Turner Classic Movies presents this collection of five little-seen films, for all Day fans. (See more in Movies and Musicals).

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Product Description

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 04/07/2009 Rating: Nr

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16056 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2009-04-07
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, DVD, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 5

Amazon.com
The perpetually twinkling star of postwar Hollywood gets another DVD boxed set, TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection, covering the early part of Day's career. Four of these titles were cranked out between 1949 and 1952, when Doris was busy getting a push as the latest edition of America's Sweetheart. It's a Great Feeling is a very meta-satire on Hollywood and its crazy ways, taken from a story by future Billy Wilder writing partner I.A.L. Diamond. Doris is a simple gal from Gurkey's Corners, Wisconsin, who meets Jack Carson, the overbearing actor (playing himself), newly given a chance to direct a film because nobody else wants to work with him. (We learn this in an early sequence featuring turn-downs from real-life directors Raoul Walsh, Michael Curtiz, and King Vidor.) This fun trifle has mutual ribbing between Carson and Dennis Morgan (also playing himself), and a gaggle of cameos: Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman, Edward G. Robinson, and one final-scene surprise that ought not be given away. Tea for Two teams Day with Gordon MacRae, who would be, like Carson, a frequent co-star. An extremely loose variation on the Broadway perennial No, No, Nanette, the movie imports a collection of unbeatable song classics, including some Gershwin numbers and (from the original stage musical) "Tea for Two." An incredibly labored plot device, predicting Jim Carrey's Yes Man, helps keep the non-musical sections lame, although Eve Arden and Billy De Wolfe are around to cut up. The movie is also a terrific showcase for dancer Gene Nelson, an under-appreciated hoofer who has a major part. Starlift is a long-unavailable musical that uses the Hollywood Canteen approach: get a big roster of stars together and have them perform for the troops. Day appears only in the early reels, as herself, time enough to belt out "'S Wonderful" and supply some perk. The movie shoehorns in the likes of Ruth Roman, Gary Cooper (actually talk-singing the chorus of "Look Out, Stranger, I'm a Texas Ranger"), James Cagney, Randolph Scott, and an extended bit from Phil Harris. Gene Nelson returns for some excellent dance scenes.

April in Paris gives a rare leading role to Ray Bolger, whose mugging style, better suited to the Broadway stage, contrasts with Day's camera-ready shine; the two don't have much chemistry together. The flat story has Doris as a chorus girl mistakenly invited to represent the U.S. at an international peace conference. At least the Vernon Duke-composed songs, most with lyrics by Sammy Cahn, are a decent lot, and of course Bolger can dance up a storm, notably in a trick number that has him performing with two versions of himself dressed as Lincoln and Washington. Much different in tone is The Tunnel of Love, from 1958, a leering farce based on a play (itself based on a Peter DeVries novel). Doris is married to uptight cartoonist Richard Widmark when an adoption scheme puts hubby in too-close proximity to the lady (Gia Scala) from the adoption agency. Gene Kelly's smarmy direction does nothing to improve the bizarre premise; only Gig Young and Elizabeth Wilson hit the right pitch. The discs include the usual Warners collection of shorts and cartoons, but no Day-specific supporting extras. --Robert Horton

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Customer Reviews

Doris Day's remaining works at Warner Bros. not yet on DVD
This is the third of three box sets of films from Warner Home Video dedicated to Doris Day. The first two are 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) and The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 2 (Romance on the High Seas / My Dream Is Yours / On Moonlight Bay / I'll See You in My Dreams / By the Light of the Silvery Moon / Lucky Me).

This set contains five films, yet no extra features on Doris Day herself. She has a very interesting personal story, so I'm surprised at the lack of such details in any of her boxed sets. She basically had a double set of problems that could have ended her career in 1968 - her husband died and she was left with a mountain of debts. She rebounded with her successful TV career and is today quite active in animal rights issues. The following is taken from the press release for the set, which contains cartoons, shorts and trailers as extra features.

April in Paris (1952)
The State Department wants Ethel Barrymore to represent the American theater at an arts exposition in Paris. But Miss Barrymore's invitation is sent by mistake to Miss Ethel "Dynamite" Jackson, a blonde brassy chorus girl. Ray Bolger plays the stuffy bureaucrat who mismailed the Barrymore missive - and now has a stateroom full of explosives on his hands for a Paris-bound ocean voyage. Plus there's a little matter of a marriage performed on the high seas that isn't quite legal.

DVD Special Features:
· Vintage short So You Want To Wear The Pants
· Classic cartoon Terrier Stricken
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (Main feature. Bonus material/trailer may not be subtitled)

It's a Great Feeling (1949)
No one will work with actor Jack Carson (who plays himself), so he just puts his own movie together. Good buddy Dennis Morgan is hoodwinked into co-starring. And there's a talented kid in the studio commissary (Day) eager for her big break.

In her third film (and third with Carson), Doris Day plays that up-and-comer in a musical spoof featuring real Hollywood and Warner Bros. back lot locales, star cameos (Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Edward G. Robinson, among others) and a surprise comedy finale.

Starlift (1951)
The charming tale of a serviceman with a crush on a movie ingenue is the backdrop for this film featuring Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, James Cagney, Gary Cooper, Ruth Roman, Gene Nelson, Virginia Mayo, Jane Wyman, Randolph Scott and more Hollywood celebrities performing for flyboys in uniform. Songs by the Gershwins and Cole Porter plus a hilarious Western production number with Gary Cooper as a Texas Ranger add to the fun.

DVD Special Features:
· Vintage short Musical Memories
· Classic cartoon Sleepy Time Possum
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (Main feature. bonus material/trailer may not be subtitled)

Tea for Two (1950)
Wealthy, stagestruck Nan Carter strikes a bet that she can say "no" to everything for 48 hours. If she wins, she gets the $25,000 to back a Broadway musical vehicle for herself. She's determined, even if it means saying "no" when the guy she loves pops the question. Nan doesn't know it yet, but her fortune has been wiped out in the Crash of '29.

Costars Gordon MacRae and Gene Nelson on hand to help provide songs, dance and romance. Eve Arden, Billy DeWolfe and S.Z "Cuddles" Sakall deliver lots of laughs, and the Gershwins, Vincent Youmans, Harry Warren and other Tin Pan Alley greats supply the songs which include the title tune, Do, Do, Do, I Only Have Eyes for You, I Want to Be Happy and lots more.

DVD Special Features:
· Vintage short So You Want to Hold Your Husband
· Classic cartoon Tee for Two
· No, No Nanette Radio Show - From the 1949 "Railroad Hour" series, with Doris Day and Gordon MacRae
· No, No Nanette Overture - From the surviving Vitaphone disc from lost 1930 Warner Bros. film
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (Main feature. Bonus material/trailer may not be subtitled)


The Tunnel of Love (1958)
Isolde (Doris Day) and Augie (Richard Widmark) Poole are trying to adopt a baby. Dick (Gig Young), the Poole's neighbor, has advice for Augie during these challenging times: have an affair. No way, says Augie. Then he wakes up in a motel room with no memory of the night before - and finds a thank-you note from the caseworker who's handling the Poole adoption. Gene Kelly directs this musical comedy.

DVD special features include:
· Classic cartoon Tot Watchers
· Theatrical trailer
· Subtitles: English & French (Main feature. Bonus material/trailer may not be subtitled)

TCM SPOTLIGHT:DORIS DAY COLLECTION
THIS THIRD DORIS DAY COLLECTION CONTAINS FIVE OF HER FINEST FILMS INCLUDING ONE TITLE -STARLIFT- THAT I HAVE BEEN HOPING DESPERATELY FOR.
STARLIFT HAS BEEN LOST FOR YEARS AND HAS BARELY EVER BEEN SHOWN ON TV. I OWN A HORRIBLE BOOTLEG VHS COPY AND THIS RELEASE IS ALMOST TO GOOD TO BE TRUE. ALTHOUGH SHE ONLY APPEARS IN THE FIRST FIFTEEN MINUTES OF THE FILM PLAYING HERSELF, SHE DOES GET TO SING ONE DUET WITH GORDON MACRAE,(YOU'RE GONNA LOSE YOUR GIRL,) THAT HAS NEVER BEEN RELEASED IN ANY FORM AND 3 SOLO NUMBERS,('SWONDERFUL-YOU OUGHTA BE IN PICTURE-YOU DO SOMETHING TO ME.) THIS WILL BE THE GEM OF MY DORIS DAY COLLECTION. THE OTHER FOUR FILMS ARE GEMS AS WELL. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY TCM DIDN'T INCLUDE JULIE & WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT AS TCM MUST OWN BOTH OF THESE FILMS. HOPEFULLY,THEY ARE PLANNING TO RELEASE THEM IN THE FUTURE. ALSO,I WOULD LIKE UNIVERSAL TO RELEASE MIDNIGHT LACE & BALLAD OF JOSIE. THIS WAY DORIS DAY'S ENTIRE 39 FILMS WOULD BE AVAILABLE ON DVD. THEY SHOULD BE!!!!!!

At last!!!!
A huge thank you for this box set! Starlift is the only Doris Day movie missing from my collection (and I don't have Tunnel of Love on DVD) and to be able to get it at last is a dream come true. I'll just have to gift the duplicates of the other three to deserving friends or charity. Sorry but happiness really is Doris Day shaped for me.