Romance on the High Seas (1948)

My summary heading says what "Romance on the High Seas" is about. Jealousy and humor, but also impersonation, romance, some very good songs, and bonus scenics from cruise travel ports. The supporting cast for this comedy-musical-romance is top drawer in the comedy ranks of Hollywood at the time. S.Z. Sakall, Eric Blore and Franklin Pangborn always spell laughter in a film. The leads are all quite good, and Doris Day is a smash hit in her first ever movie and starring role. Day was never more vivacious than in this film. She has the bounce, energy and enthusiasm that became her trademark throughout her film career. She sure was a great entertainer. She was only 44 years old when she quit making movies after 1968. She did have a very successful half- hour TV show that ran five years through 1973. The plot for this film is hilarious in itself, and the writing fleshes it out beautifully. Michael Curtiz directs a very good story for film, and Busby Berkeley directs a couple of nice dance numbers. Day has half a dozen very good songs. It's easy to see why she became popular with several hit songs as well as her acting over the years. But what drives this film is the comedy. The dialog is complemented by some good scenes with humor in the acting antics. One of the funniest drunk scenes in all filmdom occurs in a bar in Trinidad. Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) and Oscar Farrar (Oscar Levant) have both been stood up by their girlfriends (the same person, Doris Day, playing Georgia Garrett and impersonating Elvira Kent). They order doubles of whiskey. Leaning on the bar next to them is a drunk, played by John Berkes. The two shipmates are looking at each other as they talk, and the drunk picks up Oscar's drink, downs it, and moves to Peter's side and does the same thing. The two men pick up their glasses, notice they are empty and order two more. As they continue to talk, looking at each other, the drunk repeats his moves. The next time the men order triples. After a couple more repeats, Peter and Oscar begin to slur their speech, bob a little and notice that they're getting a little tipsy. In reality, they haven't had more than a few drops of liquor. A couple more rounds, and they walk away holding each other up, looking quite drunk. We then see the real drunk start to walk out and slither to the floor. Whoever heard of a placebo drunk? But it worked so well that the two men got on a plane and woke up several hours later. Peter marveled that the Trinidad whiskey didn't leave the usual hangover effects the next day.Here are some funny lines to whet one's appetite for this hilarious film. Uncle Lazlo (S.Z. Sakall): "Oh, well, I'm not saying that Michael hasn't looked at another woman. Who hasn't? I have looked at women and the few that looked back, I married. That cured me of looking."Oscar (Oscar Levant): "I always wanted to marry a gal who could tune a piano on the side. Once and for all, will you marry me? Answer yes or no." Georgia (Doris Day): "No!" Oscar: "We'll continue this discussion later." Waiter: "Hey, Georgia. A couple of income-tax evaders want you to have a drink with them. Table seven."Elvira Kent (Janis Paige): "Won't you sit down?" Georgia: "Don't be surprised if I do." Elvira: "That's cute." Elvira, later: "Just remember that while its your lips that are being kissed, it's my reputation that will be suffering." Georgia: "Yeah, I'll make a note of that." Elvira: "Good!"Peter Virgil (Jack Carson): "Look, don't worry. The slogan of my firm is 'Never kiss a client's wife'…" Michael Kent (Don DeFore): "Well, don't change slogans in mid-ocean."Georgia: "Oh, by the way, Mrs. Kent. I know it's none of my business, but have you got anything on your husband?" Elvira: "I'm afraid his conduct has been impeccable." Georgia: "Oh, caught him with the goods, huh?" Elvira: "No, that means he's been behaving himself." Georgia: "Oh, too bad. Well, maybe he'll do something unimpeccable before I come back."Ship's doctor (Eric Blore): "Why do I small herring?" Georgia: "I guess there's a school of herring following the ship." Doctor: "No, no, not marinated herring. Oh, I don't feel well. I suppose I'd better be going." Georgia: "Goodnight, doctor." Doctor: "Goodnight. I hope I sleep well."Oscar: "Incidentally, I picked up your last two paychecks. It was barely enough to pay for my plane ticket down here. Didn't even have enough to boy you a present. I feel like a cad." Georgia: "You crook. You can go jail for that." Oscar: "Marry me and you won't have to testify against me."Peter: "Can you explain to me why that man was in your cabin kissing you?" Georgia: "No." Peter: "Well?" Georgia: "Well, can you explain why you were watching my cabin?" Peter: "No." Georgia: "Well?" Peter: "Well, maybe…" Georgia: "Maybe what?" Peter: "Well, maybe I'm narrow minded. But I don't like married women who play around with other men." Georgia: "Would you feel different if the other man was you?" Peter: "That's beside the point." Georgia: "It is, is it?" Peter: "Yes, it is. Everything they've ever said about women like you on boats like this with men like me certainly turns out to be true. Or don't you follow me?" Georgia: "I've wanted to, Peter, anywhere, anytime."

When you've got a song like "Put Em' in a Box, Tie it With a Ribbon, and Throw Him in the Deep Blue Sea" and have it sung by Doris Day, you know you've got a star in the making. Having taken a "Sentimental Journey" already with the big bands, Day was a natural for movies, and to be billed as "Introducing", you know that Warner Brothers had major plans for this big star. Gone off the box office list at Warners were Davis and Crawford and on was this perky blonde whom the Warner Brothers realized about her screen charisma, "It's Magic!". The story is a silly one; Society queen Janis Paige is so sure that her husband is cheating on her, she hires Doris to take her place on a cruise, not realizing that her own husband has hired a private investigator (Jack Carson) to follow her, believing she too is foolin' around. Everybody ends up on the ship together later on to create more confusion, and Day worms her way into everybody's hearts not only with her plucky personality but by singing those two songs as well as the energetic "I'm in Love, I'm in Love..." Not only does Carson fall for her, so does Paige's cuddly uncle (S.Z. Sakall, in one of three movies he appeared with Doris in). "It's Magic" is also performed in Portugese as part of America's love affair with all things Latin. The irony of Paige and Day appearing together would follow them over the next decade or so when Day took on Paige's role in the movie version of "The Pajama Game", then got to work with her once again in the amusing "Please Don't Eat the Daisies". The ironic choice for director here is Michael Curtiz, best known for Errol Flynn swashbucklers and serious dramas, not fluffy musicals. It was a success for everybody concerned and lead to a lengthy film career for Ms. Day who dominated the box office for almost 20 years.

It's the sort of script that Hollywood would have called a "merry marital mixup" back when, but with a little more stuff on the curveball than usual: A suspects B and B suspects A of infidelity, so A hires C to impersonate A on a cruise, while B hires private detective D to trail A, but D thinks C is A... There are some good lines, and director Curtiz, as was his wont, keeps things moving. Janis Paige is a hoot in a series of increasingly bizarre hats, and the unusual dullness of the Warners leading men (I mean, Don DeFore?) doesn't hurt that much. Doris even manages to look enraptured opposite the slightly snarky Jack Carson, and sings "It's Magic" three times. Even Carson sings, and not badly, though it's a somewhat xenophobic mock-Trinidad specialty number that's embarrassing by today's standards. Doris, in her film debut, is assured and pleasant, and so is the movie, in a studio-manufactured kind of way.

It is hard to believe that this is Doris Day's first film. She was terrific. I have been a fan of hers since junior high, but had never seen this movie until today (8-30-2003). It is all as good as her more popular movies (Pillow Talk, That Touch of Mink, Send Me No Flowers, etc.)