1968-69 Television Season 50th Anniversary: The Doris Day Show

As we continue our tribute to the 1968-1969 television season, we kick off our October work with a group of television series from the season that were lead by women actresses who were the primary characters on their shows. First up, the wonderful Doris Day.

Ms. Day had been up to that time, 1968, one of the most successful actresses in feature films… a household name with a resume of movies from the prior three decades (1940s, 1950s, 1960s) that were second to none.

However, the movie industry was changing, as were the times in general, and Ms. Day’s husband and producer/manager, Martin Melcher, saw a television series as a next step in her career. In addition, upon the death of Mr. Melcher in that 1968 timeframe, Ms. Day found that he had made some mistakes in the investment of her money. Hence, as we’ll find out tomorrow in a second clip we’ll be reviewing, the CBS pilot ‘The Doris Day Show’ became both a career and financial God-send for her that helped her work out of the financial troubles she now found herself in 1968.

This clip is from the third season promo/opening title sequence when the show moved its setting to San Francisco. The Doris Day Show is quite unique in the sense that it had four different formats during the shows five season run from September 24, 1968 to September 3, 1973.

The first season’s format was set in Mill Valley, California, with Doris Martin (Day) as a widow with two sons, returning to her father’s ranch to get away from the big city. For whatever reason, that format did not produce the ratings that had been hoped for, and show was moved from Tuesday nights over to Monday nights and a new format developed for season 2.

The second season (Sept. 22, 1969 – September 7, 1970), had Doris Martin acquiring a job in San Francisco as an executive secretary, and the premise of the show allowed Ms. Day to interact with more business/career topics of interest, while still going back home to her father’s ranch each episode. Ratings improved, and the show stayed on Monday nights for season 3.

Season Three’s format changed further, as Doris and her sons relocate to an apartment in San Francisco. The city-format was now the primary focus of the show.

The look and feel of The Doris Day Show is quite a wonderful time capsule of that late 1960s, early 1970s era of fashion, ideas and dreams. The set for the show is very hip (great spiral staircase!), terrific red Dodge Dart convertible, and Ms. Day’s clothing is fantastic, as is Doris! A show with a wonderful vibe and charm.

This video clip is presented here on YouTube for the entertainment and informational value of the viewer, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Enjoy! Coming up throughout this week, more interviews and stories from The Doris Day Show.

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