Please Don't Eat the Daisies (film)

Please Don't Eat the Daisies (film)

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This article is about the film. For the book, see Please Don't Eat the Daisies. For the TV series, see Please Don't Eat the Daisies (TV series).

Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Charles Walters
Produced by	Joe Pasternak
Screenplay by	Isobel Lennart
Based on	Please Don't Eat The Daisies 1957 essays by Jean Kerr
Starring	Doris Day David Niven Janis Paige Richard Haydn Spring Byington
Music by	David Rose
Cinematography	Robert J. Bronner
Edited by	John McSweeney Jr.
Production company	Euterpe Inc.
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	March 31, 1960
Running time	112 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,775,000[1]
Box office	$7,050,000[1]

Please Don't Eat the Daisies is a 1960 Metrocolor comedy film in CinemaScope starring Doris Day and David Niven,^[2] made by Euterpe Inc., and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The movie was directed by Charles Walters and produced by Joe Pasternak, with Martin Melcher (Day's husband) as associate producer.^[2]

The screenplay, partly inspired by the book of the same name by Jean Kerr,^[3][4] a collection of humorous essays, was by Isobel Lennart.

The film also features Janis Paige, Spring Byington, Richard Haydn, Patsy Kelly, and Jack Weston. Spring Byington^[2] made her final film appearance in this film, but appeared in TV shows later.

A television series starring Patricia Crowley and Mark Miller premiered five years later and ran for 58 episodes.

Contents

 [hide] 

• 1 Plot summary
• 2 Cast
• 3 Reception
• 4 References in other media
• 5 See also
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Plot summary[edit]

Professor Lawrence Mackay (David Niven) and his wife, Kate (Doris Day), are struggling with four small boys in a tiny, two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Months before, they had announced their intention to move to a larger apartment, but have not been able to find one. Meanwhile, their lease has expired and the landlord has rented out their apartment to someone who insists they vacate immediately. They decide to look for a house in the country, but the only thing they can afford is a run-down mansion complete with secret panels and trap doors, 70 miles away by train. They have no choice but to move in and start fixing it up.

In the midst of the moving chaos, Larry has left his professorship at the university to become a drama critic for a major New York paper. His first assignment is to review the new show produced by his best friend, Alfred North (Richard Haydn). The show is awful, and Larry's review is especially hard on the show's star, Deborah Vaughn (Janis Paige). Ms. Vaughn gets her revenge by hiring a press photographer to capture her slapping Larry's face at Sardi's. This publicity stunt, along with Larry's published response, makes Larry the toast of the town. Kate and Larry are suddenly invited to society parties and hobnobbing with the rich and famous, which begins to go to Larry's head. With the hammering and builders at home, Larry decides to stay in a hotel in the city for a few weeks, leaving setting up the new house to Kate.

Back home, Kate is trying her best to manage the four children and fit into their new community. When asked by the local dramatic society to find them an original play for their next production Kate, turns to Alfred. Alfred, seeing a chance for a bit of revenge of his own, gives them a terrible play written by a young Lawrence Mackay -with an altered title and fictitious playwright listed on the cover. Alfred then secretly invites all of the major New York critics to review the play. Larry finds out, and has a huge fight with Kate, blaming her for his professional embarrassment. He refuses to allow the show to go on. Kate insist it's too late for the Hooton Holler Players to get another show ready, so Larry reluctantly gives them permission to proceed, publishing his own review of the show before opening night.

Not to be left out of things, Deborah Vaughn decides to strike up a close, personal friendship with Larry, flattering him seductively. Kate's mother Suzie Robinson (Spring Byington) urges her to get Larry back before it's too late. Kate and Larry make up and return to their country home in time for one of the boys to drop a water bomb on them from an upstairs window.

Cast[edit]

• Doris Day as Kate Robinson Mackay
• David Niven as Lawrence Larry Mackay
• Janis Paige as Deborah Vaughn
• Spring Byington as Suzie Robinson
• Richard Haydn as Alfred North
• Patsy Kelly as Maggie
• Jack Weston as Joe Positano
• John Harding as Reverend Norman McQuarry
• Margaret Lindsay as Mona James
• Carmen Phillips as Mary Smith ^[5]
• Mary Patton as Mrs. Hunter
• Charles Herbert as David Mackay
• Stanley Livingston as Gabriel MacKay
• Flip Mark as George MacKay
• Baby Gellert as Adam McKay

Reception[edit]

According to MGM records the film earned $5,150,000 in the US and Canada and $1.9 million elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,842,000.^[1]

References in other media[edit]

"Please Don't Eat the Daisies" is played in the background of the beginning of the Liam Kyle Sullivan internet music videos "Shoes" and "Text Message Break-up".