Doris Day, From Big Band Singer To Hollywood Icon And Animal Welfare Activist, Dies At 97

Doris Day (defotoberg/Shutterstock.com)

DORIS MAY ANN VON KAPPELHOFF, better known as DORIS DAY, who started out as a big band singer with LES BROWN’s orchestra, scoring a pair of ‘40s hits before heading to HOLLYWOOD, starring in musicals like “The Pajama Game,” an OSCAR-nominated role opposite frequent co-star ROCK HUDSON in “Pillow Talk,” and a career on TV, has passed away; she was 97. 

DAY’s recording of “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be),” from her role in ALFRED HITCHCOCK’s 1956 film, “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” won an OSCAR for Best Original Song.  DAY made her final film, “With Six You Get Egg-Roll,” in 1968, before seguing to television, ending her show business career in 1986 to concentrate on animal welfare.  She continued balancing her singing and acting work by recording a series of albums between 1956 and 1968, scoring a major Top 20 hit with the title song from “Move Over Darling” in 1964, produced and co-written by son TERRY MELCHER.

Born APRIL 3rd, 1924 in CINCINNATI, OH, DORIS was raised by a GERMAN father, FREDERICK WILHELM VON KAPPELHOFF, who was a music teacher, choir master and church organist, and mother ALMS SOPHIA WEIZ, a fan of “hillbilly music.” The youngest of three children, with two brothers, one of whom died before she was born, DORIS was named after her mom’s favorite silent movie star DORIS KENYON.  Growing up, DORIS was attracted to both music and dance, forming a dance duo until a car accident crushed her right leg.

While recovering, DORIS listened to the radio, and became a fan of ELLA FITZGERALD, while her mother encouraged her to take singing lessons from vocal coach GRACE RAINE, who recognized the youngster’s vocal talent. By 17, DORIS adopted the stage name “DAY” when a local bandleader, BARNEY RAPP, told her “KAPPELHOFF” was too long for the marquee. DAY eventually joined LES BROWN’s band, married trombonist AL JORDAN, had a song, TERRY, and scored a pair of hits with the post-war classic “Sentimental Journey” and “My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time.” Said BROWN: “She was every bandleader’s dream, a vocalist who had natural talent, a keen regard for the lyrics and an attractive appearance.”

DAY went solo, singing with COLUMBIA RECORDS in 1947, starring on radio with BOB HOPE and FRANK SINATRA, and splitting from her second husband GEORGE WEIDLER, whose request for a divorce – not wishing to be Mr. DORIS DAY -- came via letter.

Still reeling from her divorce, DAY accepted an invitation to sing at a HOLLYWOOD party, where songwriters JULE STYNE and SAMMY CAHN heard her do an emotionally charged “Embraceable You.”  STYNE arranged for a screen test, which led to her first movie, MICHAEL CURTIZ’s “Romance On The High Seas” in 1948, leading to a personal contract with WARNER BROTHERS. 

DAY starred in a series of musicals, including “Tea For Two” (1950), “Lullaby Of BROADWAY” (1951), “Moonlight Bay” (1951), “By The Light Of The Silvery Moon” (1953) and “Calamity Jane” (1953), scoring hit records like “It’s Magic” and “Secret Love.” She was equally adept at drama, starring in “Storm Warning” (1950) and the dark jazz melodrama, “Young Man With A Horn” (1950), opposite KIRK DOUGLAS.

DAY married her agent, MARTY MELCHER, who handled her career as producer, in 1951, deciding not to renew her contract with WARNER BROTHERS. In 1955, DAY made the RUTH ETTING biopic, “Love Me Or Leave Me,” then “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” where she teamed with JAMES STEWART and introduced the OSCAR-winning “Que Sera, Sera,” which, though she initially disliked it, became her signature song.

DAY went on to star in the movie version of the BROADWAY hit, “The Pajama Game,” in 1957, and went on to star in comedies with CLARK GABLE, JACK LEMMON, RICHARD WIDMARK and DAVID NIVEN before teaming up with ROCK HUDSON in “Pillow Talk,” receiving her only OSCAR nomination for Best Actress and a GOLDEN GLOBE. DAY and HUDSON, who became one of her closes friends, went on to co-star in romantic comedies like “Lover Come Back” and “Send Me No Flowers.”  She went on to team successfully with JAMES GARNER in “The Thrill Of It All” and “Move Over Darling,” both in 1963, while proving she could handle the dramatic thriller, “Midnight Lace,” with REX HARRISON.

During the early ‘60s, DAY was named Top Box Office Female Star for four straight years, and while her popularity waned, she still attracted an impressive audience with “The Glass Bottom Boat” in 1966 and her final movie, “With Six You Get Egg-Roll” in 1968.

DAY continued her singing career through the ‘60s, including 16 concept albums, recording “Duet” in 1962 with the ANDRE PREVEN TRIO, which highlighted her intimate and personal approach to interpreting songs. The soundtrack to her RUTH ETTING biopic, “Love Me Or Leve Me,” as well as “The Pajama Game” and “Jumbo” proved chart mainstays. When her COLUMBIA RECORDS contract ended, DAY recorded a 1967 project, “The Love Album,” which wasn’t released until 1994 in the U.K., followed by the U.S. much later, and considered her finest album.

After leaving the movies, and the subsequent death of husband MARTY MELCHER in 1968, DAY discovered he had squandered her earnings, leaving her deep in debut. Forced back to work, she starred in the TV series, “The DORIS DAY Show,” which netted her a GOLDEN GLOBE for Best Actress In A Television Series in 1969 and lasted until 1973, co-executive-producing with son TERRY MELCHER, who became a successful record producer. Two subsequent TV specials, “The DORIS MARY ANNE KAPPELHOFF Special” in 1971 and “DORIS DAY Today” in 1975 found her singing with the likes of PERRY COMO and JOHN DENVER. Her final stint was on the cable TV series, “DORIS DAY And Friends,” which had a talk-show format dedicated to her pet cause, animal welfare, until gong off the air in 1986.

DAY’s autobiography, “DORIS DAY – Her Own Story,” was published in 1976, co-authored with A. E. HOTCHNER, revealing much of the painful trauma in her private life and becoming a best-seller.

The death of her son TERRY in 2004 was a major blow.  That same year, DORIS was awarded the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM by President GEORGE W. BUSH, though a fear of flying prevented her from attending the ceremony in person.

In recent years, her fear of airplanes led her to turn down an honorary ACADEMY AWARD and KENNEDY CENTER HONORS AWARD, though she did receive a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT GRAMMY in 2008, which was accepted for her by TONY BENNETT and NATALIE COLE.  Her last appearance in public was to pick up her GOLDEN GLOBE in 1989, presented by her CARMEL, CA, neighbor and friend, CLINT EASTWOOD.

In JUNE, 2010, DAY received the SOCIETY OF SINGERS’ LEGEND AWARD.  “I just feel so fortunate and so blessed to have been able to entertain people in the theatres and on record, it’s just an amazing life that I’ve experienced,” she said.

DAY devoted her remaining years to rescuing, healing and placing thousands of abused or neglected animals in loving homes, staring her own organization, the DORIS DAY ANIMAL LEAGUE and later, the DORIS DAY ANIMAL FOUNDATION, which is now part of the HUMANE SOCIETY of the U.S.

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