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| DORIS DAY | |
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Doris Mary Ann "Do-Do" von Kappelhoff was born in Cincinnati on 3rd April 1924. Her parents split up when she was eight. At 12, she won $500 in a dance contest and went to Hollywood. At 14, she was involved in a near fatal car crash which severely injured her right leg ended her dreams of a dancing career. Her mother suggested singing as an alternative. Her vocal coach arranged for her to sing on a local radio station which led to her being engaged by a local band leader, Barney Rapp. The first song Barney heard her sing was Day after Day which gave him the idea for what he thought was a much better showbiz surname than von Kappelhoff. At 19, she began touring as singer with the Les Brown Band, where she met and, in 1941, married Al Jorden. In 1942, soon after the birth of their son, Terry, she initiated divorce proceedings, alleging violence. During the War, she entertained the troops with the Les Brown Band and, in 1944, recorded her first hit, Sentimental Journey. In 1946 she met George Weidler, a sax player with the Les Brown Band. They married but were divorced eight months later. In 1948, she made her first film Romance on the High Seas. He song from the movie, It's Magic, was nominated for an Academy Award and became her first solo million-seller. While filming, she met Marty Melcher who become her agent. In 1951, they married. in 1953, the movie Calamity Jane, produced Doris' second solo million-selling recording, Secret Love. This began a string of box-office movie hits, including Love Me or Leave, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Pyjama Game and Teacher's Pet. At the same time, Doris had major record successes including A Guy Is a Guy and Que Sera Sera. Around 1958, Doris became ill from nervous exhaustion, blaming it on overwork from making films which Marty insisted she make although she didn't want to. When Marty died in 1968, Doris was bankrupt. She was eventually awarded $22 million from Marty's estate by the courts.
In 1975, she produced a best-selling autobiography, Doris Day: Her Own Story. In 1976, she married Bary Comden but they divorced in 1980. Doris now lives in Carmel, California, where she owner the Cypress Inn and works to promote her Animal League and Animal Foundation. |
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Bestselling Doris Day DVDs |
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Bestselling Doris Day CDs |
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Doris Day memorabilia now available (at eBay): |
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Copyright (c) 1996-2004 Peter Thorogood. All
rights reserved.
Information on these pages is presented for educational and
research purposes. As it deals with historical subjects, specific
items of information are necessarily derived from many other
sources. However, the combination, layout and presentation of the
information is original and copyright and may not be copied or
reproduced in any form or medium without the express permission
of the author.
All graphics and sounds used in these pages are either original
or have been obtained from sources which granted permission to
use them. However, the author of these pages does not necessarily
have the right to grant that permission to others.
Midi versions of tunes are included as reminders of the original
recordings and not as substitutes for them. It is hoped that
these reminders will encourage listeners to purchase the original
recordings.
Anyone who feels that any item in these pages may have
inadvertently breeched their copyright should advise the author through the
link above, so that appropriate remedial action
can be taken.
From 1968 to 1973, Doris
starred in her own TV series, The Doris Day Show. In 1975 she
made a TV special: Doris Day Today and in 1985, she hosted a chat
show, Doris Day's Best Friends, on cable TV.
