Synopsis
...It's What Goes On When The Lights Go Off!
A man and woman share a telephone line and despise each other, but then he has fun by romancing her with his voice disguised.
Pillow Talk
1959 Directed by Michael Gordon
Cast
Rock Hudson Doris Day Tony Randall Thelma Ritter Nick Adams Julia Meade Allen Jenkins Marcel Dalio Lee Patrick Mary McCarty Alex Gerry Hayden Rorke Valerie Allen Jacqueline Beer Arlen Stuart Perry Blackwell Robert B. Williams Muriel Landers William Schallert Karen Norris Lois Rayman Don Beddoe Leoda Richards Harry Tyler William H. O'Brien Franklyn Farnum
Director
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Writers
Editor
Cinematography
Art Direction
Set Decoration
Composer
Costumes
Make-Up
Studios
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Alternative Titles
Confidencias de medianoche, Pizsamajáték, Confidências à Meia-Noite, Bettgefluester - Pillow Talk, Интимный разговор, Conversa de travesseiro
Popular reviews
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not flawless by any means but at the end of the day it needed to be made — otherwise the 100% flawless perfect gorgeous inimitable divine effervescent superlative transcendent Down With Love (2003) wouldn’t exist. and neither would i
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me: the gender politics are problematic! they use low-key rapey comedic gags!
also me: rock hudson can break me in half 😩
tbh despite some very outdated elements, this is so charming, u can’t make me *not* fall for a movie in which rock hudson (pretending to be a texan in new york) tells doris day, “you done did a terrible thing to me...you made me glad i ain’t in texas.” reminds me of another texan boy in new york!! 🤠❤️
35mm. Metrograph.
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Director Michael Gordon saw other films use CinemaScope for epic battles and action scenes and said.... what if... we instead used it to show Rock Hudson and Doris Day playing footsie in the bath?
The knee-jerk reaction to Hudson turning down a Doris Day vehicle three times for being ‘too risqué’ is to chuckle at the stifled norms of the era. But the sheer amount of innuendos in “Pillow Talk” is so off the charts, it feels positively pre-code.
Between the overstuffed 50s sofas, chintzy decor, and hairspray-soaked coiffure; “Pillow Talk” sizzles with sex.
The film feels like 37-year-old Doris Day finally having her grand coming out gala; celebrated for being a woman of wit and physical confidence rather than an…
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When Rock Hudson can't fit into that tiny car, is it a metaphor for his big dick?
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It's always fun to see what films do with their newfound freedom as the censorship code got more and more lax, and late 1950s films are so fascinating in the ways they explored sex and other previously censored themes. (Unfortunately, it also allowed way more obvious homophobia to creep in, as seen in this film.)
Pillow Talk is silly, but it's just so much pure FUN that I didn't even care. Rock Hudson and Doris Day are two of the most charismatic Classic Hollywood actors, and I had a great time watching them on screen for 100 minutes.
3.6/5
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i always forget theres a subplot to Pillow Talk where a doctor and a nurse are convinced Rock Hudson is a woman?????????
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Like many others tonight on LB, celebrating Doris Day’s life and passing, I watched one of her most iconic, Pillow Talk.
I hadn’t seen it before, in fact, I’ve only recently watched Calamity Jane, which was a complete romp, and ‘think’ I might have seen parts of The Glass Bottom Boat on TV when I was a kid. What I remember Doris Day from, when I was growing up, was her prime time TV show that ran 6 seasons from the late ‘60’s to the early ‘70’s. The Doris Day show was really the prototype of The Mary Tyler Moore show. Everyone loved Doris Martin the same way they loved Mary Richards … from afar.
Before the sex comedy had…
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The meta levels of Rock Hudson, who was gay in real life, playing a straight character who pretends to be gay.
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I knew I'd enjoy this once the intro music started playing. It's a cheesy love-hate romance comedy that works and deserves its title as one of the best classic comedies from the 1950s.
Rock Hudson and Doris Day are an iconic duo that really work well together. Day's comedic timing mixed with Hudson's charm really lights up this blandly set Cinemascope feature (but Day's apartment is to die for). The manner in which they discussed sex, pushed the censors and was way ahead of its time.
This is definitely a feel-good movie that I'll revisit on dull, rainy days.
Week 46: A film starring closeted film actor Rock Hudson.
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Nothing like a homophobic sexist and even transphobic (ending the movie with that ‘gag’ returning for a third time? Lovely) 50s sex comedy to watch with a glass of wine on a Sunday night!
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Recent reviews
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Finally saw this famous Doris Day/Rock Hudson "sex comedy" and it was a lot of fun. The '50s fashions, scenes of New York, Mid-Century Modern and Danish design, and great music.
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(9.1/10)
Brad Allen: Look, I don't know what's bothering you, but don't take your bedroom problems out on me.
Jan: I have no bedroom problems. There's nothing in my bedroom that bothers me.
Brad Allen: Oh-h-h-h. That's too bad.
Oh, how rom-come have gone downhill recently. Pillow Talk is a prime example of the raunchy but intelligent quirkinesses of 50s sex comedies.
The script never for one minute fails to entertain. It uses every trick in the book to have us in tears. From the multiple comedic sub-plots to the constant callbacks, every joke lands, and hits hard. It’s also much more subtle than most rom-com scripts. I guess it’s because the writers had to be more vague due to…
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The plot of Pillow Talk is faintly ridiculous and some of the characters actions are morally questionable but when the film is this much fun who’s going to complain?
I loved the differences between Doris’ relationship with Rock as Brad and Rock as Tex Stetson especially when he’s on the phone as both of them. Thelma Ritter is a great support as always and very sweet too. -
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from now on cars should be measure by whether or not rock hudson can comfortably fit and get in them
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Were you listening in again?
Yes, ma’am.
Alma, have you no shame?
No, ma’am.Rock Hudson and Doris Day have such great chemistry! This movie was super cute and I just absolutely loved it! Thelma Ritter was a fun part of the movie, and I also really enjoyed the songs
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Nothing like a homophobic sexist and even transphobic (ending the movie with that ‘gag’ returning for a third time? Lovely) 50s sex comedy to watch with a glass of wine on a Sunday night!
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personally, i don’t like it when movies are lame and sexist. the first act is a weird party line gimmick movie, the second act is “hysterical woman” romance, and the third act is way too long for something so simple. the production design is nice, the way they show phone calls is kind of cool, and i love Rock Hudson even if his character is insufferable, but that’s all i can say about it.
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