Please Don't Eat The Daisies(1960).

Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960). Comedy. Cast: Doris Day and David Niven. Director: Charles Walters. Produced by Joe Pasternak, with Martin Melcher (Day's husband) as associate producer. The screenplay, partly inspired by the book of the same name by Jean Kerr, a collection of humorous essays, was by Isobel Lennart. The film also features Janis Paige, Spring Byington, Richard Haydn, Patsy Kelly, and Jack Weston. A television series starring Patricia Crowley and Mark Miller premiered five years later and ran for 58 episodes.

Drama professor, Lawrence Mackay, first job, as as a New York newspaper theater critic, is to review his old friend, producer Alfred North's, new Broadway musical.

On opening night, Larry's wife Kate, is visited by wannabe, playwright and cab driver, Joe Positano, who wants Larry to read his play. After Kate tries settling down her four boys, with no luck.. agrees to tell Larry about the play.

Kate meets up with Larry, while is giving his last lecture as a professor, knowing he has become a critic, his students believe he will put down every performance he reviews, just to help his own career.

Alfred's new show is terrible, Larry feels guilty, that he has to tell the truth about his friend's play.

The next morning, Alfred runs over to the apartment upset about the review, Larry tries to calm his friend.

Later, while Larry and Kate have breakfast at a restaurant, Deborah Vaughn, the star of Alfred's show, walks in and slaps Larry in front of a cameraman who captures the moment on film.

Soon the picture makes front-page headlines and Larry, decides to publish a column with the photo claiming the shows popularity failed, not because of Deborah's bad performance but on her derriere.

Days later at a cocktail party, Larry is the center of attention while Kate is ignored. When Deborah arrives at the cocktail party, she heads straight over to Larry to apologize hoping that he will reconsider his opinion of her derriere. As Kate prepares to leave the party, Alfred warns Kate that Larry is on his way to the "downelator" becoming a critic who thinks his own jokes are better than any play. As they leave, Larry makes fun of the play opening that evening.

At home after seeing the play, angry/worried Kate asks Larry if he disliked the play before seeing it. Larry promises to her he had given the play an honest review.

Days later, as Larry reads Joe's biblical play and criticizes him for writing about a subject he does not know anything about. Offended, Joe tells Larry that he is not the same man he used to be and storms out.

Soon after, Larry and Kate learn that the lease on their apartment is about up and talk about their plans to move to a large house outside the city. Now, that Larry is a success, he wants to live in the city. Using her feminine wiles, Kate agrees that his work comes first and calls the entire family a "parasite". Larry charmed by her agrees to the move.

 

With not many choices in their price range, the family moves into a huge fixer upper of a house in Hooten, 70 miles outside New York. When Community leaders ask Larry and Kate to help them find a play for the local theater group, Larry says that he has no time.

Later in the city, Deborah finds Larry and makes a pass at him, but Larry refuses and then returns home.

On the children's first day of school, Larry refuses to volunteer, claiming the school is performing "moral blackmail."

The next day, when community leaders once again ask for a suggestion on a play, Kate calls Alfred for help. Alfred sees an opportunity to get even with Larry. Will he be successful getting even with Larry?

This is one of my favorite Doris Day movies. I feel it captures her best performances as a mother. Doris interaction with the children is hilarious, she's so natural with them.

 And of course, the musical numbers are fluffy, but that was what we loved about her. Niven makes a wonderful husband for Doris. I also loved Janis Page performance in this film as she was the top billed female in Doris first film, Romance on the High Seas. Spring Byington is fantastic as the grandmother. I think Anyone who loves Doris Day will also say this one of their favorite movies.

Fun Facts: The musical number Kate rehearses for the amateur show ("Any Way The Wind Blows," music by Marilyn Hooven and Joseph Hooven, lyrics by 'By Dunham') had been written for Doris Day movie, Pillow Talk (1959).

After Doris Day and Janis Paige first had worked together in Romance on the High Seas (1948), Miss Paige performed on Broadway as, Babe Williams, in the Tony Award-winning musical of 1954, "The Pajama Game."

When Warner Bros., the former home lot of Janis and Doris, recast Babe Williams for the delightful 1957 film version, Babe then turned into - Doris Day!

Beginning her film career portraying Katharine Hepburn's mother in Little Women (1933), Spring Byington closed her movie years playing Doris Day's mother in this film.

Please Don't Eat the Daisies is a collection of funny essays by playwright Jean Kerr about suburban living and raising four boys. The essays do not have a plot or through-storyline, but the book sold so well it was later adapted into a film starring Doris Day and David Niven. The film was later adapted into a television series starring Patricia Crowley and Mark Miller.

The Heavenly Body (1944).

The Heavenly Body (1944). Romantic/comedy. Cast: William Powell and Hedy Lamarr. Joan Crawford was offered the lead role but turned it down saying, "It was about a girl who stands around and does nothing. I told the studio to give the part to Hedy Lamarr."

The story begins with Astronomer William S. Whitley, who is about to make scientific history with his discovery of a new comet. His wife Vicky, is supportive of his work, but.. she is left alone most of the time and is very lonely. She decides to visit astrologer Mrs. Margaret Sibyll, after her eccentric neighbor, Nancy Potter, suggest that she go for a reading about her future.

After her reading Vicky's astrological chart, Mrs. Sibyll predicts that "something important" is going to happen to her.



 Later, at home, Vicky tells Bill that because of her astrological reading he can no longer kiss her on Tuesdays. Angry, Bill runs next door and hoses down, neighbor, Nancy Potter, for interfering in their lives.

Two weeks later, Vicky goes to see Bill while he is working at the observatory, to tell him that she is leaving him. So, she will be free to meet her "dream" man. Bill, does not take her very seriously, until.. Vicky, moves out of their bedroom .

Two weeks later, Vicky calls Bill at work to tell him that that there is no dream man and that Mrs. Sibyll, is a fake. Bill, wastes no time getting home, but.. before he arrives, Vicky meets the tall dark and handsome Lloyd, a neighborhood air raid warden. He fits Mrs. Sibyll's description of Vicky's dream lover perfectly. Everyone, seems to hit it off at first.

The next day, Lloyd returns to the Whitleys,' to pick up a bag he left behind. Bill, can not believe it when he finds out that Lloyd, plans to marry Vicky. Bill, convinces Lloyd, to changing his route to avoid Vicky, but.. he quickly changes his mind and confess that he plans on seeing her again..

Later, Bill at the end of his rope, jumps from Professor Stowe's car, on the way to his lecture, to see if he can put a stop to Vicky and Lloyd's plans. With Bill gone, Stowe, prepares to give the lecture himself, when Bill shows up at the observatory last minute... happy thinking that he has broken up Vicky and Lloyd relationship, once and for all. As Bill is looking through a small telescope, he sees that she has gone to their mountain cabin, the same place where he sent Lloyd. Bill, tries to carry on with his lecture.

Soon after Bill, rushes to the cabin and finds Lloyd seranading Vicky, who tells Bill, "that this is further proof that they are destined to be together".

The next day, Bill comes up with the idea to steal Vicky's weekly horoscope and replace it with one that predicts his death. Vicky, not believing her horoscope calls Mrs. Sybill, to confirm the prediction. Bill, is with the astrologer, threatening to expose the truth about her being a rations hoarder (much frowned upon during WWII). As hoped, Bill's plan works like a charm. Until, Bill starts to re-write his will and Vicky is summoned by Mrs. Sibyll, who wants to come clean..

A fun romantic comedy with a wartime/astrological subplot. William Powell and Hedy Lamarr, are very charming together and you hope there is a happily ever after ending for everyone... Astronomy, is one of my hobbies, so I loved all the scenes at the observatory. Spring Byington, is one of my favorite character actors, so it was a special treat seeing her in this cute film.

Fay Okell Bainter (December 7, 1893 - April 16, 1968). MGM persuaded her to try films and her movie debut was in, This Side of Heaven (1934), the same year she appeared in, Dodsworth on Broadway and the film, It Happened One Day (1934).

Bainter quickly achieved success, and in 1938 she became the first performer nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Actress, for White Banners (1937), and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Jezebel (1938), winning for the latter. Since then, only nine other actors have won dual nominations in a single year. She was again nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in, The Children's Hour (1961).

Fay Bainter and Reginald Venable married on June 8, 1921, in Riverside, California. The couple had one son, Reginald Venable Jr. (1926–1974), who became an actor. Bainter was the aunt of actress Dorothy Burgess.

Dodsworth (1936).

Dodsworth(1936). Drama film directed by William Wyler. Sidney Howard based the screenplay on his 1934 stage adaptation of the 1929 novel of the same name by Sinclair Lewis. Cast: Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Mary Astor, David Niven, Baron Kurt Von Obersdorf, Spring Byington.

After Sam Dodsworth, a successful business man, sells his company he makes plans for a glamours European trip with his social climbing wife, Fran.



Sam, does not fit in with Fran's new friends and when she begins an affair, he heads for home. When her affair ends she decides to go back to her husband Sam, for a short time, until she begins another affair with a much younger man, Kurt von Obersdorf.

Sam, is traveling alone in Naples, when he runs into Edith Cortwright, who he first met on the voyage to Europe. Edith, invites Sam to lunch at her villa and then asks him to stay.

Kurt's mother, does not want her son to marry Fran, because of the age difference. Heartbroken, Fran returns to Sam, but just as they are about to sail for America, he realizes that he is in love with Edith and wants to go back to her.

The film Dodsworth, shows the emotionally sad ending of a marriage.. David Niven, does a wonderful job with one of his first performances. The costumes are absolutely beautiful in a film that you will not soon forget.

Ruth Chatterton (December 24, 1892 – November 24, 1961). Chatterton moved to Hollywood with her husband Forbes in 1928, and with the help of Emil Jannings, was cast in her first film, Sins of the Fathers. That same year she was signed to a contract by Paramount Pictures. This was followed by roles in, The Doctor's Secret (1929), The Dummy (1929) and Madame X (1929). She received her first nomination for Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the latter film. The following year she received a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in, Sarah and Son (1930).

She co-starred in the film, Dodsworth (1936), which is thought of as her best film. Due to her age and the studios' focus on younger actress, she moved to England and continued to star in films there. Chatterton's last film was, A Royal Divorce(1938).

Cynthia (1947).

Cynthia (1947). Directed by Robert Z. Leonard. Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, George Murphy, S.Z. Sakall, Mary Astor.

Louise Bishop, now a grown woman remembers back in time, when she was a freshman studying music at Wyandott College and when she fell in love with baseball player, Larry Bishop. Louise shares with Larry, her dreams of continuing her studies at the Vienna Conservatory. Larry, tells her that he too plans to go to Vienna to study medicine.

The following summer, Louise goes to Michigan, while Larry returns to home, to work at J. M. Dingle's hardware store. When Larry and Louise return to school in the fall, they are married. Louise discovers that she is pregnant they and they both move to Napoleon, to raise their beautiful daughter Cynthia, who is born frail. When, the doctor bills begin to pile up, Louise and Larry realize that they may never be able to return to their studies.

Cynthia, who is now fifteen years old and still frail, is unaware that her parents made many sacrifices for her. Goes to see her voice instructor, Professor Rosenkrantz, who suggests that she audition for the next school opera.

Larry, is still working for Dingle's hardware store and now wants to buy the house that they are renting. Fred, however, refuses to give his endorsement for Larry's bank loan, and Louise is not too happy about the idea, because of her dreams of continuing her studies at the Vienna Conservatory.

Unable, to participate in most of the school activities because of her health, Cynthia begins to feel like an outcast, until her singing attracts the attention of popular, Ricky Latham. Cynthia, lands the leading role in the school play, but Louise and Larry are concerned that she does not have the physical strength to perform in the show. Their fears come true, when Cynthia, comes down with the flu and has to drop out of the play.

After, Cynthia returns to school, Ricky asks her to be his date for the spring dance. Louise secretly allows Cynthia, to attend the dance against her husbands wishes. While, Cynthia has a wonderful time at the ball, Larry learns that he was tricked and gets into an argument with Louise.

The next morning, Larry oversleeps and is late for work, the first time in fifteen years. When Dingle confronts him, he quits his job and plans to move his family to Chicago. Louise, is happy to see that her husband has finally stood up for himself, but Cynthia does not want to move. Will the family decide to stay in Napoleon or follow their dreams?



I just finished watching Cynthia, for the first time. I think Elizabeth Taylor fans, will love this fluffy classic film. Here, at fifteen, she still has got a lot of her girlish charm.

The teenage Taylor, did not really want to continue making films, but her stage mother forced Taylor to practice until she could cry on cue. Her mother watched her during filming, signaling to change her delivery or a mistake. Taylor, was so poorly educated that she needed to use her fingers to do basic arithmetic. When at age 16 Taylor told her parents that she wanted to quit acting for a normal childhood, however, Sara Taylor told her that she was ungrateful: "You have a responsibility, Elizabeth. Not just to this family, but to the country now, the whole world".