Pillow Talk (1959) by Julie

Pillow talk, starring Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall, was the first of three films these stars made together. The film also stars Thelma Ritter as an alcoholic house keeper called Alma. Thelma was nominated for Best Actress in a supporting role for Pillow Talk.
This charming easy to follow romantic comedy follows interior decorator Jan Morrow (Day) and womanising song-writer Brad Allen (Hudson), who share the same party line. Jan is becoming infuriated with Brad always tying up the phone with his phone calls to other women, including singing and playing his latest song for them. The two have never met but have constant bickering sessions over the phone.

“I don’t know what’s bothering you but don’t take your bedroom problems out on me!” Just one of the lines Brad throws at Jan.
Jan has a client named Jonathan Forbes (Randall) who is mad about Jan, however the feelings are not reciprocated. He even tries to win her over by buying her a new car, but to no avail.
“Jan why won’t you marry me?” Jonathan asks “We’ve never even kissed!” When he does kiss her it’s obvious that there are no sparks.
It just so happens Brad is friends with Jonathan, and Jonathan is financially helping Brad with his career. When Jonathan goes to see Brad he mentions being in love with a woman who doesn’t return his feelings. When he mentions the party line problem and says her name is Jan, Brad doesn’t let on that he is Jan’s problem.
One night, Jan finds herself in an awkward situation when she visits the home of a wealthy client, who offers for her son, Harvard boy Tony (Nick Adams) to drive Jan home instead of her getting a cab. Tony stops the car and constantly tries it on until Jan agrees to one drink in order to stop him.
Brad is at the same club and recognises who Jan is, but she doesn’t know who Brad is. He goes to help Jan when he sees how drunk Tony has become, and they put him into a taxi and send him home. Brad makes up a phoney identity, “Rex Stetson from Texas” complete with a phoney southern accent. After talking with Rex Jan gives him her number before he leaves.
“Isn’t that sweet so unpretentious and honest!” she thinks to herself.
“I’d say five or six date’s outta do it?” Brad thinks to himself.
Rex calls Jan during the night and asks her to dinner the following evening. Brad is having a laugh by interfering on the party line before switching back to being Rex!
Rex is the perfect gentleman toward Jan and Jan is falling for it. After continuing on their dates together, Jan breaks a date with Jonathan to meet Rex. Jan tells Jonathan all about Rex, and how she’s in love with him.
A suspicious and jealous Jonathan calls a Detective agency and wants them to investigate Rex. It’s not long before Jonathan is given a photograph and is horrified to see a picture of Brad. The detective receives a call from the person who is following Jan and Brad, and Jonathan is told where the two have just gone for their date that evening.
Finally Jan and Rex kiss but whilst Jan is in the powder room, Jonathan confronts Brad about his phoney identity.
“Need a light cowboy?” Jonathan asks.
Jonathan tells Brad to make his excuses to Jan and to pack his things and stay for a while at his summer house in Connecticut and work on his songs.
“Remember I’ll be watching you.” Jonathan warns Brad.
Rex does indeed tells Jan he’s going to Connecticut but he takes her along with him! It’s obvious his true identity won’t be a secret from Jan forever and later on when Jonathan tries to contact Jan at her building, he discovers she’s in Connecticut also.
Whilst at the summer house Jan finds a sheet of Brad’s music whilst he is outside collecting firewood. Sitting down to play the song at the piano herself, it doesn’t take her long to recognise the song, it’s the very same song she has heard Brad constantly playing down the party line to his women!
Brad walks in with the firewood and in a tense moment they turn to each other, and he knows that his identity has been revealed. At that moment Jonathan bursts into the summer house telling Jan what she now already knows. When Jonathan finally sees Brad back in the city he tells Brad how upset Jan was. Brad admits his guilt and Jonathan realises that Brad is actually in love with Jan. Brad needs a plan to win Jan back so he approaches the maid Alma.
Alma admits to Brad that she listens all the time down the party line as it brightens up her day.
“I’m one of your most devoted listeners!” She tells him.
They go for a drink and alcoholic Alma drinks Brad under the table.
“Hire her to decorate your place!” Alma suggests to a half-conscious Brad.
Jan’s boss doesn’t want Jan to design Brad’s apartment as she has been so hurt by him but Jan insists she’ll do it, she doesn’t want her boss to lose money.
Thinking this would be a massive hint, Brad tells Jan to make his home the kind of place she would feel comfortable in. Jan tells him he’ll have to vacate the apartment whilst she is working. Thinking that Jan is going to make the apartment a cosy little home for two, Brad calls all the women he’s been involved with to tell them goodbye as he has met someone he plans to marry.
Little does he know Jan is busy ordering the most vulgar items she can find in order to turn Brad’s home into a horrid mess. In fact she turns it into the ultimate pad fit for a playboy like Brad! The apartment is hideous and when Brad sees it he goes straight to Jan’s apartment, pulls her out of bed and carries her through the city streets back to his place.
“Mummy where’s that man taking that lady?” a little boy asks his mother.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older!” she replies.
Brad throws Jan on the bed and tells her that he has said goodbye to all his women and how he thought him and Jan would be married, none of this Jan suspected he would do for a single moment.
As Brad goes to storm out Jan flips a switch she had just installed in the apartment which locks Brad in. Looking at him with a loving smile, they need no other words and they kiss.
Pillow Talk won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Doris Day was also nominated for Best Actress.

Pillow Talk (50th Anniversary Edition) [DVD](1959) DVD
Charming romantic comedy stars Doris Day as a prim and proper interior designer who shares a phone party line with womanizing musician Rock Hudson. After a chance face-to-face meeting, Hudson becomes quite enamored with Day, disguising his voice and posing as a wealthy Texas businessman in order to win her affections. Tony Randall, Thelma Ritter, and Nick Adams co-star. 103 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish; audio commentary; featurettes; theatrical trailer.