“Would You Send the Grievance Commit Up to See Me?”
I know that, in addition to her acting, Doris Day was known for her singing. While her character’s singing was a plot point in The Man Who Knew Too Much, I had never seen a full-blown musical she was in until I sat down to watch The Pajama Game. While I had some issues with it, I enjoyed it overall.
This movie takes us to the Sleeptite Pajama Factory. The workers are trying to get a seven and a half cent an hour raise (hey, it’s the 1950’s), and the head of the union is Babe Williams (Doris Day). Things get complicated when the factory hires a new shop superintendent, Sid Sorokin (John Raitt). The instant chemistry between them is undeniable, as much as they try to deny it. But will them being on two different sides of the coming labor dispute get in the way of their romance?
I knew nothing about this movie before I sat down to watch it. For example, this was a stage musical, and many of the cast were in the original Broadway production, Doris Day being one of the few cast members brought in for the movie. Behind the scenes, the duo who wrote this is also responsible for the musical Damn Yankees.
That trivia aside, how is the movie? Overall, I enjoyed it. There is a lot of singing and dancing here, so if you like musicals, that’s a good thing. That’s not a surprise when they take a stage musical and make a movie that is roughly an hour forty-five minutes. But there are so many fun songs here, from “I’m Not at All in Love” and “Small Talk” to “There Once Was a Man” and “I’ll Never Be Jealous Again.” I was surprised to see two songs I knew from other places pop up here, “Hernando’s Hideaway” and “Steam Heat.”
Unfortunately, with the emphasis on songs and dances, the story and characters do suffer a little. Specifically, I felt like some of the supporting characters and their relationships were short changed, and I had to work harder than I should have to understand them.
Naturally, the plot is filled with the complications and misunderstandings you’d expect in a romantic comedy musical from the period. I’m not saying that is a bad thing since I was having fun as we worked our way through these plot points. I did feel the ending glossed over a few things, but I’m not complaining too loudly.
With all the dancing, I’m happy to say that the choreography is great. I was smiling as I watched many of the numbers. At times it got a little much, but that was a minor point.
I’ve read some criticism of the acting. Everyone loves Doris Day’s performance, and it is easy to see why. She’s great. But some people feel the cast members who were brought over from the Broadway performance were stiff. I’m a little surprised by this since I didn’t see it. I was having fun and got lost in the story, so I guess I’m not too picky when it comes to acting.
On the other hand, I found one third act plot really bothered me. It was supposed to be funny, but I found the jealous boyfriend rather creepy. Not sure if it is me or just something that hasn’t aged well in the sixty-five years since the movie came out.
Still, if you are looking for a fun musical, I definitely recommend The Pajama Game. You’ll have fun with this one.
I love Doris Day, but I haven't watched this movie. I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen this one! I thought I had but I was getting this one confused with Pillow Talk. Have you seen Please Don't Eat the Daisies? It's a fun one. Now I need to add this one to my To Watch list.
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