Instead, she turned to television to pay off debts left by her husband/manager, who died without telling her he had committed her to a sitcom for CBS. The Doris Day Show ran a respectable five years, holding the timeslot preceding The Carol Burnett Show on Monday nights; the show is remembered as being a lightweight comedy in the vein of My Three Sons and Family Affair.
The program underwent some of the most dramatic changes in cast and premise of any sitcom in history, with Doris beginning the series as a widow with two sons, living on a farm. In subsequent seasons, our heroine moved to the city, worked as a secretary, then as a magazine writer, and in the final year, her kids disappeared without explanation.
Rose Marie played second banana to Doris for two seasons. |
Day is a staunch animal rights advocate. She wouldn't be caught dead in a mink these days. |
Doris Day's Best Friends marked the final public appearance of Rock Hudson, whose gaunt visage confirmed rumors of AIDS. |
Day's performance as Calamity Jane is iconic in lesbian circles, and her hit "Secret Love" has subtextual meaning. Rumors of her bisexuality pop up periodically. |
Pillow Talk yielded Doris's only Oscar nod. The field included Liz Taylor and both Hepburns. They all lost to Simone Signoret. |