THAT TOUCH OF MINK [1962 / 2013] [Blu-ray] [USA Release]
This Year’s Most Uproarious Romantic Free-For-All!
Two of Hollywood's most beloved stars, Cary Grant [‘Father Goose’] and Doris Day [‘Pillow Talk’], sparkle in a breezy, stylish comedy that's rich with romantic delights. Loves arrives with a splash when a handsome and eligible tycoon Philip Shayne [Cary Grant] and a beautiful working woman Cathy Timberlake [Doris Day] meet over an outside mud puddle. He's enchanted by her small town ways; she captivated by his romantic, debonair manner. But when it comes to marriage, they have decidedly different views - she wants it and he doesn't! What ensues is a game of cat-and-mouse as each tries to win the other – with hilarious and heart-warming results. The hilarious cast includes Audrey Meadows [TV's “The Honeymooners”], Gig Young [‘Young at Heart’], John Astin [TV's “The Addams Family”] and Dick Sargent [TV's “Bewitched”] with a special appearance by New York Yankees legends Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Yogi Berra. Directed by Delbert Mann [‘Lover Come Back’]. Written by Stanley Shapiro [‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ and ‘Pillow Talk'] and Nate Monaster [‘Call Me Bwana’].
FILM FACT: Cary Grant was a big fan of TV series “The Honeymooners” and Audrey Meadows in particular, and was responsible for getting her the part of Connie.
In her autobiography, Doris Day wrote that Cary Grant was very professional and exacting with details, helping her with her wardrobe choices for the film and decorating the library set with his own books from home. However, he was a completely private person, totally reserved, and very distant. Their relationship on this film was amicable but totally devoid of give-and-take. When Roger [Gig Young] is showing Cathy Timberlake [Doris Day] the list of potential husbands for her, we learn that one of the names on the list is Rock Hudson, Doris Day's co-star in ‘Pillow Talk,’ ‘Lover Come Back’ and ‘Send Me No Flowers.’ In fact, Rock Hudson had expected to be cast as Philip Shayne, but director Delbert Mann wanted Cary Grant. A news item in the 20th July, 1961 Daily Variety noted that Cary Grant had “telephoned the French automotive company, Citroën, to order a new car for use in the film.” The factory reportedly shipped “the display model” to the studio without hesitation and the car is prominently featured in the film, garnering key publicity for the new roadster model, the Citroën DS 19 Décapotable Usine.
Cast: Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig Young, Audrey Meadows, Alan Hewitt, Dick Sargent, Joey Faye, Laurie Mitchell, John Fiedler, Willard Sage, Jack Livesey, Dorothy Abbott (uncredited), Isabella Albonico (uncredited), Louise Arthur (uncredited), Alice Backes (uncredited), Suzanne Barton (uncredited), Russ Bender (uncredited), Edna Bennett (uncredited), Yogi Berra (uncredited), Helen Brown (uncredited), Jan Burrell (uncredited), Steve Carruthers (uncredited), Barbara Collentine (uncredited), Melora Conway (uncredited), Paul Cristo (uncredited), Richard Deacon (uncredited), June Erickson (uncredited), Kathryn Givney (uncredited), William Gleason (uncredited), Herschel Graham (uncredited), Billy M. Greene (uncredited), Sam Harris (uncredited), Clegg Hoyt (uncredited), Sally Hugues (uncredited), William Lanteau (uncredited), Doris Lynn (uncredited), Mickey Mantle (uncredited), Ralph Manza (uncredited), Roger Maris (uncredited), John McKee (uncredited), Tyler McVey (uncredited), William Meader (uncredited), Cathie Merchant (uncredited), Ernesto Molinari (uncredited), John Morley (uncredited), Nelson Olmsted (uncredited), Art Passarella (uncredited), Yvonne Peattie (uncredited), Robert Perry (uncredited), Murray Pollack (uncredited), Paul Ravel (uncredited), Jack Rice (uncredited), Rosalind Roberts (uncredited), John Roy (uncredited), Jerry Rush (uncredited), Jon Silo (uncredited), George Simmons (uncredited), Norman Stevans (uncredited), Bert Stevens (uncredited), Leola Wendorff (uncredited) and Bette Woods (uncredited)
Director: Delbert Mann
Producers: Martin Melcher, Robert Arthur and Stanley Shapiro
Screenplay: Nate Monaster and Stanley Shapiro
Composer: George Duning
Costume Design: Rosemary Odell (gowns) (uncredited)
Cinematography: Russell Metty, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Eastman Color by Pathé)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Technirama)
Audio: English: 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: None
Running Time: 99 minutes
Region: Region A/1
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal International / Olive Films
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THAT TOUCH OF MINK’ [1962] finds Cathy Timberlake [Doris Day] and Philip Shayne [Cary Grant] are two New Yorkers on their way to work one morning. Or at least he’s on his way to work and she’s on her way to the unemployment office to pick up her check from smarmy Everett Beasley [John Astin], but when Philip Shayne chauffer driven car splashes dirty water on her, Cathy Timberlake is disgusted that he doesn’t stop, but unknown to her he did have his driver circle around the block only to discover that Cathy Timberlake had disappeared.
Later that morning, he spies her entering an Automat – where she gripes to her roommate Connie [Audrey Meadows] about what happened. Philip Shayne sends his well-paid economic professor flunky Roger [Gig Young] with money and an apology to Cathy Timberlake. When he discovers how mad she is, he hauls her across the street to confront Philip Shayne since he too feels he’s being used and abused – though whenever he complains, Philip Shayne responds by increasing his salary and perks to the point where he sells out again.
To Roger’s horror, the moment Cathy Timberlake sets eyes on Philip Shayne she turns into a puddle of mush, completely jettisoning her principles in the face of instant love – and it’s love since this is an early 1960’s film and virginal Doris Day wasn’t allowed to truly lust. Cathy Timberlake babbles to Philip Shayne and manages to state the obvious when he asks for her opinion and – somehow – grabs his attention and interest to the point where he wines and dines her before heading to a Yankees baseball game. At the end of the evening, he’s smitten and offers her a trip around the world but – gasp! – no wedding ring to go with it. Torn, Cathy Timberlake mulls it over, keeping Connie awake all night, before – in a dazzling display of reverse logic – Cathy Timberlake accepts. Then Cathy Timberlake knows full well what she’s agreed to and that she’s going as a mistress.
Philip Shayne pays for a new wardrobe, buys out an entire airlines flight down to Bermuda for Cathy Timberlake and meets her there where she’s overcome by an attack of Virginitis. Hey, she’s Doris Day and was not brought up that way. God no, she can’t possibly get in that bed with him! What will these complete strangers, who can tell even though she has gloves on that she doesn’t have a wedding ring, think?! Off she goes to New York City to whine some more to her roommate about what happened.
Then changes her mind and informs Philip Shayne she’s on her way back and waiting for him. Then gets drunk as a skunk before he arrives and passes out on him. They all head back to New York City where she waffles about until near the end of the movie when Roger and Connie persuade her she’s in love with Philip Shayne and he with her. In a last desperate bid to win a wedding ring, Cathy Timberlake pulls a stunt to bring Philip Shayne running. Will he go after the bait even if it involves a rundown taxi, a chicken delivery truck and a trip to New Jersey?
‘THAT TOUCH OF MINK’ tries to sparkle with a succession of witty lines, and for the first fifteen minutes or so it manages to pull it off real swell. But as the odd couple’s on-again off-again romance winds its tortuous way towards an inevitable conclusion it rapidly loses its lustre. Gig Young gets the most laughs as Cary Grant’s reluctant sidekick who is riddled with guilt because he gave up a career as an economics professor to become a stock market analyst for our hero and therefore feels he has sold his soul. This, too, quickly grows old as the joke degenerates into Gig Young’s psychoanalyst mistakenly believing his patient is engaged in a homosexual affair with his boss Cary Grant.
‘THAT TOUCH OF MINK’ was made at the height of Doris Day's re-emergence as a comedy star and at some point it seemed only natural that she be teamed with the King of Sophisticated Comedy, Cary Grant. If ‘THAT TOUCH OF MINK’ were made today, Audrey Meadows's part would have been more explicitly lesbian and Audrey Meadows's full of all kinds of advice for Doris Day, but notice she's older with no husband of her own or mention of one in the past. And later when Day tries to get Cary jealous by going off to a motel in New Jersey with the most repulsive man she knows, Mr. Everett Beasley [John Astin], ever the charmer, hits her with that never to be forgotten line, “Muscatel for my lady.” Who could possibly resist that?
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Universal International and Olive Films presents us the film ‘THAT TOUCH OF MINK’ with a wonderful and colourful 1080p Technicolor image and has an equally impressive 2.35:1 Technirama aspect ratio and is actually one of the nicer looking Blu-ray releases we've seen from Olive Films, especially in terms of the lustrous Technicolor, which does not look very faded at all. Flesh tones look really great, and this is a very impressive bright and beautifully vivid presentation, one which shows off the nice location work as well as a glut of fashions the wonderful Doris Day is adorned by throughout the film. ‘THAT TOUCH OF MINK’ offers very nice fine object detail and maintains a crisp, precise looking image that suffers from no egregious compression artefacts, which makes watching this film a joyous experience.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Universal International and Olive Films brings us the film ‘THAT TOUCH OF MINK’ with just one standard 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio experience. Suffice to say, most of the film is more dialogue orientated and is mostly very clearly presented and some surprising depth for an older mono track, something that helps George Duning's charming composed film score sound spry and totally magical. Fidelity is excellent, though there's negligible dynamic range and I know you will enjoy this wonderful audio experience.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: Olive Films felt no special features should be included on this Blu-ray release; they could have at least included the Original Theatrical Trailer.
Finally, THAT TOUCH OF MINK’ is just perfect with the collaborations with Doris Day and Cary Grant both excelled at light comedy, because it has a wryly humorous ambience that carries it through its less effective moments. While Cary Grant and Doris Day are effortless in this exercise, most of the laughs come courtesy of Audrey Meadows and Gig Young, both of whom have some great lines and, in the case of Young, business that really helps elevate the overall comedic impact of the film. Delbert Mann's direction is pretty unobtrusive, the film is bright and colourful, and though we know there's no doubt we're going to get to a happy ending, making the journey with these characters is quite a bit of fun. This Blu-ray features really excellent video and audio and will give you endless hours of enjoyment. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
