We all know and adore. Doris
As a singer, actor, and animal activist, you might be startled to learn that her first dream was to be a dancer. Doris Mary Kappelhoff (later known as Doris Day) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1922 to a homemaker mother and a music teacher father. She formed a dance partnership with Jerry Doherty. They traveled around the country and competed in national tournaments. Unfortunately, Day was involved in a car accident that collided with a freight train. She shattered her leg in the accident, which ended her dance career. While recovering from her accident, Day discovered her passion for singing, which led to some of the best Doris Day films – and the rest, as they say, is history.
Doris Day & Jerry Doherty, 1937
From Dance to Singing
Following her accident, Day passed the time by listening to the radio and singing along with greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, whom she particularly admired.
When Day’s mother arranged for her to take singing lessons, her instructor, Grace Raine, recognized a natural ability and offered three lessons per week for the price of one.
Doris Day, 1940.
With constant practice under Raine’s supervision, Day landed a slot on a Cincinnati radio show and performed at local restaurants. Although minor steps, these opportunities introduced her to people who could help her advance her profession.
Doris Day’s successful radio performances attracted orchestra leader Barney Rapp, who was looking for a female vocalist. Doris Mary Kappelhoff’s stage name became “Doris Day” after she performed the song “Day After Day,” leaving her behind. Her link with Rapp introduced her to Les Brown and his Band of Renown in 1940, which led to her first recording opportunity.
Doris Day & Les Brown, 1940
Doris Day & Les Brown, 1940William Gottlieb/Redferns.
Some of her most popular songs include “Whatever Will Be, Will Be,” “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Secret Love,” “Sentimental Journey,” “A Bushel and a Peck,” and “Everybody Loves a Lover,” to mention a few. Her success as a vocalist drew the attention of executives in a new industry: movies.
The best Doris Day movies
Doris Day began her career in musical films and then moved on to other genres, releasing over 32 films and starring in The Doris Day Show from 1968 to 1973. Take a peek at some of our favorite Doris Day movies over the years!
1. It’s A Wonderful Feeling (1949)
Jack Carson and Doris Day, It’s a Great Feeling (1949)
Doris Day stars opposite Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan in This Is a Great Feeling, a comic spoof of the Hollywood film industry. Doris Day played waitress Judy Adams, who traveled to Hollywood to make it big in the movies and is now dealing with the attention of Carson and Morgan’s characters.
2. My Dream is Yours (1949).
Doris Day, My Dream Is Yours (1949)
Day portrays a single mother whose talents are found by agent Doug Blake, who is looking for a new radio singer after his client refuses to renew his contract. She co-stars with Jack Carson in the film.
3. Tea For Two (1950)
Doris Day & Gene Nelson, Tea for Two, 1950.
4. Young Man With a Horn (1950).
Kirk Douglas and Doris Day, “Young Man with a Horn,” 1950
Doris Day appears opposite Kirk Douglas and Lauren Bacall, with Douglas portraying a skilled trumpet player in one of her iconic films. The film was inspired by Dorothy Baker’s novel, which followed the life of jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke.
5. The West Point Story (1950).
Doris Day and Jean Cagney, The West Point Story (1950)
James Cagney plays a Broadway director who travels to West Point to put together a performance. Doris Day and James Cagney also appeared together in the 1951 film Love Me or Leave Me.
6. I Will See You in My Dreams (1951)
Danny Thomas & Doris Day, I’ll See You In My Dreams, 1951
Day and Danny Thomas act as a songwriting duet in the 1951 musical picture I’ll See You In My Dreams. The film is a biopic of the real-life songwriting pair Gus Kahn and Grace LeBoy.
7. On Moonlight Bay (1951).
Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, and Jack Smith. On Moonlight Bay, 1951.
On Moonlight Bay depicts the story of tomboyish Marjorie, played by Day, who falls in love with the new lad next door after her family relocates to a new area. The film was loosely inspired by Booth Tarkington’s Penrod stories.
8. Lullaby of Broadway (1951).
Doris Day and Gene Nelson, Lullaby of Broadway (1951)
In this classic musical, Day plays a showgirl who lives in London but goes to New York to see her mother. She attracts the attention of a Broadway producer, and her life takes an unexpected turn.
9. April In Paris (1952).
Doris Day, Claude Dauphin, and April In Paris, 1952.
Day plays a chorus girl who is unexpectedly invited to a Paris theatre festival. Despite the misunderstanding, she finds herself falling in love.
10. The Winning Team (1952).
Ronald Reagan and Doris Day, The Winning Team (1952)
Doris Day joins Ronald Reagan, the eventual 40th president, in this fictitious biography of major league pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander. Day plays his wife in the movie.
11. By the light of the silvery moon (1953).
Doris Day, By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon is the follow-up film to On Moonlight Bay. The plot continues the love narrative of Day and Gordon MacRae’s characters.
12. Calamity Jane (1953).
Doris Day, Calamity Jane (1953)
Doris Day plays Calamity Jane, a sniper who saves cavalry Lt. Danny Gilmartin and eventually falls for him. This western musical depicts Day in a different perspective.
13. Lucky Me (1954).
Doris Day, Robert Cummings, Lucky Me (1954)
Day portrays a member of a struggling theatre troupe. Lucky Me was the first musical created using the CinemaScope technology.
14. Love Me, or Leave Me (1955)
James Cagney and Doris Day, Love Me or Leave Me, 1955.
James Cagney plays a domineering crook who gives a struggling dancer a chance at fame. As her popularity develops, so does his controlling behavior.
15. Julie (1956).
Doris Day, Louis Jourdan, and Julie, 1956
Doris Day portrays a wife on the run from her domineering and violent husband. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay and Best Song.
16. It Happened to Jane (1958
It Happened to Jane (1958), starring Steve Forrest, Doris Day, and Jack Lemmon
Doris Day operates a restaurant supply business that suffers as a result of the railroad company’s failure to deliver 300 lobsters on time. When she hires her lawyer friend to fight the railroad corporation, she finds herself in the spotlight, both publicly and romantically.
17. Pillow Talk (1959).
Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Pillow Talk (1959)
Neighbors Brad and Jan share a telephone party line, but Jan is tired of Brad’s incessant attempts to attract female suitors. When her complaint against him remains unanswered, he pretends to be a Texas rancher, and the two fall in love — but not before a love triangle forms, complicating matters.
18. Please Do Not Eat the Daisies (1960).
David Niven, Doris Day, “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,” 1960
In this 1960s drama, Day delivers as the wife of a professor-turned-theatre critic who struggles with her husband’s sudden popularity and his outings with Broadway stars.
19. Do Not Disturb (1965).
Doris Day and Rod Taylor, Do Not Disturb, 1965.
Day plays Janet, Mike Harper’s (Rod Taylor) wife, who believes her husband is having an affair while working in London. To play his game, she starts her own “affair,” albeit fictitious, to entice him back.
