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That Touch of Mink

That Touch of Mink

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: That Touch of Mink
Review: Plot: Cathy is an out-of-work single girl trying to make ends meet in New York City. She meets Philip as the result of a minor street accident. Philip is a charming millionaire businessman, and wines and dines her, jets her to exotic resorts and showers her with gifts. He is soon making a proposal, but it is not the kind of proposal the small-town girl has in mind.

Wealthy business tycoon Philip Shayne is a handsome and irresistible playboy. After his chauffeur inadvertently splashes Cathy Timberlake, he sends his employee and best friend, Roger to make amends.

When Roger meets the naive, indignant and unemployed Cathy, he thinks Philip will finally get what he deserves and arranges for Cathy to meet Philip face to face and tell him what she thinks of him. The plan backfires when Cathy falls under his spell (who wouldn't?) and ends up flying with him to Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York.

In New York, they attend a Yankees game, where Cathy, sitting in the dugout, is responsible for having Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Roger Maris (in cameos) thrown out of the game for arguing with the umpire.

When Philip asks Cathy to accompany him to Bermuda for a little romance, her wholesome upbringing prompts her to decline but somewhere along the way her good intentions go bad and she agrees to go.

Cathy's nervous rash puts an end to any fun and she returns home with innocence in tact but terribly humiliated. Resolved to regain her dignity, she returns to Bermuda and calls Philip to join her so she can prove she's a woman. ("Send him a birth certificate," is roommate Connie's advice.) When Philip arrives, he finds Cathy passed out with an empty bottle on her toe. Romance is once again foiled.

To make Philip realize how much he loves Cathy, Roger and Connie convince Cathy to go away with the repulsive Mr. Beasley from the unemployment office so Philip can rescue her. Cathy reluctantly agrees to the plan and what follows is the funniest chase scene. Of course, in the end, Philip and Cathy end up together -- on Cathy's terms! Favorite Lines:
Cathy: "She wouldn't say yes until he came to the house. They have eight children now."
Philip: "That couldn't have happened over the phone."
Cathy: "I would enjoy going out with you, Mr. Beasley, if I just didn't find you so personally distasteful. You're a sneaky, crude, offensive man. Of course that's just how I feel. I'm sure there are hundreds of girls in this city who admire those qualities."

This movie was the first movie to gross over a million dollars in a single theater. It made twice that in the 10 weeks it played at Radio City Music Hall. This was Cary's 25th movie to open there and he was presented with a plaque to commemorate the event. The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not Dated
Review: Some reviewers have claimed that this movie is dated and perhaps corny. I say that this movie isn't dated at all and that perhaps people being bothered by their conscience, while funny in this movie, is something that can still happen.

That Touch of Mink is a hysterical movie that pokes a little bit of fun at innocent Doris Day's conscience. Going around town in Bermuda, you get to see Day thinking to herself "They all know!" while she pictures that the elevator she is standing in is actually a canopy bed. It's funny. The movie is just good, clean fun. Something that many will find refreshing in this day of overly action-packed, sex-driven movies. I hope that someday movie makers will look back on older movies and realize that they can make good movies without boat loads of sex and violence. That Touch of Mink is a great example.

At any rate, I suspect that those interested in purchasing this DVD have already seen and enjoy the movie. The DVD is letterbox (not widescreen, for those who care), digitally remastered (though some reviewers have argued poorly and I have to agree), and contains a theatrical trailer. Because this movie came out some years before I was born, I really got a kick out of being able to see the trailer for the first time. I could almost imagine a new hobby in collecting theatrical trailers of old movies.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: The best scene from this movie is the one with Roger Maris, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle. On the characters' first outing, they go to a Yankees game and Day's character Kathy starts an argument with the umpire, managing to get the three stars kicked out of the game. I'm afraid the story line is very weak and trivial. A womanizer who is used to having people worship the ground he walks on, tries to sweep a young working girl off her feet and gets more than he bargained for. He splashes her with his car at the beginning of the film, doesn't have time to stop, so sends his employee to apologize. She decides to tell him off for not coming to see her himself, and winds up falling in love with him at first sight. Being a millionaire, he invites her to go on an overseas trip with him and buys her many things including a mink coat. Against her better judgement, or her roomates', she goes because she finds him irrestistable. Her roommate warns her throughout the movie about the dangers of men, and her lengths to protect Kathy are one of the only amusing parts in the movie. The whole movie is centered on whether or not the characters will sleep together and Kathy's anxieties about doing it before they are married. She breaks out in hives before they are married which prevents any rendevous, and surprisingly he does after they are married. A bit sickening! If you want a more sensitive movie with some class, I'd recommend "An Affair to Remember", one of Cary Grant's better movies.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: That Touch Of Mink
Review: This is a marvelous comedy classic Starring Doris Day and Cary Grant in this marvelous Universal Comedy Classic ! But released onto Video by Republican PIctures! Cathy Timberlake (Doris Day) is a poor out of work New Yorker that gets run into herself with mud by a limousine owned by Philip Shayne (Cary Grant) well they end up falling in love and go to Brazil together and have all and a lot of fun! Great classic family movie! They get married at the end and have a happy life together!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Still Amusing But Somewhat Dated
Review: This is another take on the old theme of the wealthy, sophisticated playboy pursuing the inexperienced but virtuous girl from out of town. Cary Grant and Doris Day are fine in the leads, while Audrey Meadows gets the funniest lines as Day's roommate. Calling it a "bit of fluff" is dismissing it too readily. It's witty and well-done and was very successful when it was released. It does wear a bit thin before its over, though. Attitudes are considerably more relaxed than they were in the early 1960's, and Day's extended waffling and bouts of guilt in the face of Grant's persistent attempt at seduction seem a trifle silly, now. It's still a quality effort and a good period piece, though, and there are some pretty funny moments. As romantic comedy, it's above average, even today. You could do a lot worse.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Incredibly funny and charming romance
Review: This is one of my all time favorite Doris Day movies and I have seen quite a few. Cary Grant endlessly pursues Doris Day throughout the movie making for some very funny and enjoyable scenes. I recommend this movie for any Doris Day fan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Classic Movie
Review: This movie is one of my all time favorite movies. Of all the movies that I have seen that Gary Grant and Doris Day have done, this one is the best. It has all the elments that make it a classic. It has the humor and some drama, it is a wonderful love story with a ending that is a classic for it's time. If you haven't seen this movie I highly recommend it especially if you are a fan of older movies.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not bad, but not as good as the Hudson/Day/Randall comedies
Review: Watching _That Touch of Mink_ is like watching something from an alternate universe where instead of the formulaic early '60s romantic comedy where you had Rock Hudson as the desirable yet unavaliable bachelor, Doris Day as the perpetual virgin and Tony Randall as the neurotic and closeted best friend you had Cary Grant as the desirable yet unavailable bachelor, Doris Day as the perpetual virgin (apparently no other actress approached Doris Day's iconic status as a virgin) and Gig Young as the neurotic and closeted best friend. Talk about "through a glass darkly"!.
All of this is very cute but the problem with Grant and Young is that they can't pull off the Rock Hudson/Tony Randall dynamic. Hudson had a boyish charm that Grant, a more substantial actor, didn't, and the dynamic between Hudson and Randall is a lot more playful than the one between Grant and Young, and of course when it came to playing neurotic closetcases no one can even hold a candle to Tony Randall. I mean really, if they had ever had an Academy Award for "Best Portrayal of a Neurotic Closetcase" they would have awarded it once, in 1961 for _Lover Come Back_ and then retired it forever.
Doris Day is of course virginal, amazing that someone with so little talent was able to make such a career out of the supposed possession of a hymen. You might dispute as to whether or not virginity is a good thing but regardless of your opinion you have to admire Day for making so much out of hers.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Even Doris Complained About It
Review: Yes, in her autobiography, Doris Day complained that co-star Cary Grant just wasn't into his role here. I call this incarnation "Wink Cary" because towards the end of his movie career, Cary always seemed to be screwing up his eyes as though staring into the sun; I interpret this as his growing dissatisfaction with the movie roles offered him. "Wink Cary" never has proper interaction with his co-stars and is apparently waiting to be told to go home, as if he were on jury duty. In "That Touch of Mink", Cary plays a wealthy man whose limo splashes the dress of Doris Day. One thing leads to another, and he tries to launch an affair with her, only to be foiled repeatedly by various things, including her breaking out into a rash at the thought of fornication, even with Cary. Adequate supporting work by indignant Audrey Meadows and misidentified Gig Young, who keeps getting slapped by Meadows who thinks he's the guy trying to breach Doris' honor. There's better Doris and better Cary movies out there; see them first.


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