Do like to voodoos do!
One of my favorite Dorris Day films. This version looks and sounds great. Need say more? I didn't think so.

The things some do for love!
A curious love affair establishes itself when a racketeer from Chicago falls in love with a promising emerging singer. He makes the best he can to lead her to the top in U.S.A. She refuses to become her mistress despite of the fact the untiring efforts he makes to lead her to the highest stages in the country and even make of her an actress in Hollywood due his contacts. On the contrary she is in love with her musical's partner; a humble but talented pianist(Cameron Mitchell).

This amorous triangle will involve you from start to finish, not only because combines the most powerful performance of Doris Day along her career, but the alluring charm she exhibits all along the songs she sings. Doris Day was the embodiment of the feminine charm without the rampant sexuality of Marylyn Monroe, Jane Russell or Kim Novak. Her attraction was a sample of enraptured charm and gentle gaze, delicate maternal scent and notable skills for the dance. Although obviously she didn't belong to the major league of Ginger Rogers, Judy garland or Shirley Mac Laine, she kept - as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn or Susan Hayward - a golden place in the affective memory of that generation. The sum of all these factors seduced Hitchcock (who made with her The man who knew too much). Her notable skills leaded eventually to the comedy genre with excellent results. That's why that dramatic role fitted so well her -taking into account he was with James Cagney- a sacred monster of acting by then.

Drama, humour, mature situations and brilliant musical stages conform a film worthy to watch from start to finish. Don't miss it!

What a difference a year makes....
I was doing a comparison of Doris Day films for work and what difference from the sweet and frothy "Lucky Me" and "Young at Heart" to the dramatically dense "Love Me or Leave Me". Learning that the studio wanted Eva Gardner but that Cagney fought for Doris Day was also interesting and a comment on how "they" saw the role. Doris Day was excellent, James Cagney added life and reality to a stock "bad guy/goon" character and the music is superb. The dvd extras are also first rate with period shorts and one, "Roseland", stars Ruth Etting herself.

I'll Leave It
Love Me or Leave Me is the story of Ruth Etting (Doris Day), a real-life jazz singer from the 1920s who made hits with songs like "Ten Cents a Dance" and "You're the Cream in My Coffee." Her manager Marty Snyder (James Cagney) is an overbearing older man whose love for Etting causes him to bend over backward to help her career. She appreciates him but does not love him, and this unequal feeling between them causes plenty of problems.

Although she is obviously a great talent, the casting of Day as Etting is terrible. Etting had a much more subdued voice, so this movie comes out as a showcase for Day's singing talents instead. The song choices are odd too, especially since "You're the Cream in My Coffee" is missing. Cagney is very good, but this role is unlike many of his other films, where he is extremely likable in spite of his toughness. Here it is more difficult to care for him. Overall, the main flaw with this movie is the dull storyline. The ascent to stardom is peppered with musical performances, but the movie is thin on plot. The exciting event at the end is too little too late.

If you are a fan of either stars, this movie is worth seeing, but unless you adore Day's vocal performances, you will be bored with Love Me or Leave Me.

Doris's Favorite
Of all the movies Doris made, this was her favorite; and it is apparent why.