Pillow Talk

NEW 35mm PRINT! ► A colossal hit at the late-1950s box-office, the bedroom farce Pillow Talk was the first of three coy, colourful s-e-x comedies starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Hudson, in his first comedy (producer Ross Hunter, also responsible for Sirk’s Magnificent Obsession, thought the actor had comic potential) is Manhattan playboy Brad; Day (here earning the only Oscar nomination of her career) is interior designer Jan. The two have never met, but share a party line (a telephone landline shared by more than one household). To Jan’s disgust, Brad’s constant womanizing means the line is never free; to Brad’s surprise, when he finally lays eyes on her, Jan is not some spinsterish square but a stylin’ fox. Is Doris Day really the chaste, squeaky-clean prude of conventional wisdom, or a proto-feminist career woman who values her sexual independence? Gender studies majors have had a field day with Pillow Talk (there’s even an allusion to Hudson’s closeted sexuality), but this stylish film is also a feast for the eyes, replete with CinemaScope compositions, split screens, bright colours, plush sets, and fabulous couture. Tony Randall (who appeared in all three of the Day-Hudson rom-coms) and Thelma Ritter co-star. Colour, 35mm. 110 mins.