Customer Reviews

The Doris Day Special

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

CBS had the perfect remedy for chasing away the late winter blues when, in 1971, they presented two hours of great musical entertainment one Sunday evening.

Composer Burt Bacharach starred in a major special with guest star Barbra Streisand and it was enjoyed by millions. However, it was the second CBS Special of the evening that truly reminded viewers what the word Special meant when applied to musical entertainment. That's when Doris Day, then starring in the third season of her smash hit comedy series for the Tiffany Network, dusted off her vocal chords and dancing shoes and refreshed viewers as to why she was a legend in the musical department.

"The Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff Special" was a musical dream hour that allowed the gifted lady ample opportunity to sing, dance and charm with all the natural gifts that she alone possessed.

Filmed in a lush garden setting, based upon Miss Day's own backyard in Beverly Hills, there wasn't an instant in which the audience, judging by the staggering ratings, was not totally won over.

Miss Day began her musical journey on a bicycle, then her favorite mode of transport for getting around Beverly Hills. A medley including her mega-hit "Secret Love", "Who Will Buy" from "Oliver", a bit of the Beatles and some Simon and Garfunkel, made for a captivating opening and it only got better.

"Hurry It's Lovely Up Here" from Streisand's then recent film, "On a Clear Day" was given new life by Doris Day's sparkling rendering. She introduces her dogs, sings to them and somehow manages to make it absolutely disarming.

During the breakneck hour, she models a score of fashions, sings and dances to "Gypsy in My Soul" and as a flapper to a Roger Miller tune.

Special guest star Perry Como scores a knockout and his chemistry with Miss Day is top-notch. They make beautiful music together while engaging in playful banter. "When You Were Sweet Sixteen", "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "If I Had My Life to Live Over" are only a few of their songs. They have some great fun built around Miss Day's hit recording of "Everybody Loves a Lover" and you'll hit a bit of "Summertime" by Gershwin, "In the Summertime" by Roger Miller and a couple of Latin American love songs sung to perfection by the delightufl duo.

A series of film clips from classic Day films leads to a delightful cameo appearance by frequent film co-star Rock Hudson but the best is saved for last. Miss Day ties it all together brilliantly with a classic rendering of the Judy Collins hit, "Both Sides Now" followed by flawless performances of two of her greatest hits - "It's Magic" and "Sentimental Journey".

Promised on the DVD, being released under the title, "The Doris Day Special" are an hour of extras including alternate takes, bloopers and commentary but the main reason to purchase this DVD is to see Doris Day in a rare musical foray.

Tens of millions tuned in to watch in 1971 and now, 35 years later, everyone has the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about. If you're not a fan, you are guaranteed to be after spending two hours with Doris Day and her vocal chords of gold.

It really is great to see Doris Day again. I had forgotten all about this TV special (taped in 1970), until I saw it mentioned on a DVD website. Then I found it in a music/movie catalog that has the DVD in stock NOW as an exclusive until it's released in May to everyone!

Although the special is a little too cute and contrived for its own good (which was often the case for variety specials back then), I really enjoyed it--Doris is ALWAYS wonderful and is in great voice. It's also good to see Perry Como again, who is hard to find on DVD.

The special opens with Doris singing on a bike. This part was filmed instead of taped and doesn't look very good: dark, grainy, somewhat blurry and faded in color. This part also has its share of dust and speckles. When the special goes inside the studio and switches to tape, the picture brightens and the dust and speckles are gone; however the picture is still not what it should've been. The colors are bright and saturated, but the image quality is somewhat blurry and soft causing quite a loss of detail. Older taped material often looks like this when it has not been restored, but one only has to look at the DVDs of the restored Judy Garland TV shows or the Barbra Streisand specials of the 1960s to see material older than this that looks just fine. It's a shame nobody bothered to do the same here.

The bonus material isn't much to see, but at least it's something extra to watch. There are some outtakes and some of the musical numbers that were remixed to stereo with some of the technical preparation showing. There's a short ad for Doris' animal league, a spot promoting "The Doris Day Show" on DVD that only shows the series' opening credits (Picture quality is awful--I sure hope the DVDs look better than this!), and a blurb for "The Love Album," a gorgeous album that was finally released in this country a few months ago. It was originally recorded in 1967 but never released, as she and Columbia Records had parted ways. By all means buy this album, which is one of the best she ever made!

Don't let me disuade you from buying this DVD. If you're a Doris Day fan you'll definitely want it. I'm just saying that, quality wise, our Doris deserves better--and so do her fans.

Doris Day made only two TV music specials and this one, which aired in 1971, was wonderful because it focused almost entirely on her singing -- both alone and with guest Perry Como. (There is a brief comedy bit reuniting Doris with her motion picture partner Rock Hudson.) Doris' voice was as warm and beautiful as ever singing some of her all-time classics like "It's Magic" and "Sentimental Journey" as well as more contemporary material like the stunning "Both Sides Now" and the playful "Feelin' Groovy." The show looks great -- rich colors and clear picture plus the DVD producers have supplied an hour of extra footage -- including many of the show's songs remixed to stereo and without studio laugh track -- plus behind-the-scenes glimpses of Doris and Perry between takes, a deleted Doris dance number, outtakes with Doris and an insightful interview with one of the special's producer. This is a treasure trove for anyone who admirers a great vocalist like Doris doing what comes naturally -- and it's an incredible bargain too. Doris Day is truly one of the most underrated of female singers. She is a delight and a totally natural talent.

No one..NO ONE can match this woman's talent. Watching her "do" anything is facinating. Listening to her sing is a mesmerizing experience and NO ONE can formulate or say anthing like she does. It's just genious at work. I know she doesn't understand it, it's second nature to her, but to us, it's sheer genious. She opens her mouth and there is that awesome voice......

She decided to not sing anymore for whatever reason no one really knows (her voice was super!) and she walked away from films and TV at the top. Those decisons were our loss, but at least we have these awesome pieces of genious to see and hear.

Doris Day's late son, Terry Melcher, said that "When she decided she was one inch past her prime, she was gone. Well, he also said that Doris' voice never sounded better, and that was in the late 80's! If Terry couldn't get her to record, I guess no one could. (remember he produced tons of gr8 recordings and acts, such as the Byrds, Paul Revere and the Raiders, etc. He also revived many of the old guard singers and produced new sounds for them, giving them their last huge hits on the airwaves. Those people include, Patti Page, Frankie Laine, Wayne Newton, to name a few.)

In 1985-1986 she made a pet care series out of Carmel, her home town now, called "Doris Day's Best Friends". It was on CBN. This is the series in which Rock Hudson appeared and was well advanced with HIV much to Doris' shock. He told her "I've got the flu and I just cannot shake it". But he promised Doris he would do the show first thing, and he did it. The last appearance he did in his life. Doris was really shook by his lack of health and appearance. She told him to move into one of her cottages on her property and she'd force feed him if she had to in order to put weight on him. In the series which only lasted one season, Doris sang up a storm, recorded like crazy under Terry's direction and those songs are stuffed away somewhere as is the series. Hopefully, it will be released for us to enjoy sometime soon as well. Really unique and fun songs from this series. Some written by Terry! One called "My Heart" is stunning, for example. Singing the title theme to her films is a Doris Day trademark, and this series is no exception with a fun hyped up tune, "Animals Are My Best Friends". Gr8 fun!!

This will be the best 10 bucks you will ever spend! Thank God for sending us such a fine person and for allowing us to enjoy these intimate moments with her voice and presence.

Doris Day ROCKS! And I wish we could clone her. Can you blame me?

JD

This DVD is an absolute gem. If you're a Doris Day fan you will absolutely love it and even if you're not you will soon appreciate the huge talent this lady has in all areas of entertainment. I loved the last 2 songs 'It's Magic' and especially the very lovely jazzed up version of 'Sentimental Journey' which was absolutely brilliant. Miss Day was a vision in a white trouser suit with silver trim and looked and sounded like a million dollars. What a voice! What a woman!
I also liked the guest star Perry Como singing duet with Doris and even though he seemed to be a bit shy as Doris was looking romantically at him while singing the incredibly beautiful 'Quiet Nights for Quiet Stars' they blended very well together. Doris is obviously a very exuberant and affectionate woman and a wonderful actress and I think Perry couldn't quite keep up with her in all those departments. However, in the outtakes he nearly makes up for it and was quite funny.
I also loved the dance scenes 'Good Old Days', and 'Its the Gypsy in My Soul'. The scenes with her dogs was lovely and very natural. The Rock Hudson cameo was quite funny but a bit short, it's a pity he didn't get to speak a bit more but he sure made a hit with the sexy kiss he gave Doris. Doris is also a very good raconter and I enjoyed her little story about the TV sets and how she got her name changed from Kapplehoff to Day.
All in all this DVD is an absolute MUST. It is very reasonably priced and will be a prized possession in anyone's DVD collection.

I know why I have been a huge Doris Day fan for decades. It's because Doris Day, makes me feel good. Everytime I watch her, I feel better and I have to smile. There aren't many entertainers you can say this about. She has charmed millions of people, for decades too. She is truly an American treasure and she shows why in this lavish musical special. Doris can do it all from singing to dancing to playing comedy or drama. In this special, we get to hear her velvety singing voice, singing some of her biggest hits. The teaming of Doris and Perry Como, was geniuous at work. They blend beautifully together and there was a lot of chemistry between the two of them. Doris has never looked more beautiful. Her personality shines through as she pokes fun at all of her crying scenes, in her films over the years. Her sweet and adorable segment with her dogs is also wonderful to see. The outtakes are fun to watch too. I highly recommend this for all of you Doris Day fans. As for what some said on here about blurry pictures and quality. They must have been watching a different dvd as I saw nothing wrong with the quality of this dvd. This is a rare treat for the eye and ear, of all of you Doris' fans. If you are new to her work and watch this for the first time, I guarantee you will become an instant Doris Day fan. As Jamie Farr, said once in an interview, "If you don't love Doris Day, there is something wrong with you." Amen to that one. Sit back and enjoy Doris in her prime. You will fall in love all over again, with this magnificent entertainer.
Anita H. Wisconsin.

To finally be able to see this terrific Doris Day variety show in all it's restored color and fantastic sound was something to behold! Day looks and sings like a dream and it's just ashame that she did not do more of these types of shows at this point in her career. The highlights for me were to be able to view the show without the laugh track....you could really enjoy the music....and of course....Day's 70's redition of her big hit Sentimental Journey....don't think she has ever sung better.

This is Doris doing what she does best. Her singing is fabulous and should be a treat for all of those young people who have not had the pleasure of her song stylings. Doris and Perry Como together singing take us back to when music was in a golden age and disappointment was unheard of. I yearn for more of this caliber of vocalization. I would love to hear more from Doris.

The special was filmed in 1970 and reflected the time period--there's a kind of flower power feel to it but it was well done. Doris and Perry Como's duet together was ok (but Perry seemed to not like Doris flirting with him.) Doris Day has always been under-rated as a singer. Her voice is sheer perfection. It's too bad that Doris didn't do more specials or have a variety/comedy/musical show like Carol Burnett.

Thanks MPI for making this special available. Doris showcases her lovely voice (and what a voice!!), plus she reveals a great figure in the many mod fashions she wears during the program. Doris can really sing anything, wear anything and be terrific, and dance besides.
Really enjoyed Doris alone in the spotlight singing "It's Magic" and "Sentimental Journey". A singer like no other.
Look forward to the release of her second special.