A Long Day's Journey Into Doris Quiz

Answer: Al Jordan

Doris may have seemed like the sunny, cheerful 'girl next door', but her private life, especially when it came to husbands, was hardly blissful. Her first husband, Al Jordan, was a trombonist with the band Doris sang for and she fell head over heels for him.

Unfortunately, he was physically and verbally abusive to her and cheated on her several times. The only good thing to come out of the marriage (1941-1943) was her son. George Weidler was her second husband, and Barry Comden her fourth. Jerome Rosenthal was the attorney who cheated her out of millions of dollars while she was married to Marty Melcher, her third husband who adopted Terry and gave him his last name.

Answer: Storm Warning

Doris was thrilled with the chance to work with one of her movie 'idols', Ginger Rogers, in this edgy variation on Tennessee William's 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. Released in 1950, this was one of the first films to focus attention on the violent activities of the Ku Klux Klan. Doris played the unsuspecting wife of a Klan leader, who was forced to kill her when Doris' sister (Rogers) found out about his membership. Ronald Reagan also starred in this film.

Answer: Midnight Lace

'Midnight Lace' (1960) was a psychological thriller on the order of 'Gaslight', where the husband forced his wife to think she was going mad by subjecting her to such things as mysterious phone calls and eerie voices in the fog. The film also featured a delightful performance by Myrna Loy and an appearance by John Gavin, who went on to become the U.S. ambassador to Mexico in 1981.

Answer: Commissioned the song "Que Sera, Sera" since he knew it would play an important role in the movie

Hitchcock wanted to use Doris' unique talents in order to film one of the most fascinating scenes in "The Man Who Knew Too Much". She and her husband (James Stewart) were desperately trying to find their kidnapped son and while she was singing "Que Sera, Sera" at a dinner party, her son began to whistle the tune from the third floor room where he was being held. Doris did not like the song at first, thinking it to be too simple and childlike.

It later became one of her signature tunes and won the 'Best Song' Oscar in 1956.

Answer: Evidence of her recent (and successful!) breast enlargement surgery

As Doris approached her 50th birthday, without the controlling influence of Marty to dampen her spirits, she wanted to shed some of the 'Doris Day persona'...and ended up with a very impressive bosom. On Johnny's show, she wore a powder-blue bell bottom-pants suit with no evidence of a brassiere under her thin blouse...and she was HOT!

Answer: Ruth Etting

In 1955, when the film was released, the Breen Commission set the moral code for films and demanded that racier aspects of Etting's life be cleaned up for the movie. Despite this cleansing, Ruth Etting, herself, approved of Doris Day's performance and MGM was credited with producing one of the most accurate musical biographies ever made. James Cagney played Marty Snyder, a Chicago hoodlum who fell in love with Etting and took the credit for providing her with opportunities that made her successful. For the first and only time in his career, Cagney took second-billing to Doris and was nominated for a 'Best Actor' Oscar for his performance.

Answer: Doris made a rude remark that was overheard by the trooper.

The officer had been very friendly and professional to both Marty and Doris, and intended to give them only a written warning. In the process of writing the citation, he heard Doris say in a rather loud voice something to the effect of "I've never been so insulted and I will NEVER do another policeman benefit performace again." The officer returned to the car, leaned in and said to Doris, "I heard you, lady." and proceeded to give them a regular traffic ticket instead of the warning.

Answer: Women's Press Club "Sour Apple Award"

Along with her popularity, her need for privacy also increased over the years and she was not particularly fond of fan magazines that invented a lot of stories about her. The Women's Press Club gave her the "Sour Apple Award" for being the "Most Uncooperative Actress". Like many famous people (such as Princess Diana) Doris and Marty preferred to use the press to their advantage.

Answer: She refused to fly.

Doris Day would not set foot in an airplane, although in "Julie" she portrayed an airline stewardess who was forced to land a plane after the pilot and co-pilot were killed by Louis Jourdan. She has been mentioned several times for a Kennedy Center Award, but since the recipient must attend the ceremony in person, she has not been selected to receive one. (Doris: If you are reading this, I will gladly volunteer to drive you to Washington, DC.)

Answer: The Cypress Inn

Experiencing some financial difficulties in his faltering music business, Doris's son, Terry, suggested she purchase the Cypress Inn, a Carmel landmark formerly known as 'La Ribera", 'Cypress West', and finally the 'Cypress Inn'. Thanks, in part, to Doris's sincere love of animals Carmel has become one of the most 'pet friendly' cities in the country.