Pillow Talk (1959) - our April movie

Plus Doris Day's fluffy pillowy potatoes recipe

Ahh, remember the days before mobile phones? When folks had to have a telephone in EVERY ROOM in the house if they wanted to chat with their chums in the kitchen

the bedroom

and the bathroom.

Having so many phones gave nosey beaks the perfect opportunity to eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation.

But not half as much as a PARTY LINE would.

For those born in the age of the cell/mobile, a party line was a local loop telephone circuit shared by multiple telephone users in different buildings. In this case, the characters played by Doris Day and Rock Hudson. It’s the cause of much annoyance for her (he’s always on the phone) and much merriment for him…

This was the first Doris Day film I ever saw. What a revelation! She’s not the one-dimensional apple-pie-goodie-two-shoes actress I had always assumed her to be. She’s a HOOT. What a great comic actress she is, so subtle, so brilliant.

Also, seemingly pretty good in the kitchen! Doris has provided us with a brilliant way of pimping a potato. These turn out so light and fluffy that I hereby rechristen them Pillow Talk Potatoes.

Doris’ Signature Dish

Here’s how mine turned out - pillowy loveliness!

I’ve also made two other dishes from Doris's kitchen in the long-distant past, and they were both great. Her recipes for Paprika Steak and Peach Angel Food Cake will be in the next newsletter for all my lovely Silver Screen Suppers Club members (aka paid subscribers). Yum!

Here’s how you make the potatoes!

Beverages?

To drink with this movie? An Alma’s Virgin Mary or a Doris Day Cocktail, demos of both coming on Friday too.

Pop in your email in the box below to have free movie star recipes delivered to your inbox once a month. Extra goodies are available to members of the club, but everyone is welcome. I love you all.

Don’t fancy cooking? Some other movie-appropriate accompaniments

• Dip with crackers

• Warm rolls from the bakery

A shopping list for the Doris Day Cocktail

Fresh lime juice

Orange liqueur such as Cointreau

White rum

Passion fruit syrup

Orange juice

Pineapple juice

For the non-alcoholic Alma Virgin Mary

Tomato juice

Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco

Watch Party Checklist

1 - Get your diary/calendar out and make a date with yourself.

2 - Decide if you will watch the movie solo or with others.

3 - If it’s the latter, here’s an invite you can email to your chosen ones, letting them know the time and date of your screening.

It’s your call what a “watch party” actually is. Just watching the film by yourself with some salty snacks is totally acceptable, but why not dress up, even if you are on your lonesome?

If you owe someone a meal, this could be an excuse to get them over…

If you are having guests, you could invite them to wear hats. Doris wears a lot in this movie!

4 - Source the film on DVD or via a streaming service so you’ll have it to hand when the appointed time comes. Some streaming services offer watch party features, so you can even share the experience with friends or family who are miles away, discussing the good bits in a chat box. You could do this via a WhatsApp group or something similar too. The possibilities are endless!

OUR NEXT MOVIE

Keep an eye on your inbox on Sunday, April 28th when our next movie will be announced. It’s a week earlier than our usual “first Sunday of the month” as the movie would be best watched in early May to commemorate BELTANE! I hope this is the style in which you’ll be watching it.

KUDOS to Dr Caroline Frick of the Texas Archive of the Moving Image for her Joan Fontaine Snow-Whirl Chocolate Roll! Bravo Fricksta!

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BEDROOM PROBLEMS? I have nothing in my bedroom that bothers me!