R.I.P. Doris Day (1922-2019)

Doris Day

On May 13, 2019, actress and singer Doris Day passed away at the age of 97 in Carmel Valley Village, California. Over the course of an extensive career, she recorded over 650 songs and starred in such iconic movies as Pillow Talk and Calamity Jane. While she only received one Oscar for acting, many of her biggest hits would win Best Original Song awards, including "Que Sera Sera" (from The Man Who Knew Too Much) and "Secret Love" (from Calamity Jane). She leaves behind a massive body of work both on screen and in various recordings, including several major awards distinctions that have yet to be met. With almost a century of talent to her name, she leaves behind a career that's hard to ignore and work that shows just how talented she always was.

Day was born Doris Mary Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her mother was a homemaker and father was a choirmaster. She was the youngest of three siblings, including one who passed away before she was born. She formed an interest in dance and performed with Jerry Doherty. This all happened before she ended up in a car accident on October 13, 1937, that injured her right leg and sabotaged her dance career. In the wake of this injury, she turned to the radio for company and found solace in singing along to Ella Fitzgerald. It also inspired her family to recognize her talent. She would receive a singing coach upon her recovery that would help her form a previously unknown talent. It was also during this time that she formed a sympathy for animal rights following the death of her dog when she went for a walk. She became a lifelong advocate for animal rights and formed many groups including the Doris Day Animal Foundation. She would also become a vegetarian as a result.

When she partnered with Barney Rapp, things began to take off. For starters, he inspired her to change her stage name to Doris Day, as it flowed better on a marquee. He admired her rendition of "Day After Day." She also worked with bandleaders Jimmy James, Bob Crosby, and Les Brown. Her first hit was "Sentimental Journey," which was released in 1945 and became an anthem for demobilizing during World War II. She would love the song so much that she would rerecord it several times. This would help launch her film career following appearances on Bob Hope's radio program where she sang "Embraceable You." This lead to an appearance in the 1948 film Romance on the High Seas in 1948, which started a partnership with director Michael Curtiz. Curtiz considered her the "All-American Girl," which helped create an appeal for her in his films. She continued to produce music during this time, eventually compiling 650 songs over two decades.

She became known for her musical comedies. This included Calamity Jane in 1953, for which her song "Secret Love" won the Oscar for Best Original Song and would be Day's fourth number one single in the United States. Between 1950 and 1953, six of her movie musicals charted in the Top 10 and three of them made it to number one. She would also have a short-lived radio show from 1952 to 1953. In 1955, she would have a breakthrough in Love Me or Leave Me, which was the start of a shift towards more dramatic roles. She would star in The Man Who Knew Too Much opposite James Stewart where she sang another Oscar-winning song called "Que Sera Sera." She would return to musical comedies with The Pajama Game and would star alongside actors like Clark Gable and Jack Lemmon. She was also considered by Billboard to be the number one female vocalist nine times between 1949 and 1958. This lead to box office success between 1959 and 1968 where some of her most memorable work was made. Of her entire career, she only received one acting Oscar nomination for 1959's Pillow Talk.

The issue came when the 1960s brought with it a sexual revolution. As a lifelong conservative, Day refused to change with the times. While this lead many to criticize her as "The world's oldest virgin," and hurt her film sales, she stuck true to her vision. She turned down a role in The Graduate because she found it too smutty. Her acting career would dwindle from there as she dealt with bankruptcy and TV career that she felt lacked satisfaction. She would occasionally make specials with the hope of returning to TV, but they were all short-lived. She mostly returned to singing and would live out the latter half of her career as an animal rights advocate and accepter of honorary awards, including recognition from President George W. Bush. 

As her career continued to get into its autumn years, she would move to Carmel County and live mostly in peace. She occasionally released music during this time, of which continued to receive acclaim and sales from various fans. She was mostly a recluse during this time and gave interviews sparingly. While it has been a while since Day had any cultural cache, her work continued to inspire generations whether through film or song. Still, she left behind the idea of a clean-cut image while producing feel-good movies that proved that you didn't need smut to entertain. With an enviable career that spanned decades of hits and acclaim, it's hard to underestimate the talent and appeal of Day and her work will continue to speak for itself. Even as she faced tragedy, she found new ways to enjoy her gifts, and the world was better off for it.