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Please Don't Eat the Daisies [1960] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
![Please Don't Eat the Daisies [1960] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BWPANyFXL._SL160_.jpg)
Niven does quite a convincing job of playing Larry Mackay, a dashingly uppity New York theatre critic, and Day has fun portraying Kate, his attractive wife, who spends most of her time reprimanding their rambunctious children or trying to persuade her husband to move out of the city into the country in order to have more fulfilling lives. Larry is a former drama professor. Now a professional drama critic for a big New York newspaper, his first assignment is to review a very bad play produced by his best friend, Alfred North (Richard Haydn). Larry not only pans the play, he pans the leading lady, too, a glamorous Broadway star, Deborah Vaughn (Janis Paige). By doing so, he makes enemies of both people. Kate, while appearing supportive, secretly rolls her eyes behind Larry's back, wishing that he would just leave the pretentious theatrical lifestyle and spend more time with his family. Lately life for the Mackays has become a constant succession of cocktail parties, fancy nightclubs, high-priced restaurants, and mindless acquaintances. Kate feels left out, whilst Larry, intent on maintaining his integrity and popularity reluctantly drags Kate along. Lots of eccentric loveable characters float in and out of the plot, Spring Byington as Kate's mother adds a sweet, old worldly touch; Maggie the housekeeper (Patsy Kelly) is straight out of a television sitcom; and there's a plump cab driver (Jack Weston) who has just written a play and wants Larry to read it. Everything is cutesy, childlike, and innocent; with most of the drama taking place in the MacKay's New York apartment, and later, in their run-down country house. Even the children are supposed to be lovable, even though when we first meet them, they're busying themselves dropping bags of water on an unsuspecting passerby under their fourth-floor apartment window. The children constantly fight or misbehave. The youngest is so awful he has to be caged. Most viewers will probably react to this with a mixture of abhorrence and uneasy humour. Even the Mackays' dog is supposed to be lively. He has to be carried wherever they go because he refuses to walk, and he's terrified of other animals, particularly cats and squirrels. The interiors and the costumes are terrific and anyone who is studying 50's period detail would be well advised to check out this movie. And although Please Don't Eat the Daisies is not actually a musical, there are some songs. Doris gets to sing two numbers: "Please Don't Eat the Daisies," with a group of school children, and "Any Way the Wind Blows," with a small-theater company. Both are bubbly and vivacious little rhymes that are lots of fun and showcase her inimitable talents as both a singer and an actress. In addition, Day gets to hum a few bars of her signature theme, "Que Sera, Sera," when she's having dinner with Larry in an Italian restaurant. Please Don't Eat The Daisies is a cute, delightful little film, which not only gives us an insight into the social mores of the 50's, but also makes you want to watch much more of the lovely Doris Day. Mike Leonard June 05.
Our Price: £9.01 (subject to change)
"Doris Day copes with home, hubby and the mommy track!"
Review date: 2005-06-11 Rating: 8 out of 10
"Doris Day copes with home, hubby and the mommy track!"
Light and fluffy, Please Don't Eat the Daisies has nothing, at least, overtly to do with daisies, but that shouldn't stop viewers, especially Doris Day fans, from appreciating this entertaining slice of romantic film history. Based on the semi-autobiographical book by Jean Kerr, this is one of Day's best films, and her pairing with David Niven, while not as convincing as her union with Rock Hudson, is certainly interesting and provides lots of light-hearted laughs.
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Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Doris Day
Janis Paige
Spring Byington
Richard Haydn
David Niven
Creators:
Doris Day (Primary Contributor)
David Niven (Primary Contributor)
Robert J. Bronner (Cinematographer)
John McSweeney Jr. (Editor)
Joe Pasternak (Producer)
Martin Melcher (Producer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 9780790746661
Binding: DVD
ISBN: 0790746662
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2005-04-26
Universal product code (UPC): 012569519725
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 112 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1960
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: French (Dubbed)