Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1956)

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MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE* WORLD WIDE, 1 OSSINING, New York ( Continued from page 49) her now-famed modesty about her ability undoubtedly stemmed from the fact that she was three years old when she first had a try at acting, and she could hardly have been considered a qualified judge of talent at the time. However, if she’d been another Sarah Bernhardt, she would have been sadly miscast in her first motion picture, “Romance on the High Seas.” The script called for a pretty, peppy young girl who could trade quips with Jack Carson and put over a song or three. For good measure, Doris seemed so at ease on the screen you’d have thought she’d spent her life making movies. The critics liked what they saw, and it was Doris Day’s year. The following January, she officially began another — the year in which she solidly established herself as a star. In one respect or another, since her arrival in Hollywood, each year has been an important one for Doris. Possibly because she’s not a girl for sitting on top of the world when she can stand — the better to view new horizons. As proof that this is her year, there’s her M-G-M contract — one that any star would envy. There is also the busy office of Arwin Productions. This company was formed by Doris and her husband Marty Melcher to produce pictures, and they have one coming up, “Quality of Mercy,” that should be a real winner. Most important, there is still another organization. Located on a quiet, neighborly street in the San Fernando Valley, it might be called Melcher, Melcher & Son. This one produces nothing but happiness for shareholders Doris, Marty and Terry — plus anyone else who happens to drop in. Officially, they have been in business for five years, as of April 3. On this day the Melchers celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary. Throughout the rest of this year, you’ll be hearing a lot about the new Mrs. Melcher as well as the new Doris Day. In fact, at times you may think she arrived in a box which someone has just unwrapped — that is, if you believe those who vow that the changes occurred overnight. Take the case of “Love Me or Leave Me.” At the beginning of one evening not so long ago, Doris was looked upon by the world at large as a musical-comedy queen. Later that same evening, after a lapse of the two hours it took to screen the picture, she was being hailed as a fine dramatic actress. The suddenness of the discovery made it seem almost as if Doris had stepped off the Warner lot a sunbeamlike singer, then up and acquired ability of Academy Award caliber while driving across town to M-G-M. Just like that. Actually, the ability had been there for quite some time. It was just that a script which afforded the opportunity to show it had been missing. “As Marty says, the timing was right,” Doris reflects. “When the picture came along, I was ready for it.” In the future, there will be far fewer “On Moonlight Bay” parts for Doris. “I’ve always liked them,” she says, “but there comes a time when you just have to make a change. It’s the same as with records. If the trend’s toward rock ’n’ roll tunes, you do those — or ballads, or whatever. You do what the public wants. “Picture-wise, as far as a personality is concerned, many people never see beyond what is on the screen. That’s only natural. But performers can get into a rut. For instance, everyone said for so long that I was the girl next door, but after a while the time came for me to change.” The changes carry over into Doris’ personal life, and she was ready for these, too. This year you’re going to hear about the Melchers’ new social life. How they’re stepping out quite frequently where once they couldn’t be pried from the family fireside. You’ll hear that Doris has completely redecorated her home, that she’s mulling the thought of moving from the comfortable neighborhood in which she has lived since she became a star. And you may wonder exactly what has happened to Doris Day. Simply this: she has added new dimensions to her life. The resultant changes have come quite naturally as a part of happy, progressive living — although some of them have startled folks a bit. For example, if you were Doris’ dressmaker, you might have come close to swallowing your straight pins the day she dropped by to talk over new designs. “Yes, I know what you want — collars up to here,” said the dressmaker, pointing to her chin. Miss Day’s own chin tilted a bit. “Not this time,” she replied firmly. “I believe I can wear scooped and low-cut necklines as well as anyone else. And I’m tired of always wearing the same thing.” She got what she wanted. “It’s nice to get away from Peter Pan collars,” Doris grins. “And I really don’t think that ‘Love Me or Leave Me’ had anything to do with my decision. I just wanted more variety in my wardrobe.” This is highly possible, but not so probable. The first morning Doris walked onto the set wearing a figure-hugging, downto-there gown — well, she didn’t walk. To say she crept would be more like it — as if maybe no one would notice. She admits that she was downright embarrassed, in the absence of her usual turtle-necked outfit. However, she spent the day goodnaturedly taking the whistles in her stride. “By the second day of shooting,” she laughs, “I loved every minute of it!” If you were a guest at a recent dinner party, you might have found yourself settling down for home movies following the meal. You would have heard the hostess — a beauty famed for her figure — explaining the film she was about to show: shots taken on her recent visit to the French Riviera. “I’m not the Bikini bathing suit type,” she remarked. “But now you’re going to see someone who is.” You might have gasped in surprise, as the others there did. There was Doris, in a Bikini, looking for all the world like a pinup picture. “Here in Hollywood I wear mine only in our back yard,” Doris will hastily tell you. “I like them. They’re comfortable. But I’d never wear one on the beach, unless I were in Europe. Over there, no one cares what you have on. Why, they don’t give a Bikini a second look!” Don’t let the rumors fool you. Doris has kept the qualities for which she became famous. Unknowingly, she proves the fact every day. For instance, if you were a writer who had heard the tales of the new Doris Day, you might have expected her to meet you for a luncheon interview looking like a Vogue cover girl — with possibly a layer or so of pancake on her face to hide her unsophisticated freckles. At which luncheon she would have crossed you up by appearing in a sweater and skirt, looking like any college co-ed. You might also have expected fans to fall at her feet — as in the olden days of super-glamour — or waited for the curious stares of the awed. And indeed as you left the restaurant, two ladies approached. For