DISCOVERING Doris Day | News | John Denver joins Doris on her DAY-lightful 1975 TV special 'Doris Day Today'

A DAY-lightful musical television extravaganza arrives on DVD...

by Stephen M (Last updated: 1 May 2008, 13:23)

Doris and guest star John Denver sing their hearts out in Doris's 1975 variety-entertainment special Doris Day Today.....

Many of you were eagerly counting down the days to the 20 November 2007 as it was the grand occasion that Doris's only remaining TV special came to DVD format in the USA. It was also that very same day that the final DVD box of Doris's cheery sitcom (Season 5) was released featuring ALL-NEW commentary from dear Doris. What an absolute joy!

The good news for European fans is Sony BMG (UK) have exclusively licensed it for release in the United Kingdom. This new edition was delayed from February this year but finally came out on the 21 April 2008. The UK edition comes in digipak packaging with slightly different/adapted artwork but contains all the same wonderful footage as its American cousin. It is also issued in a Region Free NTSC DVD format. Order your copy now from HMV.com or amazon.co.uk.

For me Doris Day Today has always held a special place in my heart as it was Doris's last major-league production that she made before exiting Hollywood for the quiet surroundings of Carmel. In essence this was the star's fond farewell to her singing and acting career of the last 30+ years.

It was 10 years ago that I first had a glimpse of this show on a poor quality "bootleg" VHS tape. This however didn't dampen the experience of seeing for the first time all the fun comedy sketches and magical musical performances. In fact, Doris's included renditions of "The Way We Were" and "Day by Day" were simply breathtaking. On the whole Doris's fashions, compared to her 1971 special, also seemed to age better over time as she still looked very contemporary. All of these pluses are then multiplied by ten when country-legend John Denver makes his guest appearance. John is the epitome of everything that is so wonderful about Doris as he too exuded happiness, warmth and charm. The pair give their all and perform some very harmonious duets.

There's no doubt that the 2007 DVD of this bright and cheery spectacular is alone worth every cent of its purchase price. The fact it is impeccably remastered and comes with a generous helping of bonus materials ensures it claims the title as one of the "Best releases of 2007".

Click HERE to read full details about this TV show.

PRIZE DRAW!!
Congratulations to the five people below who each won a copy of Sony BMG's Region Free NTSC DVD release of Doris's 1975 TV show.

What Barbra Streisand hit did Doris sing on this TV special?
Answer: The Way We Were

The winning entrants are:

Kjell Grönberg (Alvkarleby - SWEDEN)
Carl Crabtree (Bedfordshire - UK)
Karen Bowes (Staffordshire - UK)
Nada Ulcar (Bled - SLOVENIA)
Tony Griffin (Dublin - IRELAND)

The closing date to enter this prize draw is the 1 June 2008. Prizes will be sent to the 5 randomly picked winners directly from Sony BMG(UK). The competition is only open to one entrant per household!

Packaging with Picture Disc DVD
Doris Day Today
Order the US edition @ amazon.com
or the UK edition @ HMV.com / amazon.co.uk

Running Time: Approx. 65 Minutes

Regular visitors of this site will know I have quite a soft spot for Doris's singing. So, it will be no surprise when I say that this the second of Doris's TV variety-entertainment specials really ticks the box on that count as it contains one of few occasions that the songstress sang her heart out in a 'non-movie role'.

Featured are some great duets with John Denver, a comedic medley of Doris's movie hits with impressionist Rich Little and best of all spine-tingling renditions of contemporary pop hits Day By Day (from the musical Godspell) and The Way We Were.

It may now all look a bit camp and kitsch with some hammy comedy sketches with Tim Conway (The Carol Burnett Show) but and it's a big BUT it all adds to the overall charm!!

All in all this is a classic bit of television history lovingly restored and fully deserving of a place in your DVD collection. Bonus materials include Doris's ENTIRE appearance on John Denver's 1974 TV Special (Note: only clips of this rare performance had been previously available on the Denver's DVD A Video Portrait). Also you get to see what can only be described as the 1940s equivalent to the modern day pop video in form of a vintage performance of Doris performing with Les Brown and his band.

Scene from "Doris Goes To Hollywood" (Season 3 of The Doris Day Show)
Scene from "Doris Goes To Hollywood" (The Doris Day Show)

I should finally clarify that the included "Doris Goes To Hollywood" episode from The Doris Day Show is in fact a previously un-issued on DVD version. Five years ago, this particular episode was picked as a test transfer and painstakingly restored from the original 35mm picture negative. Thus, it benefits from more vivid colours and sharper picture. The idea though of retransferring all 128 episodes in the same way was abandoned as cost-prohibitive after attempts failed to secure a new sale of television reruns. The sources therefore used for all the DVD boxsets are videotape transfers produced during the 1980s for the Christian Broadcast Network (CBN).

MPI Home Video have delivered the ultimate Christmas stocking filler with this timeless release.

Bonus DVD Extras:-

Doris’ entire appearance on The John Denver Special (1974)
Doris Day Album Discography
"Doris In Hollywood" episode of The Doris Day Show
Original Kraft sponsor billboards for Doris Day Today
"My Lost Horizon" (1940s Music Short of Doris & Les Brown)
Animal Shelter Promo (1971) (previously included on The Doris Day Show Season 4 DVD set)
The Doris Day Show on DVD promo
The Love Album Promo

Doris with John Denver (1974)
(Promotional stills from The John Denver Special)

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	johndenver.com
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