| That Touch of Mink | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Delbert Mann |
| Written by | |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Russell Metty |
| Edited by | Ted J. Kent |
| Music by | George Duning |
| Color process | Eastmancolor |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $17.6 million[1] |
That Touch of Mink is a 1962 Americanromantic comedy film directed byDelbert Mann, and starringCary Grant,Doris Day,Gig Young andAudrey Meadows.
Cathy Timberlake, a New York career woman looking for a job, walks to the unemployment office to collect her check. There, she is subjected to the unwanted advances of office clerk Beasley, after which she meets business executive Philip Shayne when hisRolls-Royce Silver Cloud splashes her dress with mud while on her way to a job interview. Philip wants to make up for the incident and upon meeting, the two discover a strong mutual attraction.
Cathy watches Philip as he speaks at a UN session and as their relationship develops, Philip proposes a romantic affair, while Cathy holds out for marriage. Cathy's roommate, Connie, advises her to break up with Philip, for Connie believes Philip is only interested in seducing Cathy.
In a minor subplot, Philip's financial manager, Roger, sees a therapist to discuss his guilt about helping his boss with numerous sexual conquests (including Cathy). But the therapist, who is discreetly absent from the room when Cathy's name is mentioned, believes that Roger is considering having an affair with Philip.
Philip wines and dines Cathy nightly, even spending one date at aYankees game, sharing the dugout withRoger Maris,Mickey Mantle, andYogi Berra (although Cathy ends up getting kicked out of the dugout). This particular conquest however, weighs on Philip's conscience, so he withdraws an invitation to take her toBermuda. This only serves to make Cathy indignant and in order to assert her independence, she agrees to go. While in Bermuda, she is anxiety-ridden over the evening's sexual implications and as a result, comes down with a nervous rash, much to her embarrassment and Philip's frustration. Later, a second Bermuda trip is attempted, but this time Cathy drinks whiskey to soothe her nerves and winds up intoxicated, falling off the hotel balcony onto an awning below. She is then carried in her pyjamas through the crowded lobby, back to the room.
At the urging of Roger and Connie, who are convinced Philip is in love with her, Cathy plans a motel rendezvous with Beasley to make Philip jealous. Her plan succeeds and she and Philip are later married, although on their honeymoon, he breaks out in a nervous rash himself. The film ends with Cathy and Philip months later, walking with their baby and Roger through a park. The two leave Roger alone with the baby for a few moments, during which time his therapist approaches him to ask how things are going with Philip. In response, Roger joyously displays the baby, causing another misunderstanding on the therapist's part.
Cary Grant was a big fan ofThe Honeymooners and Audrey Meadows in particular, and was responsible for getting her the part of Connie.[citation needed]
In her autobiography, Doris Day wrote that Cary Grant was very professional and exacting with details, helping her with her wardrobe choices for the film and decorating the library set with his own books from home. However, he was a completely private person, totally reserved, and very distant. Their relationship on this film was amicable, but totally devoid of give-and-take.[2]
When Doris Day's character is shown a list of potential husbands for her, one of the names on the list isRock Hudson, Day's co-star inPillow Talk,Lover Come Back, andSend Me No Flowers. In fact, Hudson had expected to be cast as Philip, but director Delbert Mann wanted Cary Grant.[citation needed]
A news item in the July 20, 1961Daily Variety noted that Cary Grant had "telephoned the French automotive company,Citroën, to order a new car for use in the film."[3] The factory reportedly shipped “the display model” to the studio without hesitation and the car is prominently featured in the film, garnering key publicity for the new roadster model, theCitroën DS 19 Décapotable Usine.[3][4]
The film grossed $17.6 million at the box office,[1] earning $7.9 million intheatrical rentals in the United States and Canada.[5] It was the4th highest-grossing film of 1962. It was the fastest film to gross over $1,000,000 at a single theatre, reaching that milestone in five weeks atRadio City Music Hall in New York and was there for another five weeks setting a theatre record gross at the time of $1.9 million.[6][7]
Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 78% based on reviews from 9 critics.[8]
TheDaily Variety film review on May 9, 1962, noted "The gloss ofThat Touch of Mink, however, doesn't obscure an essentially threadbare lining," while "Miss Day...certifies herself an adept farceur with this outing."[9]
CriticEmanuel Levy notes that "Day performs with some charm her familiar type, theworld’s oldestvirgin, a professional who demands to be treated with respect and doesn’t believe in living in sin; legit marriage and wedding ring should come before sex. Just watch the horror on her face, when she notices a single bed in Philip’s Bermuda suite"[10]
The Movie Channel notes "They look dated, silly, even prudish to us today, but back in the late 50s and early 60s,Doris Day starred in a series of comedies built around the question ofwill she or won't she have sex with him? that were the beginnings of a change in the depiction of adult relationships on screen...one thing was new here: the frank acknowledgement that certain adults, particularly those lucky enough to live and dress well in swinging Manhattan, were having sex without benefit of marriage. And this was an occasion not for scandal or tragedy but for slightly risqué humor."[11]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[12] | Best Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen | Stanley Shapiro andNate Monaster | Nominated |
| Best Art Direction – Color | Alexander Golitzen,Robert Clatworthy andGeorge Milo | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Waldon O. Watson | Nominated | |
| Bambi Awards | Best Actress – International | Doris Day | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards[13] | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Won | |
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Cary Grant | Nominated | |
| Laurel Awards | Top Comedy | Won | |
| Top Male Comedy Performance | Cary Grant | Won | |
| Top Female Comedy Performance | Doris Day | Won | |
| Top Male Supporting Performance | Gig Young | Won | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards[14] | Best Written American Comedy | Stanley Shapiro and Nate Monaster | Won |
In May 1962, Fawcett's line ofGold Medal Books issued a paperbacknovelization by-lined John Tessitore. It is unknown if this is the author's actual name or a pseudonym; novelization work tended to go to seasoned authors, and during that era, the "Tessitore" by-line only ever appeared on three Gold Medal film tie-ins. In any event, the novel is written in the first person, from the POV of Doris Day's character Cathy Timberlake.[citation needed]
In his Pulitzer-winning novelA Confederacy of Dunces, author John Kennedy Toole suggests, without naming names of the movie or its stars, that the novel's protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly sees the movie at his local theater in New Orleans. The plotline is clearly identified and numerous injurious remarks are made railing off to his fellow cinemagoers at large.[16]