When suddenly hit with mud and water as she stands on the sidewalk waiting to cross to the other side, she is in for the ride of her life. Doris Day and Cary Grant are the perfect couple when getting together in “That Touch of Mink.” Add Gig Young and the threesome is awesome.
Prim and proper Cathy Timberlake prepares to cross the road. As she does, she is in for the shock of her life when suddenly she is splashed with water. Her outfit is destroyed. The driver does not stop. He is the chauffeur for a millionaire who tries to stop, but cannot due to the flow of traffic.
When later the millionaire sees her going into a cafeteria across the street, he sends his employee to compensate her. The employee, Roger, played by Gig Young, has major psychological issues. For years he feels his boss, Philip Shayne, a millionaire is only using people and cares nothing for them or their well being.
Roger threatens to quit if it were not for the ‘money.’ He feels Shayne considers money as the do all end all to everything. When meeting Cathy Timberlake, he thinks she will be the one who finally makes him realize all the money in the world is nothing when it comes to human rights and feelings. Phillip feels Cathy will not bow down to Shayne’s money because she is just not interested in money alone. He feels she has principles.
However, when Cathy sees Phililp, she immediately stops in her tracks, backs down and becomes speechless. She realizes the man she was prepared to attack and subject to all this rage is one handsome man. Cathy, being single and a very attractive woman now wants to have this man as her own. Philip, being attracted to Cathy and her whimsical ways, also wants a relationship, but no ties. Cathy sees marriage while Philip sees an affair.
When Phillip begins to proposition Cathy, her goal is marriage while his is getting her to bed. With each trying to conquer the other in their own way, the battle of wills is to see which one will win.
Gig Young is extremely diverse in this comedy. While he was one of the most debonaire males in Hollywood during the 50’s and 60’s, he stepped out of role well to play a psychotic assistant to a well versed millionaire.
Doris Day was the typical prim and proper ‘lady’ of that time. She was not going to compromise her reputation no matter what and during that era, sex was forbidden. The mere mention of the word was forbidden on television. Banned from television was a one bed scene. Captured in any bedroom was the twin bed. Viewers had to use their imagination and often children wondered where babies came from with the ‘Stork’ as the answer. Hard to imagine was how babies were ever conceived.
Cary Grant was god awful handsome. Women crooned over the actor. Just seeing him enter a room made every female slip into a coma. He even wondered how he could be “Cary Grant.”
When viewing “That touch of Mink” viewers just enjoy the simple pleasures of life. The movie is about fun and comedy, laughter and innocence. Nothing more and nothing less. There was no hidden meaning; no lesson to be learned. Just clean fun and entertainment and for that it should have won one of the six awards nominated.
Cast:
Cary Grant – Philip Shayne
Doris Day – Cathy Timberlake
Gig Young – Roger
John Astin – Beasley
Audrey Meadows – Connie
