What were Doris Day and Rock Hudson like together when the cameras weren't rolling?
Was their real-life relationship anything like the one on screen?
Keep watching for a closer look at one of Hollywood's most famous partnerships.
Doris Day and Rock Hudson starred in three classic romantic comedies together in the 1950s and 1960s:
"Pillow Talk," "Lover Come Back," and "Send Me No Flowers." On screen, they seemed like the perfect
match. He was the tall, handsome leading man type while she was perceived as America's sweetheart.
Film audiences turned out in droves to witness their playful banter and their
remarkable personal chemistry, and they're still considered a classic movie couple to this day.
"You ain't the kinda gal who'd break a date."
"No, I'm not."
"And I ain't the kinda guy who'd ask you to."
But the connection wasn't just on the big screen. Day and Hudson weren't romantically
involved in real life, but they still shared a very meaningful friendship, and formed a
bond that lasted until Hudson's death in 1985. Both stars knew what it was like to portray one
kind of character for the public while being a very different person away from the cameras.
They'd both been asked to change their names and adopt a certain kind of persona to become
more marketable in Hollywood, and both had very specific images in the public eye.
Hudson was forced to hide his sexuality so he could be portrayed as the ultimate romantic
hero for women, while Day had to remain pure and family friendly throughout her career.
Hudson and Day also shared memories of intense and difficult childhoods
that deepened their off-camera bond. Hudson grew up with an absent father and a verbally
abusive mother and stepfather, while Day also lost her father and suffered
through a difficult recovery from a car accident in her teenage years.
Though they only worked together for a short time, these connections forged
a friendship that would last decades, and it apparently began even before they met.
Hudson felt a connection with Day long before the pair ever worked together. According to Fox News,
actress Barbara Rush explained that Hudson was a huge fan of Day's music career,
and would play the star's records on movie sets. When Day and Hudson
finally met to work together, they seemed to click instantly.
Their personal chemistry carried over into their performances in the 1959 romantic comedy
"Pillow Talk." Day played an interior designer named Jan Morrow who shared a phone line with
a charming but rakish playboy named Brad Allen, played by Hudson. Jan is annoyed
that her neighbor's many calls to his girlfriends are tying up the phone line,
but Brad is more interested in Jan than in any of the women he's calling. In the end, he tries to
win her over by pretending he's someone else. The film proved to be a hit for both Day and Hudson,
so much so that they reunited for two more films over the next five years..
While they only made three films together, Day and Hudson became known as one of the great movie
couples of the era, and are still considered an all-time favorite pairing in the history of
romantic comedies. In an interview with People Magazine looking back on their work together,
Day explained why she thought the pairing with Hudson worked so well, saying:
"I think the reason people liked our movies is
because they could tell how much we liked each other."
Day retired from making movies in 1968, just a few years after "Send Me No Flowers," but stayed
connected to Hudson for the rest of his life. He was one of the first people she thought of
when she made a return to television in 1985. Day was launching a new show
on the Christian Broadcasting Network called "Doris Day's Best Friends," which focused on
interviews with her Hollywood friends and their pets. A lifelong animal lover,
Day chose Hudson to be her first guest on the show because she knew he loved dogs as much as she did.
Hudson's appearance on Day's show turned out to be their final reunion.
When Hudson showed up for the press conference announcing the show, the
world was shocked by his frail appearance. Just days later, according to Entertainment Weekly,
Hudson's representatives announced to the world that he'd been diagnosed with AIDS, making him the
first major celebrity to acknowledge he had the disease. In the process, the world also learned
that Hudson had been living as a closeted gay man for decades. Day later told People Magazine
that the last time she saw Hudson was when she said goodbye to him after taping their interview
together in July of 1985. Hudson died just a few months later at the age of 59. His AIDS diagnosis
and death played a major role in helping spread awareness of the disease to the American public.
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