There are good comic parts in the film, but sadly not enough. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. She loved her career, worked with class, elegance and was grounded in acting, music, and dance. Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and Great Songs. Barbara Stanwyck, whose talent, blue eyes and pulsating voice made her a dominant presence during 60 years of stage, screen and television appearances, died Saturday of heart failure. In his 1991 book "On The Run," Wills wrote that Day was a lovely woman with whom he was romantically involved. But, DeVita admitted, The story with the grandson is so weird . Jimmy Durante owns the little circus with the big elephant in Billy Roses Jumbo (1962). Doris Day and husband Barry Comden at the Pierre Hotel in 1976 | Source: Getty Images. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then transferred in 1865 to London Zoo in England. Portions of the film are directed too slowly and leading man Stephen Boyd is wooden (I would have preferred Harve Presnell or even Howard Keel), but circus owner Jimmy Durante is marvelous in every scene he's in- especially where he's trying to hide an elephant!! JUMBO might be silly (actually very deliberately silly, therein much of the enjoyment) but it is genuinely beautiful to look at and easy to enjoy. The Rodgers & Hart tunes included the now-iconic "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" first sung by the person who dubbed Boyd to Ms. Day before Durante sung his verison to Ms. Raye of which the latter version was the most touching even with the kind of voice Durante had! . Written by Colin Tinto . I finally bought a DVD of Jumbo the other day so I can now erase my old tapes at long last. Well, Im not a star even though they thought I looked like one. Melcher died from a heart attack in 1968, leaving his widow to recuperate from the financial and mental damage he had done to her. . However, there were several reasons why their secret relationship was frowned upon and tagged as taboo. She would only want to talk about [her] dogs or hear about what fan mail she had.. Doris Day made famous Oscar winning song "Secret Love" in the film "Calamity Jane." This incredibly gifted actress and singer ushered in the award . "Billy Rose's Jumbo" opened in New York at Radio City Music Hall during a newspaper strike and a snow storm which made the film suffer at the box office. She found him interesting because he looked like a former flame and co-star whom she had loved. ). Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962) is one of the last musicals to emerge from MGM's illustrious stable. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The music from Rodgers and Hart was generally excellent, but much of the rest of the film left a lot to be desired. by BabeWilliams 12 May 2008, 16:40, Unread post Maybe that's because she saw herself as bit of a tomboy, as a young girl. Do you need underlay for laminate flooring on concrete? The Wonder Circus comes to a town in the Midwest with its featured attraction, Jumbo the elephant. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. It is set in shadows of blue with varied dramatic camera angles, which add to the impact of the songs lyrics. Obviously Doris didn't do all her own stunts but I heard she did some - and you can't see the joins - amazing they found someone so close to her build that you can't tell the difference. Doris Day's final musical role was in Jumbo which finally came to the screen almost 30 years after it played at the legendary Hippodrome Theater for 233 performances in 1935. . Did Barbara Stanwyck have blue eyes? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Billy Rose's Jumbo is solidly directed with a relatively light touch. Rather, it was because Melcher was great at manipulating his celebrity wife. As a result a lot of folks have dismissed this one, but I find it to be one of the best exhibitions of a specialized art form- namely, the circus. The plot mainly concerns Durante's Wonder Circus and a rival company of which many of Durante's cast and crew go to the other one because of financial concerns. Mary Anne Barothy was Doris Day's personal secretary for four years in the 1970s. Sam, however, has fallen in love with Kitty and has a guilty conscience about what he has done. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. How much hay is wasted when not using a feeder? I love your new avatar too Miss.Maxwell Jumbo has always been in the top 3 of of my favourite Doris movies. To Day, the media ran stories based on a first glance; they did not take time to investigate, leading them to make assumptions about relationships that never existed. [2] Production was held up due to litigation. You can sometimes get a glimpse of wires helping her fly through the air, but other times its just her own skill and strength, and that of the other dancers, that keep her from hitting the ground. Indeed, Day would have wanted nothing to do with the chaos. And I love "Why Can't I?" Today, Jumbo is counted among the great circus films such as The Greatest Show on Earth, Trapeze, Carnival Story and Circus World. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. She starred in a television sitcom called 'The Doris Day Show' from 1968-1973. Doris has a great scene in a pool hall during a crap game when she tries to win back the circus payroll her father has gambled away. Wonderful Doris Day and Jimmy Durante 1962 film dealing with a circus family. I love this film. However, their relationship was plagued with physical violence, and Jorden was a philanderer. . She had six or seven close friends, who, for the most part, were still there when she died. or redistributed. In conclusion, a pleasure to watch and recommended for Rodgers/Hart and Doris Day fans. Wills later trained as a baseball instructor and worked as a broadcast analyst for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. your own Pins on Pinterest. Aside from Boyd the performances are very good. Jumbo is self-explanatory. Their marriage lasted for five years. Tino joins the circus, and manages to covince Mike to teach him the 'triple'. Doris Day smiling as she signs her name in cement by her handprints, in Hollywood, Calif., Jan. 19, 1961. Circus showman P.T. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He was a good looking hunk, but no singer and had no special charisma to match that of Doris. His great passion for the art of acting often times got him into trouble with the executives in the movie industry. A wonderfully warm-hearted MGM musical about circus rivalries, based on showman Billy Roses Broadway extravaganza that actually featured an elephant on stage. by BabeWilliams 12 May 2008, 17:30, Unread post Nov 16, 2021 05:20 P.M. Doris Day, who holds the title of the number one female box-office star, was involved in a secret interracial affair with baseball legend Maury Wills when they were both married; before her death, she denied the allegations. Great songs employed to only modest effect in an otherwise forgettable musical, A big-budgeted circus-locale musical with wonderful dances , hilarious shows and charming songs, Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and Stephen Boyd star in the wonderful Billy Rose's Jumbo, Durante and Raye are great, but everything else is atrocious, If you love Doris and you love the 1950's musicals, you will love JUMBO. Today. Throughout the film looks beautiful with lots of colour. and Day gets to sing two Rogers and Hart classics, This Cant Be Love and Little Girl Blue. According to Charley Cullen Walters, Days publicist for the past decade, it was the stars decision not to see Ryan. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. In one sequence . She did all her own stunts, too, which was quite a feat in what is an enormously athletic role. Did Doris Day do her own stunts in Calamity Jane? I watched it in the auditorium of my public school in Queens in the 1963 - not in a movie house. She [originally] thought being married was the way to live, but said it was so confined.. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But thankfully, he was able to undergo therapy successfully. The lovers were also married at the time. Billy Rose's Jumbo is a 1962 American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante, and Martha Raye. Billy Rose's Jumbo is a 1962 American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante, and Martha Raye. Populated with many real circus headliners, its musical portions are quite stylish and joyful- especially "Circus On Parade," the equestrian-flavored "This Can't Be Love," and the gorgeous opening number "Over and Over Again-" which shows off 2nd unit man Busby Berkely's visual flourish. Jimmy Durante is absolutely brilliant as a clown on the ladder, I just so enjoy watching him in that segment - I think he is a hoot! According to a People magazine profile of the actresses, the two ended up living down the street from one another. The book revealed . You are invited to rate and comment on the 39 films of Doris Day. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I agree with Miss Maxwell. He died in January 1980 in Santa Monica, California. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. I thought when they were lifted off the ground by there mouth was neat and the horse rider for (this can't be love) was amazing i wish i could do that on my horse!! Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. by Kitty 15 May 2008, 05:50, Unread post In 1950 it was announced Arthur Freed would produce and Howard Keel and Jimmy Durante would star. And the staging of it is so perfect. Somewhere along the line, it seems Doris forgot her birthday and for quite some time said she was born in 1924. . Owner, John Noble, plants his son, Sam, among the Wonder clan to obtain inside information in order to hasten the proposed coup. She is terrific as always, he's a damn good singer, and of course with Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye and an elephant how could it fail? All of the circus acts were wonderful but I wish I knew which was Doris and which was not. Ms. Day and Ms. Raye also had a nice duet on "Why Can't I?" Miss Day was the perfect choice to play the lovely Kitty Wonder, co-owner of the Wonder Circus. Wills was born into a large family, including twelve other siblings. Doris Day said that this was one of her favorite musicals. It's also the ideal word to describe this big-time big-top extravaganza bursting with laughter and love song and dance circus stunts and star power.Radiant Doris Day sings beloved Rodgers and Hart tunes and does her own horseback riding tricks in a dazzle-dazzle musical based on Billy Rose's stage spectacular and featuring circus sequences directed by Busby Berkeley. When feeding large roundbales, not using a feeder resulted in 57% hay waste compared to 5 to 33% hay waste when a feeder was used. It was pretty enjoyable, but with a certain lack of depth or character. According to MGM accounts, the film earned $2.5 million in the US and Canada and $1.5 million overseas, but because of its high cost recorded a loss of $3,956,000. That was a huge loss for her.. THE FILMS OF DORIS DAY. There is also Stephen Boyd. With Day, Durante and Raye, one would expect some comedy and slapstick. Doris Day, as Durante's daughter, is a bareback rider in a tutu who is obviously not doing her own stunts. The movie star was rumored to have entangled herself with Lakers icon Elgin Baylor and the popular Sly Stone. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. I wish that Doris would have had long hair for real she looks so beautiful with her long hair "My Romance" is a classic romantic ballad and Doris does it full justice. Since this was Boyd's next film after BEN HUR do you realize that an advertisement could actually say "Stephen Boyd star of BEN HUR now in his biggest film: JUMBO" and it would actually make sense that JUMBO was indeed bigger than BEN HUR.!! Three ring pandemonium breaks out when a handsome rival (Stephen Boyd) infiltrates the circus, and father, daughter and wise cracking fiancee (Martha Raye) are suddenly at risk of losing the entire circus. She had a lot of tragedy., People think, because of Doris movies, she was always happy-go-lucky. His achievements earned him awards and mentions, including being inducted into the Washington, D.C. Sports Hall of Fame. Indeed the song, "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" is sublime, but would you get the feeling it would befit a better movie. She would only want to talk about [her] dogs or hear about what fan mail she had., Doris spent most of her last 10 years in her bedroom or the kitchen. by daybyday08 12 May 2008, 16:05, Unread post That was a huge loss for her., The worst thing was when her son, Terry, died. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Very beautiful. . Nice syrupy stuff if you're in the mood with some laughs along the way. This film was a bit of a disaster at the box officeand rightfully so. Feb 2, 2012. Unlikely co-star Stephen Boyd, still hot from Ben-Hur, also acquits himself surprisingly well, but then he does get to sing a lilting The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. Other comments will rave about Doris Day and moan about Stephen Boyd and they are all very right. Kitty, Pop and his longtime fiance Lulu go off on their own, forming a traveling carnival, but it isn't quite the same. Just clear tips and lifehacks for every day. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. His achievements ranged from leading his team to victory in the Nation League pennant to scoring impressively against strong teams like Chicago White Sox, playing in 14-big League seasons, retiring with a .281 batting average and 2,134 hits. Director Norman Jewison, who worked with Day on 1963's The Thrill of It All and Send Me No Flowers, also talked about Doris' surprising view on her obvious good looks. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. They stop and she finishes the song just in time to kiss her lover passionately. For the Broadway musical, see, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Billy_Rose%27s_Jumbo&oldid=1138198214, This page was last edited on 8 February 2023, at 14:31. Mike DeVita was a fan of Days for 60 years, and the pair swapped more than 500 letters, exchanging very personal details of their lives. On April 2, 2007, Robert Osborne of TCM, introducing the MGM film Fearless Fagan (1952) directed by Stanley Donen, said that Donen was due to direct Jumbo right after Singin' in the Rain in 1952. I have tried to fight the system and do things my way, but I havent been able to. Do you need underlay for laminate flooring on concrete? Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The film was Doris Day's last screen musical. A few years later, they became husband and wife, before adding the title of parents to the mix, when they welcomed their only child, Terry. by jmichael 12 May 2008, 18:46, Unread post Rather like his Pop Wonder role in Jumbo he married his second wife, Marjorie Little after a 16-year courtship when she was 39 and he was 67. Jump for Joy it's Jumbo! She was married four times during her lifetime, and despite her undying gorgeousness and talent, she did not enjoy the kind of love she desired. Of course, Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye were veteran entertainers of the vaudeville style. But I dont want her to be remembered for these tragedies.. ), In the last 20 years of her life, all she cared about was her animals, said the neighbor. Doris Day. This is a wonderfully entertaining film. P.T. I will admit that there seems to be an audience for this musical, based on the fact that it managed to get a release on the Blu-ray format. His journey to fame began in the 1950s when he became a part of "The Dodgers" team. The story revolves around a circus owner (Jimmy Durante star of the 1935 Broadway original) with only two real attractions: his daughter (day) and popular pachyderm Jumbo. Stephen Boyd's singing voice was dubbed by Los Angeles studio singer, Jimmy Joyce. While her relationship with Baylor and Stone might be under probability, sources prove that she was indeed smitten with Willsthese two had a connection deeper than being a fan of each other's crafts. He was a wonderfully versatile actor who could switch from Messala to Sam Rawlins in a heartbeat. Day and Boyd may be a little old to play girl and boy falling in love but somehow it works. Doris Day, as Durantes daughter, is a bareback rider in a tutu who is obviously not doing her own stunts. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. 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