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Please Don't Eat The Daisies

1960, Movie, NR, 111 mins

Please Don't Eat The Daisies: Review

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Director Charles Walters' sweet-tart comedy, based on Jean Kerr's bestseller, boldly engages both the domestic fronts and theater-world trenches. Professor Larry McKay (David Niven) divides his time between being a respected academic and serving as an influential Manhattan drama critic. His supportive wife, Kate (Doris Day), stuck in close urban quarters with four bratty boys, longs to move to the wide open spaces of suburbia and wishes her husband had recused himself from reviewing musical produced by their family friend, Alfred North (Richard Haydn). After reading his pan, the show’s voluptuous leading lady, Deborah Vaughn (Janis Paige), publicly slaps her harshest critic and milks the "feud" to keep her show running. As Larry basks in the cocktail-party spotlight, Kate spots the early warning signs of eroding integrity and, afraid that Larry might become one of those vitriolic reviewers who sacrifice fairness for a quotable turn of phrase, renews her campaign to pull up stakes. Deborah, meanwhile, decides that the best revenge she could contrive would be to seduce her happily married critic. The McKay family does relocate, only to learn that things aren't so peaceful in the country either — starting with their house, which is worthy of Charles Addams. While Larry commutes to New York, Kate gets conscripted by the amateur dramatic society and, looking for an inexpensive work to stage, foolishly asks Alfred for a favor. The vengeful playwright changes the title of a turkey of a play Larry once wrote, back when he was young, foolish and fancied himself a playwright. By the time Larry finally attends a rehearsal, Alfred has bought tickets for Manhattan’s bitchy creme de la crème: Kate may have to fight to reclaim the man she married from assorted Broadway sycophants and vultures. Day and Niven mesh so well as the testy lovebirds that it's not hard to overlook the extraneous musical numbers and too-cute child actors. This pleasant light comedy spawned a moderately successful television series featuring Patricia Crowley and Mark Miller in the lead roles, and marked the big-screen return of screen for Paige, absent since SILK STOCKINGS (1957), and Kelly, who had been away for 16 years. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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