In the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the traveling The Wonder Circus has the greatest attraction the elephant Jumbo and is full of debts. Unread post Doris did have people who tried to take advantage of her, including her husbands, Walters added. The finale, with the cast dressed for a double wedding and dancing to "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" is truly lovely. 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. For two horses, this amount would be doubled; 214 small squarebales or 12 roundbales. And you'd never figure that the great Busby Berkeley staged the musical numbers, because they sorely lack the punch of his earlier musicals. Doris Day playing with a dog, circa 1950 | Photo: Getty Images. Yes, I knowI just wanted to say that. | Photo: Getty Images. Doris Day and Terry Melcher in the 1970s | Photo: Getty Images. and Day gets to sing two Rogers and Hart classics, This Cant Be Love and Little Girl Blue. your own Pins on Pinterest. It was all the more damning because Ryan whose father was Days son, Terry, who died in 2004 had never publicly spoken about the actress, known for such movie classics as Pillow Talk and That Touch of Mink.. Legal Statement. Donna Hall Fishburn, a veteran Hollywood stunt double and horsewoman who worked in hundreds of westerns in a 40-year career in which she doubled for Barbara Stanwyck in The Maverick Queen, Debbie Reynolds in How the West Was Won and Doris Day in Calamity Jane, has died. 9/10 Bethany Cox. Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and Great Songs. There is the ner' do well Jimmy Durante who blows the circus revenues on crooked crap games causing Day to pull out the storms to keep the motley assembly together, with bill collectors in chase. Pop Wonder (the irrepressible Jimmy Durante) is the proprietor of one of the greatest acts in circus history Jumbo; a gargantuan elephant. Doris Day made famous Oscar winning song "Secret Love" in the film "Calamity Jane." This incredibly gifted actress and singer ushered in the award . Who wants to open the movie discussion??? We both were enthralled by Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and even Stephen Boyd who didn't actually sing his songs but whoever dubbed his voice during his numbers certainly sounded like he did! William H. Daniels photographs and it's a Panavision/Metrocolor production out of MGM. Today, Jumbo is counted among the great circus films such as The Greatest Show on Earth, Trapeze, Carnival Story and Circus World. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Heartbroken and defeated, Kitty, her father and his fiance, Lulu, decide to rebuild the business from the ground level starting with two sticks and a blanket which is equivalent to dancing for pennies on a street corner. An adaptation of the stage musical Jumbo produced by Billy Rose, the film was directed by Charles Walters, written by Sidney Sheldon, and featured Busby Berkeley's choreography. I suppose it was shown because it deals with a circus theme. People think, because of Doris movies, she was always happy-go-lucky, said DeVita. After Terry turned him down, Manson showed up at the producers home at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles. Jimmy Durante is hilarious and has a lot of effortless charm, and Martha Raye matches him every step of the way. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. John Noble (Dean Jagger), who owns a famous Noble Circus, wants to buy Jumbo and The Wonder Circus, but Pop refuses his offers. Jumbo is a wonderful film, artistically and technically. by miss maxwell 13 May 2008, 03:06, Unread post Print view; Search Advanced search. Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye though, are very good in comic roles, especially the veteran Durante. My Romance is just sublime. 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. The wonderful songs of Richard Rodgers and Hart ! 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. 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. by webmaster 13 May 2008, 17:12, Unread post Hotchner. One of America's most loved actresses was born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Alma Sophia (Welz), a housewife, and William Joseph Kappelhoff, a music teacher and choir master. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Radiant Doris Day sings beloved Rodgers and Hart tunes and does her own horseback tricks in a razzle-dazzle musical based on Bill Rose's stage spectacular . The result is bright and competent enough (and it retains most of the wonderful Rodgers & Hart songs), but ten years earlier the Arthur Freed Unit would have sharpened up the book, included a lot more dancing and had a superior leading man (Stephen Boyd is a disaster in this movie). And the staging of it is so perfect. 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. 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. She had a lot of tragedy., People think, because of Doris movies, she was always happy-go-lucky. I find the present film more enjoyable, with its intertwining of music, comedy, drama and romance. There is also Stephen Boyd. Doris Day sings the standards very well, and - stealing the film - Jimmy Durante (who gives a glorious rendition of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World") and Martha Raye are memorable in support. Do you need underlay for laminate flooring on concrete? The film was Doris Days last screen musical. Martha Raye received a well-deserved Womens International Centre (WIC) Living Legacy Award. But there are further problems with the screenplay. I don't have any aversion to clowns and enjoyed all of the 'clowning around'. by BabeWilliams 12 May 2008, 11:56, Unread post Explore. My favortie movie is Pillow Talk but this will have to be my second favorite. Her first time in love was at age 16. In one sequence . Noble (Dean Jaggar) is successful in his efforts and the Wonder Circus is shut down with all of its assets, including its star attraction, the incredible elephant, Jumbo, confiscated. 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 one of the first musical films I ever saw. to foreclosing , as a spy goes undercover into the bankrupted circus to attempt to take it . Wills was not the only black man speculated to have dated Day. | Photo: Getty Images. As for musicals, Jumbo gave Doris the lovely Rodgers & Hart score to sing, but the circus story based on a '30s Broadway spectacle was too old-fashioned to make any impression in 1962. . 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. Good-looking hokum, if your tastes run to squeaky-clean backlot romps. 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. With Day, Durante and Raye, one would expect some comedy and slapstick. Reynolds was an acrobat by training, but these are some serious stunts! Wills was of African-American descent, and having a white lover was controversial to their careers. Stephen Boyd was reasonable as was Doris Day, but she was miscast it seems, as she was nearing forty. It was pretty enjoyable, but with a certain lack of depth or character. 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. Radiant Doris Day sings beloved Rodgers and Hart tunes and does her own horseback riding tricks in a razzle-dazzle musical based on Billy Rose's stage spectacular and featuring circus sequences . Although she played the perfect American girl next door onscreen, she did not experience such a thrilling lifestyle in reality. Maybe that's because she saw herself as bit of a tomboy, as a young girl. From October 15 to May 15 (when there is no pasture in MN), the horse would consume about 5,350 pounds of hay or 2.7 tons. Tino joins the circus, and manages to covince Mike to teach him the 'triple'. Jumbo is self-explanatory. Barnum The Greatest Showman on Earth How the emperor of hoopla got his start at scamming PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM was a salesman and a showman, a hustler and a huckster. Who did Doris Day stunts in Calamity Jane? Mike Ribble was once a great trapeze artist - and the only to have completed a triple somersault - before his accident. She said in her biography that. For 86 years, Jumbo stood in Barnum Hall and was a veritable mecca on campus. The preceding overture should have been deleted, as it was not memorable and was overlong. There is a lot of bad feeling surrounding the last few years of Doris life and how friends and family were pushed out, the neighbor said. Wills later trained as a baseball instructor and worked as a broadcast analyst for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. This article is about the film. I also thought i would dislike it because i never was into the circus but it was really thrilling watching all those people do stunts. Melcher died from a heart attack in 1968, leaving his widow to recuperate from the financial and mental damage he had done to her. She had two brothers, Richard, who died before she was born and Paul, a few years older. Mike DeVita, former employee of Doris Day's animal-rescue foundation, Carol Johnson, longtime friend of Doris Day, The Idol stars The Weeknd, Lily-Rose Depp defend upcoming show after 'torture porn,' on-set toxicity claims, Ali Wong says she's 'best friends' with her ex-husband: 'It's an unconventional divorce', 'Champions' star Woody Harrelson: SNL monologue controversy caps storied personal journey, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry suffered Hollywood 'miscalculation' with explosive tell-alls: experts, Jussie Smollett files appeal argument in hate crime hoax conviction, Michael B. Jordan apologized to his mom before steamy Calvin Klein underwear ad was released. What characteristics allow plants to survive in the desert? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The worst thing was when her son, Terry, died, Johnson said. It is believed that the story of Dumbo is loosely based on the real life elephant Jumbo, a male African Bush elephant born in Sudan in 1860. There are good comic parts in the film, but sadly not enough. choreographer (uncredited) Charles Bidwell. 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. But then again you didn't watch this film for the story. In his 1991 book "On The Run," Wills wrote that Day was a lovely woman with whom he was romantically involved. Her onscreen credits ranged from romance to comedies and live shows. I love your new avatar too Miss.Maxwell Jumbo has always been in the top 3 of of my favourite Doris movies. 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!! 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. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Henceforth all of Doris's films would be screen comedies in which she may have sung a ditty or two in the film or over the title credits. Bashara did not reply to requests for comment, nor did Ryan Melcher. 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. 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. This would equal 107 fifty pound small squarebales or six 900 pound roundbales during this time. Both play and film feature songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, although the film borrows two songs from Rodgers and Hart shows other than Jumbo (including "This Can't Be Love", from The Boys from Syracuse). The play was adapted from the book written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, the screenplay here is written by Sidney Sheldon. 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. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Pop Wonder owns the circus, but his continued gambling losses in crap games leaves him (and the circus) with an ever-growing number of IOUs. Too bad the scenarists skimp on any colorful glimpses of the eccentric carny lifestyle (what drives these people so hard anyway?). Donna Hall Fishburn, a veteran Hollywood stunt double and horsewoman who worked in hundreds of westerns in a 40-year career in which she doubled for Barbara Stanwyck in "The Maverick Queen," Debbie Reynolds in "How the West Was Won" and Doris Day in "Calamity Jane," has died. Did Doris Day do all the horse riding in Calamity Jane? Warner Brothers was not far behind, but clearly MGM was the studio that was known for having the highest production values and the greatest musical stars, from Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and Gene Kelly to Fred Astaire, Howard Keel, Ann Miller and Jane Powell. The story may be silly and not the most focused, but it is very charming and warm-hearted as well that you don't care so much when the film makes a big and successful effort to entertain regardless. Kitty Wonder (Day) and Pop Wonder (Durante) take a bow in Billy Roses Jumbo. His daughter, Kitty Wonder, hires a newcomer, Sam Rawlins, as both a performer and tent hand. Doris Day smiling as she signs her name in cement by her handprints, in Hollywood, Calif., Jan. 19, 1961. But, the stars boost it to a fun, non-stop rollick with elephants, high-wire acts, and clowns. The camera lingers lovingly on Doris face, which is partly shadowed by the dark. Doris Day said that this was one of her favorite musicals. Perhaps, as some reviewers have suggested, their comedic talents were underutilized. The energy and colour as well as the songs and performances make up for that in a huge way though. The title character, a prancing pachyderm, does not seem interested at all in its performance. Busby Berkeley, the genius behind MGMs greatest 1930s musicals, acted as Second Unit Director on the movie, which was to become his last screen effort. Martha Raye, who plays Lulu, is quite a lulu as she strives to get Durante to end their 14 year engagement and finally get married. . 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