After directing Doris Day in 1963's still-hilarious "The Thrill of It All!", Norman Jewison showed similar comic sensibilities with this screwball 1964 marital farce complemented by a sharp screenplay by longtime veteran Julius Epstein. This one represents something of a departure in that Day and Rock Hudson, in their third and last pairing, play a married couple from the outset. As George and Judy Kimball, they are a happily married suburban couple hamstrung by his persistent hypochondria. Convinced that he is dying after a regular check-up, George spends the rest of the story preparing for what he thinks will be his imminent death, including setting up Judy with her next husband, a former suitor whom they literally run into at their country club.
Unlike the previous two films, Hudson actually dominates this movie, and he is in peak comic form with a dryly funny turn as George. With her glamour minimized in favor of her homespun likability, Day is relegated to the role of the confused wife here, though she has funny moments along the way. Randall steals practically all his scenes as devoted neighbor Arnold constantly in a drunken stupor in his premature bereavement over George's departure, and Paul Lynde has a riotous scene as an overly zealous memorial park director. This one may lack the will-she-won't-she dilemma of the first two films, 1959's "Pillow Talk" and 1961's "Lover Come Back" and is usually dismissed as a domestic comedy, but I think the set-up is genuinely clever and the laughs well-earned. The only extra on the 2005 DVD is the original theatrical trailer. For those interested in all three films, your best bet is to purchase the bargain-priced "Doris Day and Rock Hudson Comedy Collection".
Unlike the previous two films, Hudson actually dominates this movie, and he is in peak comic form with a dryly funny turn as George. With her glamour minimized in favor of her homespun likability, Day is relegated to the role of the confused wife here, though she has funny moments along the way. Randall steals practically all his scenes as devoted neighbor Arnold constantly in a drunken stupor in his premature bereavement over George's departure, and Paul Lynde has a riotous scene as an overly zealous memorial park director. This one may lack the will-she-won't-she dilemma of the first two films, 1959's "Pillow Talk" and 1961's "Lover Come Back" and is usually dismissed as a domestic comedy, but I think the set-up is genuinely clever and the laughs well-earned. The only extra on the 2005 DVD is the original theatrical trailer. For those interested in all three films, your best bet is to purchase the bargain-priced "Doris Day and Rock Hudson Comedy Collection".