The Doris Day Show

The next step on my baby-food, old TV show kick: “The Doris Day Show.” It aired on CBS from 1968 to 1973. Photo link from here. I have to say there’s something about this photo that bugs me, because Doris had such a wholesome image. But I went with it because it shows the hair bow, color-coordinated outfit, etc.

I have a very clear memory of being with my mother as a girl and listening to Doris Day sing “Que Será, Será” on the kitchen radio. Dan remembers the song from his childhood, too.

I don’t recall seeing Doris Day movies until I was on my own/married (“Pillow Talk”)  but I must have seen one, or read a story about her in a magazine--because I immediately spotted a Doris doppelgänger in the college dining hall in freshman year.

I think the young woman was a friend of Jackie, my friend from my hometown--her name was Maura, or Moira, I believe.

She had blonde hair and a pretty headband that matched her outfit--all fresh-squeezed colors--and I think her skin was tan. I think she wore lipstick, and nail polish, to accentuate the outfit.

You remind me of Doris Day, I said. 

And I think/hope I smiled and added And I mean that as a compliment, because I did.

I was fascinated by the young woman’s panache--right down to the shoes--and the confidence to carry it off. Most of us wore jeans, sweaters and if we were up to it, lip gloss. (Though another friend, Megan, also wore headbands and had cute sweaters, preppy turtlenecks and penny loafers.)

I just happened upon this show and started watching a week or two ago......I LOVE seeing the outfits Doris wears, the hairdos, the hats, the hair bows, the colors, oh the colors! Lavender, orange, perfect mauve, blue plaid, lemon yellow, black. Pretty pink or coral pink lipstick, frosted blue eye shadow, a fringe of dark lashes. Tunics, cardigans, ponchos, pantsuits. Statement necklaces, chunky rings. She is so pretty. And a big part of this is that we didn’t have color TV in this time period, so it’s a treat to look back and see it now, a slice of the time when I was a girl. I don’t think I knew women in 1968 to 1973 (when I was 7 to 12) who dressed this fashionably.

See what I mean? A scarf, a ponytail. I’m drawn to that hairstyle but usually can’t pull it off unless I get my curly hair dried smooth at the salon. Image from here.

As a long-time writer on staff in the magazine world, I love that she works at Today’s World, a (made-up) family magazine based in San Francisco. I’ve been thinking of friends Kim and Liz, who also lived in San Francisco, and of my niece, Anna, a talented, Maine-born artist who has an apartment  there.

The TV story line starts with Doris, whose husband died, leaving NY and moving back in with her Dad at a ranch north of San Francisco. She has two young sons to raise. 

Above: Wholesome image from here.

But by season five, the family/mom/sons part is written out of the script and Doris is dating handsome men and living in her own swinging apartment with spiral staircase.

It’s just such a time capsule--women’s roles at work, fascinating. Men’s style, too--the turtlenecks, the hair. 

Image above from here.

I watch these old shows on Amazon Prime on the living room TV.  Dan is skeptical at first, and then he watches a little bit, too, in spite of himself.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Went in person to Palm Sunday Mass. Quiet prayer. And my friend Jean Rose was there--we talked after. 
2. Talked to Figgy. Broached some tough topics.
3. Dan and I had long phone call with Mimi and Poppy to lay out some Skippy groundwork/ground rules.
4. Planted pink tulips in my indoor pot.
5. Fresh berries and fresh figs.
6. Talked to Sis and to my friend Candy.
7. Lit a white taper candle--comfort on the mantel.