Do Not Disturb (1965)

It seems to have been widespread knowledge that Doris Day's third husband, Marty Melcher, lost most of her sizable estate by bad management. And, that as her manager in the mid-1960s until his death, he got her into some lousy films. "Do Not Disturb" surely supports that contention. Only a couple of her late films were very good, and I think this one is the worst film that the wonderfully talented Day ever made. It's not because of her acting, or even the plot. It was an OK idea for a story. The fault in this turkey lies with the script, the direction and the editing. Who wants to see a film in which Doris Day is on screen for half an hour or more getting tipsy – bar hopping and going from one venue to another? She is supposed to flip out with two drinks, but she goes on and on and on drinking champagne. I kept waiting for her to pass out. There is absolutely no humor here, and it quickly becomes boring and aimless. The story seems pieced together and disconnected. There is very little chemistry between Day and co-star Rod Taylor. Their spats and quick turn-arounds don't come off as believable.Day plays Janet Harper in a role that is unusually flighty for her. Taylor is her husband, Mike, who doesn't quite seem to fit into his role as a hard-nosed business manager hired to rescue an ailing British woolen company. The cast for most of the other roles seem wooden at times, unconvincing at other times. Doris Day was one of the most versatile performers of the mid-20th century. She had sung with big bands and had hit tunes on records and the radio. She could dance and act, and was especially good in romantic comedies. She retired from show biz early – at just 51 years of age, when her TV series, "The Doris Day Show" went off the air after six years in 1973. Fans and movie buffs will cherish her best films for decades to come. She deserved much better products than this in her last years of performing.

Romantic dud with Rod Taylor and Doris Day, both of whom would do far better the following year in "The Glass Bottom Boat."In this film they're both married and living in England for his business purposes.Hermione Baddeley is wasted here briefly appearing as the owner of the place they're living in and seeing Taylor with his secretary, incorrectly assumes the worst and arranges for Day to have a lover. Her comedic talents aren't shown here.The movie quickly falls apart with erroneous relationships, a drunken Day with a man she had gone off with to purchase furniture, only to get locked in his store with Taylor finding them and assuming the worst.Then, there is his secretary who has romantic designs of her own only to have Day be her among his business associates. The ending, like the rest of the film, is a complete farce.

Doris Day is a ray of sunshine in most of her films, and Do Not Disturb is no exception. She is perfectly cast as the neglected wife, isolated and bored in Kent, England. Day's character (Janet Harper)has a husband who is not playing his part in the marriage, and takes her for granted. What she needs is an interest which takes her outside of the marriage and the idea of the good, dutiful wife.Day's comic timing is so masterful that it reinvigorates the otherwise tired clichéd, and stereotyped gags. Ironically Day deconstructs our stereotypical perspective of Hollywood glamour by not taking herself too seriously and as such taking a swipe at the movie star image. Very clever and well accomplished albeit in an inadvertent way.If you are a fan of Day, then this film is a must see, but it's also great if you just want a carefree chuckle.

Warning: This review may contain spoilers.The premise for DO NOT DISTURB sounds like a good one for a Doris Day romp. An All-American newlywed couple in London experience trouble when he spends too much time at the office with his attractive secretary so she flirts with a Continental charmer. Through a series of merry misunderstandings and comical mishaps everything works out and the couple lives happily ever after. If DO NOT DISTURB had the smooth direction of Michael Gordon and the witty screenwriting of Stanley Shapiro(the same team who worked on Miss Day's megahit PILLOW TALK), DO NOT DISTURB would have been a classic. Instead, DO NOT DISTURB receives direction from Ralph Levy who served primarily as a TV director of sitcoms such as I LOVE LUCY. Levy does what he can but ultimately he and the cast are let down by the script. DO NOT DISTURB starts out with a fun cartoon title sequence animated by DePatie-Freling(THE PINK PANTHER) accompanied by a memorable title tune warbled by the film's leading lady. The film reasonably amuses for the 1st act but tends to sag during the midsection when Miss Day heads off to Paris(and trouble) with Sergio Fantoni(THE PRIZE, ESTHER AND THE KING). Things do pick up when Miss Day heads off to a wool manufacturers convention at a swanky Paris hotel(the set used for it looks suspiciously like Captain von Trapp's home in THE SOUND OF MUSIC which was made by 20th Century-Fox the same year)where she pretends to be her husband's(Rod Taylor) "secretary". In the process she ends up impressing the host(Leon Askin) by becoming the life of the party. This sequence(including the band abruptly alternating between mid-1960s twisting and Viennese waltzes at the whim of the Austrian wool magnate) is the funniest and most satisfying section of the film.DO NOT DISTURB is pleasant enough and Rod Taylor(THE BIRDS, 36 HOURS) makes a worthy leading man for Miss Day. Their chemistry is delightful. There is also terrific support from veteran character actors Hermione Baddeley(who was also in Miss Day's 1960 vehicle MIDNIGHT LACE that like DO NOT DISTURB deals with a young wife in London) and Reginald Gardiner. Also, Day fans will like the injokes where children ask her if she knows Cary Grant and Rock Hudson, in reality her 2 most famous co-stars. But it's never as fun, well-crafted, memorable or as inspired as some of her other vehicles such as MOVE OVER DARLING and TEACHER'S PET. She and Taylor would be better served by their next vehicle together, comedy veteran Frank Tashlin's classic THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT.Bottom line: For diehard Day fans only. Rating: 5 out of 10.