On the other hand, Day explained through her autobiography that her relationship with Wills was plain. Throughout the film looks beautiful with lots of colour. by Jas1 15 May 2008, 19:09, Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited. I saw this as a teenager, and fell in love. There is some very unkind animal scenes (especially the muzzled bear dressed in a bonnet which looks like Hannibal Lecter in a fur coat and Grandma Duck hat) which only emphasizes how public acceptance of entertainment has changed. He vocals aren't his but dubbed. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Day and Boyd may be a little old to play girl and boy falling in love but somehow it works. But the fans became the family she never really had, said DeVita. . Director Norman Jewison, who worked with Day on 1963's The Thrill of It All and Send Me No Flowers, also talked about Doris' surprising view on her obvious good looks. She displayed an incredible passion by owning the stage and her characters, making it nearly impossible for viewers to remember that Day was playing a role on TV. American actress and singer Doris Day, circa 1945. Both play and film feature songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, although the film borrows two songs from Rodgers and Hart shows other than Jumbo (including "This Can't Be Love", from The Boys from Syracuse). The title character, a prancing pachyderm, does not seem interested at all in its performance. Pop Wonder (the irrepressible Jimmy Durante) is the proprietor of one of the greatest acts in circus history Jumbo; a gargantuan elephant. Unread post What is causing the plague in Thebes and how can it be fixed? She was 74. (They don't make 'em like this anymore kids. Doris Day: Her Own Story and Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door explore the inner depths of the eternally approachable starincluding her exploitative marriages, her. Doris Day said that this was one of her favorite musicals. Doris Day was a singer and actress most popular in the 1950s and early-1960s. Of course, Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye were veteran entertainers of the vaudeville style. Seven months later, on Aug. 9, 1969, several Manson family members murdered Sharon Tate and four other victims at Melchers former home. She [originally] thought being married was the way to live, but said it was so confined.. She had been so happy to talk to me and we were both excited for our upcoming dinner together just a week before, and this man was clearly manipulating the situation, Ryan wrote. The usual circus fun: a determinedly old-fashioned big-top opus with animals, parades, high-wire attractions, songs by Rodgers & Hart. Rating:- *** (out of *****). Aside from Boyd the performances are very good. She spent money acquiring all sorts of gifts for the man. Secondly, it is based on a musical by Rogers and Hart that was made in the middle of the 1930s, starring Jimmy Durante. She loved her career, worked with class, elegance and was grounded in acting, music, and dance. [right] | Photo: Getty Images. That was a huge loss for her.. In the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the traveling The Wonder Circus has the greatest attraction the elephant Jumbo and is full of debts. . John Noble (Dean Jagger), who owns a famous Noble Circus, wants to buy Jumbo and The Wonder Circus, but Pop refuses his offers. Billy Rose's Jumbo is based on a play of the same name produced by Billy Rose. A soundtrack album Billy Rose's Jumbo of the film was issued by Columbia Records in 1962. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. We both were enthralled by Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and even Stephen Boyd who didn't actually sing his songs but whoever dubbed his voice during his numbers certainly sounded like he did! I absolutely love My Romance - it is just soooo romantic and Stephen Boyd is pretty kool! Doris really wanted to reconnect.. Other comments will rave about Doris Day and moan about Stephen Boyd and they are all very right. Today. But to be honest, the movie left this viewer somewhat cold. Shortly after, in 2014, Day made her last public appearance at an event for her foundation. Nov 16, 2021 05:20 P.M. Doris Day, who holds the title of the number one female box-office star, was involved in a secret interracial affair with baseball legend Maury Wills when they were both married; before her death, she denied the allegations. It seemed I was not the only one who had been cut out.. Martha Raye, who plays Lulu, is quite a lulu as she strives to get Durante to end their 14 year engagement and finally get married. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Wills later trained as a baseball instructor and worked as a broadcast analyst for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. He died in January 1980 in Santa Monica, California. Indeed the song, "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" is sublime, but would you get the feeling it would befit a better movie. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". (Her mettle extended beyond the characters she played: Stanwyck, forty-nine at the time, did all her own stunts for Forty Guns, including being dragged by a horse in a windstorm.) For two horses, this amount would be doubled; 214 small squarebales or 12 roundbales. Though many of the characters really did exist like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, Trixie, Whitney Ellsworth, and Alma Garret were all fictional, but were inspired by people of the time. Doris Day shows a wisdom, warmth, sassy comic timing and an ability also to be dramatically heartfelt, and in terms of her singing she can't be faulted. The tale of Tufts official mascot, Jumbo the elephant, dates back to 1885. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, In the 1950s and '60s, Doris Day was America's box-office sweetheart. Jumbo is a mighty talented elephant. Warner Brothers was not far behind, but clearly MGM was the studio that was known for having the highest production values and the greatest musical stars, from Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and Gene Kelly to Fred Astaire, Howard Keel, Ann Miller and Jane Powell. Day at a Time: An Indiana Girl's Sentimental Journey to Doris Day's Hollywood and Beyond (Hawthorne Publishing) is a positive, interesting memoir that contains many anecdotes about the star, celebrities she knew and events in her career. And you'd never figure that the great Busby Berkeley staged the musical numbers, because they sorely lack the punch of his earlier musicals. ", was a show-stopper in 1935. The result is bright and competent enough (and it retains most of the wonderful Rodgers & Hart songs), but ten years earlier the Arthur Freed Unit would have sharpened up the book, included a lot more dancing and had a superior leading man (Stephen Boyd is a disaster in this movie). Day was allegedly beaten by her first husband, band leader Al Jordan, while pregnant with their son, Terry. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". It's no wonder that the movie was a box office failure, and was one of the final nails in the coffin of the Hollywood musical until "The Sound Of Music" temporarily revived the genre a few years later. His choreography on Over and Over Again brought back the marvel of his mathematically complex, extravagant musical routines of yore. (1968), Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door by David Kaufman. However, their relationship was plagued with physical violence, and Jorden was a philanderer. Legal Statement. . Since this was Boyd's next film after BEN HUR do you realize that an advertisement could actually say "Stephen Boyd star of BEN HUR now in his biggest film: JUMBO" and it would actually make sense that JUMBO was indeed bigger than BEN HUR.!! As a warm, lightweight entertainment it works, but has little more to offer. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. It demonstrated that even a top star like Doris Day has to make wise career choicesand this was Day's last musical. The gorgeous actress gained due recognition from the movie industry, racking in awards and nominations. Their public description of this type of relationship was platonic, but he admitted that it was deeper. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Doris Day manages a struggling traveling circus in the early 1900s, while pop Jimmy Durante gambles away their earnings and show-performer Martha Raye halfheartedly attempts to get Durante down the aisle. by BabeWilliams 12 May 2008, 16:40, Unread post According to MGM accounts, the film earned $2.5 million in the US and Canada and $1.5 million overseas, but because of its high cost recorded a loss of $3,956,000. Doris Day, who holds the title of the number one female box-office star, was involved in a secret interracial affair with baseball legend Maury Wills when they were both married; before her death, she denied the allegations. I loved all the songs they were great and the only one i really wasnt crazy about was My Romance but it was staged beautifully. . . The play was adapted from the book written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, the screenplay here is written by Sidney Sheldon. As for the songs, while they are not awful, they are not very memorable (though the song "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" has its moments.) The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Discover (and save!) My Romance is just sublime. Who rode the horse for Doris Day in Calamity Jane? Portrait of Doris Day for the Paramount Pictures film "The Man Who Knew Too Much," circa 1956 | Photo: Getty Images. . in which she is dragged behind her horse. From 1962 comes another circus picture, with its share of bad dudes, amazing costuming, and a disaster of two. His first wife Jeanne died in 1943. JUMBO is a very curious musical film to me for several reasons. Radiant Doris Day as Kitty Wonder sings beloved Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart tunes and does her own horseback riding tricks in a razzle-dazzle musical based on Billy Rose's original stage . They split in 1981, and he publicly admitted to being jealous of her beloved dogs. It was all the more damning because Ryan whose father was Days son, Terry, who died in 2004 had never publicly spoken about the actress, known for such movie classics as Pillow Talk and That Touch of Mink.. Doris Day and husband Barry Comden at the Pierre Hotel in 1976 | Source: Getty Images. Just clear tips and lifehacks for every day. The film was Doris Day's last screen musical. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". I saw it on DVD in widescreen and with a superb 5.1 sound system. The songs, especially The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Over and Over Again and My Romance are wonderful, while the script is full of snappy lines("what elephant" is a classic and it is very easy to see why), the choreography has a lot of energy and charisma and the stunts although difficult are made to look easy, a tell-tale sign of the commitment and professionalism of those involved. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Radiant Doris Day sings beloved Rodgers and Hart tunes and does her own horseback riding tricks in a razzle-dazzle musical based on Billy Rose's stage spectacular and featuring circus sequences . She did all her own stunts, too, which was quite a feat in what is an enormously athletic role. Radiant Doris Day sings beloved Rodgers and Hart tunes and does her own horseback tricks in a razzle-dazzle musical based on Bill Rose's stage spectacular . Maybe that's because she saw herself as bit of a tomboy, as a young girl. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". ", Doris Day, Terry Melcher, and his wife at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Monterey, California in 1988 | Photo: Getty Images. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Mike Ribble was once a great trapeze artist - and the only to have completed a triple somersault - before his accident. From the opening Circus is on Parade number, this musical is magical. Now I am not saying any of these films are bad, they aren't, but they are awfully colorful but emptysort of like giant balls of cotton candy! Rather like his Pop Wonder role in "Jumbo" he married his second wife, Marjorie Little after a 16-year courtship when she was 39 and he was 67. Daysdeath on May 13has opened a rift between family and friends who accuse one another of mistreating the star. In the 1950s and 60s,Doris Daywas Americas box-office sweetheart. Kitty, I 'think' you refer to the Golden Globe nomination - and it was Roz Russell in 'Gypsy'. He was a good looking hunk, but no singer and had no special charisma to match that of Doris. Doris Day. In 1885, Jumbo the elephant billed as the biggest elephant in the world was hit by a freight train and died on the tracks in St. Thomas, Ontario. Stephen Boyd was reasonable as was Doris Day, but she was miscast it seems, as she was nearing forty. She is terrific as always, he's a damn good singer, and of course with Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye and an elephant how could it fail? (Getty Images), She used to have the right people taking care of her. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: Billy Rose's Jumbo was released to DVD in a Region 1 DVD by Warner Bros. on April 26, 2005, and also as part of Volumes 1 and 2 of The Doris Day Collection on April 10, 2007. The song is later reprised by Pop (Jimmy Durante) as he prepares to marry Lulu (Martha Raye) in a comical, but touching bit. (No will has yet been publicly filed. Other than that, this tale about life in the circus may seem predictable with a paper-thin plot. It certainly didn't lack star power. Wills was of African-American descent, and having a white lover was controversial to their careers. Rumors had it that the "Pillow Talk" alum was involved with a prominent baseball player called Maury Wills. She would only want to talk about [her] dogs or hear about what fan mail she had., Doris spent most of her last 10 years in her bedroom or the kitchen. Then a guard stops them, yelling, "Where are you going with that elephant?!" Ever-earnest Stephen Boyd shows up in need of a job, and quickly gets Day's heart racing, before it's revealed he's the son of their chief rival--and what he's really after is star-attraction Jumbo the Elephant! People think, because of Doris movies, she was always happy-go-lucky, said DeVita. This news rocked the tabloids for some time, and not many have been able to identify its credibility until the athlete's publication. Surprisingly, it was not because of undying love or tremendous respect, understanding, and all the recipes for a successful marriage. While the cast is bright and likable, and the movie boasts some pretty good production values and circus acts, these things don't raise the movie much from the level of being instantly forgettable. When I watch it again though.. On April 2, 2007, Robert Osborne of TCM, introducing the MGM film Fearless Fagan (1952) directed by Stanley Donen, said that Donen was due to direct Jumbo right after Singin' in the Rain in 1952. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Print view; Search Advanced search. He opined that they met at Dodgers stadium; the actress was a huge fan of his team. Bashara, a veterinarian, joined Days employ 20 years ago and soon became her business manager as well as the head of her foundation. Day, who grew up in Cincinnati, had publicly recalled how, at the age of 10, she discovered that her father, a music teacher, was having an affair with the mother of her best friend. Today, Jumbo is counted among the great circus films such as The Greatest Show on Earth, Trapeze, Carnival Story and Circus World. Jimmy Durante owns the little circus with the big elephant in Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962). Theyre with her because shes Doris Day. One or two sections drag a bit but in the main this is exceptionally good stuff. However, MGM decided the script was not ready, so Jumbo was not filmed until 1962 with a different director and stars. Id rather be the pillar that holds up the star than the star himself. stephenboydblog.com. Sam (Stephen Boyd) after Kitty dresses in her Sunday best to impress him, sings The Most Beautiful Girl in the World to her. Her fourth husband was Barry Comden. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. [Terry] had told [Day] about Manson and about some of his scary antics, his brandishing of knives, his zombie followers and that Manson had been to the house on Cielo, and she insisted he move out, Love wrote. Market data provided by Factset. In conclusion, a pleasure to watch and recommended for Rodgers/Hart and Doris Day fans. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Doris Day signing her name in cement on Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, on January 19, 1961 | Photo: Getty Images. Billy Rose's Jumbo is a 1962 American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante, and Martha Raye. It was the last film producer Joe Pasternak made at MGM.[1]. by BabeWilliams 12 May 2008, 13:30, Unread post Pinterest. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Jimmy Durante was born James Francis Durante on 10 February 1893 in New York. The latter is a dramatic presentation performed among the deserted tents after the loss of the circus and the beloved, Jumbo. by Kitty 15 May 2008, 05:50, Unread post Discover (and save!) Yes, I knowI just wanted to say that. Although she played the perfect American girl next door onscreen, she did not experience such a thrilling lifestyle in reality. Day and Durante never disappoint and turn in their usual fine performances. Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and Great Songs. Ms. Day, already a top box office star due to her romantic comedies with Rock Hudson, is gorgeous in the film and her voice can only be described as velvety. Rather like his Pop Wonder role in Jumbo he married his second wife, Marjorie Little after a 16-year courtship when she was 39 and he was 67. You can sometimes get a glimpse of wires helping her fly through the air, but other times its just her own skill and strength, and that of the other dancers, that keep her from hitting the ground. It's also the ideal word to describe this big-time big-top extravaganza, bursting with laughter and love, song and dance, circus stunts and star power. | Photo: Getty Images. Who wants to open the movie discussion??? After a rainstorm in which Kitty, an aerialist, is almost killed, but rescued by Sam, she sings the lovely ballad, My Romance to him. This comedy bit was reprised in his role in Billy Rose's Jumbo and is likely to have contributed to the popularity of the idiom, the "elephant in the room". Her onscreen credits ranged from romance to comedies and live shows. My favortie movie is Pillow Talk but this will have to be my second favorite. An adaptation of the stage musical Jumbo produced by Billy Rose, the film was directed by Charles Walters, written by Sidney Sheldon, and featured Busby Berkeley's choreography. Was Barbara Stanwyck friends with Linda Evans? Mix NASA, spy and a mermaid together an you get Glass Bottom Boat. . The film was Doris Day's last screen musical. (but it IS true! Doris Day, as Durante's daughter, is a bareback rider in a tutu who is obviously not doing her own stunts. But Jumbo was her last true musical. Doris Day was one of the most popular and yet one of the most underrated movie stars of her generation. One of my favorites - completely wonderful! Doris Day's final musical role was in Jumbo which finally came to the screen almost 30 years after it played at the legendary Hippodrome Theater for 233 performances in 1935. The Rodgers & Hart tunes included the now-iconic "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" first sung by the person who dubbed Boyd to Ms. Day before Durante sung his verison to Ms. Raye of which the latter version was the most touching even with the kind of voice Durante had! by BabeWilliams 15 May 2008, 08:26, Unread post Did Doris Day actually ride horses in Calamity Jane? As a result, the film did not do as well as it was projected. I later learned that [Bashara] had fired all the longstanding members on my grandmas Foundation board and appointed his direct family as the new board members. But, the stars boost it to a fun, non-stop rollick with elephants, high-wire acts, and clowns. Reynolds was an acrobat by training, but these are some serious stunts! Beach Boy frontman Mike Love claimed in his memoir, Good Vibrations, that Day may have saved her son from being murdered by Charles Manson who had pitched Terry, a music producer, some of his songs. . It's directed by Charles Walters, with Busby Berkeley on second unit duties, and stars Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Stephen Boyd, Martha Raye and Dean Jagger. She seemingly found a semi-permanent home at Universal, but returned to MGM again in 1962 to film thebig, splashy circus musical, Billy Roses Jumbo. Day never lived a happily-ever-after life with her prince charming not for long. The owner, Anthony 'Pop' Wonder (Jimmy Durante), works as a clown but is a gambler addicted in dice games and usually loses the box office gambling. She trusted animals more than she did humans. Jumbo is self-explanatory. Do you need underlay for laminate flooring on concrete? To Day, the media ran stories based on a first glance; they did not take time to investigate, leading them to make assumptions about relationships that never existed. P.T. Weidler shared similar traits with husband number one; he was a chronic cheater who lacked self-confidence. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. But she spent her final days being manipulated by those around her, sources who were close to the legend allege. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Unfortunately, Billy Roses Jumbo opened in New York at Radio City Music Hall during a newspaper strike and did not get reviewed by the all-important critics. ), In the last 20 years of her life, all she cared about was her animals, said the neighbor. Tino joins the circus, and manages to covince Mike to teach him the 'triple'. In fact, the movie kept one of Durante's classic moments of stage comedy. It's also the ideal word to describe this big-time big-top extravaganza, bursting with laughter and love, song and dance, circus stunts and star power. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. I have tried to fight the system and do things my way, but I havent been able to. Original producer Billy Rose stipulated that if a film version was ever made, he must be credited in the title, even if he were not personally involved. Marty Melcher was Day's third husband, and their marriage lasted for nearly two decades. in response to Michael's statement you said it!!! Doris sings with moving conviction and ends the song fighting back her tears. There is a lot of bad feeling surrounding the last few years of Doris life and how friends and family were pushed out, the neighbor said. I also thought i would dislike it because i never was into the circus but it was really thrilling watching all those people do stunts. Bashara has said the star specified in her will that she wanted no funeral service or grave marker, and that she wanted her fortune to go to the Doris Day Animal Foundation. Portions of the film are directed too slowly and leading man Stephen Boyd is wooden (I would have preferred Harve Presnell or even Howard Keel), but circus owner Jimmy Durante is marvelous in every scene he's in- especially where he's trying to hide an elephant!! When feeding large roundbales, not using a feeder resulted in 57% hay waste compared to 5 to 33% hay waste when a feeder was used. I love your new avatar too Miss.Maxwell Jumbo has always been in the top 3 of of my favourite Doris movies. Stephen Boyds singing voice was dubbed by Los Angeles studio singer, Jimmy Joyce. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. This film was a bit of a disaster at the box officeand rightfully so. Populated with many real circus headliners, its musical portions are quite stylish and joyful- especially "Circus On Parade," the equestrian-flavored "This Can't Be Love," and the gorgeous opening number "Over and Over Again-" which shows off 2nd unit man Busby Berkely's visual flourish.