In her long career and longer life, Doris Day was many things.
She was a big-band singer with an incredibly gorgeous voice. She was a serious actress who boosted films like “Midnight Lace” (1960). She was an animal-rights advocate.
But mostly, Day – who died today, at 97 – was known for her comedies, some good and some awful. We can sample them on June 9, with a Turner Classic Movies marathon.
As her career faded in the late-’60s, critics mocked Day for playing the world’s oldest virgins. (In 1976, she would tell Johnny Carson that she found those films boring and she felt couples should live together before marriage.)
But alongside the weaker comedies were several with slick, smart scripts. At least three — “Pillow Talk” (1959, shown here), “Lover Come Back” (1961) and “That Touch of Mink” (1962) – were co-written by Stanley Shapiro; all three received Oscar nominations for best script, with “Pillow Talk” winning.
Two of those are at the core of TCM’s marathon, with “Pillow Talk” and “Lover Come Back” at 8 and 10 p.m. Others range from musicals – you’ll hear that great voice – to, at 1:30 p.m., that Carson interview.