All the Doris Days in March

When I read that Doris Day would be the TCM Star of the Month in March, I was over the moon. I love a good Doris Day movie; and when I checked the final schedule, there were so many I hadn't seen before and I immediately set up my DVR.

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A majority of the Doris Day movies I'd seen prior to last month were her late '50s/'60s comedies, which is where I think she truly shined, but all of these '50s major musicals showed how much star power and talent she really had, especially when you consider her first film, Romance on the High Seas in 1948, had only just been released. 

With all of these movies, I've crossed off a large part of her filmography and now I'm down to seven more movies to see: Young at Heart, Teacher's Pet, It Happened to Jane, Do Not Disturb, Caprice, The Ballad of Josie and Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?

Here are my thoughts on the new-to-me Doris Day movies I watched during her time as Star of the Month. 

Lullaby of Broadway (1951)

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Lullaby is right. 

The West Point Story (1950)

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Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962)

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Just because Doris Day was in this, I'm inclined to like it, but honestly, has there ever been a good circus movie? I've yet to find one.

I'll See You in My Dreams (1951)

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I'm glad Doris moved away, mostly, from playing the long-suffering wife to playing vibrant, independent women in the '60s. It's not that I didn't like I'll See You in My Dreams, but aside from a few songs and the 'strong matriarch' trope, it's not a movie I'm likely to revisit anytime soon. 

 Love Me or Leave Me (1955)

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I can see why Doris wanted to move away from these big musicals later in her career. Also, James Cagney was electrifying. 

By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)

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I liked this more than its predecessor, On Moonlight Bay (though the song is currently stuck in my head so take that for what you will), but I have to laugh at the fact that a misread note that launched a town scandal involving adultery dominates the back half of the movie, and it's all laughed off at the end, even by the people whose reputations are destroyed when it's proven false, just so Doris Day and Gordon MacRae can sing one more song. 

Young Man With a Horn (1950)

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Not enough Doris, but there was quite a bit of Lauren Bacall, which is never a complaint, so I guess it balances out. 

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

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One of the more popular Hitchcock films that I've surprisingly never seen until now. I rather enjoyed it, every aspect, because Hitch was a master. I also love the super abrupt ending: "Ho hum, that's all over, sorry we were late coming back!"