Doris Day: Sentimental Journey [Hardcover]

Garry McGee (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786419814 | ISBN-13: 978-0786419814 | Publication Date: January 14, 2005

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"McGee is to be commended for finding what must be some pretty rare photographs" --Ohioana Quarterly --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Author and documentary-maker Garry McGee lives in Iowa.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (January 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786419814
• ISBN-13: 978-0786419814
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,105,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference Book on Day, February 21, 2005

By 

John M. (Southern CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doris Day: Sentimental Journey (Hardcover)

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.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Difference a Day Makes, May 14, 2006

By 

Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Doris Day: Sentimental Journey (Hardcover)

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.