Top 10 Doris Day Films

Who Was Doris Day?

Doris Day was the personification of the ultimate girl next door, as well as, the chic and driven career woman. She managed to play perpetual good girls who were rarely wilting flowers, but were often feisty, opinionated, and (dare I say it) even sexy.

Approachable and eternally likable, Doris is one of only two female stars to ever top Quigley Publishing's "Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll" four times. (Shirley Temple was the other.) She achieved the feat in 1960 and 1962–64, and would've won in 1961, but Elizabeth Taylor was box office gold following the release of Butterfield 8 in late 1960.

Doris is also widely regarded as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. She had two number one hits in 1945—"Sentimental Journey" and "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time"—her version of "Que Sera Sera" is iconic, and her last album, My Heart, broke the U.K. Top 10 in 2011!

So, it might be surprising to hear that Doris originally planned on becoming a professional dancer. But, when a horrific car accident shattered that dream forever, the resilient Day pivoted to singing, and the world is forever grateful.

Selection Criteria

I chose the order of my Doris Day top ten by considering each film's importance in Doris’s overall career, the size/importance of her role in them, and their overall popularity today as evidenced by their ratings on sites like, IMDb, and Rotten Tomatoes.

Naturally, feel free to watch them in any order you like (this is merely a recommended top ten). You might watch them in the order listed here, chronologically (like I did), or in a way that corresponds with your own movie tastes.

10 Best Doris Day Movies

1. Pillow Talk (1959)
2. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
3. Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
4. Calamity Jane (1953)
5. Lover Come Back (1961)
6. The Pajama Game (1957)
7. Young at Heart (1955)
8. The Thrill of It All (1963)
9. Move Over, Darling (1963)
10. Send Me No Flowers (1964)

1. Pillow Talk (1959)

Given Doris’ traditionally virtuous screen personae, it might seem ironic that her most famous film would be this adorably tongue-in-cheek sex comedy. But, that’s exactly what makes Pillow Talk a classic. The first of three movies that Doris made opposite Rock Hudson, the movie depends entirely on the juxtaposition and chemistry between these two stars.

Doris plays Jan Morrow, a successful interior decorator living in New York City. Jan has a nice apartment, but the downside is that she has to share her phone line with one of her neighbors. Unfortunately for her, that neighbor is Brad Allen (Hudson), a womanizing songwriter who constantly monopolizes the phone line by talking up his many conquests. This frustrates Jan to no end and the two have a number of hostile phone conversations.

Once Brad actually sees his uptight (and attractive) neighbor, he quickly makes it his pet project to seduce her. In an effort to put her guard down, he introduces himself to Jan as Rex Stetson, a naïve out-of-towner. At first, it seems like Brad's ruse might work, but Jan is not an easy conquest and the more Brad gets to know her, the more he actually finds himself caring about her.

Immensely popular during its first release, Pillow Talk has become known for its frequent and clever use of double entendres (even winning an Oscar for Best Screenplay). But the real draw of this movie is watching these two likable stars, proving why they’re still considered one of the greatest screen duos of all time.

2. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

Directed by the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, The Man Who Knew Too Much is a remake of Hitchcock’s original 1934 film of the same name. Generally considered to be superior to the original—even according to Hitch—the film pairs ultimate girl-next-door Doris with America’s favorite everyman, Jimmy Stewart.

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Filmed mostly on location in Marrakesh and London, The Man Who Knew Too Much gave Doris the rare chance to prove herself as a dramatic actress. She and Stewart play Jo and Benjamin McKenna, who along with their son, Hank, are vacationing around Morocco.

While on their way from Casablanca to Marrakesh, they meet a charming Frenchman named Louis Bernard. Bernard seems eager to make friends, but Jo remains wary of him, noticing how he manages to ask personal questions without ever answering any.

Jo’s suspicions appear to be validated when she and Benjamin witness Bernard being stabbed to death in the local marketplace. With his dying breath, Bernard whispers a volatile secret to Benjamin. The knowledge of that secret soon puts the entire family in danger, particularly the McKenna's young son, Hank.

Both Doris and Stewart give strong emotional performances and though this is not a movie lacking in suspense, it’s also just as well-known for its lighter moments, particularly its tongue-in-cheek ending.

One of the film’s most famous scenes is actually one of its sweetest: when Jo (a retired singer) sings a song to her son. The song, “Que Sera, Sera,” became Doris’ trademark tune and even won the Academy Award for Best Song.

3. Love Me or Leave Me (1955)

Based on the life of popular torch singer, Ruth Etting, Love Me or Leave Me provides a great showcase for Doris’ vocal talents. Be aware though, this is not the sunny Doris Day most people remember. This film is very much a musical drama, not a comedy.

Set in the 1920s, it tells the story of the ambitious Ruth, who dreams of becoming a professional singer. Instead, Ruth is stuck working as a taxi dancer to make ends meet. Impatient to become a successful singer, Ruth begins to use the unwanted attentions of gangster Martin Snyder (Jimmy Cagney) to her advantage. Although her technique seems effective at first, it also comes at a price, as the insecure and hotheaded Marty eventually gets tired of being used.

As Ruth, Doris shows some real darkness under her girl-next-door façade and at times verges on being unlikable. In fact, Doris was hesitant to accept the role of Ruth Etting because she found the character somewhat vulgar. Lucky for us, she accepted the role and seems to have taken it very seriously.

Cagney gives a powerful performance as Marty, giving the brash gangster relatable humanity. In fact, it was Cagney who suggested Doris for the role of Ruth in the first place and he, graciously, deferred top billing to her—the first time since the '30s he'd been billed under another star.

Of course, where Doris truly shines is in the film’s musical numbers, most of them taken straight out of Ruth Etting’s original repertoire. The film’s soundtrack even hit number one on the charts and stayed there for 17 weeks straight.

4. Calamity Jane (1953)

Often cited as Doris’ favorite role, this delightful musical is a perfect showcase for her considerable musical talents. Originally made as a response to the popular Annie Get Your Gun—the film even features Annie Get Your Gun cast member Howard Keel in a lead role—Calamity Jane uses the life and legend of the Western folk heroine as inspiration for this enjoyable musical comedy.

Set in the Western town of Deadwood City, the story kicks off when the owner of the town’s only theater, accidentally hires a male actor instead of a female. The outrage of the town’s largely male population threatens to put the theater out of business, but rough cowgirl Calamity Jane (Doris) jumps to the theater owner’s defense. She boasts that she will make up for the mistake by bringing the famous actress Adelaid Adams to perform at the theater and she takes off for Chicago to do just that.

But, when she gets to the big city, Calamity mistakes Adelaid’s maid, Katie Brown, for Adelaid Adams herself. When the amateur Katie comes to Deadwood to perform, it seems Calamity’s boastful ways may have finally come back to bite her. Bringing another woman to town may cause other problems for Calamity, as well, particularly when it comes to her relationship with the handsome Lieutenant Gilmartin.

Doris really flings herself into the role of the boisterous Calamity, and those familiar with her feminine good girl roles might be surprised by her portrayal. She even worked to drop her voice down several registers to better suit Calamity’s tomboyish personality.

Naturally, Doris’ crystal clear singing voice bolsters a number of catchy songs in this film, including the well-known “Secret Love”. At the time, the song topped the Billboard charts at number one and even won the Oscar for Best Song. If you enjoy energetic musicals like Annie Get Your Gun and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, this is the one for you.

5. Lover Come Back (1961)

Capitalizing on the success of Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back reteams Doris with her Pillow Talk co-stars, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. Much like their earlier teaming, this film revolves around a case of mistaken identity.

Doris stars as the ambitious Carol Templeton, who works for a successful ad agency in Manhattan. When her clients start getting wooed away by swinging playboy and fellow ad executive, Jerry Webster (Hudson), she makes it her mission to one-up her unseen rival.

When Carol hears rumors that Jerry is going after a mysterious new product named Vip, she immediately rushes off to woo the inventor before Jerry has a chance to seal the deal. What Carol doesn’t realize is that the man she believes to be the Vip inventor is actually Jerry Webster. Worse than that, the miracle product, Vip, doesn’t even exist! A fact that Jerry is hoping to rectify before Miss Templeton gets wise to his ruse.

Naturally, this sparkling comedy has plenty of tongue-in-cheek double entendres thrown about along the way and Doris does manage to fit a couple of songs in. She sings one during the opening credits and another as a voiceover as Carol considers her growing feelings for the sweet “Dr. Tyler”.