Customer Reviews

Where Were You When Lights Went Out [VHS]

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

 

 

It's November 9th,1965 and New York is having one of its largest power failures. Well, anyone who has ever been in a blackout knows the stress and confusion it can cause. Doris Day plays Margaret Garrisson, an actress with the reputation of being a good girl. Her husband, Peter Garrison (played by Patrick O'Neal), is disappointed that this reputation is starting to become a reality in their marriage. When Margaret comes home after her Broadway show has been canceled due to the power outage, she is shocked by what she finds: her husband and a reporter she had entrusted him with, in a romantic candle-lit state. Margaret storms off into the pitch black night and manages to make it to their second home where she drinks quite a bit of sleeping aid and passes out. When Margaret awakes, she is greeted by a man she has never seen before, and whom she may have had some illicit affair with. That doesn't sound like a good girl to me. And boy, what a mess this causes! Her husband is outraged to find his wife with another man (Now if that isn't the kettle calling the teapot black!); her agent (played by Terry Thomas) fears that Margaret may be thinking of quitting her acting career; and poor Mr.Walichek, how will he get paid? And what about the briefcase filled with several million dollars? It's a big ball of confusion and straightening this mess out is not going to be easy. Robert Morse plays Waldo Zane (you'll remember him as the wacky advisor in "Guide For The Married Man"), and he adds quite a bit more wackiness this time around. So next time you find yourself home alone on a rainy night with nothing to do, rent this one and be thankful that at least the power is still working.

After reading a couple of reviews saying this film is very mediocre, I didn't have very high expectations on it, so I was surprised to see how funny it actually is. The actors are doing a fine job and there are some really fun scenes. One of the funniest scenes is the one where Maggie (Doris Day) and Waldo (Robert Morse) are sleeping and Maggie's husband, Peter (Patrick O'Neal) is trying to talk to them and Maggie says "Oh, hello, Peter, so you're here" every time he wakes her up. It's overall a very entertaining movie that certainly is worth watching. Have a nice video night!

I suppose Doris Day's career was just winding down, the writers were getting tired, or perhaps things were just changing too much in those sometimes radical late 1960s for the comedy formula to continue much longer. Whatever the reason, this film just isn't up to par or expectations for a Doris Day sparkling comedy. There are a few laughs scattered here and there, but the characters are oddly almost cold and hardly sympathetic so it's difficult to care about what happens to them, even Doris's character. The film is OK to own if you're just collecting Doris Day films or sixties comedies, but it really isn't all that entertaining.

I had never heard of this cute little Doris Day movie until I found it on Amazon. I would like to give it 3 stars, but as a Doris Day fan it moved to 4 stars. It's not as funny as her others, but it is Doris Day and that's good enough for me!

Robert Morse (How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying [1967]) plays an accident-prone man that puts everything in prospective. In exactly 12 hours, New York City will experience a black-out, this November 9, 1965, that changed this man's life. He narrates to you exactly where he will be. While he walks the street, near-accidents could happen to him, but he escapes danger within seconds. This man has just managed to steal a load of cash from his executive workplace. Just as there is a blackout, he can't get an airplane flight out. Doris Day's performance is blacked-out, so show cancelled. Then she catches her boyfriend with another woman. She goes back to Connecticut. The Theif is trying to get to Boston. The paths of these two have been repeatedly crossing this black-out night, but they are about to meet under safe, unusual circumstances. Cast includes: Terry-Thomas, Patrick O'Neal, Steve Allen, Jim Backus, and Pat Paulsen.

When is this title going to be released on DVD??. It's frustrating to see almost every OTHER Doris Day movie now out on DVD, why not this title?. I LOVE this movie and have watched it over 80 times. It seems like it's always the GOOD STUFF that never gets re-rleased on dvd.

Mrmusicals

I own all 39/39 of Doris Days Movies and I bought this one a few weeks ago. And I didn't remember all of it since I hadn't seen it in a few years. And I will say one thing I wasn't to happy.

Margaret (Doris Day) is a famous actoress on the Broadway Stage is famous for her roles as a virgin storms out on her Husband Peter (Patrick O'Neal) when she finds out he was fooling around with a nother women Roberta Lane (Lola Albright). And then she accidentally gets mischarged of having some relationship with Waldo Zane (Robert Morse) who went into her vacation house when she was in it and fell asleep right next to her. This movie takes place when the Lights Went Out notice the Title Of The Movie. I can see why this was never rated as one of Miss Days best movies it catches her in a bad role. This movie had some of the funniest people in Hollywood wich include.

Terry-Thomas - Ladislau Walichek
Steve Allen - Radio Announcer
Jim Backus - Tru-Blue Lou
Pat Paulsen - Subway Conductor
Randy Whipple - Marvin Reinholtz
Earl Wilson - Himself
Ben Blue - Man with a razor
Parley Baer - Dr. Dudley Caldwell
Dale Malone - Otis J. Hendershot, Jr.
Robert Emhardt - Otis J. Hendershot, Sr.
Harry Hickox - Detective Capt. Percy Watson

Great Cast Corny Movie.

"Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?" was notable for several reasons. It was the 14th Doris Day film to play NYC's Radio City Music Hall, where her films grossed some 13 million dollars, making her female champ in box-office terms (Greer Garson's film had the greatest total playing time). The film also grossed nearly $280,000 in it's first week, a record at the time. Variety noted it was the highest grossing week for any one film in any one theatre, anywhere, anytime in history.

After viewing it you'll find yourself asking why, although there are some laughs sprinkled throughout and Day, spoofing her own on-screen personae, is a delight.

She's Margaret Garrison starring on stage in "The Constant Virgin" but wishing she could play, "..a streetwalker in an Italian film..." Her husband, Peter, a successful architect, feels neglected and falls under the charms of a sexy writer played by Lola Albright. Mix in Patrick O'Neal,Terry Thomas, Robert Morse, Ben Blue, Steve Allen, Jim Backus and assorted other times, and you wonder why the end result isn't much better. Nevertheless, the blackout of 1965 complicates matters, Day ends up sharing a sofa with Morse in one of the film's funniest scenes, and nine months later.......

The production is lush, the clothes are great and it's not overly long which works in it's favor. However, at the end you are left without the memory of much hilarity. You'll smile throughout but somehow it misses the mark of being truly special.

This is an ok film. The sleeping scene is funny including the scene when both Morse's stocking feet and Day's bare feet stick out of the covers. funny

It was only a matter of time before some one turned the the famous 1960s New York City blackout into a bedroom farce--but this script would have been better left in the dark. Day is always entertaining to watch, and supporting players Robert Morse, Terry-Thomas, Steve Allen, and Jim Backus also give their all, but they can't charge up this mishmash of misguided comedy.