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Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door
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Price:
$29.95
$15.95*
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| Part No: | 1905264305 |
| Manufacturer: | Virgin Books |
| MFG Part: | |
| Customer Rating: | 3.5 / 5.0 |
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| | I liked this book, however, a lot could have been deleted, it is a very good insight though into her life, and how sad it is she is practically a recluse. |
| Tries valiantly, but too many no-fault barriers | 2008-11-29 | 3 / 5 |
| David Kaufman deserves an A+ for effort in attempting to fashion a definitive biography of Doris Day. Kaufman is a fine writer, and he did his homework thoroughly by seeking out all possible resources and cross references. If one had not read Ms. Day's collaboration with A.E. Hotchner, this might serve as a worthy (if over-detailed) overview of her life and career.
But a few factors work against Mr. Kaufman's aims. Most glaringly, it's a near impossible feat to overcome the excellence of Day's own work with Hotchner, one of the best such of its kind. Kaufman tries to offer that Day's biography is somehow incomplete; but when you have read her own story, it's hard to argue such a claim. Day in her own telling offered as much personal detail as she was capable of - and wanted, needed to. Kaufman tries desperately to look for some dark, hidden side to Day, but she had already offered a considerable amount of detail to that effect. You cannot accuse her of any shortfall to "self-analysis" when the facts reveal themselves. Her failed marriages, discontent with how her personal life ran, and the many difficulties she encountered, are not skimmed over at all. She dealt with these issues clearly and fully, without dwelling on them excessively.
Further, Day's own voice, with the help and skill of Hotchner, is so impeccably caught in her book, that one does not really need to look elsewhere. She revealed herself in the way only she can ~~ and it is captivating, winning: the essence of her charm and appeal is in her own strength of character. It is exactly that persona which made her so wildly appealing to her public, and why she captured their lasting affections so indelibly.
The tantalizing factor in Kaufman's book *might* have come in what has been in going on with Day in the 30-plus years since her book was published. Those of us who are admirers long for a continuation of her story as she told it. We indeed do get here a follow-up of sorts, but we feel the glaring lack of her own words. Kaufman has relied upon a none-too objective series of hired lackeys, hangers-onners, and bit and pieces of news reports, various interviews and so forth. But they fail to provide a true, well-rounded picture, because Day's own words are sorely missing. As it was, I felt distinctly uncomfortable reading the words of the unobjective scrutinizers, of whom were mainly fans who had dedicated their lives and energies working for a Star. Day is put under an analytical microscope here, and it's a bit creepy; it felt like an invasion of her privacy. Without her own verification, it's unverified and therefore invalid as far as I'm concerned. None of the so-called revelations are revelatory. Worst of all, many of the anecdotes regarding Day, and how they are presented don't even correspond with how she really is.
A lot of Day's so-called quirks - regarding her dogs, animals, and fastidiousness in many matters - are harped on and magnified upon most uncomfortably, even offensively, as reported by the behind-the-scenes fans recruited for interviews. Offensive, because many of us in our private lives have irrelevant quirks and oddball traits which we do not care to have made public. So highlighted, these details make Day seem a bit loony and schizo, which she is not. Again, she made mention of her various eccentricities in her own book, and instead of causing us to recoil, she succeeded in endearing us to her, for it made us understand her own human foibles.
Many reviewers noted the one "insight" to Day, when she supposedly broke out into tears as she said that career was one she never really wanted; but in her own book and public interviews, she had stated clearly that all she ever wanted in life was to be a mother and housewife, and that that was the one dream that had always eluded her. So, again, we get nothing new as far as Day's own real feelings.
The real value in Kaufman's book is in the central section, where he gives very full accounts of the surrounding circumstances of Day's career itself, and here is where the author's work truly shines. We get press reports, reviews, and glimpses into the making of Day's films. Kaufman offers critical reviews of her work, some of which I conversely agreed and disagreed with, but which at least promote discussion. (For the most complete analysis of Day's entire body of work - film, singing, TV - one could do no better than Tom Santopietro's book, "Considering Doris Day." Though Santopietro does an overly-critical, sometimes off-the-mark, dissertation-like delving-into, his most invaluable contribution is his exceptional analysis of her singing via her recordings.)
It is really through no fault of his own that Kaufman - not failed, exactly - but could not provide - through no fault of his own really - anything definitive on Day. His reputation stands unsullied as a writer, because he meant well, and he did what any biographer sets out to do, and did so to the best of his abilities. It's simply that he could not provide us with a better account of Doris Day than she did of herself.
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| Piecing Together a Portrait | 2008-10-23 | 4 / 5 |
| It looks like few available details have been left out of this lengthy biography of one of America's pop-cultural icons. The material comes from a variety of sources-- the public record (fan mags, old interviews, etc.) Day's friends, insider fans, and professional associates, And a heck-of-a-lot of material it is. Tellingly, however, there is none from Day herself, her sole surviving ex-husband, or whatever rivals or enemies she may have incurred over a long lifetime. That doesn't mean the results necessarily amount to a biographical whitewash-- critical comments of both her and some of her movies are included.
Nonetheless, such additional sources would likely have produced a more penetrating result. The overall impression is of a genuinely personable, down-to earth celebrity with a somewhat complex, guarded, but not dark, inner-life. Also, there's the suggestion of a person who seals herself from as much conflict and confrontation as possible, even when it's probably not advisable. Nonetheless, whatever personal negatives come through, they're certainly not major.
Perhaps the book's most damaging revealations concern the several affairs carried on with married men at various points in her life. There's not much detail, but the liaisons are asserted as fact. For many fans, I suppose, these will count most heavily against the squeaky clean image that her career cultivated. In a way, however, it's rather surprising that such a basically friendly figure as Day should have drawn as much critical comment as her career has.
It's not the person herself, I believe, that's invited criticism, though she did have a hand in shaping movie selection. Rather, it's the basically one-dimensional image suggested by many of her films that projected her, both humorously and not so humorously, as the ultimate movie light-weight. Deserved or not, I think it's fair to say that whatever the merits of the many films, she remains an unusually talented singer and actress, even if recognition of the latter was slow in coming.
The one difficulty I have with the book is the welter of details. It's often hard to piece these into a meaningful generalization about the leading personalities in her life, including Day herself. Perhaps author Kaufman's refusal to generalize was deliberate, leaving that risky task to the reader. Nonetheless, the burden of filling in a general picture of what emerges is left up to each individual. Whether that was a wise course or not is up to the reader to decide, but be prepared to do some assembling. |
| Part Rehash, Too much devoted to author's opinions of her films & TV shows | 2008-10-11 | 3 / 5 |
| I was hoping for the ultimate Day biography, but this one was rather disappointing.
The author cites Doris' 1975 Autobiography frequently; it is apparent he did not procure an interview with the reclusive actress, so we don't get a lot of new information. It is a nice general biography of Doris, provided you are not familiar with her book or other Day biographies. What I don't care for is the author sometimes gives rather harsh assessments of Doris' movies and her TV shows. A great portion of the book is devoted to the author's opinions on her body of work, and most of it is not favorable. Apparently he did this in order to plump up the size of the book. In other words, there's a lot of "filler" in this book and not much real substance. I didn't buy this book to read one person's opinions on her movies and TV shows; I bought it in hopes of having a more thorough, comprehensive biography of Doris, with hopefully new information. This didn't quite make it, but it is an entertaining read.
Another thing I find odd is he appears to faintly disapprove of Doris having cosmetic surgery; there's a hint of scandal in his tone. It's like he has a dated view on cosmetic procedures, which is strange considering that this book was published in 2008. Nowadays having a face lift or breast augmentation is very common and back in the 70's when Doris had her surgeries, such procedures were very popular with the Hollywood set.
If you want to read this book, check it out of the library before purchasing. I recommend "Considering Doris Day" and "Doris Day: Her Own Story" as better biographies of this talented, bright, bubbly star. |
| Rivals----I Don't Think So! | 2008-10-05 | 5 / 5 |
| | It's so refreshing to see people taking time off from insulting me to take turns in praising and insulting someone else. It was quite by chance that Mr Kaufman and I ended up with the same cover, and as biographers we are very similar. The fans seem to be buying both books: had there been just one book, it would not have sold half so well. So in a way Mr Kaufman's fans are doing me a favour, though I very much doubt if any of the following reviewers have taken the time to read either book properly. They have been too busy writing these meaningless little exercises proclaiming their own self-importance. |
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