The Exhibitor (1953)

SS-2 STUDIO SURVEY Meet A Couple Of Naturals Doris Day And Howard Keel, EXHIBITOR LAUREL AWARDS Winners And Soon To Be Seen In Warners' "Calamity Jane," Are A Pleasure To Interview, And This Article Tells Why Both Doris Day and Howard Keel took individual top honors in Exhibitor’s Laurel Awards last year, Miss Day, for her work in Warners’ “I’ll See You In My Dreams” and Keel, for his outstanding role in MGM’s “Showboat.” So, when I had the opportunity to visit them both on the “Calamity Jane” set, I hit the trail to Burbank, where the brothers Warner hold fort. One has to hand it to Warners for teaming these two, a natural pair, Miss Day with her uninhibited flair for music and fun, and Keel with his penchant for making his co-star really enjoy her work. Did I say Work? Well — that’s exactly what I meant to say. When I arrived at Stage 6, the two were whipping a snappy little musical number into camera shape. To get a real natural voice effect, Jack Donohue, unit director, was making a direct recording. Usually, the vocals are recorded separately, and the players, when being photographed in the actual scene, merely synchronized their lips to the lyrics as the recording is played back. A techni¬ cal secret, this is highly effective, and the artists have become very expert at it. This scene, however, was a slam bang, almost knock down and drag out, battle between Miss Day, as the hardboiled “Calamity Jane”, and Keel, as her indiffer¬ ent gentleman friend. Since early that morning, the two scrappers had been at it, and here it was past noon and they were still rehearsing. The set was the casino of an old-time western saloon. The way Miss Day yanked and whacked away at the towering Keel and the careless manner in which Keel, like a gently disturbed St. Bernard, playfully shoved her around, was great stuff to watch. And, at the same time, both were heartily singing away with gusto and enjoyment. One just can’t help but get into the mood with these two working their hearts out, and still making with the jokes between takes. It sure takes more than just talent to get to the top. Heart, guts, and that natural ability to smile when the going gets rough are added requisites. Finally, the director gave the kids a short break while he moved his Techni¬ color camera up for a close-up shot of EXHIBITOR'S Paul Manning interviews Howard Keel on the set while the actor rests. the grand Day-Keel fracas. I quickly grabbed the pair, and we trekked about umpteen miles back into the cool, shad¬ owy caverns of the huge stage to where their dressing rooms were. There, over a mug of java, we chatted. It is usually difficult to interview the two top-ranking stars at the same crack. However, this was one of those rare ex¬ ceptions, for both Miss Day and Keel entered into the interview like the champs our poll declared them to be. There were no cute stunts to get a better break, no phony chatter; just a couple of real kids chewing the fat with a pal on the set. In interviews, I always steer clear of the “intimate” approach. I leave those for the gossip columnists. My readers aren’t interested in keyhole peeping. I have always tried to present a nice decent picture of real artists at work, making screen entertainment for the families of the nation. And, speaking of family entertainment, what two players can you think of who have contributed in more generous meas¬ ure to the entertainment of the entire family? Both have children of their own, enjoy a quiet, refreshing family life, and have never been known to frequent the diggings of the cafe society. In general living, they both manage to get as far away from the social whirligig as possible when they leave the studio at night. Both agree sincerely that the wholesome envir¬ onment of the homes, after the hard work of the day, is the best therapy in the world for relaxing and getting fit for another “go at it” the next day, whatever it is you have to “go at.” Both, too, are ardent believers in the idea of the whole family taking off for little vacations whenever the opportunity arises. With the newly added member of the Keel family, this isn’t too easy for the Keels. With Miss Day it is a bit differ¬ ent. Her son, Terry, now a lad of 10, and her manager-husband, Marty Melcher, are ready at the drop of what-have-you to throw their levis and toothbrushes into the family buggy and head for the open road. “Break for lunch” came the sudden cry. “One hour, everybody — back on the set in one hour, please!” This signalled the end of the interview. One thing is sure, “Cal¬ amity Jane” can’t miss being a lulu, with Doris Day and Howard Keel, a couple of reals Joes, at the keyboard of the Warner Wurlitzer. — P. M. Here, Miss Day and Keel are seen in another scene from "Calamity Jane," a story of the west. Doris Day and Keel emote in a big scene from Warners' forthcoming Technicolor musical, "Calamity Jane," ably assisted by character actor Paul Harvey. Miss Day plays the title role in the film. EXHIBITOR March 18, 1953