The Thrill of It All (1963) User Reviews

Doris's Day

[peterzullman · 8/10 · 18 May 2010]

This is the first time I write a comment about a film. Considering that my favorite films, since I discovered the movies, are by Scorsese, Gonzalez Inarritu, Polanski, etc. What am I doing selecting a Doris Day comedy for my first review. Okay, let me tell you. I was overwhelmed by the sheer brilliance of the lady. I've always heard about Doris Day but I had never seen her (The Man Who Knew Too Much is my next one). She is extraordinary because in the midst of all the zaniness there is an unquestionable truth. I believed completely in her character I never thought for a moment she was trying to sell me something. I recognized her, I knew who her character was and then, of course, I laughed, loud and hard. So the reason that I've selected "The Thrill Of It All" as my first review is because that's what cinema is all about. Surprises and discoveries. Thank you Doris Day, you've given me something new to look forward to.

An Often Overlooked Gem from Doris Day...

[Isaac5855 · 7/10 · 14 January 2006]

Doris Day made a lot of movies that were a lot better than people knew and so many of them went practically unnoticed. A prime example was the 1963 comedy THE THRILL OF IT ALL, which starred Doris as Beverly Boyer, the wife of a doctor (James Garner), who, quite accidentally, becomes a television spokesperson for a product called "Happy Soap" and becomes an overnight celebrity much to the consternation of her husband. Day is at the height of her charm here as she is completely winning as the housewife thrown into the celebrity spotlight and doesn't really know how to handle it. Garner matches her note for note as the slightly chauvinistic husband who would rather have his wife at home. There is also a lovely supporting turn by Arlene Francis as a friend of Doris' who Doris actually helps to give birth in a cab and Carl Reiner (who also co-wrote the screenplay) has an amusing set of cameos as the star of the show where Happy Soap is advertised. A warm family comedy that showcases brilliantly why the world loved Doris Day...and still does.

A pointed satire in the guise of a 60s glossy comedy

[JasparLamarCrabb · 7/10 · 4 June 2011]

An immensely enjoyable movie. Doctor's wife Doris Day is suddenly TV's "it" girl when she starts appearing in soap commercials. Domestic mayhem ensues. Husband James Garner is none too happy and Day finds juggling home-life, work-life and instant celebrity pretty difficult. It's a pointed satire in the guise of a 60s glossy comedy directed with a very sure hand by Norman Jewison and written by the great Carl Reiner (with an assist from Larry Gelbart). Day is terrific and has plenty of chemistry with Garner. The colorful supporting cast includes Arlene Francis, Edward Andrews, Zasu Pitts as a daffy housekeeper and Reginald Owen as Day's chief benefactor. Reiner himself pops up in a series of cameos that get progressively more ridiculous. Russell Metty provided the high gloss cinematography.

Doris Day's Best Comedy!

[algernon4 · 14 August 2003]

If one of today's "actresses" gave half as good a performance as Doris Day gives in "The Thrill of it All," they'd be nominated for an Oscar. Just look at what wins Academy Awards today! Day's acting in "Thrill" is just as good, or better, than Helen Hunt in "As Good As it Gets."

Hollywood seems to have "had it in" for Doris. In this film, she was so natural, so damn good, and above all, FUNNY. She and James Garner made a handsome couple and gave this film that extra sparkle. Thanks to the clever script/screenplay by Carl Reiner, this comedy had lots to say.

I enjoyed all of the performers here. Zazu Pitts was extremely funny as Olivia, the maid. Doris has always had wonderful support in her films and this one was no exception. Arlene Francis was great as the expectant older mother and Edward Andrews deserved a best supporting Oscar nod. Why he didn't get one is beyond me. It's similar to the way the Oscars ignored Tony Randall's superb work in all three Day/Hudson flicks.

Alice Pearce ("Bewitched") was a scream as the money hungry wife during the traffic jam. This is the scene where Andrews displayed his expertise in comedy (this should have been Oscar time for him).

One of my favorite scenes in the picture was when Beverly and her Dr. husband were besieged by Bev's fans in the restaurant. Very effective and not overdone.

Day was wonderful in most of her scenes and really broke me up when she first did her soap commercial. The whole picture is a delight and director, Norman Jewison was right on target. Boy, do I wish he'd directed "Pillow Talk," for he would have kept a tight reign on Doris' tendency to get "too cutesy." Here, she was appropriately mature AND sexy.

Very touching was the scene after the baby was born in the back of the limo. Day is overwhelmed by the experience of assisting in the birth and just wants her Dr. husband to hold her. Beautiful. This one gets the highest rating in my book.

Doris Day is irresistible!

[MBunge · 7/10 · 1 June 2010]

I can't imagine there's a much better example than this film of how amazingly marvelous Doris Day could be. I'd enjoy watching her reupholster a sofa.

Beverly Boyer (Doris Day) is a happy if somewhat harried housewife. She's married to pediatrician Gerald Boyer (James Garner), has two rambunctious children (Brian Nash and Kym Karath, who couldn't have been more stereotypically "funny" movie kids if they'd had laugh tracks surgically implanted in them), bottles her own ketchup and is generally satisfied with her life. When Gerald helps a middle-aged couple conceive, he and Beverly are invited to a party where they meet the middle-aged couple's loud and crotchety father (Reginald Owen). He owns a company that manufactures Happy Soap and is so charmed by Beverly, he hires her to do a TV commercial for the product. The public falls in love with Beverly's awkward honestly and her career as a product spokeswoman takes off like a rocket. That career takes her out of just being a "doctor's wife", with hilarious complications (and I'm not using the world hilarious sarcastically). His wife's success doesn't sit all that well with Gerald, however, and he comes up with a plan to get Beverly knocked up so she has to quit working. The movie concludes with the middle-aged couple having their baby in trying circumstances and the incident pushing Beverly and Gerald to resolve their contentious struggle.

I'm not sure there's any way to overstate how wonderful Doris Day is in this movie. For the first three-fourths of the film she is the center of the story and is tremendously funny and appealing. Even when other aspects of the film feel a little contrived and phony (like her movie kids who always have something "funny" to say), Day always appears natural, real and believable as wife, mother and budding TV pitchlady. In this film, Day shows us the essence of the movie star. You just want to keep watching her, independent of whether the rest of the movie is good or not.

Which isn't to say the rest of The Thrill of It All isn't good. It's light hearted and a bit slapsticky, but it's well-written and fast moving. Some of the comedy gags are a bit over the top but most are right on target. The rest of the cast can't match Day, of course, but they're all good in their own right. There's a mischievous edge to most of the script, as though Carl Reiner understood how touchy the subject matter of this story could be in 1963 and had fun seeing how much humor he could wring out of it.

Now, the last quarter of the movie does focus more on Gerald Boyer and it sort of grinds along until its overly melodramatic conclusion. James Garner does well, but while Gerald may have been a vaguely sympathetic character in 1963…by today's standards he's pretty much a sexist pig. That the movie largely condones his selfish concern about his wife being there for him can be a bit grating and the things he does to Beverly to try and get her to quit her career are just downright mean.

Those minor quibbles don't detract from the first three-quarters of The Thrill of It All being about as much fun as any movie I've ever seen.

Undated Romantic Comedy

[willrams · 7/10 · 23 May 2003]

One of my favorite Doris Day movies with James Garner, her OB doctor husband; but the funniest scenes of all was when Arlene Francis, who plays an older woman having her first child in a taxi cab because of a traffic jam, and her hubby is running all over the place. It is still an undated romantic comedy with some great one-liners. Doris gets bored with home life and becomes a superstar TV commercial for soap products; still this is one of her best because the writers were the best; Larry Gelbart and Rob Reiner 7/10

The Virtues Of Happy Soap

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 16 August 2008]

The Thrill Of It All finds James Garner and Doris Day as typical suburban couple, two kids, big house, live-in maid, and he's a doctor. Could a girl ask for more.

But Garner's the doctor for Arlene Francis who's having one of those late in life babies and she and husband Edward Andrews are excited as all heck. He and Doris get invited to their house for a little get together where Doris spontaneously extols the virtues of Happy Soap to the delight of Reginald Owen who is Edward Andrews's father. Owen is less excited about becoming a grandfather than he is with discovering Doris whom he insists become the new Happy Soap spokeswoman.

After that it's Garner who has a really difficult time in adjusting to his wife's new found celebrity. And Doris is liking the idea of making tons of money, more than Garner's practice brings in.

This was the first of two films James Garner and Doris Day are teamed and while they never became as famous as Rock Hudson and Doris Day they certainly had good chemistry together. Both by this time were becoming pretty old hands at screen comedy.

Best sequence in the film is when the spontaneous gift of a swimming pool for Garner and Day from Reginald Owen plus several boxes of bars of Happy Soap and the chain of events caused. It's still side splitting funny after 45 years.

Owen wanted a wholesome celebrity created for Happy Soap and you can't get more wholesome than Doris Day. The film bears certain similarities to the Jack Lemmon comedy Good Neighbor Sam where company owner Edward G. Robinson sees in Jack Lemmon's family wholesome spokespeople for his dairy products.

So if you want to see Doris Day morphed into Mrs. Butterworth, The Thrill Of It All is your film. Fans of Doris and Jim will be wanting more and they soon got it.

Best Screwball Comedy of the 1960's

[missy_baxter · 10/10 · 26 June 2001]

This is a great screwball family comedy in the traditions of Bringing Up Baby, the Awful Truth and The Egg and I with James Garner marvelous in the Cary Grant role. I'm not particularly big on Doris Day, but she has never been more effective than her unforgettable portrayal of Beverly Boyer, an obstetrician's wife who just can't stay out of trouble. (Best line: I'm Beverly Boyer, and I'm a pig). There are at least five outrageous situations in this charmer that always make me smile. Edward Andrews and Arlene Francis nearly steal the film as a middle-aged couple having a baby while stuck in traffic. If you stumble acrooss this family pleaser, watch it.

Charming but frightening suburban dystopia

[totem-crawford59 · 6/10 · 27 June 2010]

Watching "The Thrill of It All" is one of those childhood memories that has some actual societal impact in retrospect. My sister and I knew this one as the "I Am a Pig" movie, and loved it. We left suburban Long Island, NY and our parents started a new life in rural New Hampshire in the mid-1960s. We laughed at the ranch houses and tiny yards that we saw in the movie, because we were reminded of what we left on Long Island, and enjoying the rural spaces of New Hampshire.

While Doris Day and James Garner seem happy and carefree, there is a frightening subtext. Doris Day will be punished for her ambitions to be something more than a housewife, and her accidental quest fame as a TV spokesperson will punish James Garner, her husband as well. This for film marks the beginning of the end for suburban bliss and the candy-coated haus frau. The film does a great job of showing the hypocrisy of suburban life and the nosy neighbors and all that comes with 1963's idea of "having it all." The film is a great artifact of a bygone era: One that died with live television, the milk man's home delivery, and the one-income family.

Comedy romance and family add up to fun and a funny film

[SimonJack · 9/10 · 22 November 2014]

Doris Day was just 18 when her only child was born. That was before her multi-layered career took off, especially with movies from the late 1940s through the 1960s. Yet she could play a tender, loving, caring mom amidst the mayhem of comedy better than any other big name star. And, the kids in all her films convinced this viewer that she was the real thing.

The two children in "The Thrill of it All," aren't played as much for laughs as in many other family comedies. Here, they are part of the family as the essence of the love that is "the thrill of it all." But there is humor in what the kids do and say at times. This film has a rare mix of comedy romance with family love and values, and the beauty of babies and having children.

Doris shines as Beverly Boyer, and James Garner is a perfect match as her husband, Dr. Gerald Boyer. The film has a wonderful cast of supporting actors with more than cursory roles. Arlene Francis gives a glowing and warm performance as Mrs. Fraleigh. She is a newly expectant mother who has wanted children for 20 years. But, the sterling performance in this film is that of Edward Andrews. As Gardiner Fraleigh, this long-time character actor gives his best performance.

It may seem strange to some people who were under age 40 at the start of the 21st century, but for the first three-fourths of the last century, most people were excited about having children. Family, friends and strangers would smile and congratulate an expecting mother. Expectant fathers might well be the nervous, anxious, excited, incoherent, and anything but calm characters as Gardiner Fraleigh appears in this film. That's why his exaggerated character will be so amusing to older men and women. We've "Been there, done that!"

Especially in situations where couples really want to have children but can't for the longest time, one can still see such excitement today. I have known several younger couples who haven't been able to have children. Most conceived after considerable time, and were elated, as are the Fraleigh's in this film. Two couples have been able to adopt children, and they have been just as happy and excited.

A scene with Mrs. Fraleigh and Dr. Boyer in his office is particularly descriptive of the time and culture. Mrs. Fraleigh, "I've been taking very long walks up and down Fifth Avenue." Dr. Boyer, "Fine! Exercise is very important." Mrs. Fraleigh, "I don't walk for the exercise. I walk to show off. I'm proud of my condition. Is that silly?" Dr. Boyer, "Silly? It's about the healthiest attitude you could have." Mrs. Fraleigh, "I don't know when I've been so happy. I guess there's nothing more fulfilling in life than having a baby. Oh, listen to me. Something you've probably heard a thousand times." Dr. Boyer, "Never stated so beautifully."

And the scene of the Fraleighs rushing to the hospital and getting caught in a traffic jam with the baby coming was not all that rare in times past. I will never forget my own experience. Our youngest daughter came quickly and unexpectedly late at night. My wife delivered her naturally, with my nervous, dazed help of just holding the baby by her feet. I called the hospital, packed mom and baby in our car and headed to the hospital about five miles away. I turned the emergency flashers on, honked my horn and broke the speed limit all the way. We didn't get a police escort but we made it safe and sound.

"The Thrill of it All" is not a comedy of many witty lines of dialog, but of humorous situations. One of the funniest sequences is when Fraleigh hustles nervously between cars in the traffic jam. He asks one irate motorist if he has a shoestring. "I'm having a baby and I need a shoestring." The motorist yells, "Get outta here."

Here are a few more funny lines. Andy, "Mom, can we play golf till lunch is ready?" Beverly, "Yes, darling. You can play in the back yard. Don't chop up the lawn like daddy."

Gerald, "Now you have finally done it." Beverly, "Done what?" Gerald, "You have finally succeeded in equating the delivery of a baby with the delivery of a commercial."

One other hilarious scene involves a phone call that passes between Dr. Boyer, Mrs. Boyer, the doctor's nurse-secretary, and the Boyer's German- speaking housekeeper. The German word for nurse is a real lulu – "krankenschwester." I would have loved to see and hear more dialog develop in that sequence. The funny incidents pile up in this movie and add up to a very amusing and enjoyable film. And, definitely a movie for the whole family.

Glossy Doris Day comedy hampered by outdated scripting

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 18 February 2001]

When housewife Doris Day gets a little taste of celebrity (doing a live TV commercial once a week) it burns her doctor-husband up. He can't stand it when she is asked for autographs, when he sees her picture on a billboard advertisement, when her fame gets them a great table in a restaurant and--most especially--the fact that she's making nearly $100K a year. But when her sponsors secretly put a swimming pool in their backyard, and the husband drives into it with his car, he's had enough! He yells at her, "Your rights as a woman are suffocating my rights as a man!" He pretends to date another woman and returns home "drunk", singing "How Dry I Am". None of this stuff belongs in a fluffball comedy. I enjoyed the satirical TV bits, all of Doris' TV commercials are highlights, the German maid is a hoot. But James Garner's role as the infuriated, jealous hubby who's had his ego bruised is an outdated drag. Doris is effervescent as usual (she's particularly good with the two cute kids in the film, and her hissy-fit after a row with Garner is to be cherished), but there's not much "Thrill" in watching Garner trying to belittle her. As for the sub-plot about an elderly couple expecting their first child...when does menopause start again? **1/2 from ****

A Doris Day Classic

[tackett-1 · 9/10 · 26 April 2004]

I LOVE this movie. It's super kitschy, especially the '60s opening graphics, and the plot is really fun. Doris Day was at her most beautiful during this time period... the fashions she wears in this film are really stunning, and even the most casual outfits are classics. The "sexist" plot does annoy me a little - and I'm over 40 - but it's pretty typical Carl Reiner fare from this era. As most may recall, he was the force behind the Dick Van Dyke Show, which also reflected this attitude between Rob & Laura. As "hip" and sexy a couple as they were, Rob still didn't want Laura to work outside the home. I wish James Garner (as Dr. Boyer) could have relaxed and enjoyed his wife's career success a little... who wouldn't want more money?? But I suppose his resistance was crucial to the storyline here. Other than these minor points, this movie remains really good entertainment, well acted and with wonderful chemistry between Garner and Miss Day. Highly recommended!

Entertaining Fluff

[kenjha · 7/10 · 10 September 2009]

A doctor's wife becomes a star of soap commercials, leading to marital strain and hilarity. Like the other comedy that Day and Garner teamed up for in 1963, "Move Over, Darling," this fluffy comedy is no classic but is entertaining. Reflecting the times, Garner is not too happy about his wife working even though she gets obscene money. Day and Garner have good chemistry. The funniest moments are Garner pretending to be drunk and Andrews going into panic mode as Francis gives birth while trapped in a traffic jam. Reiner, who wrote the screenplay, has a running gag as a TV character who gets drinks thrown in his face after getting fresh with women.

The most sexist movie I've ever seen

[clevergirlsmail · 1/10 · 13 August 2018]

This movie seems at first to be almost feminist for the time. Doris Day's character is a housewife who has always wanted to be an actress. When she finally gets a role in a soap commercial, her husband (played by James Garner) can't stand it. He believes that she should be perfectly contented with being a housewife. He gives her a tough time about not being at home constantly and she goes out of her way to try to be home. Even going to the extreme of taking photoshoots in their bedroom. James Garner's character is a doctor who delivers babies (this is important later on) and is not home very often so he is even more frustrated when she isnt there. While at the hospital he hears a woman say "there's nothing more fulfilling to a woman than having a baby. He decides he wants to get his wife pregnant but gets frustrated when he drives his car into the new pool that the wife got from her soap company. As the story progresses, the husband tries to make Doris Day's character have a break down at work but pretending to have an affair and going to great lengths to portray it as such. The wife does have a breakdown on live television and makes a fool of herself. She starts to doubt herself even more. In the end Doris helps James deliver a baby and the baby "fulfills her". She has never felt this close to her husband (because he does this every day). She decides that she wants to be a doctor's wife again (apperantly she was no longer his wife when she got a job) and leaves acting behind her.

Nobody Lost Their Temper Like Doris

[gregorybnyc · 1 June 2004]

Doris Day was one of my favorites in the 50s and 60s, even in her

final clunkers, she always rose above the material. Thankfully in

the early 60s she was at her most productive, giving really fine

comic performances that not even Goldie Hawn could match in

quality. Here's she's the attractive housewife to James Garner's

equally attractive pediatrician husband. They live in the burbs, and

at a dinner party, she's suddenly offered the opportunity to become

a pitchwoman for a line of laundry detergent. It's not a hard

job--the advertising agency simply shoots the TV spots in her

home. But Doris becomes a star, and her well-ordered life veers

completely out of control. Her mildly chauvinistic husband (typical

of the times) hates her working, taking time from him and the kids

(okay for him to be constantly busy and challenged by his work).

You need know nothing more of the plot, which involves the head

of the agency's wife giving birth in a limousine, and the by now

somewhat separated Day/Garner partnership finds their spat over

with a big embrace before the final credits.

A smart script by Carl Reiner and Doris at her comic and

glamorous best (the costumes are really gorgeous early 60s

knockouts) with wonderful chemistry supplied by hunky Garner.

The kids are cute, Arlene Francis and Edward Andrews are fine

comic foils. I've seen this movie a half a dozen times, and always

watch when it's on late-night TV. The scene where Doris finally

loses her temper over her husband's un-reasonable jealousy and

anger over his wife's career, is a howler. As she demonstrated in

all her movies with Rock Hudson, nobody can boil over in comic

rage better than the adorable Miss Day.

Day and Garner make a pleasant romantic comedy team...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 23 November 2006]

JAMES GARNER is a neglected doctor husband of DORIS DAY who dislikes what happens to his married life when she becomes a spokeswoman for a TV ad agency. Writer Carl Reiner wrote the funny script which takes pokes at advertising and TV commercials and marital discord. Both Day and Garner are at home with this type of romantic comedy and they sparkle throughout.

I wasn't particularly fond of the sub-plot involving EDWARD ANDREWS and ARLENE FRANCIS with Francis as a past her prime matron who suddenly becomes a gleeful gal when she finds out she's pregnant. And the scene in a traffic jam as they make a desperate dash for the hospital is a bit overdone, to say the least, but, hey, this was the 1960s and was there ever a Doris Day comedy that wasn't a bit on the over-the-top side? Day, of course, looks glamorous in a series of stunning gowns and Garner was at his handsomest with a full head of dark curly hair and looking very much like the matinée idol he was at that time.

Pleasant enough and good for a few chuckles, but nothing special. But for fans of DORIS DAY and JAMES GARNER, this one is worth a peek.

It could have been better...still, it's worth seeing despite its flaws.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 31 March 2021]

"The Thrill of It All" is a rather frustrating film. Although it has a neat story idea and could have been a very funny movie, the main crisis in the film is so blown out of proportion that you can't help but think the story was way overdone and some subtlety would have really improved the film tremendously.

When the story begins, the Boyers (Doris Day and James Garner) appear to be a reasonably happy suburban couple. He's an OB/GYN and she's a stay at home mom who loves her kids (even though the oldest is pretty annoying). However, when she is by chance discovered by the owner of a soap company, she's asked to make a commercial for the company...and is a huge success. Soon, she's the main spokesperson for the company and she's earning much, much more than her husband.

Problems soon develop. One is that the husband is a Neanderthal who claims it's okay for his wife to have a career...until she has one. Another is a long series of problems which crop up....nearly all of which seem contrived and not actually serious problems for any normal family. But here in the film, it's all kooky and earth shattering...and the marriage is soon on the skids.

Subtlety is certainly a major problem with the movie and having tiny things continually turning into huge things impacted on my liking the film. As for the sexism, well, it was made in the 1960s and although Garner's character is an unlikable jerk, he is a 1960s male jerk who must be the only breadwinner or else his fragile ego cannot handle it. This is rather funny considering the film does star Doris Day, a woman who CONSTANTLY worked from the 1940s well into the 1970s supporting her various husbands.

Overall, an enjoyable domestic comedy but not one that really stands out due to some writing issues which makes it seem more like a sitcom than a movie. The concept of 'less is more' would really have helped this one. Oddly, however, I did really like seeing the writer (Carl Reiner) playing in various bad TV shows throughout the movie...this was pretty clever.

Charming but somewhat dated comedy

[dutchess84 · 7/10 · 9 December 2009]

Doris Day (Beverly Boyer in this movie) never fails to entertain and charm me. And in this movie she is, as always, her wonderful beguiling self - portraying a convincing and fun couple with ever cute James Garner.

However, as a working girl, i did find this movie a little too dated to thoroughly enjoy it. Dr.Boyer's (Garner) objections to his wife's chosen career, the complications of managing a job and a family (with live-in housekeeper!), his damaged ego when he's being referred to as Miss Beverly and party, etc. etc. It just didn't really capture my attention.

Though i did think it was more entertaining than 'Lover come back', which depended way too much on the success of 'Pillow Talk' in my opinion, or the somewhat boring 'Send me no flowers'. Compared to Day's earlier work, such as the excellent (more dramatic) 'Love me or leave me', 'Pillow Talk', 'Billy Rose's Jumbo' or 'Don't eat the Daisies', these mid 60's comedies just seem a bit easy...

But let's not forget the costumes, art direction, acting (Arlene Francis), hair (!), etc. are all impeccable. And it might add a fun (1963) view of 60's Advertising, especially when compared to the current 'Mad Men' frenzy.

And don't miss Kym Karath (Maggie Boyer), better known as Gretl in The Sound of Music!

Move over, darling Rock, you've got a rival for Doris's best leading man.

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 16 May 2019]

Of course, Doris Day made half-a-dozen musicals with Gordon MacRae in the early 1950's at Warner Brothers. Then there were two with Cagney, and the three with Rock Hudson. But the two films she made with James Garner are two of my favorite films of hers, and "The Thrill of It All" is just as good as "Pillow Talk", the best of her three with Rock.

Doris plays a housewife and mother, married to baby doctor James Garner, suddenly thrust into the limelight when she becomes the spokesperson for a shampoo and soap. This means that she spends more time on commercial sets and in photo shoots then she does with her husband and children, and this drives husband Garner batty. A misunderstanding has housekeeper zasu Pitts storming out in the middle of the night, and the German housekeeper they hire to replace her barely understands English. Garner decides that the only way to win her back is to make her think that he's seeing another woman on the side, but circumstances bring them back together in the most hysterical of ways.

Rather than open with a normal Doris Day song over the credits, there is a title song but it is sung by a chorus. That is after a hysterical prologue where the aging Arlene Francis giddily saunters up an elevator to give husband Edward Andrews some amazing news. She's one of Garner's patients, and having him and day over for dinner leads her to convince her father, veteran actor Reginald Owen, that she is the right spokeswoman for his product.

The mixture of romantic misunderstandings and farce (especially a sequence involving a suds filled swimming pool) will keep you entertained from start to finish. Familiar character actors pop in and out, among them Burt Mustin as Owen's drunken butler, Elliot Reid as Doris's agent and Ellis Pierce as a member of a caravan of cars stuck in a traffic jam. This film is hysterical from start to finish and has a very amusing finale that is quite risque considering that there was still a strict production code and the ending indicated exactly what was about to happen.

Doris Day is not your common housewife.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 27 March 2006]

An hilarious comedy directed by Norman Jewison and penned by Carl Reiner and Larry Gelbart. A successful obstetrician Dr. Gerald Boyer(James Garner)has trouble brewing in his suburban household. His attractive, perky wife Beverly(Doris Day)and mother of two, is approached by the Happy Soap Company to hawk their product on television. Her ill at-ease delivery is seen as charming and gains her a $30,000 a year job. The doc is really having a hard time dealing with his wife's new busy schedule. Some amusing situations. My favorite is when the convertible ends up in the new swimming pool. A real fine supporting cast includes: Arlene Francis, Edward Andrews, Elliott Reid, Reginald Owen and Zasu Pitts. THE THRILL OF IT ALL is a little wacky, full of fun and truly wholesome.

A GREAT TAKE ON THE ADVERTISING BIZ

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 28 November 2021]

Of course, any movie to have Arlene Francis (from WHATS MY LINE? Tv fame) open a movie, announcing she's pregnant, is over the top! Leave it all to comedy writer Carl Reiner in one outrageous stab at tv advertising campaigns. And, surprisingly, its still potent stuff; hint: the advertising game never gets old. More over, some of the gags and ideas in this film could be re-hashed on the small screen today. In the middle of the proverbial madness is everyday housewife and mom Doris Day, happily married to doctor James Garner... until fame and fortune butt in and she becomes a tv commercial super star! Oh, the humanity! This is a pretty funny story, though stretched for comedy sake, however, when you think about it, this movie is very relatable when you take into consideration today's overnight YOUTUBE stars! Top notch supporting cast, including veterans ZaSu Pitts and Alice Pearce doing what they always do. And Edward Andrews, as Francis's husband, is welcome in any comedy. Norman Jewison next directed Day and Rock Hudson in the hilarious SEND ME NO FLOWERS. Both films make a super duper double feature, and embolden the statement that Doris Day remains a CLASS ACT.

an enjoyable comedy with an unpleasant message

[myriamlenys · 7/10 · 17 August 2018]

One of the better Doris Day-comedies, well-made and enjoyable. It contains quite a few good scenes, such as the disastrous first commercial or the domestic crisis involving giant amounts of soap suds. There are a few possible inconsistencies here and there, such as the fact that a lady gets pregnant at an age where most women have gone through menopause, but still, these things happen.

However, I was far from charmed by the underlying message with regard to women. Beverly Boyer (the character played by Doris Day) is very much like one of these miniature ballerina dolls on top of music boxes, who dance for a few minutes and then disappear. She has her little moment in the sun and then it's back to a life of housewifely duties and suburban gentility, mainly because her husband can't cope with the idea (horror of horrors !) that he might have to wait ten minutes before getting dinner. Or else - my hand trembles as I type this - he might come home and discover that his martini was improperly chilled !

One does not need to be called Joanna Russ in order to realize there's a lot of contempt towards women hidden here. In case you doubt this, feel free to watch the scene where the said lady of mature years is about to give birth to her child inside a car. Beverly Boyer, a woman who has given birth herself, can console and assist her, but it is the male obstetrician who delivers the child, after riding to the rescue like a knight in shining armour. Aaah, poor silly women, they try their best - but when things get real, it's only a man who can save the day...

For clarity's sake, I'm not attacking male obstetricians, doctors or gynecologists - everyone who undertakes long and difficult studies in order to perform a responsible and socially useful job deserves the utmost respect. What I do dislike, is the idea that only males could or should become obstetricians, doctors or gynecologists, with females spending their time on preparing little lobster cocktails for posh dinner parties. I also object to the idea that women are complete ninnies who know bupkas about deliveries or first aid.

You might object that I'm looking at an older movie with the eyes of someone living in 2018. This is true, of course, but there is something mean-spirited and dismissive about the movie's intent which must have felt unpleasant even half a century ago.

Details about this film

[bpklaw · 10/10 · 8 March 2016]

Did anyone notice that Buddy Hackett was one of the guys cleaning out the pool on the construction team after the detergent.

Beverly's kid is strikingly similar to Ron Howard and this is the same era as the "Music Man."

A 1958 Cheverolet convertible (Impala) while still in style in 1963 is now iconic, much more than an '63 Imperial. Water damage ruins everything. In today's market we would say that was car murder!

James Garner and Doris Day are quite special by today's standards.

This film was avant guard for woman's rights to be treated equally. In 1963 this was quite a step forward

Bubble's Galore

[BumpyRide · 6/10 · 23 June 2005]

This can be dismissed as another Doris Day trifle, and it pretty much is light and fluffy, but it does entertain. Doris and James Garner make quite the attractive couple, and the script is miles ahead of their second film, "Move Over Darling." They even appear to genuinely like each other. That can't be said over the unbelievable pregnancy of Arlene Francis and her limp wristed husband. She was 56! And did any one else think it odd that she's giving birth in a taxi and once the kid pops out she looks ready to go to dinner and the opera? She didn't even look pregnant much less being in the throes of labor. I think the only explanation to let everyone in the audience know what was going on was for her to say, "I think it's time!" Not, "I think my water broke!" To make matters worse James Garner rides to her rescue on a horse! Now that I think about this, this movie isn't as entertaining as I thought!

Sexism in a pretty package

[VirginiaK_NYC · 2/10 · 14 August 2010]

The period right before the sexual revolution of the 60s seems to have produced some movies with an astonishing degree of hatred of women as themes, almost as if America's collective unconscious knew that women were about to take charge of their lives and had to put up a fight. This is one of them. Even though she is provided with a really lovely wardrobe (oddly - or not - at least half the items in it are in the lingerie category -- things you wear only inside the house), Doris Day here plays the infantilized chattel of her handsome, boorish doctor husband, James Garner.

She's offered a job as a spokeslady for a soap company looking for a wholesome image, and when she starts to enjoy it, her husband does everything he can to ruin things for her and mess with her head. This is nothing like the sparring of previous eras, among pairs of people like Katherine Hepburn, Myrna Loy, Rosalind Russell, Barbara Stanwyck, and whoever they were dealing with. Here Doris Day is sweet, sincere, and childish -- she can't figure out what $1500 a week would amount to for a year!! -- her husband holds all the power, clearly needs to give her permission to do things, and is not above psychopathy. These games are no fun when only one player has any adult power.