Romance on the High Seas (1948) User Reviews

Grand Debut for Doris

[harry-76 · 8/10 · 23 March 2002]

One of the delights of "Romance on the High Seas" is the remarkable debut of Doris Day. Having replaced an indisposed Betty Hutton, Day stepped into this role with all the zest and zip that she brought to her total career.

It's rather amazing to me how accomplished Day was in her initial screen effort: her comedic work, singing, and general enactment was like that of a seasoned professional. All the infectious Day sparkle and spirit was there from the beginning, after only a brief period as a band singer.

Ably assisted by the multi-faceted Jack Carson, pretty other-woman Janis Paige, vulnerable foils Don DeFore and Oscar Levant, and top character actor S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, this Warner Bros. musical bounces along merrily. Fetching songs, a witty script, nice settings in Rio and Cuba, and a stylish specialty number by Avon Long keep things moving along right to the kaleidoscopic finale staged by Busby Berkeley.

"Romance on the High Seas" is a pleasurable way to spend an evening. As Doris's song goes, "It's Magic."

Breezy, pleasant and loads of fun...Doris Day is a pro in her film debut!

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 15 April 2001]

It's hard to believe 'Romance on the High Seas' is Doris Day's first flick. She's awesome in a role originally intended for Betty Hutton--and everyone has a great time poking fun at manners and morals in this breezy sea breeze of a farce.

When Day and Jack Carson aren't coming up with one-liners, she takes time to sing some nifty tunes--among them, 'Put 'Em in A Box', 'It's You Or No One' and, of course, 'It's Magic'. Her rendering of the latter song in a Cuban nightclub is one of the highlights of the film--and her career. Never has she expressed the simple emotions of the lyric more beautifully with a honey of a voice that is always directly on pitch, warming the heart with great phrasing and tone. And her comedic skills are already in evidence here.

Especially enjoyable is her first night on board the cruise ship when she and Carson mistakenly dress up. "Nobody dresses on first night shipboard," Carson tells her. Posing as a society lady, she asks in cultivated tones, "Really? Don't they get chilly?" She turns and peers into the dining room. "This I gotta see!" she says in her own voice. She uses the cultivated tones to disguise herself as society lady (Janis Paige) whose identity she has taken.

The slim plot revolves entirely around the mistaken identity theme and it's all played for laughs with lots of punch lines. Doris has an amusing scene with the fabulous Eric Blore as a doctor who comes to check on her "illness" and ends up feeling weak when she checks his pulse.

Janis Paige, Don de Fore, S.Z. Sakall, Oscar Levant and the usual Warner Bros. stock players are all adept at this sort of thing. Highly amusing comedy with some great songs--easy to take and always good for a few laughs. Doris Day at the peak of her form.

Day's first picture was simply terrific.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 3 May 2017]

Doris Day was a huge radio and recording star when she appeared in "Romance on the High Seas". However, she was not a movie star...as this is her first film. Some of this shows...particularly her makeup as she is very freckly...which I thought was quite cute but which the studios hid in subsequent movies. She went over very well regardless and Warner Brothers soon signed her to a seven year contract...and she soon became a mega-star in pictures.

The plot is a bit silly. Elvira Kent (Janis Paige) suspects her husband, Michael (Don Defore), is cheating on her. And, he suspects the same thing of her. So they each come up with a plan...she pays Georgia (Doris Day) to pretend to be her and take a cruise while she stays home and secretly keeps an eye on him. And, he hires a detective (Jack Carson) to take the cruise and follow Elvira and prove she's been cheating! But there's a problem...the detective slowly begins to fall in love with the woman who he THINKS is Elvira!

The plot is quite slight...but the picture excellent for many reasons. Carson and Day are simply terrific and Day sings some very lovely tunes. The picture also is quite romantic...and fun and made more so by the presence of some wonderful character actors (S.Z. Sakall, Franklin Pangborn and Oscar Levant). All in all, this is the sort of fun picture Warner Brothers could make best...and you can't help but enjoy it.

By the way, while Defore and Paige receive higher billing, clearly Doris Day was the star or at least co-star of the film. I guess the studio just didn't have much faith in her drawing power...but that wasn't to last!

When It's Day Time, the Sun Always Shines

[dougdoepke · 27 July 2008]

Make no mistake, this is Doris Day's movie, first one or not. And that's no small accomplishment. She is up against not just two, but three veteran scene-stealers in Oscar Levant, "Cuddles" Szakall and Jack Carson. Yet the sheer naturalness of her winning personality is enough to launch one of Hollywood's most successful screen careers.

On the whole, it's an entertaining film, especially the first third where Day's high spirits are allowed to shine. Once the shipboard romance takes over, things slow down and the mood shifts. Whatever his other many talents, the versatile Jack Carson is a character actor, not a leading man. Too bad he gets romantically serious and we lose his light comedic talents. And, of course, there's the professional wit, the very unHollywood-looking Oscar Levant, always livening things up with a mordant quip.

What a gorgeous movie to look at. The Technicolor is outstanding. Note how well the colors are coordinated, especially the scenes in Rio. This is a neglected phase of movie-making, and here the art director and set designer both deserve industry awards. The plot's fairly clever, having to do with a marital mix-up that keeps the audience interested without straining. Nonetheless, it's Day's movie, showing what an engaging screen personality she is-- too bad she became mockingly identified as America's "professional virgin". Here, her rendition of "It's Magic" is just that. Magic!

"The Magic Is My Love For You"

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 11 August 2007]

Watching Romance on the High Seas I could have sworn that the Brothers Warner hijacked one of the plots of an RKO Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers film. It's got that kind of silliness in the plot, the usual case of mistaken identities and false suspicions that characterized the Astaire- Rogers films.

Don DeFore and Janis Paige are a couple each of who swears the other is cheating. When a mix-up from a travel agency in passport photos where Paige's is exchanged for Doris Day's she contacts Day and offers to pay Day's way on a South American cruise if she just travels in Paige's name. She wants to catch DeFore cheating.

Of course DeFore goes one better. He hires private detective Jack Carson to go on the trip and catch Paige cheating. Of course he latches on to Day.

If you are a fan of Astaire-Rogers films you know exactly where this one is going. Romance on the High Seas has all the ingredients of one of their films except the dance numbers.

It doesn't lack for a good musical score though. Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn came up with a good one where Day sings several songs, including the Academy Award nominated, It's Magic. It's Magic lost that year to Buttons and Bows. It's Magic happens to be a favorite one of mine of Doris Day hits.

Doris firmly establishes her image in this one. She's so radiant and sings so well, I can't believe she was a third choice for this film behind Judy Garland and Betty Hutton.

If you hear violins coming from some unknown source it will be the magic when you're watching Romance on the High Seas.

Mildly amusing musical confection

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 22 January 2023]

In this Technicolor musical rom-com from Warner Brothers and director Michael Curtiz, married couple Michael (Don DeFore) and Elvira Kent (Janis Paige) have been together 3 years but they still don't trust one another. When Michael cancels their anniversary cruise to South America at the last minute due to business, Elvira doesn't believe him, so she concocts a dubious plan: she'll tell Michael that she's going on the cruise by herself, but will send nightclub singer Georgia Garrett (Doris day) in her place. That way Elvira can stay in New York and watch to see if Michael is cheating. However, Michael hires private investigator Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) to go on the cruise and watch to see if Elvira is cheating. Mistaken identities and blossoming romance produce havoc and laughter.

This mildly amusing confection was Doris Day's movie debut, and her persona is a bit different from her later "virginal" image. Here she's a distinctly blue collar dame, with attitude and some rough edges. She's still likable, and clicks with Carson. The color cinematography pops, and there are some nice set designs. The movie earned two Oscar nominations, for Best Score (Ray Heindorf) and Best Song ("It's Magic").

My favorite gal

[willrams · 7/10 · 26 September 2002]

In 1943 at a Homecoming Dance when I attended my senior year at Kentucky Military Institute at Lyndon, Ky. I had the privilege of dancing to Les Brown & His Band of Renown and Doris Day was the singer. What a great moment that was! I can honestly say from that moment on I have seen 90 per cent of all her movies as well as on TV. I also remember one day in 1972 when I worked in LA that I waved at her driving her car on Hill Street, and she waved back at me. Doris is truly my favorite gal.

It's Magic!

[tarah-5 · 10/10 · 4 September 2005]

"You sigh the song begins, You speak and I hear violins---It's Magic."

Doris sure captured us all under her spell in her first role as Miss Georgia Garrett in Romance on the High Seas. Georgia is a singer hired by socialite, Mrs. Kent (Janis Paige). Mrs. Kent has suspicions that her husband is cheating on her when he backs out of a trip. She hires Georgia to go in her place on a cruise to South America. Mrs. Kent then is free to spy on her husband. Mr. Kent (Don DeFore) meanwhile has hired a private detective, Peter Virgil (Jack Carson), to trail his wife on her cruise. Talk about lack of trust! The highlight of the film, for me, is when Georgia, posing as Mrs. Kent, and Peter go ashore. They are seated and Georgia begins to sing "It's Magic." It is just beautiful! Soon, Peter and Georgia begin to fall for each other. As this is his client's "wife", Peter knows that this is a no-no. But, have they fallen too far under the spell? **A great cast-Doris Day, Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore, and of course SZ Sakall **Terrific songs-"Put 'Em in a Box", "It's Magic", "It's You Or No One", "I'm in Love", "The Tourist Trade", and "Run, Run, Run" **Great dialogue This movie has it all! A must see! Be captivated-it truly is MAGIC!

Sassy magic...and Jack Carson sings Calypso!

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 15 October 2007]

Doris Day makes her screen-debut as a band singer who gets a free cruise to South America and Jack Carson is the private detective who tails her and naturally falls in love with her spunky charm. Day seems an oddly misplaced tomboy here, wearing fancy dresses and hairdos that look as if they've been dropped down on her from the heavens. Encumbered by the dressy satins and pearls, Doris looks as though she might be more comfortable in an old pair of dungarees, but she makes this insipid plot worth wading through (especially when she sings). The settings are fake-exotic, and it all peters out by the end, but Doris, wonderfully street-smart under her thick pancake make-up, still provides a lot of sparkle. **1/2 from ****

Fun, Fun, Fun.

[artzau · 8/10 · 20 March 2002]

This was Doris Day's first film and what a fun one it was. I saw it as a kid in the old Monache Theater and then later on TV. I was surprised how well it had worn and was delighted to hear Doris Day, 23 years old at the making of this film, using the slang of the day, such as "Natch...Natch but def." Carson, Paige and DeFore were great as was the ever-insufferable curmudgeon, Oscar Levant alongside "Cuddles" Sakal, the perennial loveable Jewish uncle. Carson is especially good doing a Calypso number and the story is pure 1940's cotton candy.

Doris Day debut

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 16 September 2022]

Elvira (Janis Paige) and Michael Kent (Don DeFore) get marry but trust is sorely lacking. It's their first anniversary. She books a cruise trip but he claims to be too busy. In her place, she sends nightclub singer Georgia Garrett (Doris Day), a woman she first met at the travel agency. She hopes to stay behind to spy on Michael. Michael is also suspicious and sends private eye Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) on the cruise. Peter and Georgia go together while hiding their secrets.

Doris Day stars in her first movie. She isn't the best actor around. She's playing a blonde with sass. She's a bright shiny thing, she sings, and she tries. That goes a long way. It's all very light, happy, and chipper. All the mistaken identities are worthy of a TV sitcom. The songs are not the most memorable but this got a couple of Oscar nominations for music. It's bright light fun with limited after-thought.

The cutest screen couple ever!

[HotToastyRag · 10/10 · 5 February 2018]

Romance on the High Seas is not only my favorite Doris Day movie, but it's also one of my favorite old movies! Everything about it is perfect: the acting, the songs, the premise, the jokes, the costumes-and to top it all off, the two leads fell in love with each other during the movie! I've yet to see a man look at a woman in real life the way Jack Carson looks at Doris Day in Romance on the High Seas. Every time he gazes at her during the song "It's Magic", I swoon-and I've seen the movie close to fifty times!

I could spend a paragraph detailing the adorable setup of the plot, but then you wouldn't get to experience every delightful emotion the first time you watch it. Trust me on this one, it's cute, funny, and irresistible. Every character, no matter their faults, is endearing, and you can't help but root for them. And an added bonus is the wonderful chemistry and timing of the cast. Everyone works beautifully off each other, and the natural but tight timing of the jokes is remarkable.

It's hard to believe that Romance on the High Seas was Doris Day's first movie; she'd made a name for herself with her singing and Hollywood gave her a break by introducing her in a leading role. She and Jack Carson made three movies together, and after watching any of them-but this first one in particular-you'll refuse to believe any other offscreen tale than their enjoyment of a long and happy life together. They're so sweet, considerate, comfortable, and down-right perfect together.

Many times in movies, old or new, the supporting characters aren't very interesting or entertaining. In Romance on the High Seas, everyone has laugh lines, everyone puts their heart into their performance, and everyone gives the audience a warm, fuzzy feeling. S.Z. Sakall has hilarious quips with a mixture of broken English and well-intended awkward comments. Oscar Levant, while as depressing and negative as he always is, still grabs at the audience's heart as he knows he doesn't have Doris Day's heart. Eric Blore's show-stopping turn as an incompetent doctor is easily one of the funniest parts of the entire film. Even Franklin Pangborn makes the most of his few minutes on the screen, and John Berkes who has no lines at all, is a hilarious addition to his scene!

There are certain gowns that stand out in one's memory as the greatest gowns in film history. Everyone has their favorites-Gone with the Wind, The King and I, and Atonement come to mind-and Doris Day's metallic blue gown designed by Milo Anderson in Romance on the High Seas is one of my all-time favorite film dresses. Even if the movie were garbage, it would be worth watching just to admire that dress. Thankfully, the movie is nearly perfect, but in all the wondrous moments you'll remember long after you watch it-"It's Magic," "You have principles," "I'm no blabbermouth!"-I guarantee the blue dress will be one of them. Watch it and find out. You're better off buying a copy than renting it, though, as I can't seem to let a few months go by without popping my copy in the DVD player!

When I Was Just a Little Girl........

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 16 July 2019]

"Romance on the High Seas", make no mistake about it, was especially designed to introduce Doris Day to film audiences. It was directed by the legendary Michael Curtiz with musical numbers handled by the equally legendary Busby Berkley.

The plot, if you can call it that, is silly to say the least. It's about a very rich couple Michael and Elvira Kent (Don DeFore, Janis Paige) who each suspect the other of "fooling around". Michael sees Elvira seemingly cozying up to a car salesman (Douglas Kennedy) and Elvira suspects that he is involved with his new secretary Miss Medwick (Leslie Brooks). Much hilarity ensues.

Elvira hires aspiring singer Georgia Garrett (Doris Day) to impersonate her on an ocean voyage to Rio De Janero while she remains home to spy on Michael. Much hilarity ensues. Michael meanwhile engages the services of Private Investigator Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) to go on the voyage and spy on his wife. Much hilarity ensues. Michael and Georgia (as Elvira) form an attraction for each other. But, unexpectedly, Georgia's "boyfriend" Oscar Farrar (Oscar Levant) arrives on the scene. Much hilarity ensues.

When the ship docks in Rio, Peter is felling guilty over his attraction to what he thinks is a married woman. His messages back to Michael have him confused so he flies to Rio to see what is going on. Much hilarity ensues. Tlo further complicate matters, Elvira also decides to go to Rio. Much hilarity ensues. Through all of the confusion, Georgia and Peter are united in love and she gets her big break performing in a local night club and everybody lives happily ever after.

Day steals the picture getting to sing a number of songs including "It's Magic" three times. She became a major star after this film and never looked back. I never thought of Jack Carson as a romantic lead. He was more at home as a second banana to Dennis Morgan in those days. Janis Paige would appear with Day in "Pease Don't Eat the Daisies" 12 years later. Don DeFore's career was on the decline to the point that he wound up plying the next door neighbor on the "Ozzie and Harriet" TV show.

Also in the cast are S. Z. Sakall as the cuddly old Uncle Lazlo Lazlo, Franlin Pangborn as a hotel clerk and Fortunio Bonanova as the band leader who gives Day her big Break.

It's NOT magic

[AAdaSC · 5/10 · 13 March 2011]

Mr (Don Defore) and Mrs Kent (Janis Paige) suspect each other of having affairs so they set traps to catch each other out. The main part of the film is set aboard a cruise ship where Georgia (Doris Day) is pretending to be Mrs Kent (on Mrs Kent's instruction while the real Mrs Kent stays behind to spy on her husband) and detective Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) is hired to watch who he believes to be the real Mrs Kent by Mr Kent, who thinks that his wife is going on the cruise with someone else. Things get confusing for all those involved but everything works out in the end.

There are 9 song breaks with the song "Its Magic" (identical chorus to "That's Amore") repeated 3 times - too much. The 2 songs not sung by Doris Day are terrible, while the other songs span the musical spectrum from bad to sentimental codswallop.

As for the cast, they are fine with the acting honours going to Janis Paige. I thought that she was more interesting to watch than Doris Day. S Z Sakall who plays "Uncle Lazlo" is irritating and just precisely who's uncle is he? Oscar Levant who plays "Oscar" seems to be one of those permanently dislikeable people - a bit like Frank Sinatra - arrogant beyond reason - but I kind of like him in this film!

The story gets a bit frustrating as every mix up that you can imagine gets thrown in which makes it tedious at times, especially at the end. The film is nothing great - it's a colourful time-filler with some interesting fashion to watch, some amusing dialogue, way too many complications and some rubbish songs. It's lightweight fluff.

Doris Day's first time to shine on the Silver Screen

[gregcouture · 13 August 2004]

Fortune certainly smiled on the talented Doris Day when she landed her first movie role in this typical late-Forties musical comedy confection. She looks great, sounds terrific and acts with confidence, supported by the best that Warner Brothers could muster (except for the annoying Oscar Levant, an all-time UNfavorite of mine). And, as always, the Warners music department and sound technicians provide a wonderfully lush treat for the ears.

Turner Classic Movies, bless 'em, occasionally hauls this one out of their vaults and it's fun to see it uninterrupted and causing one's TV screen to glow with that particularly cool, yet warm at the same time, three-strip Technicolor that Warners seemed to specialize in before Warnercolor's less vibrant tones decorated the studio's color output. Of course the clothes, the elaborately formal sets, and those hairdos (Could any woman back then achieve those coiffures without the aid of a platoon of hairdressers?) all are quintessentially Hollywood just before the Fifties demanded that everything look very modern and somewhat more sleek. But as a way to enjoy a bit of still very entertaining nostalgia, this one is hard to beat!

In Doris Day's film debut, she sings "It's Magic"

[jacobs-greenwood · 6/10 · 6 December 2016]

Co-produced and directed by Michael Curtiz, with a screenplay by Julius & Philip Epstein and additional dialogue from I.A.L. Diamond, this slightly above average musical comedy was Doris Day's first film. In it she sings the Oscar nominated Song "It's Magic", which would become one of her trademarks; Ray Heindorf's Score was also nominated. However, my favorite song in the film is "It's You or No One".

The plot itself is the kind of fluff one used to see regularly on TV episodes of The Love Boat in the late 70's and early 80's, though this one features a single storyline with multiple characters. A busy executive (Don DeFore) is worried about his wife (Janis Paige) straying on a cruise she's taking by herself such that he hires a private detective (Jack Carson) to keep tabs on her. What he doesn't know is that his wife has hired a singer (Ms. Day) to pretend to be her on the cruise such that she can stay home to see if her husband is cheating on her with his secretary (Leslie Brooks).

A recognizable supporting cast that includes Oscar Levant, S. Z. Sakall, Eric Blore, Fortunio Bonanova, Franklin Pangborn, and even Grady Sutton (uncredited) makes this one fun to watch.

Married three years and having yet to take a trip since their honeymoon, Mrs. Elvira Kent (Paige) is determined that the third time will be a charm. She books an extended cruise vacation for her and husband only to be disappointed yet again. Her husband Michael (DeFore), who is the top executive in her Uncle Lazlo's (Sakall) pharmaceutical company, says he can't make it yet again because of something that just came up, a potential merger. Elvira discovers that Michael had just hired a brand new secretary (Brooks) that morning, and suspects the worst regarding what's just come up. Earlier that day, while having her passport picture taken, she'd met a singer at the travel agency who always plans trips, but can't afford to go. So, she has an idea.

Elvira and her uncle go to Georgia Garrett's (Day) place of work with the aforementioned proposition, which she accepts. She tells her cynical piano player Oscar (Levant), who's infatuated with her, only that she's going away on a cruise ship. When Michael realizes he can go on the cruise if Elvira will only wait 4 days, he's surprised that she's unwilling and then suspects the worst. So, he hires detective Peter Virgil (Carson) to tail his wife and see what she's up to on the ship.

Of course, Peter falls for Georgia, who he thinks is his client's wife Elvira ... and the feeling is mutual. Blore plays the ship's sick doctor; Sutton appears as the ship's nosy telegraph operator. Things get more complicated when lonely, and financially dependent Oscar arrives to join the voyage. But that's only the beginning.

Once the ship finally docks in Rio, Michael and Elvira, both in New York, get worried and/or suspicious enough to fly down there themselves. Lazlo, aware that Elvira is on her way, learns that Michael is about to such that he tags along; the men actually arrive first. Bonanova plays the Rio hotel's show director, Pangborn its clerk (naturally).

The ending, which is predictable, takes a little too long to come about, in my opinion. Ms. Day's songs are excellent, and even Carson sings a local flavor one in Trinidad (as does Avon Long).

Magic? Sure ... in 1948

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 5 December 2012]

This is one of those cookie cutter 'luxury liner' musicals that enjoyed a vogue in late forties Hollywood - and even well into the fifties they were still turning out things like 'The French Line'. It's no better and certainly no worse than any of them and Warners didn't stint on casting, throwing in a string of 'reliables' like Eric Blore, Franklin Pangborn, late of RKO and Paramount respectively and from their own roster Jack Carson, Oscar Levant and S.Z. 'Cuddles' Zackall. All-rounder Michael Curtiz was on bullhorn and peripatetic - RKO (Step Lively), MGM (Anchors Aweigh, It Happened In Brooklyn) tunesmiths Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn supplied the dots and the lyrics. Add ex-band (Les Brown) singer Doris Day in her first At Bat and what's not to like. An ideal time-passer for a wet Saturday afternoon.

"Love and I, they don't agree"

[Steffi_P · 6/10 · 13 November 2010]

The screen musical changed a lot during the 1940s. Thanks to Rodgers and Hammerstein's successes on Broadway, and the popularity of pictures like The Wizard of Oz and Meet Me in St Louis, we moved permanently from the backstage, diagetic-singer musicals of the 30s to the bursting-into-song, integrated musicals that we most commonly think of in the genre today. It took a while however for the new format to fully establish itself as the norm, and so in the late 40s we still get these odd little pictures that are neither one thing or the other.

Romance on the High Seas, like virtually all musicals up until the 1960s, is a romantic comedy, and as romantic comedies go its credentials are pretty impressive. The screenplay, a rather neat comedy of errors, was penned by Julius and Philip Epstein (Casablanca!), with additional dialogue by IAL Diamond (Some Like it Hot!!). But perhaps this is its first failing. It comes across as the kind of comedy that could be built up to stand on its own. The decision to do it as a musical slows the comedy down somewhat, making it only fairly funny when it could have been hilarious. Add to this the fact that no-one seems able to have agreed what kind of musical it's supposed to be. At times it is a Doris Day showcase, at others an anyone-can-joiner, with Jack Carson piping up for a calypso number, and then there is "Tourist Trade", sung by Avon Long and choreographed by Busby Berkely, which is a nice little addition but sits oddly with the rest of the production.

This was the screen debut of Doris Day, in a role originally intended for Betty Hutton. More relaxed than Hutton, Day brings out the feeling of the song with her face more than her body, which probably more than anything else helps to give her songs a natural feel, flowing out of her understated acting style. Like virtually all musical stars from this period, she has a certain eye-catching raunchiness, but the major difference being that you can't really believe she could be fooling around with men. In this respect she is one of the few stars who really seems to fit in with the straight-laced Production Code. While it came across that someone like Betty Grable has sex on the brain even if she doesn't say it out loud, you really get the impression that Day expects nothing more than a few kisses followed by a walk up the aisle.

The trouble with Day here is that she wasn't really a great comedy actress. She could pull her weight in a funny environment, but she wasn't really funny in her own right. Her co-star Carson was a great comedy actor, but the role doesn't really demand much of him, and seems to have been written for more of a standard romantic lead. Still, it's nice to see jolly Jack get the girl for once. The more typical comedy stooge part goes to Don DeFore, but while he seems to know what he is doing he is just a little bit boring. Janet Paige plays a stereotypical society lady, but like DeFore is rather dull. The standout performances come from the smaller roles, as we see Oscar Levant at his cynical best, or the brief but welcome appearance by 30s regular Eric Blore.

The director is Michael Curtiz, not a man one would associate with musicals or comedies, and yet he got assigned a fair few of them around this point in his career. Curtiz was very skilled at bringing out clarity in plot and character, using his camera to lead us through the story. His introduction of Day involves one of his trademark manoeuvres. We see Paige go into the travel agents, after which a group of people walk across the screen. The camera then follows these people, coming to rest on Day looking in the window. Our attention has been drawn to her, although because the camera was "carried" with that group of extras the move doesn't seem obtrusive. But Curtiz's approach to the story seems a little too mechanical, as if he were actually filming a serious marital drama. He doesn't give enough time or pacing to the comedy scenes, and this is especially apparent at the finale in Rio where the characters all begin bumping into each other.

In short Romance on the High Seas is bit of a mess, at least structurally. It's perhaps best then to focus on the nuts and bolts of the production. Few contemporary-set pictures at this period were in Technicolor, the medium normally being reserved for period pieces. Still, a nice job has been done with contrasting light shades of grey, brown and turquoise, bringing some harmony to the stark 1940s interiors. An honourable mention must also go to the bizarre and extravagant costume design of Milo Anderson, as usual setting standards in surreal womenswear (Paige's assortment of hats can resemble everything from lampshades to liquorice allsorts). And finally there are some nice tunes here by that slightly bluesy musician Jules Styne, with memorable Sammy Cahn lyrics. They may be rather jumbled as far as the whole picture is concerned, but each one is nicely presented, and a couple such as "It's Magic" and "Throw 'em in the Deep Blue Sea" really stick in the mind. Indeed, Romance on the High Seas is a picture whose parts are greater than the whole would have us believe.

It's More Than Magic; It's A Miracle

[joseph952001 · 10/10 · 27 March 2006]

Doris Day hails from our city of Cincinnati, Ohio. A Price Hill girl who was born with the last name of Kappelhoff. Orignially, Doris wanted to be a dancer, and if I'm not mistaken, she studied with Pep Goldwyn here in Cincy. She was dancing with a guy named Jerry Doughtery when they became involved in a car accident and she was told by her doctors that she would never walk again, but they didn't know Doris as well as she knew herself, and she ended up walking again, so seeing her career as a dancer was more or less out the window, she studied singing with Grace Rains at Schuster Martin who also trained Tyrone Power, another Cincy talent, to be an actor, but he wanted to be a dancer also, and they told him, "Tyrone; try acting!" So, he did, and the rest is history! So, Doris ended up singing with a band, and later, it was obvious that Kappelhoff was not the right name for a professional singer although later some sexy lady by the name of Lollibrigida would not fare so bad with an unpronounceable name, but anyway, she was asked what her favorite song was, so the story goes, and she said, "Day by Day" and that's how Doris Kapplehoff became Doris Day. Then later she would do some Hollywood Musical Shorts for the movies, but nothing happened until she was spotted for her singing talent because of her hit record "Sentimental Journey" with Les Brown and His Band of Renown, and then Warner Brothers made the call, and she said, "No!" She wanted nothing to do with Hollywood, but eventually with a little coaxing by Jack Carson telling her that they needed her and the picture was set to go, she finally said yes, but to only one picture, and that was to be that! Well, after "Romance On The High Seas" premiered, that was to be that wasn't that anymore, and, once again, history was made! Was Doris lucky! One of the finest Hollywood directors Hollywood would ever see, the very underrated Michael Curtiz guided her through the picture, and the greatest songs composed for a singers debut in the movies, and of course, the hit song, "It's Magic" became another hit for Doris Day on the record charts, although, I've always preferred "It's You Or No One For Me" to be the better of the two, and "Put It In a Box, Tie It With a Ribbon" coming second in my opinion! Later on in her movie career, her dream of being a dancer would come true in movies such as Tea For Two, but she had to wear shin-splints to be able to dance, and after "Lullabye of Broadway" in which she completely showed her dancing talent, it was decided that dancing in the movies would have to stop for fear of damaging her legs again, and by the way, when she danced in the movies, notice that it was either long dresses or slacks that she wore to dance in, therefore, the shin splints could not be seen!

We're proud of our Doris here in Cincinnati, Ohio, which also boasts Tyrone Power, Vera Ellen, George Chakirus, Dean Millerk, who eventually wound up on the T.V. Series "December Bride" with Spring Byington and Frances Rafferty, and also, some say, Roy Rogers! We got a lot to be proud of here in Cincinnati, Ohio! WE LOVE YA DORIS!

A Star Is Born

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 11 August 2007]

This is Doris Day's first film appearance, and her star quality is very much in evidence; she is a startling, natural film performer. Though she varied her screen performances from time to time, she could always recall this natural, comic-based persona. She is sexy, too; I wonder, though, did her figure "improve" over the years?

Ms. Day has some fine songs, especially "It's Magic". The plot is very contrived, and Day is an unconvincing selection to "play" socialite Janis Paige. I suppose, if she stayed in her room, it might have been believable? The movie is enjoyable for Day's entertaining debut, and some well-selected songs. Hey, what's up with the guy singing the "Tourist Trade" song?

****** Romance on the High Seas (1948) Michael Curtiz ~ Doris Day, Jack Carson, Janis Paige

Slight and silly, but charming and entertaining

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 18 July 2017]

Being a fan of Doris Day, particularly in 'Calamity Jane', her outings with Gordon McRae and her comedies and who considers Michael Curtiz a talented director with 'Casablanca' and 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' masterpieces, 'Romance on the High Seas' was met with high expectations.

High expectations that were mostly met, even though all have done better. The story is slight and silly with a few to many mix ups. The ending itself is a bit rushed and the build up slightly tedious. Most of the songs are great, but two don't work. "Run, Run, Run" leaves a bad taste in the mouth and "Cuban Rhapsody" feels really out of place.

Doris Day however captivates in her first film role, that was initially intended for Betty Hutton. She has a lot of charm and her singing is as gorgeous as ever. The songs more than do her and her songs, especially "It's Magic", and they are beautifully staged.

Jack Carson is a charming and witty leading man, while Janis Page steals every scene she's in. SZ Sakall is amusingly curmudgeon and avoids being irritating, while Oscar Levant is just about tolerable.

Curtiz, while not in his comfort zone, directs more than admirably. The production values truly enchant, while the script has non-stop fun and wit, making one laugh more than once. The mix ups entertain, and the film goes along at a snappy pace, petering out only at the end.

Overall, has a few faults but mostly a winner. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Day Is Magic In Film Debut

[CitizenCaine · 6/10 · 10 October 2011]

Doris Day's perky optimism was synonymous with the post-war optimism of the country following World War II, and it's no wonder she became popular and successful rather quickly. In Romance On The High Seas, her film debut, Day plays a struggling singer who daydreams about world travel by milling around a travel agency weekly. In so doing, she makes the acquaintance of Janis Paige, who isn't given much to do in the film, and her rich uncle played by S.Z. Sakall. Paige makes a proposition with Day to impersonate her on a cruise, so Paige can spy on her husband played by Don Defore, who will think Paige is a long ways away. Meanwhile, Defore hires a private detective, Jack Carson, to tail his wife impersonated by Day on the cruise. Complications ensue when Day and Carson fall for each other. Before the fadeout, Day has time to sing a few songs most notably of which is the Oscar-nominated "It's Magic". Incidentally, another Day smash won; "Buttons and Bows" from the Bob Hope/Jane Russel film: The Paleface. Ray Heindorf's musical score was also nominated.

Julius and Philip Epstein wrote the fast-moving script with I.A.L. Diamond. Director Michael Curtiz keeps the film and its flimsy plot moving at a brisk pace and wisely rounded up able supporting players who add to the fun. Oscar Levant as Day's wisecracking, would-be, pianist beau, Eric Blore as the ship's doctor, Grady Sutton as the ship's radio operator, Franklin Pangborn as the busy-body hotel clerk in Rio, and John Berkes as the sneaky drunk on either side of Carson and Defore are all a delight. Busby Berkeley is listed as a choreographer, but there were not any production numbers typically associated with his style. Possibly Berkeley's work was edited out. Look fast for later horror hostess Vampira as a ship passenger. **1/2 of 4 stars.

Doris Day and Jack Carson star in this wacky Technicolor musical comedy that will keep you entertained

[estherwalker-34710 · 9/10 · 20 January 2021]

The music composer team of Jules Styne and Sammy Cahn must have realized that they had a potential megahit in their romantic ballad "It's Magic", composed for this musical comedy. It became the de facto theme song for the film, sung two and a half times, including the finale. And who better to sing it than the personable, cute, blond Big Band singer: Doris Day, although she wasn't the first to be offered the role. Paramount's Betty Hutton, and MGM's Judy Garland and Kathryn Grayson were given a shot at it, but turned it down. After director Michael Curtiz heard a sampling of Doris's singing, he knew he had found the right singer, albeit she had no acting experience. It proved a perfect marriage, as you will discover. After seeing herself in the early going, Doris was dissatisfied with her acting , and asked Curtiz to recommend an acting coach. Curtiz replied emphatically "No, no, that would ruin everything. You are a natural born actress!"..........The wacky screenplay is full of unrealistic or very improbable contrivances and plot holes, yet provides a scaffolding for an very entertaining story, given the skill and charisma of the lead actors. It begins with the wedding of Mike Kent(Dan Defore) and Elvira(Janis Paige). But, the fun really begins when the glamorous socialite , Elmira, plans a cruise to Latin America, for their 3rd wedding anniversary. She goes to Mike's office and confronts him with this plan. He replies that he can't work that into his schedule, and suggests that she go alone. Elvira notices that Mike has hired a new statuesque sexy blond secretary, played by Leslie Brooks.(Leslie was the spitting image of Lana Turner, and I was shocked to discover that it wasn't Lana!). Leslie appears to be flirting with Mike, and he appears to be responding, right in the presence of Elvira. Elvira points out that this siren is typing with only one finger, and sarcastically suggests that by the time Elvira returns from her voyage, perhaps this 'secretary' will have learned to type with 10 fingers!...........Elmira hatches a plan to see if Mike will fool around if he thinks she is on this cruise, but actually she will remain in NYC, spying on her husband. She needs an impersonator to go on the cruise in place of her. Singer Doris is the lucky one chosen. The suspicious Mike hires a private detective (Jack Carson, as Pete) to tail Elmira and make sure she doesn't dally with any men. Naturally, Peter and 'Elmira'(Georgia) soon meet, and establish a friendly relationship, which gradually turns romantic. But the fact that 'Elmira' is supposedly married, discourages a more serious relationship.......... Eventually, both Elmira and Mike lose confidence in their respective agents, who are now in Rio. Separately, they fly to Rio to find out what is really going on, setting the stage for the hilarious comedy climax, which also includes Elmira's eccentric English-impaired uncle (played, of course, by S. Z. Sakall), and Doris's apparently platonic boyfriend Oscar(Oscar Levant), who joined the cruise at some point, and strikes up a friendship with Peter in Rio. I will let you discover the details of the climax comedy in Rio. In the end, things get sorted out and we end up with 2 happy couples, as Doris stage sings "It's Magic" for the last time(in English, not Portuguese!).............. Unlike Doris's subsequent hits "Secrete Love", and "Que, Sera, Sera", "It's Magic" didn't win the Oscar for best original song, but it was nominated.......... Jack Carson would again costar with Doris in her next 2 films. They were good friends, including some romantic dabbling during this period.......... Although Doris clearly had the lead female role, Janis Paige was billed above her because she was an established actress, while Doris was just beginning. Doris and Janis would meet again in several subsequent films, including "Don't Eat the Daisies", where Janis tries to steal Doris's husband.

Dated debut of Doris Day for the first time with Cuddles

[Dunham16 · 6/10 · 25 June 2016]

The name stars are Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don deFore, Oscar Levant and Cuddles Szakall who acts for the first time with debut star Doris Day. There seems something stilted about the place as Doris shines yet seems unpolished. The movie is far from nonsense comedy which at least makes no sense scene by scene ending with something implausible tacked on yet fun along the way. There are just too many mix ups of Doris not really acting a great scene with Cuddles as she usually does as well as not liking Oscar Levant though people think she is running off with him. Don DeFore and Janis Page each think the other is cheating on them and Jack Carson as the detective who thinks he can unravel the plot can't. On the surface Hollywood gold with an award winning song yet too dated and too stilted to make its mark when viewed through the rose colored gasses of limited 1948 editing and photography.

Can we put Doris Day's films in a box and throw THEM in the deep blue sea?

[crispy_comments · 2/10 · 12 March 2010]

So this film was originally offered to Judy Garland and Betty Hutton? Although the script is certainly beneath them, I would've much preferred to see either of these actresses in Doris Day's place, as I find Day's perky/cutesy mannerisms to be cartoonish and irritating. Her pout annoys me. Her big toothy grin annoys me. Ditto the bug-eyed stare. Even the way she walks, with these mincing little bird-like baby steps... bugs me. Her voice is alright, but nothing special, certainly no match for Garland or Hutton, or a dozen other singers I could name. I guess I'll never understand Doris Day's popularity.

Anyway, "Romance On The High Seas" has a tired mistaken-identity plot, with none of the charm you'll find in other movies that use this plot device (Astaire/Rogers films, for instance). The story just plods along predictably. And the trying-to-be-zany-madcap finale, with all the characters' paths almost crossing as they just miss running into each other in elevators and hotel rooms...well, it's a bore. Hilarity does NOT ensue at watching The Husband enter the same room over and over, finding a different person in his wife's bed each time (um, not *with* the wife though, after all this was still 1948 - although there is some risqué humour that seems to be a precursor to Day's I'm-so-wholesome-but-tee-hee-maybe-I'll-be-corrupted 60's sex comedies). The ending is rushed and the deceptions aren't really explained to the appropriate parties, but the obvious couples end up in eachothers arms anyway. Ho hum.

Oddly, Jack Carson actually plays the Desirable Romantic Lead in this film, which leaves Oscar Levant to play the wisecrackin' shmuck who doesn't get the girl. Levant's dry line delivery is the best thing about this movie - I'm *convinced* he improvised his own lines because they seem so much more clever than the rest of the dialogue. Or maybe it's all in the delivery. It's also nice to see S.Z. Sakall and Eric Blore, briefly, although their comic bits fall flat.

Nothing else to recommend here - I don't even remember the songs, despite the fact that some were repeated. "Put 'em in a Box, Tie 'em with a Ribbon, and Throw 'em in the Deep Blue Sea" was the highlight, if I have to choose. Too bad Janis Paige didn't sing any of them, just to mix things up & give us a break from Doris (whose songs were sometimes only a few minutes apart!) Paige *could* sing, contrary to the claims made by her hubby in the film. Remember that awesome "Stereophonic Sound" number from "Silk Stockings"? Some of that kind of energetic belting would've been very welcome here and provided nice contrast to Day's ballads. Oh well.

I was actually surprised how little we saw of Janis Paige in general, since she had top billing and all. Guess the studio was already grooming Doris for stardom and wouldn't let another actress share the spotlight. Personally I find Janis more likable, a better comedienne and, incidentally much prettier than Doris Day. But talent and merit have nothing to do with success...sadly, it really is all about who you know. Who knew Jack Carson had so much pull back then? But he was in Day's corner (to quote her, they were "going together"), and apparently that did the trick.

By the way, I notice Janis Paige's IMDb bio calls her a "joyous scene-stealer", and I must agree! She totally upstages Doris with her supporting role in the film "Please Don't Eat The Daisies". I wanted David Niven to dump Doris and go for her. Ah well. That movie was much better written than this one, (and Niven far more charming than Carson), but you still have to watch Doris bird-walk across the screen. Is it worth it? You decide.