One of Hollywood’s most beloved stars of the 1950s and 1960s, Doris Day, passed away early today at the age of 97. Day was a seasoned vocalist with three number one hits (most notably 1945's "Sentimental Journey" with Les Brown) by the time she appeared in her first movie, Romance on the High Seas, in 1948. Day was recommended to the movie's director, Michael Curtiz, by composer Jule Styne, and despite having no acting experience, the seasoned Curtiz picked up on Day’s undeniable charm and promptly cast her. She would make a total of 18 films for Warner Bros. over the next nine years, nearly half of her entire filmography. In the early 1960s, she was the biggest star in the nation. Here is a photographic look back at Doris Day’s career on the big screen.
A gorgeous publicity shot of Doris Day from Romance on the High Seas. Doris Day as Judy Adams talks to Warner Bros. studio musical director Ray Heindorf while Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan look on in It’s a Great Feeling (1949). The three men play themselves in this musical comedy set on the Warner Bros. studio lot, which features many cameos, including Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, and Errol Flynn.Doris Day and Kirk Douglas in the drama Young Man with a Horn (1950).James Cagney, Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Virginia Mayo, and Gene Nelson in The West Point Story (1950).Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, and Eddie Marr in On Moonlight Bay (1951), which was the biggest hit of her Warner Bros. career. The movie was partly based on the three Penrod novels by Booth Tarkington, which has previously been the source for four films and several short subjects by WB in the 1930s.A rare photo of Los Angeles civic leader Joseph Scott and Irish ambassador John Hearne visiting Doris Day during the filming of On Moonlight Bay.Doris Day and Ronald Reagan in The Winning Team (1952), loosely based on the life of pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander.The success of On Moonlight Bay led to a sequel in 1953, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, bringing back the duo of Doris Day and Gordon MacRae, as shown in this studio publicity shot.Doris Day’s girl-next-door image, seen again in By the Light of the Silvery Moon, made her loved by millions of moviegoers around the worldDoris playing the title character in Calamity Jane (1953). The movie featured Day singing “Secret Love,” which became a #1 hit and garnered a Best Original Song Oscar for songwriters Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster.Two Legends, ironically born just ten weeks apart: Doris, then filming Lucky Me (1954) at Warner Bros., visits Judy Garland on the set of A Star Is Born (1954).In her first film for MGM, Doris gave what may be the finest performance of her career in Love Me or Leave Me (1955), based on the true story of the tumultuous relationship between singer/actress Ruth Etting and gangster Martin Snyder (played by James Cagney in an Oscar-nominated performance).The thriller Julie (1956) provided a change-of-pace for Doris, where she played a stewardess terrorized by her psychotic husband (Louis Jourdan).Doris in the screen adaptation of the Broadway hit The Pajama Game(1957), where she joined most of the original Broadway cast. It was her 18th and final movie for Warner Bros.With David Niven on the set of Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960).With Jimmy Durante in Billy Rose’s Jumbo (1962), her last appearance in a musical. With Rod Taylor on the set of The Glass Bottom Boat(1966).One more look at the woman who brought joy to countless moviegoers for multiple generations, and will continue to do so for generations to come!
