Rating: 
Summary: Sophisticated memories from childhood.
Review: "The Thrill Of It All" was one of my favorite childhood memories. In the days prior to wall-to-wall cable stations, there were certain films that enjoyed a regular place on the weekend matinee lineup on local TV stations. This was one of them. And the funny thing is when I originally saw it, I never thought of it as dated or sexist (this is a memory from about 28 years ago). Even though I grew up in a household where both my parents worked (and my dad never gave it a second thought since there were six of us), I merely accepted the script as a reflection of the 1963 sensibility and not my own. You really can't watch a movie that's older than you are (I'm guessing lots of you are waaay under 40) and expect it to reflect modern-day sensibilities. That said, the film is expertly written taking several stabs and jabs at the TV advertising (as well as the network) industry. Doris Day was the quintessential (and exquisitely beautiful) screen wife and mother, and James Garner was a perfect spousal foil for her. And what you had from Arlene "What's My Line" Francis was a welcome touch of class in the role of a mature expectant mother (heady stuff for 1963!) along with nervous expectant father Edward Andrews. The movie is right in line with the other 60's comedies with Hudson, Grant, and Rod Taylor- fun!!
Rating: 
Summary: A classic Doris Day gem... fun movie!
Review: A hip and happening Doris Day comedy in which the girl next door becomes a media sensation. Doris stars, not surprisingly, as a wholesomely sexy suburban housewife who is hired to become the spokesperson for the Happy Soap company, because Happy Soap's crotchety old president finds her stammering, unprofessional endorsements to be refreshingly honest and -- more importantly -- so does the soap-buying public. In fact, the only one who doesn't like her ascent into the media is her grouchy, fragile-egoed husband (played by James Garner), who can't stand the thought of his own wife having a job -- it's just too much of a blow to his masculinity, and besides, who will raise the kids if mommy goes to work? The depth and sheer matter-of-factness to the sexism in this pre-women's movement comedy will be both astounding and instructive to a modern audience, but besides all that, it's also a great vehicle for Day's bubbly, frowsy charm. Garner's character is a bit hysterical, but it's all worth it for the big payoff: his double-take during the swimming pool scene is a golden comedic moment. Scriptwriter Carl Reiner's touch is easy to pick out; Reiner also has some choice cameos as a hammy TV actor on the show that Happy Soap sponsors. There are also plenty of great early '60s character actors, such as Edward Andrews, who you may recognize from old TV re-runs and the like. [Crazy cast note: the Pamela Curran, who plays "Spot Checker," the glamorous model who was the former Happy Soap Girl, is a dead ringer for Drea de Matteo (best known as Adriana, of the Sopranos...) The likeness must be seen to be believed.] Anyway, this is a fun movie, entirely enjoyable and also a real blast of Kennedy-era camp.
Rating:
Summary: A classic Doris Day gem... fun movie!
Review: A hip and happening Doris Day comedy in which the girl next door becomes a media sensation. Doris stars, not surprisingly, as a wholesomely sexy suburban housewife who is hired to become the spokesperson for the Happy Soap company, because Happy Soap's crotchety old president finds her stammering, unprofessional endorsements to be refreshingly honest and -- more importantly -- so does the soap-buying public. In fact, the only one who doesn't like her ascent into the media is her grouchy, fragile-egoed husband (played by James Garner), who can't stand the thought of his own wife having a job -- it's just too much of a blow to his masculinity, and besides, who will raise the kids if mommy goes to work? The depth and sheer matter-of-factness to the sexism in this pre-women's movement comedy will be both astounding and instructive to a modern audience, but besides all that, it's also a great vehicle for Day's bubbly, frowsy charm. Garner's character is a bit hysterical, but it's all worth it for the big payoff: his double-take during the swimming pool scene is a golden comedic moment. Scriptwriter Carl Reiner's touch is easy to pick out; Reiner also has some choice cameos as a hammy TV actor on the show that Happy Soap sponsors. There are also plenty of great early '60s character actors, such as Edward Andrews, who you may recognize from old TV re-runs and the like. [Crazy cast note: the Pamela Curran, who plays "Spot Checker," the glamorous model who was the former Happy Soap Girl, is a dead ringer for Drea de Matteo (best known as Adriana, of the Sopranos...) The likeness must be seen to be believed.] Anyway, this is a fun movie, entirely enjoyable and also a real blast of Kennedy-era camp.
Rating: 
Summary: so so Doris Day film
Review: After falling in love with Doris Day's Les Brown recordings, I decided to give her later movies another chance. Before hand I had the impression as many people do of her being a 50's housewife stereotype. Through her big band music I learned otherwise. But this movie didn't help.
The first half hour had promise. It had ideas but about half way through and then just threw in whatever it could. It was obvious Rob Reiner who I'm not too fond of ran out of ideas. Doris Day was charming towards the beginning but even she couldn't hold this together. The person who really steals this movie is Kym Karath, the little cutie who later played Gretl in The Sound of the Music. The children's scenes and their observations about their parents are the best moments of the movie. Rock Hudson was lucky not to be in this project. These roles were made for Rock but James does okay. The problem isn't him. It's that his character is so unlikable. For a better Doris Day film of this period see Pillow Talk. It's worthy of her talent.
Rating:
Summary: Extreme disappointment
Review: As a huge fan of both Doris Day and James Garner, as well as numerous movies they have made individually, I was ready for a great comedy. After all, "Send Me No Flowers" and "Pillow Talk" are classics. How disappointing this movie was. Outside of a few laughs concerning the swimming pool, this was one boring scene after another. Of course, it's always great to see Edward Andrews and Burt Mustin (one of my all time favorites). But this one is best rented rather than bought....if you think you MUST see it.
Rating:
Summary: 1960's Comedy About A Housewife Turned Advertising Icon
Review: Director Norman Jewison is known for directing "The Russians are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" (1966), "In The Heat of the Night" (1967) and "Fiddler on the Roof" (1971), to name a few. Before those films, he directed his second feature film, "The Thrill of it All", in 1963. Co-written by Larry Gelbart and Carl Reiner, the film is a comedic tale about an ordinary housewife, Beverly Boyer (Doris Day), who becomes an advertising icon for a fictitious soap that is named "Happy Soap". This transformation occurs following a dinner party attended by her and her husband, Dr. Gerald Boyer (James Garner), where she makes several honest and sincere comments about Happy Soap. Also attending the dinner party were the company's owners: Old Tom Fraleigh (Reginald Owen, better known as Admiral Boom in the 1964 film "Mary Poppins") and his son Gardiner Fraleigh (Edward Andrews). Initially, Beverly is asked to only appear in a single TV commercial, but the number of responses received encourages Tom Fraleigh to offer Beverly a long-term advertising contract. Beverly accepts, and begins making more TV commercials and her picture begins to appear on billboards everywhere. As time passes, life in and out of the Boyer home becomes increasingly disrupted with Beverly's rise to stardom prompting Gerald to become jealous of her success. He wants Beverly to return to being an ordinary housewife, but she basks in her newfound success and freedom. Other characters who add to the delight of this film include the Boyer's two young children: Maggie Boyer (Kym Karath, better known as Gretl von Trapp in the 1965 hit "The Sound of Music") and Andy Boyer (Brian Nash, better known as Joel Nash in the short-lived 1965 TV series "Please Don't Eat the Daisies"). As Beverly becomes too busy to be with their children, the Boyers hire a German housekeeper/nanny, Mrs. Goethe (Lucy Landau), whose lack of English fluency creates several funny moments in the film. Two of the funniest scenes in the film are when Gerald accidentally drives his car into a swimming pool (built in the Boyer's backyard at the behest of Happy Soap) and when Gerald delivers a couple's baby during a traffic jam. Zasu Pitts makes a brief appearance in the film; she died the same year the film was released. Carl Reiner also makes a cameo appearance dressed as a German soldier. Some who watch "The Thrill of it All" may regard its humor and story somewhat dated since very few women in the U.S. are housewives today. However, there may still be many married men jealous of their more successful wives. "The Thrill of it All" is not a perfect film, but it is still a very entertaining and well-acted comedy that continues to make many people laugh. Overall, I rate the film with 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it. Writer Larry Gelbart went on to write and produce the long-running TV series "M*A*S*H" (1972-1983), and Carl Reiner went on to direct films such as "Oh, God!" (1977) and "The Jerk" (1979).
Rating: 
Summary: a somewhat THRILLing movie -
Review: Doris Day is good in every movie of hers Ive seen, however this movie came under my expectations . . too predictable . . not bad, but not as good as some other movies that feature her . . overall 3 1/2 stars . .
Rating:
Summary: Cute Doris Day Comedy
Review: Doris Day is so endearing in this film that it is impossible not to love her. She plays Beverly Boyer,a housewife to 2 unruly children and wife to Dr. Gerald Boyer (James Garner) She then 'falls' into being the new Happy Soap girl on television,and quickly becomes a recognised celebrity.Soon it becomes apparent that Beverly and not Gerald is getting all the attention! What follows is marital mayhem,a car in the pool and mile-high soap foam! Sit back and enjoy a film in the same key as Day's PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES!
Rating:
Summary: Dated, mythical view of American Life, but Fun & enjoyable!
Review: Hi all, Just got done re-watching "The Thrill of It All" and here are my reactions: First I think the film is light-hearted fun, and a great look back to the golden days of people living "The American Dream". As usual, Doris was superb as Beverly Boyer, a suburban housewife content to be home caring for her husband and two children and doing amazingly domestic activities such as bottling her own ketchup!! Wow! While Doris looks as I remember her, I was quite taken aback by the youthfulness of James Gardner, whom we have seen on-going on television and movies so have had the opportunity to see him "age" gracefully in front of our eyes. I couldn't surpress a chuckle when the good doctor, frustrated with growing friction with his wife, lights up a cigarette in his hospital office. That's something we pretty much won't see in a hospital these days! :) As much as I liked Gardner as Dr. Gerald Boyer, I wasn't too sympathetic with his disdain for his wife's decision to also take on a career. It was 1963, however, and the career woman was still more exception than the rule, so I tried to see it from that lens. The film seemed to be on the cusp of the stirrings of women entering the work force in larger numbers because when Dr. Boyer was objecting to his wife working and having a career, he was more than once referred to as a "victorian" man, in a most unflattering way. Perhaps writer Ross Hunter (producer), Carl Reiner (writer), and Norman Jewison (director) were trying to push the envelope a bit here by suggesting that women having careers was not contrary to American values of a stable homelife and happy families. Having said all of this, part of me yearned for the days when the world seemed a happier place and everyone lived with a "can do" attitude. I know it is myth mostly, but the early 60s were a time before the great social divides brought on by the assasination of President Kennedy and protests against the Vietnam war. America, it seems, still was living in a "Norman Rockwell" picture perfect era where most had a beautiful home, the proverbial 2.5 children, and a dog and/or cat. The romance of this rosy colored view of life is certainly an attractive escape from our modern world problems of terrorism, rampant drug abuse, poverty, and violence. Watching "Thrill of It All" was like a mini-vacation, taking us back to a time when perhaps we all felt safer, more secure, and optimistic about the endless possibilities that laid ahead for us. Since I was only 3-4 years old at the time, I know I was certainly optimistic! :) About casting: I think Doris and James showed great chemistry throughout the film. I think casting Arlene Francis as Mrs. Fraleigh was a bit of a stretch however, as much as I admired her presence in the film, because she was already 58 years old in real life, so the likelihood of her becoming pregnant would be almost nil. But she rose to the occasion and played the role of a pregnant rich woman to the hilt. It was a great hook for bringing Beverly and Gerald into the lives of The Fraleigh's and their elderly father, the founder of Happy soap, thus providing the backdrop for further escapades! All quibbling aside, I think Arlene was fun in the role. A small note: Arlene died 3 years ago this month in San Francisco of complications from Alzheimers and cancer. I really enjoyed watching the cars in this film. The cars added an additional element of nostalgia as I looked back at America's earlier vehicles. I was thinking the film had been made in early 1960, but as the limo driving the Fraleighs to the hospital gets stuck in a traffic jam, and Mr. Fraleigh keeps asking this aggressive man for a shoe lace or an unused newspaper, my eyes did a double take! The guy in the car next to them was driving a 1963 or 1964 Mercury Monterey with the "breezeway" window in the back. That was my Grandfather's last car, he died in 1965 or 4, can't remember now, and my Gram kept using the car into the early 70s. Because I was particularly close to my Gram, seeing the car again touched my heart and made me smile. I'm sure most of my women friends would disagree with the film's premise that babies are what give women purpose in life, but one can certainly enjoy the romantic fun at the end of the film as the Boyers decide to make good on Mr. Boyer's promise to bring a baby home if "mommy helped with it". I couldn't help laughing at the twin beds in the Boyer's bedroom however, which begged the question "how easy was it to make babies in a space so little?" :-) All in all a fun escapist comedy, highly recommended if for nothing else than Doris' classic facial responses to goings-on around her. It's time to get your own copy of the film and see what a "The Thrill of It All" it really is. Tom
Rating:
Summary: Comparably, not one of Doris' best
Review: I adore Doris Day. Her comedies with Rock Hudson are classics. However, this particular movie seems very dated. Perhaps you can look beyond that, but I found it very exasperating. In a modern world where the vaste majority of wives MUST work to maintain a middle class life style, this movie is based on the premise that a working mom is an appalling violation of the marriage vows and a failure to the family. Many other reviewers relate the plot, but how long can a modern person put up with a story line where the husband rants and raves and sulks and pouts because his wife is offered the role of a commercial spokesperson and LOVES it. This poor little woman whose entire role in life appears to be to serve HIM and give the kids bubble baths achieves some independence, and her husband can't deal with it! Archie Bunker in a more attractive package! The end? Doris repents her evil ways, returns to the house as a full time house wife, and her husband intimates that it is time they go upstairs and conceive another child! Closing music and the credits role. God help us 21st century viewers deal with this dandy piece of anachronism. I can deal with kitschy stuff from past periods, but what the character james garner plays needs in this movie is a good kick in the posterior. FREE DORIS! Alas, the woman's liberation movement was still a few years in the future.
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