Do Not Disturb
Do Not Disturb
Directed byRalph Levy
Produced byMartin Melcher
Aaron Rosenberg
StarringDoris Day
Rod Taylor
CinematographyLeon Shamroy (director of photography)
Edited byRobert L. Simpson (as Robert Simpson)
Music byLionel Newman
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
December 22, 1965
Running time
102 min.
LanguageEnglish

Do Not Disturb is a 1965 American comedy film directed by Ralph Levy, starring Doris Day and Rod Taylor. The film is based on a story originally penned by William Fairchild.

Plot

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In an attempt to garner her husband's attention, Janet Harper creates a fictitious "other man" to peak her work-a-holic husband's interest. Inadvertently, Janet's imaginary love interest becomes reality in the form of a debonair, charming Frenchman tasked with decorating the new Harper love nest in the outer burb's of London, England's Kensington District. While breaking all of her rules for pristine living, Janet realizes that there is more to love, and life, than what appears on the surface when she discovers that her husband, Mike, also has his own share of fictitious love situations evolving in the form of his personal assistant, Claire Hackett.

Production

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Original story by William Fairchild (writer and director of Walt Disney Presents fame and guest spot as "the minister" on HBO's hit series, Curb Your Enthusiasm)[1]. Fairchild's charming story was developed into a screenplay for Do Not Disturb by Richard L. Breen (credited as Richard Breen), and Milt Rosen. Richard L. Breen is most notably known for his screenplay work in both movies and television for productions such as Dragnet, Titanic (1953 film) and Niagara, the 1953 film-noir thriller starring Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotton and Jean Peters[2]. Also involved in authoring the screenplay for "Do Not Disturb", Milt Rosen - the prolific screenwriter involved in numerous t.v. productions such as The Flying Nun, The Brady Bunch, My Three Sons and Trapper John, M.D.[3].

Although the film is set in London and Paris, the entire production was shot in the back lot of the 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles, California[4].

This film was shot using Cinemascope anamorphic widescreen movie format and color by DeLuxe[5].


Reception

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The film was relatively successful in America upon its release on June 15, 1962, earning $4 million with an estimated budget of $2 million, but found even greater success when released overseas.[6][7] James Stewart garnered the Berlin International Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his hilarious performance, and director Henry Koster was nominated for Best Director. Stewart was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy. The screenplay by Nunnally Johnson was nominated for Best Written Comedy by the Writers Guild of America. Stewart and Maureen O'Hara were also nominated for their performances by the Laurel Awards.[8] Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation's success inspired a series of light-hearted comedies starring James Stewart including Take Her, She's Mine (1963) and Dear Brigitte (1965), taking him away from the western movies he had become a staple of.[9] The film is still aired on cable channels, and has developed a cult following that helped the film be released on DVD.


Primary Players and Noteworthy Cast

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Doris Day and Rod Taylor were matched up on the big screen, one year later, in the hit film, The Glass Bottom Boat (released in 1966). This is one of 18 films that Doris Day starred in with husband, Martin Melcher - a collaboration that spanned over a 12 year period that included many of Day's most famous films; Pillow Talk, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Lover Come Back, Billy Rose's Jumbo, That Touch of Mink, and With Six You Get Eggroll to list several of the more famous films released by the couple. Although their film collaborations were typically successful and profitable, their personal relationship had all but bottomed out at the time of Melcher's death in 1968. It was during this specific period in time that Day had discovered that Melcher and her accountant had frittered away millions of dollars that Day had earned over the previous 15 years in phony investments and fatally flawed contractual arrangements. This film, "Do Not Disturb", marked the turn of the last 3 years and 5 films that Day would work on with Martin Melcher[10].

Rod Taylor is most notably known as a "hunky man" from Australia, with a talent, sex appeal and charm as large as his home continent - landing him in many an envious roll in Hollywood classics such as Giant (1956), Raintree County (1957), Alfred Hitchcock's, The Birds, 1963 a plethora of shows and series on both the big and small screen throughout the decades including a very recent production of the upcoming Quentin Tarantino film, Inglourious Bastards (2009) playing British Prime Minister Winston Churchill[11].

Also noteworthy is the fact that the was Reginald Gardiner's last big screen motion picture, although he did continue his career on the small screen in a myriad of other famous productions until 1968, including in hits such as Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, Batman, The Pruitts of Southampton (aka The Phyllis Diller Show), and Bewitched[12].

Other uncredited sneak appearances are made by Raquel Welch and former California U.S. Senator Pierre Salinger. Credited for his appearance in the film is famous restaurateur and occasional sneak peak film guest, Michael Romanoff, of Romanoff's - a Beverly Hills restaurant popular with Hollywood stars in the 1940s and 1950s[13].


Cast

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Doris Day as Janet Harper

Rod Taylor as Mike Harper

Hermione Baddeley as Vanessa Courtwright

Sergio Fantoni as Paul Bellasi

Reginald Gardiner as Simmons

Maura McGiveney as Claire Hackett

Aram Katcher as Culkos

Leon Askin as Langsdorf

Lisa Pera as Alicia

Michael Romanoff as Man

Raquel Welch as Woman in Lobby, Uncredited

Pierre Salinger as American Consul, Uncredited


Crew

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Ralph Levy
Director

Milt Rosen
Screenplay

Richard L. Breen
Screenplay

William Fairchild
Original Story Author

Aaron Rosenberg
Producer

Martin Melcher
Producer



References

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  1. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0265536/
  2. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0106764/
  3. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0742051/
  4. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059112/trivia
  5. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059112/technical
  6. ^ "Internet Movie Database, Box office/business for Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation". imdb.com. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  7. ^ "Internet Movie Database, Release dates for Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation". imdb.com. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  8. ^ "Internet Movie Database, Awards for Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation". imdb.com. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  9. ^ "Internet Movie Database, James Stewart". imdb.com. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  10. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577455/bio
  11. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001792/
  12. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0306786/
  13. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Romanoff
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[edit] Reception

The film was relatively successful in America upon its release on June 15, 1962, earning $4 million with an estimated budget of $2 million, but found even greater success when released overseas.[5][6] James Stewart garnered the Berlin International Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his hilarious performance, and director Henry Koster was nominated for Best Director. Stewart was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy. The screenplay by Nunnally Johnson was nominated for Best Written Comedy by the Writers Guild of America. Stewart and Maureen O'Hara were also nominated for their performances by the Laurel Awards.[7] Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation's success inspired a series of light-hearted comedies starring James Stewart including Take Her, She's Mine (1963) and Dear Brigitte (1965), taking him away from the western movies he had become a staple of.[8] The film is still aired on cable channels, and has developed a cult following that helped the film be released on DVD.


[edit] External links

   * Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation at the Internet Movie Database

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Hobbs_Takes_a_Vacation" Categories: Films shot in CinemaScope | 1962 films | American films | Comedy films | Films based on novels | Films directed by Henry Koster