Modern Screen (Feb-Dec 1958)

MARCH BIRTHDAYS If your birthday falls in March, your birthstone is a bloodstone and your flower is a jonquil. And here are some of the I stars you share your birthday with: | March l — Harry Belafonte David Niven j March 2 — Desi Arnaz Jennifer Jones March 3 — Bobby Driscoll March 5— Craig Hill March 6 — Jay C. Flippen John Smith March 8 — Cyd Charisse Sean McClory March 12 — Gordon MacRae March 15 — MacDonald Carey Jerry Lewis March 77— Michael O'Shea March 19 — Louis Hayward ■March 20— Wendell Corey March 22 — Karl Maiden Gene Nelson March 26 — Sterling Hayden [March 29 — Dennis O'Keefe March 31 — Shirley Jones Richard Kiley Barry Fitzgerald March 10 ornell Borchers Joan Crawford March 23 Frank Lovejoy March 28 and I'll never amount to anything either." And they all remember then how, slowly Doris began to look like her old self again, that sparkle back in her eyes, that smile back on her lips; how she began to hum along with the radio that was always on at the side of her bed; how, later, she began to sing along with it; how people who dropped by to visit told her how nice she sang, that she should do something about training her voice. And they both remember the day Doris kissed the blues goodbye, got out of bed, propped herself up on her crutches, began dancing around the room and suddenly shouted out, "I'm going to be a singer. If I can't dance anymore, I'm going to be a singer!" "Everything happened for the best," her Dad recalled, "because before we knew it Doris' legs were mended well enough for her to walk and she was a singer." It started the day Barney Rapp, the booking agent who had a band then, put out a call for a girl singer. About a hundred and fifty girls showed up, Barney'll tell you, but of all of them only one really stood out — and that was Doris. She was a great hit. And before anybody knew it, the band was signed up for a network radio show. That's when Barney decided her name should be changed. Barney himself told us this story. "I had a talk with her and said, 'Doris, I'm kind of concerned about your name. It sounds funny.' 'What's funny about it?' Doris asked me. 'Well, Doris Kappelhoff is hard to say,' I told her, 'and it might be a little hard to remember. And look at me, Doris, I changed my name from Rappaport to Rapp — because it's easier to remember.' Doris began to cry. 'I don't know,' she said, 'I don't know if I want my name changed.' I assured her it would be a nice change. I spent all that night with my wife, Ruby, thinking of something nice. At one point Ruby and I thought of the songs Doris sang best at that time. They were Night and Day and Day by Day. Doris Day, we decided. Doris would like that, we thought. So we called her up and told her. But she cried so hard we had to call her back. The family bands "It was wonderful fun when Doris was working with the bands, Barney Rapp's and then Les Brown's," her Mom said. "They were real family bands. Of course, I traveled around with Doris no matter where she went, she was so young. But the boys were nice, very nice. Doris always liked to have parties — at home if we were in Cincinnati, or in our hotel room if we were on the road— instead of hanging around night clubs and stuff. 'Mother,' she would say, 'is it all right if I bring some of the fellows from the band back with me tonight?' I'd say sure, and they'd all come over and have a wonderful time. The boys always ended up calling me Mom and I'd spend a lot of time with them. Doris and I taught them how to cook and iron their shirts and save a little money this way. And we'd help them out by discussing some of their girl-friend problems with them. It was like having a lot of brothers and sons around for us. It helped soothe how much we missed Paul, who couldn't be along with us at the time." Doris' folks remember what happened next, their girl being whisked off to Hollywood and becoming a movie star. Naturally, they both saw her first movie, Romance On The High Seas. Mr. Kappelhoff saw it at the Palace Theater in Cincinnati. It was a musical comedy, but he wept throughout. Mrs. Day saw it at a premiere in Santa Barbara, California. She was to appear on the stage with Doris just before the picture started. She bought a new dress for the occasion, the most expensive dress she'd ever owned. She waited backstage with Doris. Doris was the first to be For dramatic situations about "The people next door" watch Modern Romances Every weekday over NBC-TV Check your local paper for time and channel . . and read exciting MODERN ROMANCES MAGAZINE . on sale everywhere 65