Doris Day: Images of a Hollywood Icon

At last, a new photo book of Doris Day. It is filled with old B&W photos from her private collection and publicity photos form her long career. A mix of beautiful full color and B&W photos. An amazing collection, any true fan would love to have. This collection was released to celebrate, what would be, her 100th birthday.

Libro importante ed elegante con foto molto belle. Tantissime rare ed altre conosciute. Che dire? Doris è una sicurezza . Una donna, un'attrice ed una cantante unica quindi questo libro non poteva mancarmi. Spero più cose in futuro su di lei. Sempre grazie Doris!

Beautiful book about one of the great Hollywood stars

das Buch ist sehr zu empfehlen, mit vielen, z. T. novh nicht vorher veröffentlichten Bildern des Weltstars und Menschen Doris Day, die sich auch sehr für die Tiere, Schwachen und die Wohltätigkeit eingesetzt hat. Unbedingt empfehlenswert, trotz des hohen Preises….

[Full disclosure: I know one of the people who compiled this book. That said, I purchased the book myself and I would write the following regardless of who compiled it.] The word "icon" is hopelessly overused, now applied even to celebrities who started out a few months ago. Doris Day was a genuine icon of 20th century Hollywood, the biggest box-office attraction among actresses of her era, widely admired for her authenticity (in musicals, dramas and comedies alike) and cherished as a singer in the golden age of American popular song. Beyond her prodigious performing talents, she also represented mid-century American womanhood in an iconic way -- for better and for worse, since the "eternal virgin" cliche that grew out of her roles in late-1950s, early-1960s bedroom comedies (most of them still great fun, by the way) trivialized the great versatility of her work overall. Finally, she was a pioneer among celebrity advocates for the humane treatment of animals, making her an icon for yet another reason to those who seek more compassion for our more vulnerable four-legged friends. Day published an autobiography in 1976 (a fascinating read, co-written with A.E. Hotchner), and in recent decades there have been a few well-intentioned biographies of her. "Images of a Hollywood Icon" is the first book of its kind, designed for a fan's coffee table. Its hundreds of photos, many from Day's private collection and most previously unpublished, span the year of her birth, 1922, to the year of her final birthday celebration, 2019. In addition to some adorable photos of little Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff on the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio, there are wonderful color glimpses of Day's Beverly Hills home life in the 1950s, as well as many private photos from her final decades in Carmel, California, embracing her favorite people (including her son Terry Melcher) and snuggling with her beloved dogs. Her acting and singing careers are thoroughly represented, with complete listings of her film/television work and record releases, beautiful color film posters and album covers, and photos with all of her co-stars, who form a who's who of 20th century American leading men, among them James Cagney, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, Jack Lemmon, Frank Sinatra and James Stewart. Also included is an amazingly long list of awards, nominations and other honors that she received throughout her life. While this is primarily a photo collection, it also includes a brief foreword by Paul McCartney and several brief but thoughtful essays by singer-pianist-historian Michael Feinstein (about Day's singing career); by associates at the still-active charity she founded in 1978, the Doris Day Animal Foundation (visit ddaf.org); and a particularly insightful piece by film historian Eddie Muller about learning to disregard the unfair belittling of Day's work that emerged in the 1960s. He notes that Molly Haskell was among the first critics to restore appreciation for her work in the 1970s, and he adds that John Updike was among Day's admirers. He quotes Day's two-time co-star James Garner as saying that Day "exuded sex but made you smile about it." I wish he had also quoted the great Cagney, who once wrote about his "Love Me or Leave Me" co-star that "Doris is the epitome of guilelessness. As an actress, she perfectly illustrates my definition of good acting: Just plant yourself, look the other actor in the eye, and tell him the truth." This praise, by one genuine Hollywood icon for another, encapsulates to me what made Day so great.