Review of Pillow Talk (1959) by Panayiota K — 11 Dec 2014

Movies that were controversial during the Hollywood Golden Age are rarely still controversial in the contemptuous decade of the 2010s; "Pillow Talk" is yet another reminder of this notion. Back in 1959, S-E-X was on the shitlist of every major movie studio, but audiences were sickening of perfumey, sanitized entertainment. Doris Day was the epitome of that cloying wholesomeness - to the world, she was the 40 year-old virgin, a woman carrying all the sexiness of your mom.

So imagine. It's 1959. You're sitting in a theater, waiting for your movie to start. Then, a preview for "Pillow Talk" comes on. You see Doris Day, her buttery voice in the background, singing the title theme. You automatically roll your eyes. But then, Rock Hudson, playing a womanizing cad, blames Day's hygienic uptightness on her lack of action in the bedroom. You're taken aback. Since when have "bedroom problems" been discussed in a movie?

Naturally, everyone saw the film when it was released; it made $19 million (which was considered to be a blockbuster in the penny-for-an-ice-cream decade), renewed Day's status as a bona fide movie queen, and reestablished Hudson's box-office appeal. It was the talk of the town, a "racy" romantic comedy that could be charming but also risky.

But now, "Pillow Talk" is merely a charming romantic comedy without the racy riskiness it carried in 1959. Doris Day is still about as sexy as your mom and the film is still perfumey, even if it is a little less sanitized than other rom-coms of the decade. Yet, Day and Hudson are attractive. The CinemaScope makes even the gaudiest of colors feel chic and nostalgic. The exchanges between the characters are sitcomy in an "I Love Lucy" way. The ballsy courageousness of "Pillow Talk" has severely waned over the years, but its appeal hasn't.

Day portrays Jan Morrow, an interior decorator, and Hudson plays Brad Allen, a playboy musician. They live in the same apartment building and are forced to share a telephone party line; naturally, Jan accidentally interrupts many of Brad's gooey conversations with various women. She scoffs. She needs to make calls too, after all. Jan goes to the telephone company to complain, but the employee they send to resolve the situation is seduced by Brad. Of course. Jan has never seen her enemy in person, but if she did, she'd surely sock him.

Well, that's what'd you think. When the two bump elbows at a local restaurant one night, Jan, unaware of who Brad actually is, is instantly smitten. Brad, meanwhile, knows who she is as his best friend is taken with her himself. But the former is surprised to find how much he is attracted to Jan, even if she does have bedroom problems. In panic, he devises a Southern accent and a fake name to fool her. Brad finds himself in quite a pickle, however, when the romance begins to take a more serious turn.

The chutzpah in "Pillow Talk" is not balls-to-the-wall daring, but rather, hesitant, somewhat unsure of its footing. If it makes a sex joke, a double-entendre of sorts, it covers it with a sheen of CinemaScope glamour. It's a precursor to the soon-to-be sexual revolution.

But if the film's gutsy movements aren't as penetrative as they once were, then there should be a much bigger focus on its stars. Day has become the underdog when reflecting on vintage films, as more attention is turned towards the voluptuous Marilyn Monroe or the exotic Sophia Loren. But she is a true talent, effortlessly at ease in her performances and radiant when she sings. She is at her best in "Pillow Talk," marking a new name for herself in bright red permanent marker and knowing that it will stick. The chemistry between Hudson and Day is uncomplicated and natural, transitioning smoothly from comedy foils to love interests.

These days, you can see "Pillow Talk"'s influence. Some scenes have the pupil staining pigmentation of an Almodóvar film. Others contain the split screen camerawork that would plague mod '60s capers and various television shows. If it hasn't aged well in consideration to the new age, then "Pillow Talk" should be seen as a template, a quintessential romantic comedy.