That Touch of Mink

"What happened?"
"I was knocked down two flights of stairs and then viciously attacked by a dog in a taxi. This has been the most satisfying day of my life."

Cathy Timberlake (Day) is a nice girl that has a tendency to date the wrong men.  One morning on her way to an interview she is splashed with mud by a passing car.  Her new dress is ruined and his interview does not go well.  The car that splashed belonged to Philip Shayne (Grant), a rich businessman who is used to getting what he wants.  When they meet so he can apologize, there is an instant attraction, and they spend the entire day together.

He wants to take her to Bermuda.  She thinks it is a marriage proposal, while he is just planning a fling.  Despite warnings from her outspoken and protective roommate, Connie (Meadows), and Shayne's assistant, Roger (Young), Cathy goes to Bermuda... but can she live with being the mistress and not the wife?


They don't make movies like this anymore... Cary Grant was a superb leading man, regardless the role (from his serious turns in Alfred Hitchcock movies to slapstick with Katharine Hepburn to any number of romantic comedies).  Doris Day was an iconic woman, playing the sweet and innocent girl in the majority of her films.  Their films are great, even after all these years.

This film has lost something over the years... especially now when it is normal for an unmarried couple to vacation together and sleep in the same room / bed.  But the film still works because of the strong cast.  Grant and Day are perfect.  Their are aided by Audrey Meadows, best known as Alice on the TV show The Honeymooners (1953-1956), and Gig Young.  Meadows is a great best-friend character, who gets to do the things most women want to do for their best friend.  Young steals the show as Shayne's assistant who is in therapy because of his job.  He has great chemistry with Grant and delivers the funniest lines.  There is also a notable cameo by New York Yankee players Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Roger Maris.

A great Friday-night movie (or for girls night)!

That Touch of Mink (1962) 99 minutes
Director: Delbert Mann
Cary Grant as Philip Shayne
Doris Day as Cathy Timberlake
Gig Young as Roger
Audrey Meadows as Connie Emerson