''The Thrill of It All'' is a 1963 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film directed by

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (born July 21, 1926) is a retired Canadian film and television director, producer, and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. He has directed numerous feature films and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...

and starring

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

and

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...

, with a supporting cast featuring

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

Arlene Francis Arlene Francis (born Arline Francis Kazanjian; October 20, 1907 – May 31, 2001) was an American actress, radio and television talk show host, and game show panelist. She is known for her long-running role as a panelist on the television game s ...

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs. Career The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...

and

ZaSu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...

. The screenplay was written by

from a story by

Larry Gelbart Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series ''M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the B ...

. Reiner had originally conceived the project for Judy Holliday, who developed cancer and had to bow out of the project, according to Reiner's reminiscence during his videotaped "

Archive of American Television The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (formerly titled the Archive of American Television) is a project of the nonprofit Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, that records interviews with notable ...

" interview.

Plot

The story centers around suburban housewife Beverly Boyer and her husband, a successful

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgic ...

and devoted family man, Gerald. Beverly is offered the opportunity to star in a

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

commercial advertising Happy Soap. After a shaky start, she gets a contract for nearly $80,000 per year (about $ in ) to appear in weekly TV commercials. Soon the soap company places greater and greater demands on the unlikely TV star. Gerald resents the fact that the appearances are taking up an increasing amount of her time, and becomes jealous of the level of attention that her new-found stardom has brought her. Their relationship slowly deteriorates, and Gerald leaves her after unintentionally driving his 1958 Chevrolet convertible into the surprise swimming pool the soap company built where their garage used to be. Gerald later returns, employing psychological warfare to make Beverly jealous by pretending that he is drinking and carousing with multiple women. After a harrowing, bonding experience involving an expectant couple with whom they have become friendly, Beverly decides to give up her lucrative career and return to her "philandering" husband and her life as a housewife and mother.

Cast

as Beverly Boyer *

as Dr. Gerald Boyer *

as Mrs. Fraleigh * Edward Andrews as Gardiner Fraleigh *

as Old Tom Fraleigh *

as Olivia * Elliott Reid as Mike Palmer *

Alice Pearce Alice Pearce (October 16, 1917 – March 3, 1966) was an American actress. She was brought to Hollywood by Gene Kelly to reprise her Broadway performance in the film version of '' On the Town'' (1949). Pearce played comedic supporting roles in ...

as Irving's Wife *

Kym Karath Kym Karath is an American former actress, best known for her role as Gretl, the youngest of the Von Trapp children in ''The Sound of Music''. Career Kym Karath was born in Los Angeles, California, and started her career at the age of 4, when ...

as Maggie Boyer * Brian Nash as Andy Boyer * Lucy Landau as Mrs. Goethe * Paul Hartman as Dr. Taylor *

Burt Mustin Burton Hill "Burt" Mustin (February 8, 1884 – January 28, 1977) was an American character actor.Obituary ''Variety'', February 2, 1977, page 94. Over the course of his career, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions. He a ...

as the Fraleighs' butler

, one of the two screenwriters of the film, makes brief appearances as a character actor appearing on TV in various nasty roles (World War II German Officer / Cad / Western Gunslinger).

Production

The film was announced in 1962. Hunter wanted to reunite Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald by having them play support parts.FILMMAKER TALKS ABOUT 5 PROJECTS: Hunter, Here in Visit, Tells of MacDonald-Eddy Plan 'Tammy Takes Over' Is Next Joanne Woodward to Star British Film Opens Today 7 Vie for Golden Laurel Albert Lamorisse Visits By HOWARD THOMPSON. New York Times 16 May 1962: 33. Doris Day and James Garner played the leads as a married couple in another theatrical film later that same year titled '' Move Over, Darling'', a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sam ...

of the

Irene Dunne Irene Dunne (born Irene Marie Dunn; December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is best known for her comedic roles, though she performed in films of other gen ...

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

movie ''

My Favorite Wife ''My Favorite Wife'' (released in the U.K. as ''My Favourite Wife'') is a 1940 screwball comedy produced by Leo McCarey and directed by Garson Kanin. The picture stars Irene Dunne as a woman who, after being shipwrecked on a tropical island for ...

'' (1940). ''The Thrill of It All'' and ''Move Over, Darling'' were almost equally huge box office hits, with the first film released in July and the second opening on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

Reception

''The Thrill of It All'' was the 16th biggest hit of the year, grossing $11,779,093 domestically. It earned $6 million in US theatrical rentals. Garner wrote the film was "better than it should have been... because of Doris."

References

External links

* * * *
''The Thrill of It All''
at

Trailers from Hell ''Trailers from Hell'' (branded as ''Trailers from Hell!'') is a web series in which filmmakers discuss and promote individual movies through commenting on their trailers. While the series emphasizes horror, science fiction, fantasy, cult, and expl ...