That Touch of Mink (1962)

Excellent adaptation.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

A screwball-inflected US chick-flick pits a blonde bombshell Doris Day against a dapper Cary Grant, under the helm of the Oscar-winner director Delbert Mann. Day plays an NYC career woman Cathy Timberlake, embarks on a seesaw with a wealthy middle-aged man-about-town Philip Shayne (Grant), in their romantic entanglement which the man (naturally) wants to keep it casual but the woman (also naturally and morally correctly) doesn't want to relinquish her virginity before marriage. The meet-cute premise is blank beggar belief (the chauffeur of his Rolls Royce must be a sterling matchmaker), but magnificently, the film deploys pleasurable set pieces (whether it is a rash or under the influence of liquor) to sabotage Philip's advances and countervails the frivolousness with Cathy's oscillation, she is endowed with the dream of every wide-eyed bachelorette, courted by a minted knight in shining armor, only in her case, not for marriage but dalliance, and that is her conundrum.So, it goes without saying that the cut-the-Gordian-knot solution is to tie the knot, but for an incorrigible bachelor like Philip, Cathy, the destined ultimate victor, needs an operative ploy to jolt him into the action, which is, she pretends to go with another suitor (the unassuming John Astin) to a motel, to make Philip jealous, to make him fight for her, a golden rule to all the girls in the same fix: you must prove yourself to be desirable first and foremost, other virtues can wait afterwards. The dialogue is snappy and chirpily facetious as expected, Audrey Meadows is one sterling one- liner thrower as Cathy's roommate-and-best-friend Connie and Gig Young emerges as a repartee- prone right-handed man of Philip, blithely wallows in the gay innuendo, a light-hearted running gag. The two leads, both are too long-in-the-tooth for their characters nevertheless, are a charming match, Day, oozes with pizazz in her jauntiness and comic rhythm, whereas a genial Grant takes an essentially patronizing role with his de rigueur panache, a job only a bankable matinée idol can excel at. In the main, THAT TOUCH OF MINK is a good-natured, tongue-in-the-cheek rom-com, completely at ease with its fine amalgamation of cartoony decorousness and appealing retro-flair, no frippery, no particular insight neither.

Cathy Timberlake (Doris Day) lives in Manhattan and is looking for a job. Its been some weeks. One day, as she is going to an interview, a limo passes her closely, splashing her clothes with puddle water. The driver doesn't stop. Aghast, Cathy goes to the Automat, where her roommate Connie (Audrey Meadows) often slips her free lunch items. Meanwhile, the limo has circled the block looking for a wet damsel but finding none. The extremely wealthy businessman, Philip (Cary Grant) who was sitting in the back seat, feels guilty about the incident. But, since no gal is in sight, he goes to the office nearby. There, his erstwhile assistant, Roger (Gig Young) makes his usual complaint of how Philip lured him away from an academic job by flashing big bucks. Now, looking out the window, Philip sees the muddied Cathy go into the Automat and begs Roger to go find her with offers of dry cleaning. Thus, before Cathy can take one bite of lunch, Roger explains his mission and Cathy says she wants to throw this offer right in Philip's face. Gleeful Roger takes her to his boss' office. What he doesn't count on is that single, attractive Cathy takes one look at Philip and falls in love. Philip is attracted to Cathy, too. Soon Cathy's clothes are being cleaned in the office building's facility and the lovestruck duo are conversing and flirting. They begin "stepping out" together. But, while Cathy is dreaming of marriage, Philip, man of the world, is just looking for romance. So, when Philip suggests a Bermuda vacation for the twosome, without a ring, what will Cathy do? Her only other suitor at the moment is unemployment office worker Mr. Beaaley (John Astin), who gives her the creeps. In his turn, Roger reports the whole affair to his shrink! What doings in the Big Apple! This lovely, funny, vastly entertaining film should be seen by ALL folks across the world. Day has never been better and as one of Grant's last films, it is a flick to savor. Meadows, Astin, Young, and all of the rest are terrific as well. The title is a metaphor for the wealthy's idea of throwing money around and, as Cathy is just a working gal from Upper Sandusky, Ohio, it is a clash of the classes romance! This is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. The costumes, naturally, are absolutely wonderful, while the sets, fantastic script and polished direction make for a not-to-be-missed movie. Get in the Mink and the Pink with a viewing. No one WILL EVER BE SORRY they sat down to watch this one.

THAT TOUCH OF MINK is a deliberately old-fashioned romantic comedy teaming up two of Hollywood's biggest genre stars, Doris Day and Cary Grant. They play the usual bickering twosome when they're brought together after Grant's car splashes Day during a rainstorm and he decides to make amends. What follows is entirely frivolous and completely unmemorable.Much of the story centres around Day's grating, all-too-wholesome character as she goes around shopping and the like. I wasn't really interested in these moments, but the scenes she shares with the naturally charismatic Grant are better. There are also a couple of decent characters in support, namely John Astin and Gig Young, but the emphasis is very much on putting across Day's carefully-manufactured image. I guess I'm completely the wrong demographic for this sort of picture.

An out-of-work blonde beauty encounters a very wealthy diplomat and undergoes fears of re-loosing her virginity without the benefit of a wedding ring. It all starts when Cary Grant's car splatters Doris Day with mud, and his assistant Gig Young is drafted to apologize for him. Day demands that his boss apologize to her in person, but when she sees him, it is her doing the apologizing. Before she can break into "Que Sera Sera", he has her under her spell, and is making arrangements to fly her all over the world in an effort to seduce her. Day won't have any of that without a wedding ring and develops a rash in her nervous condition. Later, she tries to get over her fears by getting drunk before a planned seduction, but all she ends up with is an empty bottle used as a toe condom.In their only film together, Grant and Day make a good pair, but it is very apparent by a reference to Rock Hudson that Grant has taken over what may have been his part. As per usual in this period of his career, Grant gets a younger leading lady (Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Audrey Hepburn, and Leslie Caron were among the others), but his charm evaporates the age difference. There is a funny recurring gag involving Audrey Meadows (as Day's acerbic roommate) and Gig Young where Meadows, thinking that Young is the rogue out to deflower Ms. Day, keeps attacking him humorously, twice in a New York auto-mat (through the service window no less), and later in her apartment building. John Astin, as a sleazy unemployment center clerk, offers more laughs in his three scenes. "I've got TV dinners", he gleefully announces to the disgusted Ms. Day on their date. "We're having mackerel", he informs her before handing her a bottle of Muscatel. Meadows adds amusement in a role typical in most Doris Day films, having earlier been played by Eve Arden, Mary Wickes and Nancy Walker, and later by Rose Marie and Kaye Ballard on her TV series.An excellent screenplay, beautiful art direction and a stunning fashion show add to the film's charm. Ironically, this is one of the few films where Day does not sing at all, even over the credits.