Customer Reviews

Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

While I totally understand the zeal with which Mr. Brogan and Mr. Green embrace this book, since both are major contributors to it, I think a more objective critical analysis might be valuable as well.

There is a certain amount to like in Mr. Kaufman's "version" of Doris Day's life. It's a quick read, despite the length, and does touch on some interesting pop-culture of the 50's, 60's and 70's, and how Doris Day related to, and was related to by, that culture.

But too frequently, the negatives far out weigh the positives:

Too much of the book is lifted directly from Day's autobiography, as well as some other celebrity autobios, as opposed to new interviews. We're told many were conducted, but they didn't seem to yield much of anything that hadn't been told before. Many are also gleaned from DVD interviews and liner notes from the 1990's Bear Family boxed sets of Day's Columbia recordings.

There is much repeating of old movie fan magazine "interviews," the sort of which the authors seldom left their offices to compose, let alone always meet their subjects at all. They are frequently reported as fact, and often to discredit statements by Day and (frequently) her husband, Marty Melcher, made at other times.

There is not as much reportage here as there is supposition in many instances. For instance he hypothesizes that Day may actually have never remembered her young son playing with water balloons, but instead may have "inspired the memory" after playing a similar scene in one of her movies. No proof or reason is offered. He also maintains that Doris' marriage to Marty Melcher was entirely a business relationship from the beginning, and presents as proof their smiling wedding and honeymoon pictures: proof that since the photographs exist, and since the parties are smiling, it was obviously all done for publicity. It's a nice trick, presenting potential proof that might disprove a supposition as the very proof that the supposition is accurate. But it's still a supposition, and not a fact. For all his direct quoting of the Melcher-haters from Day's own autobio, any Melcher-supporters are summarily ignored or dismissed.

While he is quick to analyze anything and everything that Doris or her husband Marty Melcher might say (and frequently tries to prove that they seldom were ever telling the truth publicly on almost any subject from benign to important), he gives others a pass with no editorial checking or further interviewing of others to confirm what he then reports as hard facts. An ex-employee maintains that Day turned on him when he claimed that his co-workers had "poisoned her mind against" him, and he had been reduced to "a nothing." His version is portrayed as gospel, with no corroborating or refuting interviews done with the co-workers or anyone else. No examination of the possibly paranoid or narcissistic elements of the employee's statements is undertaken either. (There may have actually been none in the statements, but the phrasing does cry out for analysis, which is solely reserved for Day's and Melcher's statements.)

He depends heavily on the views of four particular fans who got to know Doris later in life: two as friends and 2 as employees. While their stories are indeed interesting, and add a welcome and unique slant, the major dependence on them in the last 3rd of the book bespeaks either a lack of access to more major players in Day's life, or a lack of information from major players that could be played up as "controversy."

Much space is also devoted to film budgets, grosses and reviews, Very interesting if you love Hollywood, but again, it smacks of filler.

Similarly, Mr. Kaufman spends paragraphs describing the contents of the pressbooks of most of Doris' films. While they can be mildly amusing for an old-time Hollywood buff or Day fan, their excessive appearance again indicates a lack of more major information to impart on his titular subject.

Sadly, this book also dwells on all the old 1960's carping fodder: Doris' insecurity over her looks and photographic filters, etc. Just when these were being forgotten about and new generations were discovering Doris without any of those old preconceptions, this book seeks to make them a permanent and integral part of her legacy.

Unlike the earlier reviewers, I don't think the book is for everybody. It's not simply "dishy" enough to appeal to the Enquirer crowd, nor is it the journalistic examination of this Superstar and the culture that the author intended or that would appeal to the more thoughtful reader, especially if they weren't already a major Day fan.

Mr. Kaufman, who apparently spent years doing his research on Ms.Day, has absolutely no clue of the woman he wrote about. Since he was not privileged to speak with Ms. Day on a one on one basis, I do not see where he thinks he knows who she really is. He gets most of his information from hearsay, and from some people who have had personal agendas, so the real truth gets tainted or changed. All it would take is one visit with her for him to have seen the person who is really behind the "star image." Having had that pleasure on several occasions through the years, I found Ms. Day to be one of the most candid and open individuals I have ever met.
This is not, as Mr. Kaufman would have it, a woman who is hiding from the rest of the world due to the bad treatment she received from people that came in and out of her life. Known to be a woman with a very forgiving heart and one who consistently has shown strength through adversity, she has been thrown a lot of life's surprises along the way. The fact that she is forgiving and moves on, does not make her someone who is afraid to look at the past, nor is she someone who is trying to get over an abandonment issue and so has devoted her life to the animals....his whole thought process through his book just makes me ill.
Ms. Day has always had a love for animals. This is a part of her nature. Now, that she has retired and has the time away from the silver screen, she is doing what she loves to do, and so for all the great humanitarian contributions she has made across this nation, we have people like Mr. Kaufman who have their own theories and then put them in print for their own self gain.
I did find alot of his information gathered as Doris' career took off to be enlightening at best, but he paints a picture of a woman who was thrown into a career she did not want by the manipulations of her mother, and then later, her agent husband Martin Melcher. Regardless of whether Marty was or was not the best person to guide Doris' career, the fact remains that it was Doris' innate talent that got her through the achievements she accomplished in both films and music. Everyone makes choices in their lives, some for the good and some not so good. I am sure there could have been more to her career if handled differently, but at this stage of the game, didn't she work enough? I think she did and am happy that we have so much of her talent to enjoy. Her music is such that she will live forever in the hearts of fans, because there is no one who can come across with a song like she does. Her film career made her the Box Office Queen for many years...because of this legacy she has and will leave behind, we have several authors now who find this is a good time to exploit her and mutilate what is real about her to make their books sell.
Ms. Day is not in hiding and she is not a recluse. She does what makes her happy and she has earned the right to do that. As someone who has seen the heart of this woman, it amazes me to see statements about her, in this book and in its publicity, that are so erroneous just to gain attention. Doris Day, who has always done and wanted to do rescue work for animals, has managed to change how an entire nation views their pets. Laws have now been adapted to eliminate animal cruelty from the grass roots and up to Washington's front door. Her organization rescued thousands of pets from their demise when Katrina hit New Orleans a couple of years ago. And most of all, due to her diligent efforts and her organization, many towns across our country have adapted a mandatory spay and neuter program to lower the overpopulation of unwanted pets. Does all this sound like a woman who hides behind another name known as "Clara," because she has disassociated herself with her persona? On the contrary, Ms. Day has used her persona to accomplish a lot of good in the world and to educate us all on the responsibilities we have as pet owners.
I differ with Mr. Kaufman's beliefs and find his book to be no authority on Doris Day, the person. I believe his ego overshadowed his judgement in his writings and theories. If he had seen and visited with the essence of this remarkable woman he would have found her to be a most sincere and caring individual, who has always known exactly who she is, where she is going, and what she wants out of life. No book has ever captured that essence and I doubt anyone ever will...because as the song goes, "It's Magic" and that is why she is still loved by millions of fans across the world.
Am I one of those fans? You better believe it!!!

Liz Smith, on the book's back cover, says, "There's never been a truly great biography of Doris Day." Well, that statement is still true because this book is not a great biography. It's basically an updating of a 30-year-old autobiography that the star wrote, with very little new information. It certainly doesn't have many "untold stories" as the subtitle claims--it's mostly stuff that is told in Day's own book or a more recent book that analyzes her films.

Whether you like the book will depend on whether you have read other books about her, including her autobiography. If this is your first exposure to the star on paper, then you may enjoy it as it quickly glides through her life, starting at birth and going year-by-year through her career as singer and actress.

If you have read the other books about her, then this is a waste of time. It's almost 600 pages and still contains little that hasn't been stated before.

The author focuses mostly on her films, but makes unusual choices in spending more space on some of her worst films (Midnight Lace, Julie, That Touch of Mink, Jumbo) and short-changing her big hits (Man Who Knew Too Much, Pillow Talk). He just skims the surface and too often quotes her autobiography or Variety articles. He is very subjective in claiming what was her best work and he favors Rock Hudson while skewering Cary Grant. At times it almost feels like a biography of Rock & Doris since so much subjective passion is stated about Hudson. That would be fine if the author spent more time disecting why the relationship worked on screen and devoted more pages to the movies they made together. But as it is written, there is very little behind the scenes insight into her work with her co-stars.

The author does point out that she (like Hudson) was the opposite of her on-screen image. And that she had terrible husbands. But we knew all that before this book.

He also admits that he is unable to answer some of the conflicting information that comes when different people tell stories about the star. In a number of places he doesn't seem to have done enough research to come to solid conclusions, so instead he throws in all the perspectives and leaves it all up in the air.

So whether you like the book will be based on your expectation going into it--if you believe you'll hear some "untold stories" you will be disappointed. If you want a long, laborious map of the star's career with few inside stories, then you may enjoy it.

I have always been a fan of Doris Day. In many ways, I grew up with Doris Day's characters with their pert, color-coordinated outfits. Having been born a brunette, I always coveted her slivery blond hair, juxtaposed against her tawny skin. That was the look in the Sixties.

After reading this book, one is reminded that the blond on the screen was very different than the woman at home. Under the hair, the tan, and the picture perfect ensembles, was/is a complex, yet multi-talented woman. This book also reveals and reminds the reader that Miss Day started out as a singer of considerable success... those days in the Forties and Fifties. She made serious films way before she was pitching soap or jumping into swimming pools fully-clothed. Kaufman reveals the personal difficulties she endured with men, including her father. Its no wonder she made some really poor choices.

This book does fill in many of the details that have been overlooked these last 60 years... It is a good read and an enlightened look at "Hollywood" as it existed in the 40s, 50s, and 60s.

I thought the author was a bit unfair to Day. He seems to have written the book to show that her life was miserable and she refused to admit it, which really ticks him off. Rather than descending into an alcoholic or drug addicted mess, becoming suicidal or losing her mind, she kept her chin up in the old fashioned style. Good for her.

If there is one thing that we can all be sure of in life this is it: no one who only wants to be a wife and mother ends up a major motion picture star. It takes a lot of ambition and guts to become a star. I don't think that it just happens when the person is not looking. Day seems to have been conflicted about her success. We're all conflicted about something, however. It does not necessarily lead to misery.

The author has an idea that the "girl next door" image is something bad. He does not seem to understand why so many millions liked this woman. She seems like someone you could know, there is something real and authentically American about her, which is why some don't like her. She is one of the few movie stars who seemed like someone you could encounter in real life who is terrifically likable, direct, good natured, humorous, and trustworthy, kind of like Jennifer Aniston is today, intelligent without being intellectual, honest. Day was believable as a "career girl" and as a mother and housewife. She is attractive in a normal real way, not enough to be stared at by strangers and seeming to be so "hot" every minute of the day, but lovely in a way someone can be that you know. At least this is the viewpoint of a woman. Men may differ.

This Book was a total waste of money. The Untold Story is that the book is printed so badly that all the pages are at an angle like it was made on a copier. It constantly refers to her autobiography so you might as well just read that. It really is very bad all the way around. I'm really sorry I spent any money on it at all.
The only reason it has a Star is that the site forced me to put one on before it would accept my review.

David Kaufman deserves an A+ for effort in attempting to fashion a definitive biography of Doris Day. Kaufman is a fine writer, and he did his homework thoroughly by seeking out all possible resources and cross references. If one had not read Ms. Day's collaboration with A.E. Hotchner, this might serve as a worthy (if over-detailed) overview of her life and career.

But a few factors work against Mr. Kaufman's aims. Most glaringly, it's a near impossible feat to overcome the excellence of Day's own work with Hotchner, one of the best such of its kind. Kaufman tries to offer that Day's biography is somehow incomplete; but when you have read her own story, it's hard to argue such a claim. Day in her own telling offered as much personal detail as she was capable of - and wanted, needed to. Kaufman tries desperately to look for some dark, hidden side to Day, but she had already offered a considerable amount of detail to that effect. You cannot accuse her of any shortfall to "self-analysis" when the facts reveal themselves. Her failed marriages, discontent with how her personal life ran, and the many difficulties she encountered, are not skimmed over at all. She dealt with these issues clearly and fully, without dwelling on them excessively.

Further, Day's own voice, with the help and skill of Hotchner, is so impeccably caught in her book, that one does not really need to look elsewhere. She revealed herself in the way only she can ~~ and it is captivating, winning: the essence of her charm and appeal is in her own strength of character. It is exactly that persona which made her so wildly appealing to her public, and why she captured their lasting affections so indelibly.

The tantalizing factor in Kaufman's book *might* have come in what has been in going on with Day in the 30-plus years since her book was published. Those of us who are admirers long for a continuation of her story as she told it. We indeed do get here a follow-up of sorts, but we feel the glaring lack of her own words. Kaufman has relied upon a none-too objective series of hired lackeys, hangers-onners, and bit and pieces of news reports, various interviews and so forth. But they fail to provide a true, well-rounded picture, because Day's own words are sorely missing. As it was, I felt distinctly uncomfortable reading the words of the unobjective scrutinizers, of whom were mainly fans who had dedicated their lives and energies working for a Star. Day is put under an analytical microscope here, and it's a bit creepy; it felt like an invasion of her privacy. Without her own verification, it's unverified and therefore invalid as far as I'm concerned. None of the so-called revelations are revelatory. Worst of all, many of the anecdotes regarding Day, and how they are presented don't even correspond with how she really is.

A lot of Day's so-called quirks - regarding her dogs, animals, and fastidiousness in many matters - are harped on and magnified upon most uncomfortably, even offensively, as reported by the behind-the-scenes fans recruited for interviews. Offensive, because many of us in our private lives have irrelevant quirks and oddball traits which we do not care to have made public. So highlighted, these details make Day seem a bit loony and schizo, which she is not. Again, she made mention of her various eccentricities in her own book, and instead of causing us to recoil, she succeeded in endearing us to her, for it made us understand her own human foibles.

Many reviewers noted the one "insight" to Day, when she supposedly broke out into tears as she said that career was one she never really wanted; but in her own book and public interviews, she had stated clearly that all she ever wanted in life was to be a mother and housewife, and that that was the one dream that had always eluded her. So, again, we get nothing new as far as Day's own real feelings.

The real value in Kaufman's book is in the central section, where he gives very full accounts of the surrounding circumstances of Day's career itself, and here is where the author's work truly shines. We get press reports, reviews, and glimpses into the making of Day's films. Kaufman offers critical reviews of her work, some of which I conversely agreed and disagreed with, but which at least promote discussion. (For the most complete analysis of Day's entire body of work - film, singing, TV - one could do no better than Tom Santopietro's book, "Considering Doris Day." Though Santopietro does an overly-critical, sometimes off-the-mark, dissertation-like delving-into, his most invaluable contribution is his exceptional analysis of her singing via her recordings.)

It is really through no fault of his own that Kaufman - not failed, exactly - but could not provide - through no fault of his own really - anything definitive on Day. His reputation stands unsullied as a writer, because he meant well, and he did what any biographer sets out to do, and did so to the best of his abilities. It's simply that he could not provide us with a better account of Doris Day than she did of herself.

i've loved doris day movies over the years and pajama game is one of my all-time favorite musicals. i was eager to read her "untold story", i wish i hadn't, it was soooo boring.

i don't think that's doris day's fault, i totally put the blame on the author. there are too many quotes from her die-hard fans describing what she was like rather than the stars she acted with. a lot of uninteresting details, such as what she once ate for lunch at a deli with one of her fans.

one of the most tedious biographies i've ever read.

Despite knowing that fans of Miss Day were mounting an effort to post negative reviews of this book in order to discourage people from reading it, I tried to approach the story with an unjaundiced eye. And it didn't take long before I forgot the hype and became totally absorbed in the story of Doris Day, legendary singer and movie star. Yes, there are no astounding new revelations (unless one has not read previous Day biographies), but her story is one that deserves to be told, including the years since her authorized biography was published many years ago. The book was hard to put down, and I loved looking at the pictures.
Contrary to the opinions of some, I don't believe this book casts aspersions on Miss Day. It simply portrays her as she is...determined, talented, intelligent, generous, and a powerful friend for creatures who have no voice to speak for themselves.
I truly respect Miss Day, and am certain that this latest biography will spark interest in her work from a whole new generation of admirers. And what's wrong with that?

I was hoping for the ultimate Day biography, but this one was rather disappointing.

The author cites Doris' 1975 Autobiography frequently; it is apparent he did not procure an interview with the reclusive actress, so we don't get a lot of new information. It is a nice general biography of Doris, provided you are not familiar with her book or other Day biographies. What I don't care for is the author sometimes gives rather harsh assessments of Doris' movies and her TV shows. A great portion of the book is devoted to the author's opinions on her body of work, and most of it is not favorable. Apparently he did this in order to plump up the size of the book. In other words, there's a lot of "filler" in this book and not much real substance. I didn't buy this book to read one person's opinions on her movies and TV shows; I bought it in hopes of having a more thorough, comprehensive biography of Doris, with hopefully new information. This didn't quite make it, but it is an entertaining read.

Another thing I find odd is he appears to faintly disapprove of Doris having cosmetic surgery; there's a hint of scandal in his tone. It's like he has a dated view on cosmetic procedures, which is strange considering that this book was published in 2008. Nowadays having a face lift or breast augmentation is very common and back in the 70's when Doris had her surgeries, such procedures were very popular with the Hollywood set.

If you want to read this book, check it out of the library before purchasing. I recommend "Considering Doris Day" and "Doris Day: Her Own Story" as better biographies of this talented, bright, bubbly star.