(1968), Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door by David Kaufman. Jumbo is a mighty talented elephant. [left] Portrait of Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Maury Wills wearing his uniform and holding a baseball bat over his shoulder, 1960s. From the circus scenes to those wonderful musical numbers (My Romance, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, This Can't Be Love) this just shines. Doris Day, as Durante's daughter, is a bareback rider in a tutu who is obviously not doing her own stunts. Sam, however, has fallen in love with Kitty and has a guilty conscience about what he has done. Nice syrupy stuff if you're in the mood with some laughs along the way. Seven months later, on Aug. 9, 1969, several Manson family members murdered Sharon Tate and four other victims at Melchers former home. On the other hand, Boyd did come across as a believable lead circus performer. Wills later trained as a baseball instructor and worked as a broadcast analyst for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. As for the songs, while they are not awful, they are not very memorable (though the song "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" has its moments.) 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. American actress and singer Doris Day, circa 1945. 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. 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. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! She had two brothers, Richard, who died before she was born and Paul, a few years older. They stop and she finishes the song just in time to kiss her lover passionately. The Broadway show Jumbo opened on November 16, 1935, and was the last musical produced at the New York Hippodrome before it was demolished in 1939. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. He's also engaged to the sad -eyed spinster and fortune teller, Lulu (Martha Raye). Billy Roses Jumbo is a 1962 American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante, and Martha Raye. Having previously watched and enjoyed this movie on VHS tape during the '90s, I just watched this again with Mom on DVD. Barnum, wrote historian Luc Sante, embodied a unique combination of the showman, the preacher, the con artist, the speculator and the politicianthe epitome of his era and a model for future generations. Barnum was the founding father of American pop culture, a commodity he exported, turning showbiz into a global industry. 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. I would say that about "The Greatest Show on Earth" (despite its Oscar) and "Circus World"and I would certainly say that about "Billy Rose's Jumbo". 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.!! Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It does not store any personal data. MGM bought the rights to the musical soon after it reached the stage. Although she had stopped making movies, the actress was forced to make The Doris Day Show, on CBS, to pay off her debts. 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. 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. It all works out in the end, lovers marry, scoundrels fess up and get second chances. I love the music, the romantic colourful feel of the movie, the great circus acts and most of all Doris herself because I think she is more beautiful in this than in any other of her movies. your own Pins on Pinterest. 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. She did, however, walk away with the evenings coveted Worlds Most Popular Film Actress accolade again. (They don't make 'em like this anymore kids. Then a guard stops them, yelling, "Where are you going with that elephant?!" based on the musical play produced by, at the New York Hippodrome / stage producer. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The latter is a dramatic presentation performed among the deserted tents after the loss of the circus and the beloved, Jumbo. Discover (and save!) I think my favorite though is "Little Girl Blue" which Doris performs so heartbreakingly. "My Romance" and "The Most Beautiful Girl in The World" are both gorgeous. He last received a letter from the star in April. Kitty Wonder (Day) and Pop Wonder (Durante) take a bow in Billy Roses Jumbo. The orchestral score by MGM arranger Roger Edens with Rodgers and Hart songs is truly sensational and as such adds a jumbo sized level of thorough professional musical lushness. Beach Boy frontman Mike Love claimed in his memoir, Good Vibrations, that Day may have saved her son from being murdered by Charles Manson who had pitched Terry, a music producer, some of his songs. What do scientists find out when they look at fossils? James Joyce, as Boyd's dubber, did a fine job with the introductory tune in the first scene, a perfect number for Robert Goulet. Hes always been very careful to follow Doris wishes to support the foundation, said Walters. 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. The title character, a prancing pachyderm, does not seem interested at all in its performance. Shortly after, in 2014, Day made her last public appearance at an event for her foundation. William H. Daniels photographs and it's a Panavision/Metrocolor production out of MGM. Doris was very trusting. Her grandparents were all German immigrants. All of the circus acts were wonderful but I wish I knew which was Doris and which was not. . Jump for Joy it's Jumbo! One day we were talking about her husbands, and she said, Boy, I know how to pick em, dont I? Johnson recalled. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Stephen Boyd was born William (Billy) Millar 4 July 1931 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. [2] Production was held up due to litigation. It was one of the first musical films I ever saw. In fact, the movie kept one of Durante's classic moments of stage comedy. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Circus showman P.T. Yes, I knowI just wanted to say that. Doris Day and her producer husband Martin Melcher tried to bring back the classic MGM musical with Billy Rose's Jumbo, a lavish 1962 adaptation of the legendary Broadway spectacle.If they didn't re-create the glorious box-office results of the past, it certainly wasn't for lack of trying -- or achievement. I later learned that [Bashara] had fired all the longstanding members on my grandmas Foundation board and appointed his direct family as the new board members. (Associated Press), There is a lot of bad feeling surrounding the last few years of Doris life and how friends and family were pushed out.. There are good comic parts in the film, but sadly not enough. "Doris did not believe that . She also had a huge fanbase and enjoyed a successful career. Doris Day. Jimmy Durante was born James Francis Durante on 10 February 1893 in New York. That was a huge loss for her.. (but it IS true! She said in her biography that. He said: "Wills was the darling of Hollywood, and he was more than that to the screen actress Doris Day. by Debbi Austen 13 May 2008, 16:23, Unread post Thankfully, with the help of her son, and her unwavering spirit, she was able to bounce back. And the staging of it is so perfect. Portrait of Doris Day circa 1965 | Photo: Getty Images. But a fly in this cotton candy surfaces with the arrival of Sam Rawlins (Stephen Boyd). But Jumbo was her last true musical. Daysdeath on May 13has opened a rift between family and friends who accuse one another of mistreating the star. With Day, Durante and Raye, one would expect some comedy and slapstick. Miss Day was the perfect choice to play the lovely Kitty Wonder, co-owner of the Wonder Circus. Bashara has said the star specified in her will that she wanted no funeral service or grave marker, and that she wanted her fortune to go to the Doris Day Animal Foundation. The cast includes Arthur Godfrey, Rod Taylor, Paul Lynde, Dom Deluis, and Dick Martin (and a cameo of Robert Vaughn as Nepoleon Solo). Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then transferred in 1865 to London Zoo in England. During his glory years, he was involved with drugs, addicted to alcohol, and lived a life he later regretted. She was crazy about his team and often attended his games, but for Day, that was it. Doris Day and Rock Hudson in "Pillow Talk." Stephen Boyd's singing voice was dubbed by Los Angeles studio singer, Jimmy Joyce. The energy and colour as well as the songs and performances make up for that in a huge way though. 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. or redistributed. Heonce said: They tried to make me a star, a leading man. Stephen Boyd's singing voice was dubbed by Los Angeles studio singer, Jimmy Joyce. Busby Berkeley. It's directed by Charles Walters, with Busby Berkeley on second unit duties, and stars Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Stephen Boyd, Martha Raye and Dean Jagger. But she spent her final days being manipulated by those around her, sources who were close to the legend allege.. 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. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Ms. Day, already a top box office star due to her romantic comedies with Rock Hudson, is gorgeous in the film and her voice can only be described as velvety. It was filmed on location in Catilina and at NASA. . But there are further problems with the screenplay. Jumbo is a wonderful film, artistically and technically. Doris Day and husband Barry Comden at the Pierre Hotel in 1976 | Source: Getty Images. 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