‘Memories come flooding in’
With news like this memories come flooding in. As a child in the Caribbean going to the cinema where the vociferous audience would sing along with Doris Day in her more lively movies such as The Pajama Game and Calamity Jane ... My mother drifting around doing housework while wistfully singing Que Sera Sera, sounding as if she really wanted to be somewhere else, such as romantically walking down Broadway or across Hollywood. This was the age when musicals transported you into a dreamworld of momentary escape and Doris Day was the wizard of the genre. Channelcrossing
‘She was always standing up for herself’
When I started to recreate the 1950s charts for my iPod a few years back, I was startled to find how many of the tunes I remembered were by her.
The films she made with the likes of James Garner and Rock Hudson made her something of a figure of fun in the 1960s, as people sniggered at the efforts she made to hang onto her virginity. (the quote: “I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin.”) But in the 70s, feminists pointed out how her characters insisted on negotiating a sex life on their own terms rather than accepting any passing man. They still sometimes seem silly but she was always standing up for herself, and she was fun. jno50
‘An end of an era’
Her passing marks the end of an era. I have very fond memories of her in my childhood. Her rendition of “Que sera sera” was truly wonderful. I love listening to it even to this day. MarkAlexander
‘She was the iconic figure of what it means to be “good”’
This will seem highly incredulous, but last night, I was wasting time looking at crap video compilations on YouTube and watched “Living actors over 90”. When I came across Doris Day, I thought, the day she dies a little memory of my mum will go with her. My mother would sing Que Sera Sera half to herself as she was busying herself in the kitchen.
As corny as this sounds, DD was the iconic and comic figure of what it means to be “good”: innocent, cheerful, caring, always looking on the bright side of people, places and events. That her last chapter was spent donating her time to animals comes as no surprise. Thank you Doris for all the sunshine. James Gerard
‘She showed others the importance of supporting friends in need’
Love her and would mistrust anyone who said that they didn’t. She was part of a clique with Rock Hudson and the Reagans but while the Reagans turned their back on an ailing, obviously ill Rock Hudson, Doris Day made sure that she was side-by-side with Hudson in a press call – seemingly making sure that he felt the support and to show others the importance of supporting their own friends in need. Haigin88
‘She made a genuine difference’
Sad loss. Doris comes from an era when stars were really something else: rare, distant and impossibly talented and glamorous. As well as her amazing presence on screen and record, her work with animal welfare made a genuine difference and raised the profile of an important cause. dylan37
‘Doris Day was part of my growing up’
Why the death of an actress who last made a film 50 years ago should sadden me isn’t really a mystery. Doris Day was always a part of my growing up. When I spent a month in the Monterey area for two years in a row, I knew she was nearby, and always hoped to get a glimpse. But it was just nice to know she was near. I loved even her not-so-good movies, but when she was good, she was superb. Willhoite
‘A woman of character’
She was woman of character. Although she was good looking, she didn’t build her career around her looks. Although her private life was rather traumatic, with some of the terrible husbands she had, she always gave off an upbeat, positive energy – some might say she was Pollyanna-ish, but I always liked that about her as a child watching reruns of the movies and TV series. Pax Romana
