Magazine Coverage of Women: Doris Day
The mid 50’s to mid 60’s were a very conventional time in US history. Women were supposed to be good mothers and housewives. Doris Day was the considered the ideal All American Girl. She was beautiful, blonde and vivacious. From the time she made a name for herself, breaking away from performing with a band, to the time she decided to leave the public eye, Doris has graced the cover of many magazines. Always smiling, happy and glowing, Doris became a symbol for what the perfect woman should be.
From the years of 1955 to 1965, Doris Day reached the height of her career. She stared in blockbuster films such as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Pillow Talk (1959) and Midnight Lace (1960). At the same time, her song Que Sera Sera (1956) had reached the top of the charts and she continued to make albums. Doris Day was a household name and seen as the Girl Next Door. Day was always seen on the cover of magazines smiling and happy, however that was not the case for her home life. Throughout her lifetime, Day married four times and each ended on rocky terms. During the ten year time span, Day was married to Marty Melcher and their marriage quickly turned into a business arrangement. He controlled what projects Doris got involved in and was in charge of her fortune. By the time he passed away, he had completely squandered her $22 million dollar fortune and was almost $500,000 dollars in debt.
The media played an important role in keeping Doris Day an icon of her time. She was constantly gracing the cover of magazines, usually wearing bright colors. Day was one of the post popular movie stars of her generation.
In 1955, the typical magazine covers showed women doing stereotypical things. On an issue of Seventeen Magazine printed in 1955, a woman in typical housewife garb poses next to the headline, “It’s all yours, Sew it.” This was the type of material geared toward women. At the time, Doris Day was becoming highly successful. She had made a name for herself in both movies and in music. Day seemed to be more conventional, choosing to keep her life private and stay at home with her family. She loved animals and from the very beginning the media portrayed that. In an article written from the point of view of her dog, Smudgy, Doris is portrayed as being compassionate and sensitive.
Day was portrayed as a busy movie star that made time for her family and friends. In the pages of a 1956 copy of Screenland, Doris talks about how she wishes she could do more around the house because her busy schedule does not allow it but she when she is home, she likes to take care of her family and keep the house tidy. When asked what kind of things she likes to do, she quickly said that she didn’t like to go shopping, get dressed up, or play card games. “I do love meeting my gal friends for lunch! Occasionally we swim or play tennis and then we sit down and gab and gab and gab. That I adore!” Outside of her busy schedule, she made time to do things that typical wives did. She had a cook to make their meals but she didn’t shy away from taking control of her home.
Her image aligned perfectly with that of the All American Girl. She was modest and emulated an image that girls could be proud to have as a role model. She was featured in many magazines following her fashion choices. She was referred to as “The cutest sight around the Tamarisk Gold Course” in a 1956 Modern Screen issue. Doris wore pink pants to the course and was seen as a trendsetter. She loved the color pink and that translated into all aspects of her life.
Magazines publications held phone interviews with Day and she proved that her bubbly personality could shine through. She was willing to answer most questions and she could ramble on about things that she was excited about. To the public, she was deeply in love with her husband Marty. In an article titled, “A Phone Call to Doris”, Doris answers the phone, chatty and rambling about how gorgeous the day is and what a beautiful life she has had. She giggles like a school girl when talking about Marty. The article shows the contrast of who Doris is when she isn’t busy filming. She sounds smitten on the phone, going on and on about Marty. The magazine article paints her relationship with her husband in a positive light. In 1958, Movie Show released an issue with Doris on the cover. She wore a black blouse that many women at the time would wear. The headline read, “The Turning Point in Doris Day’s Life.” She is featured next to stories from Natalie Wood, John Saxon and June Allyson written about love and marriage . This magazine headline gave her marriage more positive influence. She and her husband were among other couples who had successful marriages and this gave her more traction. She was already a marvelous movie star but she had a home life that could make someone envious.
Doris signed on to do multiple movies that made headlines. She was considered one of the most popular singers. In a 1958 issue of Life, she was considered as one of the people at the top of the entertainment world. Described as having a “bright, bubbly voice, with great style and determination to look super happy and supernormal,” Doris was once again idolized for her talents. One Hollywood admirer said, “She’s the girl next door, all right, next door to the bank.” She quickly became a favorite of directors and viewers everywhere. She emulated the values thought most important at that time.
As she continued to grow in popularity, she started to feel alone in all of her success. She took control of her situation and made herself relatable to the public by addressing that she felt lonely at times. Celebrities are expected to be perfect and by addressing that she had a flaw, she humanized herself. An article written by Helen Hendricks in a 1959 issue of Screenland, detailed how Doris “beat loneliness.” Hendricks writes, “When you see Doris Day, it’s hard to think of her connection with depression. Her lively face is full of good humor. The way she walks, the way she handles herself is buoyant.” This gave her image another boost. She was now bubbly, good humored and bright, but at the same time knew what it was to struggle and could relate to the readers of the magazine.
Doris was a golden girl. She was the All-American sweetheart, that reflected conventional values. She was a good mother, a good wife, and a great actress and musician. In an article titled, “Movie’s Golden Girl,” in the 1960 Life issue, Doris shows some of her values. “She will permit no liquor or cigarettes in her house but she loves hamburgers and ice cream and has her own soda fountain. She is the eternal freckled-faced girl next door.” A good hamburger, and soda fountain are indicative of 60’s culture.
By 1961, Doris started appearing in tabloids. She graced the cover of TV movie screen, looking caught off guard. The title is “Why Hollywood is gossiping about these stars” and under Day’s name “The Divorce that Hurt Her Most!” She was on her third marriage by this point and she was used as gossip for viewers. This showed that she was reaching the height of her career because she was big enough of a movie star to warrant public attention. At this time, she was still seen happily in love with her husband and with her life. After appearing in an article written about her home life titled “The Lady in Pink”, Modern Screen writer Marva Peterson sat down with Day in her own home. She is portrayed as the perfect wife and mother to her son Terry. She seems like the happiest woman, always counting her blessings. She shows off a home that she is proud of, pastels being her favorite colors, colors that are soft and feminine.
In 1962, Day made the cover of TV Picture Life alongside Liz Taylor, Dick Clark, Rock Hudson, and Loretta Young. The issue, “The Facts Behind Hollywood’s Sensational Divorces,” didn’t necessarily paint Day in a negative light. It did however bring more attention to the fact that she had been married three times and each one was rocky.
She continued to dazzle fans and producers everywhere regardless of the tabloids. In an issue of Life, Doris is described as “the darling of every producer and director in Hollywood.” She was “refreshing-to-look-at girl,” and “she gets away with slapstick indignities because of her “antiseptic freshest” and the fact that she is uncommonly skilled comedienne.”
Day went from having articles written about how she was the perfect housewife in a pastel pink home who played tennis with her friends when she wasn’t busy filming, to a woman who frequently made headlines showing a more negative side. In 1963, she was on the cover of Movie Life with the headline “How Moral Are Hollywood Teens?” And while Doris did not become a household name until her mid to late twenties, she still knew what it felt like to grow up in Hollywood. This headline suggested that she either did not have good morals and that the teens being compared aligned with those poor values.
Most pictures of Marty and Doris showed them happily in love, smiling and embracing. However none of Day’s friends liked Marty and thought that he was not good enough for her. He was rude and pushy, forcing Day to do second-rate movies that caused Doris to lose her reputation as a coveted movie star. In an issue of TV and Movie Screen, titled “5 Sensational Stories The Stars Kept Secret!” Doris was shown on the cover with the words “Doris Day’s Emotion Explosions,” right next to her name.
Over the span of 10 years, Doris went from a popular starlet to a woman splashed across the covers of tabloids. The media recorded her rise to stardom, painting her in a positive and All American girl light. She graced the cover of many magazines, smiling, happy and radiant. Doris Day had raw talent and was a favorite among directors. She took on large movie roles such as Pajama Game and The Man Who Knew Too Much. As her husband took control of her career, she starred in second-rate movies that took Day off the list for big name movies. The media followed her rise and then her fall in the film industry. She was very stereotypically portrayed as sunny and happy, conventional and motherly. Articles written about her spoke about her bubbly personality, her devotion to her family, and keeping her home in tip top shape. She forbade certain things in her home that would stray away from the traditional lifestyle at the time.
Day was the epitome of good values that every respectable woman should emulate. In the late 50s and early 60s, women were not able to take control of their sexuality and Day represents an unliberated womanhood. In all of her magazine coverage, she seems doll-like and fragile, the typical view of a “good” woman. She was witty and could keep up with the best of them but in magazine coverage, she was portrayed as someone who represented women were supposed to be like during this era. Doris was the opposite of what the image created for her suggested. She had four rocky marriages that all ended, whether it be divorce or death, yet she was seen smiling and happy at all times. By the time her husband Marty died, Doris was less willing to be involved in projects. She only starred in Doris Day and Friend because Marty had signed the deal without Doris’s knowledge.
The magazines were biased when featuring Doris Day on covers and in articles. She was a huge star at the time and this stardom would cause a spike in sales. She was always displayed in a halo of light, her bright blue eyes glowing on the page. She could captivate the readers and draw them in to read more. Day was glorified, idolized, and loved by many. She encompassed the many ideals and values important at the time. Until she started staring in second-rate movies, she was always shown in a flattering manner. She wasn’t gossip about in the tabloids, she had stories written about her that only showed her good side, and the coverage of her marriage and friendships was always flattering. Doris Day is the epitome of 50’s culture and she couldn’t keep up with the changing world. She was not sexualized in the media. She was seen as a woman that followed the rules, someone who focused on family and keeping her home pristine. If the coverage didn’t follow a big movie release then the coverage followed her home life and her sunny disposition. She always seemed warm when she graced the cover of magazines because she was usually dressed in bright colors that accentuated her natural beauty. Her magazine coverage was never overdone and she always seemed proper. Her bright white blond hair looked like a halo on her head.
Day was a hard worker and this translated into her magazine coverage. She had a new movie or new music coming out every year and she was constantly in magazines talking about her projects. In 1955 she was on the rise and by 1960 she had reached the pinnacle of her stardom. By 1965, she was staring in movies that were not garnering as much attention as her films normally did. She was growing tired of life in the spotlight and was ready to give up her career to focus on her family. Her untouchable golden reputation was not upheld by the mid 60s. Magazines stopped covering her likable and charming personality. They focused on her marriages, her fall in success, and she covered tabloids when she hadn’t really received that kind of press before. In 1968, Doris stared in her last film. She became a recluse after her show Doris and Friends aired and her best friend, Rock Hudson, passed away, choosing instead to focus on animal welfare on her ranch. Doris Day is considered one of the most iconic and talented women in film and music of all time.