The Thrill of It All

Quite watchable after 40 years, this frothy domestic comedy still retains a clever sophistication in retrospect. Most notable are the timeless digs at TV advertising and blonde sexpots, delivered by some of the best comedic actors of their day. The routine, bourgeoise attitudes of the day haven't changed enough to make this one too dated.

One of my favorite Doris Day movies with James Garner, her OB doctor husband; but the funniest scenes of all was when Arlene Francis, who plays an older woman having her first child in a taxi cab because of a traffic jam, and her hubby is running all over the place. It is still an undated romantic comedy with some great one-liners. Doris gets bored with home life and becomes a superstar TV commercial for soap products; still this is one of her best because the writers were the best; Larry Gelbart and Rob Reiner 7/10

This is a great screwball family comedy in the traditions of Bringing Up Baby, the Awful Truth and The Egg and I with James Garner marvelous in the Cary Grant role. I'm not particularly big on Doris Day, but she has never been more effective than her unforgettable portrayal of Beverly Boyer, an obstetrician's wife who just can't stay out of trouble. (Best line: I'm Beverly Boyer, and I'm a pig). There are at least five outrageous situations in this charmer that always make me smile. Edward Andrews and Arlene Francis nearly steal the film as a middle-aged couple having a baby while stuck in traffic. If you stumble acrooss this family pleaser, watch it.

Doris Day and James Garner showed excellent chemistry in this off-the-wall comedy where Beverly Boyer (Doris Day) is married with 2 young children to Dr. Boyer (James Garner) You can immediately start the laughing when patient Arlene Francis becomes pregnant after a 20+ year marriage to Ed Andrews. Both look like senior citizens which makes this very funny. To show their gratefulness to Dr. Boyer, Garner and Day are invited to their home and pretty soon Day winds up doing commercials for Edwards's father! She becomes an instant success and the rest of this hilarious film is devoted to how her success begins to affect their marriage. This must have been the last film for ZaSu Pitts as she died in 1963. She certainly went out with a bang. That scene with the baseball bat is extremely funny. Imagine Pitts being afraid to be in the same house alone with Dr. Boyer! Another funny scene is on horseback! A terrific film.

This is the first time I write a comment about a film. Considering that my favorite films, since I discovered the movies, are by Scorsese, Gonzalez Inarritu, Polanski, etc. What am I doing selecting a Doris Day comedy for my first review. Okay, let me tell you. I was overwhelmed by the sheer brilliance of the lady. I've always heard about Doris Day but I had never seen her (The Man Who Knew Too Much is my next one). She is extraordinary because in the midst of all the zaniness there is an unquestionable truth. I believed completely in her character I never thought for a moment she was trying to sell me something. I recognized her, I knew who her character was and then, of course, I laughed, loud and hard. So the reason that I've selected "The Thrill Of It All" as my first review is because that's what cinema is all about. Surprises and discoveries. Thank you Doris Day, you've given me something new to look forward to.

An immensely enjoyable movie. Doctor's wife Doris Day is suddenly TV's "it" girl when she starts appearing in soap commercials. Domestic mayhem ensues. Husband James Garner is none too happy and Day finds juggling home-life, work-life and instant celebrity pretty difficult. It's a pointed satire in the guise of a 60s glossy comedy directed with a very sure hand by Norman Jewison and written by the great Carl Reiner (with an assist from Larry Gelbart). Day is terrific and has plenty of chemistry with Garner. The colorful supporting cast includes Arlene Francis, Edward Andrews, Zasu Pitts as a daffy housekeeper and Reginald Owen as Day's chief benefactor. Reiner himself pops up in a series of cameos that get progressively more ridiculous. Russell Metty provided the high gloss cinematography.