The Thrill of It All (1963)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Really Surprised!

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The overall message is rather similar to that in Änne Get Your Gun", from the early '50s: It's OK for women to work outside the home, as long as this doesn't upset their husband or boyfriend too much(which it does in this case). Also, a woman's job outside the home should not be so all consuming that it swamps her private life, and so long that it doesn't upset your husband or boyfriend that you may make more money than he does, or become too big of a celebrity because of your job(which happened this case). Today, many couples need 2 incomes to survive or attain their goals. In the case of Beverly(Doris), this appears to not have been the case. As a baby doctor, presumably her husband (played by James Garner) made a substantial income, as he claims: enough for them to live comfortably. Hence, in his mind, there was no need for Doris to concern herself as a high paid TV advertising celebrity . At first, Beverly's job didn't interfere too much with her role as a wife and mother. But, soon it did. Also, she had become too much of a celebrity for Jim, with people clamoring to get her autograph, and her huge head filling big billboards. He was jealous..... I don't know if Beverley was making more money than Jim, but in my case, my wife definitely makes more money than I do, with her 2 jobs. She would be lost without either of them. I don't mind a bit, as we need all her income to achieve a lifestyle that she wants. Also, the fact that I am 20 years older pretty much eliminates 'sibling' rivalry as a negative factor( a10 year spread should be good enough). This becomes a big factor in the marriage we are dealing with here......The screenplay is mostly centered around a product: Happy Soap, which Beverly discovers her young daughter prefers as a shampoo.(Wouldn't a liquid formulation make more sense than a bar for shampooing?) She tells this story to a man( Reginald Owen, as Old Tom Fraleigh), who happens to be the head of the company that makes Happy Soap, and he wants her to go on TV and tell her story. At first very reluctant, eventually the salary wins her confidence. Her first try, on live TV ,is a disaster, but, strangely, viewers call or write in about her genuine story. So, she is given a long term contract to do the commercial, for a huge salary. She continues with the TV, as well as billboard, ads until near the end of the film, when the negative fallout becomes overwhelming, and she quits. ......The plot contains another major thread that is relevant from beginning to end: Arlene Francis, as Mrs.. Fraleigh, begins the film in a highly elated mood, because she has been confirmed as pregnant, something she has wished for years. She credits Jim for her success, and has him check on her pregnancy periodically. Near the end, Jim will deliver her baby in the back seat of a car, as they are stuck in traffic. This is the climax of the story. However, probably the most exciting scene is the monster soap bubble conglomeration arising from the swimming pool, that enters the house when the window or door is opened. It's hilarious to see workmen scooping up the mess and putting it in trucks, from which it blows into nearby yards. There is periodic slapstick, and a very animated Doris when she get furious. Beverly's two young children add a nice touch, behaving like children of that age. Reginald Owen, as Old Tom Freleigh, is a scream, especially at dinner. .....On the whole, I think most you will enjoy this funny film, with a message.

When James Garner died last July, I had a yen to watch some of his movies but when I ordered this from Netflix at the time, it was listed as "long wait". So this finally arrived last week and I just watched it with Mom. Written by Carl Reiner from a story thought up by him and Larry Gelbart, Garner plays a doctor who delivers babies. Doris Day plays his wife who's a housewife. When an older woman played by Arlene Francis becomes pregnant for the first time, she invites Garner and Day to a party at her mansion. They watch a commercial produced by her father who isn't satisfied with the lady doing it and when he hears of Doris mentioning using the product on her daughter and how she loves it, well, he picks her for the next commercial. I'll stop there and just say there are some funny lines and scenes (though I thought the one involving a large bubble was a bit too much) and the movie as a whole was pretty enjoyable despite some sexist demeanor especially on James Garner's character's part. I also enjoyed recognizing some supporting players like Hayden Rorke, Kym Karath who would eventually also appear in The Sound of Music, Zazu Pitts in one of her last movie roles, Alice Pearce, Carl Reiner in various roles depicted on TV, and Bernie Kopell who, incidentally, didn't get a credit here. I guess this was before he became known as Seigfried on "Get Smart". Oh, and Edward Andrews is hilarious as the expectant father especially when stuck in a traffic jam. Of the two films starring Day and Garner, I think I enjoyed Move Over, Darling more. Still, The Thrill of It All has many good moments.

James Garner is an OB-GYN kind of doctor and Doris Day is his perky wife with two mischievous but cute kiddies and a live-in maid. It's a wonderful life. The only problem is that Doris has nothing else to occupy her interests, just the PTA and the ketchup she bottles at home. Garner and Day are invited to dinner at a brash old tycoon's house. The media mogul decides that Day would be the perfect television spokesperson for his shampoo. She's hired. It upsets the routine and their home life. Garner resents his wife's working and her absence from her "wifely duties." The maid quits, they hire a new one who speaks only German, there are missed messages that lead to confusion and -- well, I don't know what all.Garner is as placid as the script allows him to be, and Doris Day is always chipper and sexy. She does an expert double take. The kids are a fulsome nuisance with their constant nattering and should be stomped on like little bugs.The story was written by Carl Reiner and Larry Gelbart, who know comedy when they write it, but they must have just overdosed on an "I Love Lucy" marathon.It isn't so much that the movie reflects the attitudes of the 1950s. That's not only not bad, but inevitable. "Pillow Talk" used the same axiomatic framework and was very funny. No writers can be held accountable for not predicting the Zeitgeist that lies fifty years in the future.It's that the jokes themselves are weak, sometimes so weak as to be embarrassing. Upon hearing that her salary will be $80,000, Doris Day collapses and sits back into a crate of ripe tomatoes. (Gag.) You want to know the joke I thought was most successful? At the TV studio in which Doris Day tapes her commercials for the shampoo, there is a dramatic "Playhouse 90" sort of production going on. Day has to watch it while she waits for the commercial break. In the first scene of the drama that we witness, Carl Reiner is a Nazi officer, sneering and threatening while trying to get a French girl to squeal on the Maquis. She splashes a proffered glass of wine in his face. He sputters and orders her out of the room with an oath.The following week, Reiner is some kind of gangster or something and a girl splashes wine in his face. He curses and has her thrown out. The following week, he's a jealous ex lover in a fancy restaurant and his girl throws wine in his face. "FLOOZIE!" he shouts at her as she storms out.The big wigs are sitting around with cigars watching these shows. And Doris Day asks if this isn't the same scene they've already witnessed. "Similar," says one, "but the public doesn't pay enough attention to notice the similarity." Cut to Day's house, where her two little kids are watching the show and one whines, "It's the same as last time!" There. Now you know the best joke in the movie and I've spared you the inconvenience of watching the rest of it.

It may seem a little dated nowadays, and there were one or two scenes (very occasionally) where Dr Boyer's reactions to his wife's fame came across as a little mean spirited. Still it is so enjoyable, with many memorable scenes, including Andy's phone conversation with his father and the scene with Dr Boyer driving the family convertible into the swimming pool that wasn't there in the morning. Carl Reiner's screenplay is very clever, with numerous chuckles and the cameo he wrote in for himself is super. The plot tells of a housewife who becomes a commercial TV star much to the annoyance of her neglected husband. Whilst Norman Jewison does a great job directing, it is the performances that really drove the film. I still consider Doris Day as a talented singer and actress, here she took on a fresh and endearing approach that was needed for her character. I like James Garner too, and he is immensely likable. The two children acted well, they weren't annoying, quite the opposite actually, and Reginald Owen is stellar as Old Tom Fraleigh. Though my favourite supporting performance was Arlene Francis as Mrs Fraleigh, she was wonderful here. All in all, thanks to the script and the performances, this comedy is very warm and pleasant. 8/10 Bethany Cox