Doris Day's Centennial: It's a Great Feeling (1949)

             Hollywood loves to make fun of itself, and It's A Great Feeling is yet another vehicle for a studio system spoof. It's also a vehicle for Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan to be "the world's biggest hams," and a relatively-newfound singing sensation in her third film appearance - Doris Day!

            It's also Doris's centennial this month, and I'm participating in Love Letters to Old Hollywood's blogathon to celebrate!

            After her successful debut in Romance on the High Seas, Doris Day became everyone's favorite cinematic songstress. She was quickly re-teamed with Jack Carson for a second movie, and then a third when It's A Great Feeling  was dreamed up. Originally it was a Morgan-Carson comedy under the potential names of Two Guys and a Gal, Two Guys of the Nineties, and Two Guys from Hollywood. (Dennis Morgan once said he never wanted to do another film with "Two Guys" in the title.)

            The film itself resembles Doris Day's real journey from small-town singer to Hollywood waitress to big-screen star. It follows Judy Adams (Doris), an aspiring actress from Goerke's Corners, Wisconsin, as she's shoved around by directors and producers trying to make her a star (or so they say). It's A Great Feeling is stuffed with cameos, to add to the illusion and build up the studio's star-power reputation.

            At the beginning of the film, we see a bunch of real-life directors from Michael Curtiz to Raoul Walsh. Each one is refusing to helm a new picture called Mademoiselle Fifi because Jack Carson (playing himself) is starring, and they want nothing to do with the "world's biggest ham". Eventually they decide he'll have to direct it himself. Meanwhile, Judy Adams delivers lunch to Carson in his dressing room, and proceeds to lock the door and force him to watch her audition. She performs an incredibly overdramatic monologue, which doesn't impress Carson - but it does give him an idea. He sends Judy, dolled up in mourning attire, to Dennis Morgan's dressing room. She pretends to be Mrs. Jack Carson, who will lose her house, her car, and potentially her baby if he doesn't make the picture. Shocked and compassionate, Morgan agrees to do Mademoiselle Fifi - except he figures out the ruse, and Carson tries to pay Judy off with 5 dollars, so she leaves disappointed at both stars.

            Trying to forget the poor girl they tricked, Morgan and Carson go looking for a female lead. They can't find anyone willing to be directed by Carson, and when they offer the role to Jane Wyman (a cameo!) she faints. Desperately, Morgan suggests using an unknown actress - like, perhaps, Judy Adams? The only problem is that she's on her way back to Goerke's Corners, feeling used by the Hollywood bigwigs. The two men follow her to the train station, where we watch an excruciating five minutes of "comedy" in which the train conductor rifles through books trying to find information about the Goerke's Corners train. We get it, it's a small town!

            The best part of the train station scene is the Danny Kaye cameo, in which he struggles to carry a million suitcases while convincing Judy she should stay in Hollywood (wordlessly, because his tickets are in his mouth). This is a theme throughout the movie - the cameos really are the best part. The little "hey, I know them!" moments are what keeps It's A Great Feeling fun during its often-slow scenes - especially because Doris doesn't get nearly enough singing time.

            Star-struck, ever-optimistic Judy agrees to give fame another chance, and Morgan and Carson quickly take her to a fancy dress shop so she can look the part. Who's at the dress store? Joan Crawford, of course. Joan's cameo is easily one of my favorite parts of the movie. Launching into a melodramatic speech about how Morgan and Carson are taking advantage of a young girl, she slaps them both in the face and then proclaims, "I do that in all my pictures!"

            Morgan and Carson's new big idea is that film producer Arthur Trent (this time, not a real person) should "discover" Judy himself, and then maybe she'll become a big star. They dress Judy up in a bunch of outfits - elevator operator, taxi driver, soda shop girl - and then send Trent all around town hoping he'll notice Judy. Trent notices, of course, but thinks he's hallucinating and goes to the oculist - whose assistant is Judy as well! Every time he sees Judy, she's beaming, blinking furiously, and accompanied by really weird, fairly annoying chipmunk chattering sounds - meant to enforce the pretty-blonde-wannabe-actress stereotype, I guess?

            It doesn't work, so Morgan and Carson are about to give up and tell Judy it's no use, but they've both sort of fallen in love with her (obviously) which complicates things. Soon the best friends are fighting over poor Judy, who just wanted to be an actress but wound up with all of... this. They finally get Judy in front of a band for a recording test, and she sings "Big Fat Lie" - a really fun number and one of the movie's best. Side note: Doris is wonderful in this movie, as always! Her few chances to sing are naturally amazing, but she's a little hesitant, I think because her character isn't supposed to be a "real" singer. Either way, it's always fun to see Doris perform, and I'm sad she didn't have more opportunities to show off her voice in this movie.

            Morgan tries to take Judy to the Hollywood Bowl, but their date is foiled when Carson shows up. Judy rejects their attentions, telling them about her small town-sweetheart Jeffrey Bushdinkle who's waiting to marry her back in Goerke's Corners. To try and sway her to stay, Morgan sings "Blame My Absent-Minded Heart," with Judy joining in at the end. The Dennis-Doris harmonies are so pretty in this number!

            Morgan and Carson sneak Judy into the studio (with the help of Edward G. Robinson) for a screen test as Mademoiselle Fifi. They dress her up in a crazy costume and have her lip-synch "Big Fat Lie." When Arthur Trent watches the screen test, however, Morgan's voice has been dubbed on Judy's and vice versa, the lighting is going crazy, and the screen starts spinning and flashing in and out - in short, it's a nightmare.

            Trent is pretty sure he never wants to see Judy Adams again, but Morgan and Carson have one last trick up their sleeve - dress her up again, have her put on a French accent, and host a party for a new star coming all the way from France - Yvonne Amour!

            Judy, in a brunette wig, gold dress, and bad accent, is a very unconvincing Frenchwoman - but most people buy it, including Eleanor Parker and Patricia Neal (more cameos!) She sings "At The Cafe Rendevous" which is a funny little novelty number - and then falls heads over heels down the stairs. Her wig falls off - ooh la la! - and "Yvonne" is exposed once more.

            Morgan and Carson show up at Judy's one night for dinner, and her roommate tells them about her plans to go back to Goerke's Corners and marry Jeffrey Bushdinkle. Judy is on the fence, telling the two men she still has hopes for a screen career, but the roommate convinces them she'd be happier back home. Morgan and Carson play one last trick on Judy - they set up a loud conversation with another roommate promising her a role in movies and repeating the whole Hollywood-fable speech they gave Judy. Angry and feeling used, she finally makes up her mind to go back to Wisconsin.

            On the train home, Judy has a terrible nightmare - literally and figuratively. She's plagued by visions of Morgan and Carson (who are also magazine ads?) and thrown into a dream sequence of lovers' quarrels, fights, chairs being smashed, guns firing, and people falling down stairs - and the whole time she's performing "There's Nothing Rougher Than Love".

            Judy wakes up and wanders around the train, where she finds a seat and sings a reprise of "Blame My Absent-Minded Heart". It's one of the loveliest scenes in the movie - something about the train setting, the puffy pink robe, the reprieve from the chaotic dream sequence - and Doris being really featured, at last!

            Someone's been listening to Judy sing - who else but Arthur Trent? He finally realizes the talent of his mysterious blonde stalker, and offers her a role in movies. (A little late, much?) At this point, Judy is rightfully disillusioned with Hollywood, and assumes he's lying to her too. She refuses the offer, and returns to home sweet Goerke's Corners. Morgan and Carson follow her, curious to see what Jeffrey Bushdinkle could possibly offer that's better than Hollywood stardom. They spy on her wedding, where they figure out the appeal:

            Jeffrey Bushdinkle is none other than Errol Flynn!

            And with that, It's A Great Feeling finds it end. Honestly, I loved the ending - it's the complete opposite of a typical Hollywood story, which was the whole point, but it's refreshing to see a more realistic conclusion. Also, by the end, you start to get pretty tired of Morgan and Carson and their endless shenanigans.

            My thoughts: I enjoyed It's A Great Feeling! I don't know if I necessarily need to watch it again soon, but Doris was great and so were all the featured cameo actors. It's wonderful to watch Dennis Morgan sing (he's really talented as well), and Jack Carson is funny if a little over-the-top. I don't think the film used Doris to her full potential, but it was a nice showcase that led her to bigger and better roles. 

            Thanks for reading - and happy 100, Doris Day!