Pillow Talk (1959)

An independent career woman (Doris Day in an Oscar nominated performance) shares a party line on the telephone with a carefree bachelor (Rock Hudson) she has never met. A phone feud develops between the two over his continuous jamming of the phone lines by using it for his romantic conquests. When by accident, he meets her, he pretends to be a Texas cowboy visiting New York City and romances her. Can he keep the pretense up long enough to seduce her before she finds out his duplicity? This effervescent romantic comedy is both smart and slick. While the Oscar for best original screenplay seems a bit of overkill, nevertheless it's inventive and Arthur E. Arling (THE YEARLING) makes superb use of the split screen in his CinemaScope lensing. Day and Hudson's chemistry together positively crackles (they did two more films together) and one can readily see why they're considered among the great screen couples. One wonders what younger viewers would make of the "ancient" party line situation since they are now non-existent (aren't they?). Directed by Michael Gordon. With Tony Randall and Thelma Ritter doing their usual schtick and solid support from Nick Adams, Marcel Dalio, Allen Jenkins, Julia Meade, Lee Patrick, Mary McCarty, Jacqueline Beer, Hayden Rorke and Valerie Allen.