Doris Day: A Reluctant Star

by David Bret

With her bobbed, blonde hair and flashing smile, Doris Day was portrayed as the girl next door – a virginal girl that you could take home to your parents. In real life, she was not quite the happy-go-lucky blonde with the bubbly personality promoted by Warner Brothers who simply wanted to market her as a commodity.
Married young, to a violent bully, and with a child, Day had to work hard, touring with bands, to get her start in showbusiness. A reluctant star, all Doris Day wanted to do was settle down to a happy, simple life but somehow managed to always attract the wrong kind of men – thugs and crooks who took their anger out on her.
And yet this didn’t stop her from enjoying sexual exploits with a number of leading men. She worked hard – not to become a success but for a job – and yet her manager managed to defraud her of millions. How could this happen to such a smart lady – perhaps she was too trusting?
In this revealing biography, David Bret takes a fascinating look at the trials and tribulations behind what seemed to her adoring fans to be the perfect woman. From her German Jewish parents to her donation to an airlift of cats and dogs in Louisiana, as well as full discography and film lists, this is a captivating look at a resilient American icon.

David Bret was born in Paris and is a leading celebrity biographer. His many acclaimed books include biographies of Marlene Dietrich, Gracie Fields, Freddie Mercury, Tallulah Bankhead, Maria Callas, Rudolph Valentino, Edith Piaf and Joan Crawford. He lives in Yorkshire.

Genres: Biography

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

David Bret is a French-born British author of showbiz biographies. He chiefly writes on the private life of film stars and singers.

Reviews

[Fiona MacDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I've now read 3 books by David Bret, and can honestly say that in each book, he makes nastier and nastier digs at the celebrities he's writing about and genuinely doesn't seem to like or admire any of them. However, that doesn't stop me reading, even when I find myself quite repulsed by what he has to say! I liken him to a modern Kenneth Anger who makes up scandalous rubbish based on little or no proof. Hollywood Babylon is one of my favourite books, purely because it IT is so trashy and false - it's like having a guilty secet of reading a tacky celebrity magazine. And this is similar to David Bret, although he devotes whole books to each celebrity. A big part of this book however, was long paragraphs on the synopsis of each of her movies, and this got a bit boring after a while. I was more interested in her private life and her relationship with her son. Still, the good thing about Bret is you don't have to worry about your favourite actress/actor falling off their ivory tower, because I'm sure most of what he wrote isn't true (it's a mishmash of Louella Parsons type gossip, mixed with reported incidents from 'sources' so you can enjoy all the gossip without it putting you off the person.
Trashy goodness, but get yourself a proper biography for the real deal.

[Pixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat densely-written biography of Doris Day first written (0r copywrighted in 1988) which refers to her earlier autobiography in 1975. I only knew this actress from her 'Pillow Talk' type films with Rock Hudson making the rounds in 1970's & several of her songs, notably 'Que Sera Sera' but had heard rumours of her not-so-perfect life making the rounds after her autobiography. This bio was a bit of an eye-opener for me as I had no idea she was a long-standing singer upcoming & well-known by the late 1930's, associated with Bob Crosby & many others of the era, & then her break into Hollywood stardom in the 1940's. She had recorded countless songs & had a huge fan base (and has a huge discography) as well as having acted in countless films over the years. I was vaguely familiar that she was in 'Calamity Jane', 'Please Don't eat the Daises' and other well-known 1950-60's films but this book details her career as well as reveals more about her awful marriages. The 'adoring' author holds her in very high esteem & clearly sees her as a golden girl of her time, which I actually found a little disconcerting at times but which however kept me intrigued with finding out 'what happened next' in her quite eventful life. It's no secret she's been a bit of a recluse since the late 1980's but she still lives happily in Carmel, California, ever the smiling blonde despite the traumas in her life. One can only admire the bubbly cheerfulness & happiness that, despite the ups & downs, must clearly be part of her own nature. A fascinating read about a not-so-shallow Hollywood Star.

[David Allwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

In ‘Doris Day: Reluctant Star’ the author, David Bret, contends that Doris Day was the opposite of her innocent girl-next-door image, talking in expletives, often cold, and sexually aggressive. In ‘Considering Doris Day’, author Tom Santopietro suggests Doris Day is an underrated icon and a genuine and sincere star. In ‘Doris Day: Her Own Story’, with her ghost writer, A. E. Hotchner, she was a victim of domestic violence and poor luck, and was a woman of unique courage and strength. So which is the real Doris Day? Unfortunately, David Bret does have some credibility problems in his book, as there are several glaring errors throughout (for example, he cites Loretta Young as starring with Clark Gable in ‘It happened one night’, instead of Claudette Colbert, and separately he attributes Doris as playing an interior designer in the wrong movie). If such easy facts are obviously incorrect then what of the credibility of the more intimate insights? Though an enjoyable and relatively brief read, sadly the Doris Day revealed is not the Doris Day that most believe she actually was.

[Sherree Walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sounds like he can't stand Doris Day. He says so many unkind things about her and others that don't seem credible to me based on other books and documentaries. Also the grammar is quite bad. I do not recommend this book at all.

[Robert Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

more about her singing and the people around her music and film than about Doris. Jumps around a lot . Couldn't finish the book

[Eva · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not recommend this book to any one!