Pillow Talk (1959) w/ Doris Day

 

Story

Pillow Talk follows an interior decorator named Jan (Doris Day) who shares a party line with a rude man named Brad (Rock Hudson) who hogs the phone with romantic calls to other ladies at all hours of the day.

When Brad discovers that the woman that he's harangued on the other end of his phone is gorgeous, he deceives her. Brad creates a new identity and starts to date the lady. Will Jan discover Brad's rouse? Will they fall in love?

Hudson, Randall and Day

Translated in other countries as Midnight Confessions or Bedroom Problems, Pillow Talk would be the first of three popular, slightly racy films starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall, who usually plays Hudson's friend and sounding board in these movies.

According to Rock Hudson: His Story by Sara Davidson, Randall said,

 "[Pillow Talk] was brilliant. When you've tried all the lousy material I've had to do, you jump way in the air, your head hits the ceiling, when you get good material like this."

The movies are light comedic romps with fabulous costumes and fun music. However, Hudson was nervous. According to Hudson,

"Shooting Pillow Talk was like going to a party. I t was a day's work of fun; it wasn't work at all. [However, at first] I was quite apprehensive, nervous and scared, because I'd never played comedy."

He asked the director, Michael Gordon, how to play comedy. Gordon said," just treat it like the very most tragic story you've ever portrayed.... If you think you're funny, nobody else will."

Hudson said of Day,

"Doris was an Actors Studio all by herself. When she cried, she cried funny, which is something I couldn't even try to explain; and when she laughed, her laughter came boiling up from her kneecaps."

Doris Day was nominated for an Academy Award for this humorous performance.

Reviews were good. The Times Daily calls the film, "one of the season's most delightful comedies." Further, the writer proclaims that Thelma Ritter, "steals a good portion of the comedy playing Miss Day's perpetually hung-over maid."

Author Christopher Sergel would later adapt the screenplay by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin  into a play.