DORIS MADE EVERY ONES’ DAY: By Joe Van Langenberg
DORIS MADE EVERY ONES’ DAY: A dazzling star of the distant past, has been sadly beckoned to a land which knows no parting & sorrow.
Glamour Girl of the mid-fiftees, sixtees & beyond, who answered the inevitable call from beyond; has crossed the Great Divide.
Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff, who later came to be known as Doris Day, was born on April 03rd 1922.
She succumbed to the ravages of pneumonia on May 13th 2019 in Carmel Valley, California, in the United States.
During her glittering career spanning several decades. Doris’ impact on the music & acting industry was stunningly-impressive, as it was indelibly unforgettable. Along with peers of her era; Patty Page & Connie Francis to name just two, Doris with her trademark smile & infectious sense of humour; sang herself into the hearts & minds of discerning audiences & even the harshest critics, who expected & demanded nothing short of perfection.
‘The Girl next door’ recorded more than 650 songs from 1947-1967; most noteworthy among them been ‘Que Sera Sera’, (which underwent a major transformation in recent times) ‘Sentimental Journey’, ‘Teachers Pet’ & ‘A Secret Love’, among a plethora of others.
She kicked off her career with ‘Les Brown & his band of Renown’ back in 1945, with one of her mega hits “Sentimental Journey’, during which time she blazed a trail on music industry’s hallowed turf. Endowed with an extroverted nature, sizzling repartee & time-honoured values of compassion, generosity & empathy; Doris became a force to be reckoned with. Not content with resting on her laurels, the blue-eyed beauty decided to spread her wings & roll the dice.
She embarked on an acting career. Success followed shortly, motivating Doris to up the ante a notch or two. Movies & television shows followed in quick succession. Her films included ‘Pillow Talk’, ‘Calamity Jane’ ‘Move over Darling’ ( in which she sang the song bearing the same title), ‘The man who knew too much’ with Rock Hudson; (who later became one of her dearest friends), ‘Please don’t eat the daisies’, & ‘That touch of mink’ with Gary Grant.
She also co-starred with Rex Harrison (of My Fair Lady fame) in the classic psychological thriller ‘Midnight Lace’. Her four husbands included Al Jorden (1941-1943), George Werbder (1946-1949), Martin Melcher (1951-1968) & Barry Comden (1976-1981). She had only one child, a son named Terry Melcher. Doris Day has been described as a human being, who had not a malicious bone in her body. She was well-liked, respected, admired; even emulated by almost everyone, who had the privilege of knowing her either personally, or professionally. More importantly, she made every ones’ day.
Doris had a strong work ethic, She was one of the very few showbiz personalities who remained clean to the very end, unlike many others, who were tormented by personal demons, brought on by the triple scourges of alcohol, drugs & depression.
Doris Day was 97 years young at the time of her demise. She was a vegetarian & an animal rights activist. We thank You fair Lady for the music. Needless to say, your soothing voice made us forget our troubles for awhile. May your immortal soul rest in eternal peace!
