The Thrill of It All. Released in 1963. Starring Doris Day & James Garner. Directed by Norman Jewison. Written by Carl Reiner from a story by Larry Gelbart
ANGELA SAYS:
I've seen this movie before and remember thinking it was
funny, and this re-watching did not disappoint. Day was convincing as a harried
housewife and mother and the children were typically precocious and
entertaining.
The movie begins with Andy, who is about five, talking to
his father on the telephone and attempting to relay messages to his mother,
setting up a series of missed phone calls and messages that anyone under thirty
will not quite understand. In today's era of cell phones and texting, most of
what is funny in this movie would just not have happened today. The beginning
of the movie also centers around Beverly Boyer's consideration of the household
finances. It would seem that the family is financially secure; able to afford a
very nice house, live in housekeeper and convertible. But Boyer is frequently
referring to how much things cost (even if it is strange to hear her talk about
$1 an hour for a babysitter).
She seems to be sincerely worried about finances, which
causes her to take on the role of marketing spokesperson for Happy Soap. In
this role she initially bombs dramatically, but her sincerity and freshness
encourage the company to sign her for a year at $80,000. This amount would be a
good salary today so it must have been a small fortune in the 1960s, making it
very difficult to turn down. Unfortunately, the shooting schedule for the
television, print and billboard ads means she is frequently away from home,
which causes her husband's frustration level to gradually increase until it boils
over into a poorly planned strategy to make his wife jealous.
The antics mount throughout the movie as one crazy event
results in another. One of my favorite
scenes is the city maintenance men clearing out a mound of soap suds that is
higher than the two story house where the Boyers live (you have to watch it to
believe it). The movie’s main plot is resolved with a hilarious sequence where
a first time mother is giving birth in the back of a limousine while her
husband is frantically running up and down a street full of cars while stuck in
a traffic jam. Although, Arlene Francis,
who plays the first time mother, just looks too old to be believable. She is
fifty-five when the movie is filmed and just can't pull off a women in her late
thirties to early forties. Fortunately, this minor detail doesn't spoil the fun
of the film.
Overall, this is a fun movie with a lot of classic screwball moments. Well worth seeing, even if you are my husband and a fan of comic books, war movies and westerns.
TIM SAYS: I had seen Doris Day and James Garner in Move Over,
Darling—the other movie in which the two co-starred as wife and husband—some
years ago and enjoyed it. Both are talented comedic actors and both are
enormously likeable, so I’m not really surprised I enjoyed this one as well.
Day and Garner play off each other very well.
And the plot is a fun one. Angela picked up quicker than me
that Beverly (Day’s character) is shown to be a bit money-conscious, which provides
a great motivation for an otherwise happy stay-at-home mom to want to become a star
of a soap commercial. From there, the movie effectively builds one gag on top
of another. Angela noted that the opening scene is one that would have been
spoiled by cell phones and texting. This is actually true throughout the movie—confused
or missed messages play a role in the plot on several other occasions.
I do like that Beverly is never portrayed as being
star-struck or indifferent to her husband and kids. The amount of time her job
takes sneaks up on her and the tension between the Boyers is believable enough
to engage us emotionally even as the dialogue and performances keep it all
funny.
So thumbs up to Angela for “making” me watch this one.
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