can check Judy Garland's roster of films to see that that icon, too, made her share of clunkers. A major omission: a discussion of HOW the role of a lifetime eluded Day -- Nellie Forbush in the screen version of "South Pacific." Did Day want this role? Was she offered the role? Were there conflicts that prevented her from accepting the role? Was she afraid of being compared to Mary Martin, who originated the role on Broadway? Was money the issue? You won't get the answers to any of trhe questions from Santopietro's book. I'd recommend Day's autobiography. Though it doesn't answer all of these questions, at least you can "hear" Day's voice as you read. The definitive Doris Day biography has yet to be written.

Not a whole lot new!.......2007-07-09

For Doris Day fan's there is not much new in this book which is really more of a dissection of every song, movie and television show Doris ever did. The author raves on and on about how wonderful Ms. Day was (is) and how talented, how real, etc. He then proceeds to break down every aspect of every thing she has done (show business wise)into an overly detailed personal critique. How bad the script was for each movie, how silly the co-stars, how bad the director was, how stupid the songs! Somehow the whole thing is unbalanced. It would be better to read Doris' own autobiography. There are very few interesting antecdotes in this overly opinionated volume. I gave it a 3 because there are some great pictures (though not many) and there is a complete listing of recordings, movies and television apearances along with awards statistics...a great deal of research went into it as well as a great deal of personal opinion.

Highly Recommended!.......2007-06-19

The book is an extensive critique of Ms Day's work including her films, recordings, and television appearances. I don't believe he missed a film or an album of hers, and he has a great appreciation for Ms Day's remarkable talents. After so many years of reading compliments that are left-handed or almost apologetic, it's great to read the opinion of one who truly knows the wonderful contributions Ms Day has made throughout her illustrious career. I recommend this book to all Day fans and to those who are interested in knowing more about the wonderful contributions Ms Day has made to the entertainment world, as well as her tireless work as an animal advocate.

Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation

Average customer rating:

a msut read for radio fans
The Crosley Empire
Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation
Industrial pioneers
Crosley

Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation
David Stern , Michael A. Banks , and Rusty McClure
Manufacturer: Emmis Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1578602912

Book Description

Set in the vibrant Industrial Age and filigreed with family drama and epic ambition, Crosley chronicles one of the great untold tales of the twentieth century. Born in the late 1800s into a humble world of dirt roads and telegraphs, Powel and Lewis Crosley were opposites in many ways but shared drive, talent, and an unerring knack for knowing what Americans wanted. Their pioneering inventions — from the first mass-produced economy car to the push-button radio — and breakthroughs in broadcasting and advertising made them both wealthy and famous, as did their ownership of the Cincinnati Reds. But as their fortunes grew, so did Powel’s massive ego, which demanded he own eight mansions and seven yachts at the height of the Great Depression. Rich with detailed reminiscences from surviving family members, Crosley is both a powerful saga of a heady time in American history and an intimate tale of two brilliant brothers navigating triumph and tragedy.

Customer Reviews:

a msut read for radio fans.......2007-08-27

Great read for a radio fan or anyone interested in early 20th century business moguls.

The Crosley Empire.......2007-08-23

I bought this book for my brother who owned a Crosley years ago, but I read it before I gave it to him. Great book! One of the best I have read in a long time.

It was a great history lesson and you do not have to be a Crosley buff to enjoy it.

Would highly recommend.

Richard Flory

Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire That Transformed the Nation.......2007-08-11

The person for whom I purchased the book absolutely loves it!! It's the story, the pictures and presentation that just makes reading it so enjoyable. I'm very glad that I made this purchase.

Industrial pioneers.......2007-07-23

I'm sitting in a home full of computers, MP3 players, dvd recorders and players, a satellite TV box, and scores of electric appliances that are smarter than I am. Reading of a time when consumer electronics were unknown, and the primary electric appliance was a lightbulb, is like looking into the dark ages. Well, not quite. But you know what I mean.

The Crosley name is one that I've heard around my home throughout my life, but with the exception of a Crosley radio on a shelf, my knowledge of the company or the men that founded the firm was fuzzy at best. The authors have done an outstanding job at fleshing out Powel and Lewis Crosley and the world they lived in and revolutionized.

Many a novel I've read non-stop, but this is the first biography that I've done an "all-nighter" with.

The authors had no axe to grind, the times were well fleshed out, and one's faith in the ability of someone to think it up and do it, is reaffirmed. It was chock full of interesting information and facts, and I found myself checking Google satellite maps for locations mentioned in the book (Yes, the Arlington St. location still exisits and the satellite pic catches the executive tower, one-time home of WLW).

There is some bumpy writing, as noted in a few other reviews. I blame not the authors, but the editor. The boys really like their cliches. Lawyers are always "Sharpening their pencils," people come and go "Exit Stage right/left, Enter stage right/left;" and so many variations of "Masses not the classes" permeated the text, I wondered if they had some sort of Bolshevik thing going on.

That aside, this guy will be giving several copies of this book for Christmas this year - and I can't think of a better testimonial to the book.

Crosley.......2007-05-31

This was one of the most intersting biog. I have read in a long time. It is hard to believe the brothers could jam that much into just one lifetime and then it was all gone. I heartly recommend this book if you have an interest in one of our most exciting periods.

Average customer rating:

I never throw a book in the trash...
Doris Day be Eric Braun
Doris Day and anyone else Eric Braun knows of
An Update on "Doris Day Her Own Story" Would Have Been Bette
A golden glow

Doris Day
Eric Braun
Manufacturer: Orion Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0752817159

Book Description

In the year of her 80th birthday, Doris Day is still one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars. At 16, she was already working as a singer, and by the 1950s, she was America’s sweetheart. Nominated for an Oscar for Pillow Talk in 1959, she starred opposite Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, and James Garner in a now-classic series of bedroom farces. Always portrayed as the wholesome girl-next-door, Doris Day’s squeaky-clean image kept her at the top for 24 years and 39 films. This affectionate biography, which features previously unreleased pictures by legendary Hollywood photographer Leo Fuchs, looks at the actress' childhood, her fame as a singer and actress, the near-fatal car crash that ended her career as a dancer, her four marriages, and the passionate campaigns for animal welfare that are now the focus of her life.

Customer Reviews:

I never throw a book in the trash..........2006-08-15

...but that's where this one went. I've never read a more poorly written, sycophantic, piece of embarrassing drivel than this "biography" of Doris Day. The archaic, obseqious style is neauseating and could never have been authorized by Ms. Day, I surmise, if the sweet little octegenarian weren't a little dotty herself, making her and this "author" very compatible. If you are the least bit literate and hate wasting money, move on.

Doris Day be Eric Braun.......2006-06-28

I enjoyed this book immensely. I bought Doris Day "Her Own Story" by A.E.Hotchner back in the 1970`s, but this book has quite a bit of new news, stories and photo`s. It tells you all about her early days in the band and the trials and tribulations of her personal life. It includes a lot of other actors and producers opinions of Doris that she has worked with over the years. The book also talks about her home in Carmel, which offers a glance at the beautiful surroundings in which she lives. All in all I thought the book was well researched and gives an interesting insight into a much loved and respected Lady of the Silver Screen. I would definitely recommend buying it if you are a film buff or a fan of Doris Day. From Meryl Heasman (songwriter) CATFLAP MUSIC England.

Doris Day and anyone else Eric Braun knows of.......2004-10-21

Hoping for more insight on one of my favorite talents and finding nothing new except for Mr. Braun's relentless stream of consciosness on everyone from Vera Lynn to Gladys George and anyone in between. Some times, because of these tangents it was hard to keep straight just who he was talking about. Possibly the worst written and least researched book I've ever read. let's hope the next bio on this gal is better. Would love to hear more about the making of her best film "Love Me Or Leave Me." she deserves more scrutiny as an artist.

An Update on "Doris Day Her Own Story" Would Have Been Bette.......2004-09-13

Braun makes a valid attempt to immortalize Doris Day in this tepid biography. However, most of it is repetitous quoting from Doris' own autobiography published in 1975. The plot lines from the movies are taken from the "Films of Doris Day" book that came out in the late seventies. There is nothing new that I learned about Doris from this book that I didn't already know. It would have been nice to have read about her life after her TV series and her decision to move to Carmel and why she has chosen not to pursue any new Hollywood projects. But Braun makes a hurried attempt in the final pages of the book to wrap things up and one can't help but feel cheated that they're not getting the whole story. Oh and one more thing, any true Doris Day fan knows that in the movie "Storm Warning" in which she dies at the end, the character's name that is played by Ginger Rogers, her sister in the movie, is Marsha, NOT MARTHA. As I said, I learned nothing new in this biography and wish that A.E. Hotchner would come up with an updated version of Doris Day's autobiography. It would definitely have been better.

A golden glow.......2004-07-16

Erik Braun's book is a labor of love, and he has actually spent some time with the retired screen goddess. He gives us priceless glimpses of the films that never got made, as well as a knowing eye at the ones that did. For an Englishman, his takes on US pop culture are well-researched and never get in the way of his critical insights.

His comments on Marty Melcher, the bete noire of the Day story, are remarkably even-tempered, and his take on Day's practice of Christian Science ditto. He's got an opinion on everything, but he's agreeable enough to make you wish the book was twice as long as it is.

The comical thing is that in every paragraph, Braun somehow makes a British connection whenever possible; sometimes it seems like he's pulling them out of his arse as he goes along. Who would have guessed that Doris, the all-American girl, had less than six degrees of separation to so many UK institutions? She starred with British born Cary Grant in THAT TOUCH OF MINK, Rex Harrison in MIDNIGHT LACE and with Richard Harris in CAPRICE. (Harris, mysteriously, refused to speak to Braun without a signed release from Doris Day.) The sequences of the Hitchcock film, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, that were filmed in London, get special attention here. Erix Braun compares Doris Day to the British musical comedy stars Jessie Matthews, Gracie Fields and Gertrude Lawrence. And a host of character actors from England made appearances in Doris' films, from Terry-Thomas to Reginald Gardiner.

Who was the co-star with whom Doris later fell in love and had an affair during her TV years? In her own memoir Doris refused to identify him, for he was a married man then. Braun preserves his anonymity, though a fancy bit of writing suggests, then denies, that he is thinking of Kirk Douglas for the part. I wonder!

Average customer rating:

Doris Day on Television

Whatever Will Be, Will Be

QUE SERA SERA THE MAGIC OF DORIS DAY

EXCELLENT AND TIMELY APPRAISAL OF DORIS DAY'S NEGLECTED TELEVISION CAREER

Pierre's book - the "ultimate" guide to Doris's TV work

Que Sera, Sera: The Magic of Doris Day Through Television
Pierre Patrick , and Garry McGee
Manufacturer: Bearmanor Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Considering Doris Day

The Doris Day Show - Season 4

Doris Day Today

The Doris Day Show - Season 5

Do Not Disturb

ASIN: 1593930569

Customer Reviews:

Doris Day on Television.......2007-08-29

I am a BIG Doris Day fan, and really enjoyed reading this book about
her TV show and the people involved, etc. All the people who were
interviewed, and their experiences with Doris were really vry
insightful and fascinating to me.
If you are a real Doris Day fan, you will enjoy this book.

Whatever Will Be, Will Be .......2007-05-18

QUE SERA SERA THE MAGIC OF DORIS DAY THROUGH TELEVISION is a enjoyable book saluting one of the least heralded triumphs of the lovely, legendary star Doris Day. Doris Day's amazing movie career is well-remembered for the twenty years she reigned as one of the biggest movie stars in the world starring in many classic films, as is her standing as a peerless pop female vocalist with scores of vintage recordings currently on the market on compact disc yet her five-year run as one of the most popular stars on television in THE DORIS DAY SHOW (1968-1973) has long been something of a footnote despite the great success of the series at the time. Perhaps the tremendous success of her movies on DVD and her music on CD in recent years opened the door to THE DORIS DAY SHOW finding it's way onto the market in seasonal DVD sets and they too have become best sellers, certainly there are very television series of the 60s/70s which have every one of it's television seasons on the market like TDDS (season five has not been released yet but is pictured in the book). Now on the heels of those DVD sets comes a book dedicated to the history of the program with detailed episodic guides, exclusive interviews with most of the surviving cast members (including Doris Day herself!), tons of trivia, photographs, even a reproduction of a MAD magazine article spoof on the series (fortunately one of the milder satires published in that magazine).

This is clearly a labor of love by two devoted Doris Day fans who are clear-eyed enough not to overstate the excellence of the program while finding much to admire. THE DORIS DAY SHOW was a fun, sweet show but it wasn't one of the alltime great sitcoms, it actually wasn't even that funny (as the authors note, it was more of a light drama with comedy.) The scripts weren't that great but Doris' devoted public tuned in for years and the star was always charming and appealing and giving 100 percent, supported by a very good if too quickly-changing supporting cast (the series had three major overhauls during it's run, most infamously in the final two seasons when not only Doris' office staff at Today's World magazine completely changed but her two children vanished as if they never existed!) It's a great tribute to Doris as a woman that the whole cast has happy memories of working with her, one can easily imagine others being bitter in similar situations on other shows. Interview chapters are sprinkled throughout the book. It's also nice to see director and writer credits in the book for the individual episodes, very few books on TV series give this much information. And kudos to the authors for spotting all the episodes featuring excerpts and riffs from Doris' recordings, I had no idea her music was used this extensively on the show.

The book also features a episode guide to Doris' one-season dog-oriented program DORIS DAY'S BEST FRIENDS from 1985 (how about a boxed set on that series, MPI Home Video?), as well as a listing of her 1950's radio program and a section on ads from her movies. The book concludes with chapters by the authors detailing the history of their affection for the star. Certainly most of the readers of this book could well write their own chapter because there have been very few stars as beloved as Doris Day and the one of the happiest conclusions one can draw from this book is it is love well placed, for as all her coworkers testify, this is a truly wonderful, giving, caring lady just like we always knew.

QUE SERA SERA THE MAGIC OF DORIS DAY.......2007-04-02

A WONDERFUL BOOK WITH LOTS OF INFORMATION ON THE DORIS DAY TV SHOW, AND ALSO LOTS OF PICTURES. A REALLY GREAT BOOK ..I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

EXCELLENT AND TIMELY APPRAISAL OF DORIS DAY'S NEGLECTED TELEVISION CAREER.......2007-02-18

Any consideration of Doris Day's movie and recording career makes it so easy to overlook her later foray into television. The fact that Hollywood's popular acting elite of the 50's and 60's were reluctant to involve themselves with the small screen was due to the very realistic fear such activity would diminish their cinema box-office appeal. That relevant factor combined with obvious time constraints was no doubt the reason Doris made few television appearances during her movie career.

Voted top female box-office movie star at the beginning of the 60's, she must have been knocked sideways on discovering near its end the existence of an iron-clad contract signed without her knowledge to appear in a television sitcom. This coincided with the untimely death of husband/agent/manager/producer, Marty Melcher and the subsequent discovery her entire earned fortune had disappeared due to unscrupulous dealings. In such circumstances, having to switch gears and enter the fast and furious production requirements of small-screen-media must have been a bitter pill to swallow. However, Doris soon knuckled down and THE DORIS DAY SHOW was launched by CBS in 1968 for a five year run ending in 1973 with the Day personality enabling the show's family-friendly cheerfulness combined with frequently changing plot formulae which moved its initial static rural setting to the more plot inspiring environs of San Francisco and the world of publishing which allowed Doris to benefit from sophisticated glamour and romantic attachments reminiscent of her Universal screen comedies. Overcoming her obvious early reluctance, Doris gradually took control of the Show with son, Terry, and growing annual ratings were due in no small measure to their hands-on involvement in ensuring all those participating before and behind camera worked as happy team.

After its showing on US television THE DORIS DAY SHOW virtually disappeared until the recent release of DVD box-sets which finally allow appraisal with four currently available and the final due for release later this year.

It's therefore opportune that QUE SERA, SERA: THE MAGIC OF DORIS DAY THROUGH TELEVISION should be written and published with its emphasis on chronicling THE DORIS DAY SHOW - a synopsis of each episode; descriptions of the actors involved, plus production values and behind-the-scenes detail. The book's Forward has been written by Jackie Joseph, a friend of Doris, who appeared in Season's four and five. Producer Don Genson is on hand to give a general view of the Show.

The book fully describes two musical "Specials" THE DORIS MARY KAPPELHOFF SPECIAL (1971) - with guest Perry Como - now also available on DVD and DORIS DAY TODAY (1975) with John Denver and Rich Little as guests. A magazine format series DORIS DAY'S BEST FRIENDS ran on US cable 1985/86, putting the spotlight on animal welfare issues within its mix of interviews and music and attracting such guests as Rock Hudson, Les Brown, Tony Bennett and Howard Keel. DORIS DAY: A SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY (1991), a PBS documentary is also featured.

Additionally, the authors turn the clock back to list (incomplete) the other early 50's DORIS DAY SHOW - a syndicated half-hour radio series in the USA - which was also partially adapted and broadcast by the BBC Light Programme in the UK. Adding to nearly 200 black and white photographs and film posters, thumbnail descriptions of the Day movies and significant recordings are adequately covered, whilst authors, Pierre Patrick and Garry McGee individually reflect on the Day career etc. Most important of all is an interview with the lady herself.

Whilst there are no obvious errors in the facts, I wish someone had decided on the form and correction of "Kapplehoff" or "Kappelhoff" but that is a minor gripe. To sum up, the authors must be congratulated on the outcome of their research for this book is a veritable reference delight for Day fans with its detailed information. Others will also appreciate and learn about this neglected element of the Day career.

Pierre's book - the "ultimate" guide to Doris's TV work .......2007-01-24

"QUE SERA SERA: The Magic of Doris Day Through Television" is published by Bear Manor Media (USA). It features close to 200 B/W photographs and benefits from the penmanship of acclaimed Iowa-born writer Garry McGee (the man behind 2005's "Doris Day: Sentimental Journey"). There are also interviews with many of Doris's sitcom co-stars including a cute foreword from Jackie Joseph. Oh, and did I mention even Doris gives an exclusive interview for the project!

Pierre's book is an "ultimate companion" of amazing facts and trivia on her sitcom and the other significant television appearances she made. At the same time it also gives a good appreciation for the other strings to her bow, touching on her classic films and albums etc. etc.

I've read and enjoyed this book and would certainly say that if you are loving Doris's sitcom DVDs you will definitely adore this book!

Average customer rating:

I returned it for a refund.
thin on photos,emaciated on bio- ,but nice cover and typeset
thin on photos,emaciated on bio- ,but nice cover and typeset
WARNING: THIS BOOK IS FILLED WITH INACCURACIES!

Doris Day: The Illustrated Biography
Michael Freedland
Manufacturer: Andre Deutsch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0233998489

Customer Reviews:

I returned it for a refund........2002-12-03

This book is by a well-intentioned but underinformed fan? Supposedly the Brits are huge fans of Doris--this one didn't do his homework. One of the photos (of a lady standing up in a car on the MGM lot) is attributed to be Doris but is a photo of June Allyson!!! That kind of schlock-ily written and edited book does a disservice to the lovely actress/singer.

thin on photos,emaciated on bio- ,but nice cover and typeset.......2000-11-02

I expected thin - the book is thin - but emaciated? The author himself says the book was proposed as a picture book and yet the book is thin on illustrations and thin on biographical info, and flat writing for such a iconic woman. What accompanying "biographical" info there is, is really only cursory and focuses more on her singing than her acting. (one more mention of che sera sera and I'll go nuts -- and isn't it spelled "que sera sera"??). "Illustrated biography" is hardly a fitting title. The book would have been more aptly marketed as a book superficially chronicling Doris Day's singing credits. The only insightful editorializing the authors puts forth are quotes from Doris's autobiography.

thin on photos,emaciated on bio- ,but nice cover and typeset.......2000-11-02

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS FILLED WITH INACCURACIES!.......2000-08-25

THE ONLY REASON I GAVE THIS BOOK ONE STAR IS FOR THE PHOTOS, ALTHOUGH ONE PHOTO, SUPPOSEDLY OF DORIS, IN ACTUALITY IS JUNE ALLYSON! UNFORGIVABLE! THE AUTHOR OBVIOUSLY DID NOT DO HIS HOMEWORK. HE PAINTS A TOTALLY MISLEADING PORTRAYAL OF DORIS DAY. IF YOU WANT TO READ A GOOD, DEPENDABLE BIO OF DORIS, CHECK OUT HER 1975 BIOGRAPHY, ENTITLED "DORIS DAY, HER OWN STORY," BY A. E. HOTCHNER ("PAPA HEMINGWAY"). THIS IS A GREAT BOOK, HONEST (SOMETIMES BRUTALLY SO!) WITH GREAT COMMENTS FROM DD'S CO-STARS AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATES. TRY TO GET A COPY ON E-BAY...IT'S A GREAT READ!

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A mere gathering of musings, indeed!
A PENSIVE SUPERBLY WRITTEN REMINISCENCE
The dream devoutly to be wished
Free from Blather....
a gem

Fifty Days of Solitude
Doris Grumbach
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807070610

Amazon.com

When her companion Sylvia left for an extended book-buying trip, Doris Grumbach was given 50 days alone in their home on the coast of Maine. It was the winter of 1993 and the 75-year-old Grumbach surrounded herself with silence and music, with books and an empty journal, with paintings and the view out her window of a bare winter landscape. Fifty Days of Solitude is a memoir of what Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins called the "inscape": the deep, meandering landscape of an interior life. Grumbach's observations about the paintings of Edward Hopper, the death of a friend from AIDS, and the life-long grief of Dr. Anna Perkins for her companion Miss Hannay are full of dignity and pathos. Fifty Days of Solitude is a rendering of the mind and heart alone, of how distance and silence inform our compassion and intellect.

Book Description

Faced with a rare opportunity to experiment with solitude, Doris Grumbach decided to live in her coastal Maine home without speaking to anyone for fifty days. The result is a beautiful meditation about what it means to write, to be alone, and to come to terms with mortality.

Customer Reviews:

A mere gathering of musings, indeed!.......2006-12-14

I was disappointed , I couldn't get over the fact that the title of this book is not totally about solitude . The author went into town to buy goods, she spoke to the postman on occasion and ups delivery service,.She had access to a telephone with a tape message machine and access to the internet. I believe she spoke to the neighbor,as well.Internet access-- now. thats a connection!
Her musing were boring, They were very subjective--the authors experience.
I felt forced as the reader to look into her life and her experiences and interpretations. Such a heavy title , not represented well throughout the book.
The fact that she had access to the internet, a phone and T.V. by the way, she would listen to the news and whatever,strips the imagination of desparateness, survival and immediate thoughts and feelings. Perhaps pure reflectiveness without connectiveness would be more poignant.
Nothing to ponder or to learn from this book.

A PENSIVE SUPERBLY WRITTEN REMINISCENCE.......2005-04-30

For most of us, social interaction is a daily aspect of life. Solitude is suspect rather than pursued. In this peaceful, exquisitely penned memoir novelist Doris Grumbach recounts her 50 days of absolute aloneness during a Maine winter.

"I learned that there is a softness about being alone in the country, even the frozen, snow-filled country," she writes. "Solidity, concrete, and bricks do not define one's surroundings. The edges of my landscape are blurred, made uneven by the action of wind and bending branches. There is comforting balm in the way the water beyond the white meadow breaks through the ice when the tide comes in and then freezes over in irregular ridges when it goes out."

Grumbach turned off the telephone, did not watch television. She went into town only to collect her mail and attend church, always leaving before the end of the service so as not to be drawn into any conversation. Her only companions were music, books, and herself. As she said, "I was now alone with music, books, an unpopulated cove, and with that frightening reflexive pronoun, myself."

This pensive superbly written reminiscence may have been intended as her nod to mortality, instead it is a paean to life. Don't miss it!

- Gail Cooke

The dream devoutly to be wished.......2005-04-23

Isn't it every writer's dream to have fifty days of solitude? Seven weeks of blissful nothingness, with no demands on one's time or space? Well, that's the kind of "vacation" Doris Grumbach took during one Maine winter. While she did make some inroads on the novel she was working on, she found herself spending more moments in personal reflection -- about past experiences, about friends and family members, about being alone, and about writing in general. The result is this slim volume of musings. Readers who are writers will get the most out of these pages. Anyone considering spending some time alone will benefit as well. For it is only after we know who we are on our own, that we can understand our connections with others.

Free from Blather...........2005-03-20

This slim, spare book touches on many of the gravest issues of our time while avoiding both smug solemnity and grinning uplift.

Grumbach's voice is considered, flinty even, much like the wintery Maine landscape detailed in the book. As her days of solitude progress she writes of history, piety, AIDS, the experience of aging, the borders between the individual and the community, and the often invisible lives of women. She watches everything and lets that observation live on the page without forcing conclusions onto it.

This is a profoundly religious book, and a profoundly feminist one. It wrestles with sacredness, without the silly cliches of so much writing about "the sacred". Its rectitude and honesty are a rebuke to much of the fuzzy-minded writing out there.

a gem.......2000-10-03

I first read this book about 3 years ago. I don't read many books by writers about writing, and I don't read many autobiographical books by writers, period. However, I read the first few pages of this book, and I was captivated.

She moved herself into an isolated country house for 50 days.

Grumbach's style is simple, plain, and direct. Her book is a study of one person's solitude; as such, it works well as a personal "coming of age" story. That may strike you as odd, because Grumbach is probably in her 50's or 60's, but it's a personal journey story, a tale of one person's finding herself, of imposing a solitary life upon herself.

It's about solitude, and adjusting yourself from a more frenetic way of life to a simpler way of life, socially.

Book Description

At age fourteen, Doris Eaton was the youngest performer in the Ziegfeld Follies, appearing with such legends as Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Will Rogers, and Marilyn Miller. With two sisters and two brothers also appearing in the Follies in the years between 1918 and 1923, the Eatons became a well-known Broadway family.

Beginning their careers in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore area, the "Seven Little Eatons" became seasoned performers, working the stock-company circuit before arriving in New York City and being caught up in the golden age of Broadway. Doris and her two sisters, Pearl and Mary, became popular dancers, and throughout the twenties they were never out of work. Doris was the first Eaton to go to Hollywood, and there in 1929 she introduced the song "Singing in the Rain" in the Hollywood Music Box Review. Later, Doris left show business and went on to great success building a chain of eighteen Arthur Murray studios in Michigan, which she owned and operated for thirty years.

In a refreshingly wise voice, The Days We Danced introduces readers to the successes and poignant sorrows of the Eaton family, including alcoholism, professional failures, early death, and even a tragic murder.

With memories that span almost a century, Doris recalls the state of the American theater during World War I, the "roaring twenties," the Great Depression--as well as the legendary names of the rich and famous celebrities with whom the Eatons worked and played. Accompanied by scores of unique period photographs, this memoir details the life of a woman who never stopped dancing--even when the curtain fell.

Customer Reviews:

The Life of Doris.......2004-01-21

I actually had the honor of interviewing Doris Eaton Travis last fall for my college English class... and I was definately honored when she gave me a copy of her book and autographed it for me... I read it right away and absolutely loved it! She is an amazing woman and has lead and incredible life which she tells about in her book. At age 99, she is still going strong and is as busy as ever! I loved meeting and interviewing her and definately loved this book! I recommend it to anyone and everyone!

A Special Memoir.......2003-10-27

Doris Eaton Travis, at age 99, looks back at a full life, the early part of which is a valuable, firsthand portrait of early 20th Century entertainment, when vaudeville and the stage was still a central part of pop culture. Her frank appraisal of the rough road even successful performers would face as times changed is certainly an antidote to nostalgic ruminations about that long gone era! Highly recommended.

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One day teaches how to be more aware

Life in a Day
Doris Grumbach
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807070890

Amazon.com

With the recent plethora of memoirs delving into traumatic lives and despairing experiences, this quiet memoir from the author of The Book of Knowledge and Fifty Days of Solitude is charmingly refreshing. We follow the 77-year-old novelist through a day, eavesdropping on her daily fussings and the interior conversations she conducts with the muses that enable her to write, including Dylan Thomas, Somerset Maugham, and her friend, the late May Sarton. With digressive sidetrips inspired by whatever distracts Grumbach from her quiet daily processes, we enter a rich world of memory and thought informed by a lifetime of books and letters. Sorry, no teenage traumas or bouts with alchoholism or bulimia here--just a fine artist at the top of her craft.

Book Description

In this elegant meditation on age and memory, Grumbach's grace, humor, and insight alert us to the transience of each day and the constant play between past and present.

"[A] book that astonishes in its honesty. . . . What greater gift can a memoir bring than a self revealed in all its grubby particulars, with wit and, when day is done, acceptance?"
-Rebecca Pepper Sinkler, The Washington Post Book Review

Customer Reviews:

One day teaches how to be more aware.......2007-05-12

I read this book when it first came out. It's a lovely lesson in being aware. Ms. Grumbach's awareness is keen, her ability to connect the dots of her life is a gift. Her life as revealed in the bits she recalls throughout the day is a mirror to the meaning of life: Relationship, inspiration, quotidian moments, and the struggle to grow old well. I enjoyed the book so much I wrote to the author; she wrote back. I've read it over and over since the first time.

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Doris Day: The Biography
Michael Freedland
Manufacturer: Thorndike Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786229969

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What a Difference a Day Makes
Excellent Reference Book on Day

Doris Day: Sentimental Journey
Garry McGee
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786419814

Book Description

Doris Day, once called an Actors Studio unto herself, was one of the twentieth century's greatest entertainers, with a career spanning 39 films, more than 150 televisions shows, and over 500 recordings. This work covers the life and career of the singer and star of such films as Pillow Talk, The Man Who Knew Too Muchand Calamity Jane.

The work is divided into four sections, beginning with a biography of Days life from her birth in Cincinnati, Ohio, through four marriages, near-bankruptcy, and her dedication to animal rights, and concluding with her contented present life. A filmography lists each film with full credits, synopsis and reviews, plus her popularity rankings and awards. The third section lists complete album record releases with notes, single record releases, unreleased songs and recordings, music awards and nominations, radio appearances from big bands to solo work, her seven million-sellers, and chart placements. The work concludes with Days television appearances, including synopses and credits for her five-season run with The Doris Day Show on CBS, the cable show Doris Days Best Friends, and her appearances in variety specials, talk shows, and documentaries.

Customer Reviews:

What a Difference a Day Makes.......2006-05-15

Just having a listing of the episodes of DORIS DAY'S BEST FRIENDS, the animel-centered series she produced and appeared in back in the 1980s, would be reason enough to purchase this enchantingly obsessed volume. But there are plenty more. I enjoyed seeing McGee scampering through the gardens and byways of Day's multifaceted movie career, mysteriously cut short after the release of THE BALLAD OF JOSIE and WITH SIX YOU GET EGG ROLL. He even has a section detailing the films Day might have made but alas, or in some cases thank God, she wound up not playing in. I never really wanted to see her playing in THE GRADUATE, but some of the other roles offered her she really should have said yes to. Of course there were many other complications in Day's life, and to his credit McGee takes them all on. She had bad luck in husbands, and despite an eternal, and very American optimism, the sunny side of Doris Day we are initially drawn to, there's a darker, sadder, even more melancholy side to her persona as well that's a little harder to access. Thus her appearance at Rock's side in his episode of BEST FRIENDS revealed her in a new avatar, the brave stalwart supporter, nearly an angel, in the time of AIDS, avowing a sexual knowledge she had played with and played behind since the days of ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS.

McGee is also extremely thorough on Day's recording career, a subject on which I was never very well briefed, and now I think I could hold my own end up in any charity competition for knowing how many of Rodgers and Hart's songs Day recorded (plenty, compared to the very few of, say, Cole Porter's) if that was one of the test questions. McGee loves Doris Day, that is for sure, and yet he is surprisingly objective about her talents, judging this or that as a failure or success in its own terms. I never realized, for example, what a mistake JUMBO seems to have been for Doris; its failure, McGee states, precluded Fox from giving her the Maria Von Trapp psrt in the Robert Wise film of SOUND OF MUSIC.

Excellent Reference Book on Day.......2005-02-22

Not simply a biography, but a reference book of Doris' life and her career on records, radio, film and television. This was a much needed book, and is very nicely done. Succinct, thorough and with some nicely rare pictures, although I noticed at least one photo caption which incorrectly identified the year, but that is a small quibble.

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