Delbert Mann, director of classic masterpieces Separate Tables, Dear Heart, and Desire Under the Elms was saddled with two silly Doris Day movies in the 1960s: Lover Come Back and That Touch of Mink. He wasn't by any means lousy when directing comedy, but his talents were wasted with the silly fluff pieces.Doris Day is paired with the debonair Cary Grant in this movie, and their differences are only magnified by the film. He's extremely classy yet direct; she's common and frazzled. When paired with other costars, like James Stewart and Clark Gable, Doris comes across as classy, but up against Cary Grant, she doesn't stand a chance. Since I wasn't able to see why he was interested in her, I wasn't really able to root for the romance. Another problem with this dated flick are the so-called scandalous jokes about premarital sex and feminine honor. By that point in her career, audiences expected Doris Day to act like a prim prude, but the movie just doesn't stand the test of time very well. It's supposed to be insulting for Cary Grant to give Doris an indecent proposal, and the mere thought of spending the night in a hotel with a man fills her with anxiety. Attitudes have changed for most people today, so unless you are looking for amusement in a cultural history book, you probably won't really like this movie.

THAT TOUCH OF MINK is a deliberately old-fashioned romantic comedy teaming up two of Hollywood's biggest genre stars, Doris Day and Cary Grant. They play the usual bickering twosome when they're brought together after Grant's car splashes Day during a rainstorm and he decides to make amends. What follows is entirely frivolous and completely unmemorable.Much of the story centres around Day's grating, all-too-wholesome character as she goes around shopping and the like. I wasn't really interested in these moments, but the scenes she shares with the naturally charismatic Grant are better. There are also a couple of decent characters in support, namely John Astin and Gig Young, but the emphasis is very much on putting across Day's carefully-manufactured image. I guess I'm completely the wrong demographic for this sort of picture.

While going to receive her unemployment paycheck and to a job interview later, the coat of the naive Cathy Timberlake (Doris Day) is splashed with mud by the Rolls Royce of the millionaire businessman Philip Shayne (Cary Grant). Later he sees her going to have lunch from his office and sends his financial adviser Roger (Gig Young) to give some money to Cathy to compensate her loss. Cathy feels offended with the offer and she goes to Philip's office with the intention of throwing the money on his face. However, when she sees the handsome Philip, she immediately falls in love with him. They date and Cathy expects that Philip proposes to marry her, but he does not have this intention. "That Touch of Mink" is a silly and naive but funny romantic comedy. The premise is dumb and is irritating to see Cathy buying expensive clothing and traveling to Bermudas with a playboy expecting to give nothing in return. But the comedy has many funny situations, like the just married couple in the motel or Roger being mistakenly taken as Philip in Cathy's apartment building. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Carícias de Luxo" ("Caresses of Luxury")

The first time I watched and reviewed this film, I guess I must have been in a bad mood. I only gave the film a "6", and I wrote: "I understand that Cary Grant was not pleased with this film. I concur. It's a rare Cary Grant film that I don't like. This is one of them. Throughout the film I kept thinking that what this film needed was Rock Hudson...which is saying a lot since I feel Cary Grant is the best film star in history, and that Rock Hudson was just a good actor. I adore Grant and usually enjoyed Doris Day, but there was no chemistry between the two. Not to mention that both seemed a bit too old for the roles they played here. Gig Young's role and dialog were just plain stupid. I'm trying to think of something redeeming about this film. Well, perhaps Audrey Meadows, who was perfect for her role as a cynic. Someone thought that Cary Grant's sophistication could carry this film. It didn't. Not one for the DVD shelf, but perhaps worth watching...once."Tonight I re-watched the film and came away with a fairly more positive impression.1. I rather liked the film, though it was definitely not one of Grant's best efforts. I still feel that Rock Hudson might have been a better lead. 2. Tonight I saw the chemistry, and I'm not so sure younger actors were needed. 3. I still think Gig Young's role and dialog were just plain stupid. 4. Audrey Meadows is still darned good here. 5. Grant's sophistication, and Doris' spunkiness do carry the film.So, do take a watch. It's pretty decent...but it still won't end up on my DVD shelf.