Pillow Talk (1959)

92% of critics liked it
(25 reviews)
85% of users liked it
(19,638 ratings)

The fabulously successful Pillow Talk was essentially Shop Around the Corner for the 1950s. Playboy composer Rock Hudson and interior-decorator Doris Day are obliged to share a telephone party line. Naturally, their calls overlap at the least opportune times, and just as naturally, this leads to… More The fabulously successful Pillow Talk was essentially Shop Around the Corner for the 1950s. Playboy composer Rock Hudson and interior-decorator Doris Day are obliged to share a telephone party line. Naturally, their calls overlap at the least opportune times, and just as naturally, this leads to Hudson and Day despising each other without ever having met in person. In a cute but convenient coincidence, Doris' boy friend is Tony Randall, who also happens to be Hudson's best pal. Thus Hudson gets a glimpse at Day, and it's love at first sight. To avoid revealing that he's her telephone rival, Hudson poses as a wealthy Texan and turns the charm on Day. But when he starts pitching woo, Day instantly recognizes all the "make-out" lines Hudson has used on the phone with his other conquests. She gets even by decorating Hudson's apartment in a hideous manner. But Hudson loves her all the same; he "kidnaps" her, carrying her through the streets in her nightgown in full view of everyone, including a laughing cop who refuses to intervene. He praises her horrifying interior decoration job effusively, and at this point Day can't help but give in to his marriage proposal. A bit too arch and cute for modern tastes at times, Pillow Talk is still one of the best of the frothy Doris Day-Rock Hudson vehicles; it made a fortune at the box office and garnered five Oscar nominations. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Michael Gordon
Written By: Russell Rouse, Maurice Richlin, Stanley Shapiro
Genres: Romance, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 6, 1959 Wide
On DVD: Apr 13, 1999

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Pillow Talk is a sleekly sophisticated production that deals chiefly with s-e-x.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Compulsively mainstream as only 50s Hollywood could be, and never very funny.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
One of the most lively and up-to-date comedy-romances of the year.
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
It's impossible to imagine this movie not being presented in CinemaScope, as the widescreen format is integral in supporting the imaginative use of split-screen techniques.
Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
Hudson and Day's Sex and the City, '50s-style.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The first -- and best -- of the witty, well-produced sex comedies starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...Hudson and Day's palpable chemistry together [is] evident almost immediately...
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Part of the Universal DVD Collection (Aug 2007), which also includes Lover Come Back and Send Me No Flowers.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The first and the best of the three romantic comedies Doris Day made with Rock Hudson at Universal offers a good case of deconstructing the stars' respective screen images.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
It often seems complacent and shallow.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Classic, if not flawless, '50s bedroom comedy.
, Film4
Day is the prudish spinster forced to share a party-line with philandering Hudson in this charming sex comedy.

Read all 12 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Candy R

Romantic comedy about a couple who haven't met but share a telephone line. If you like Shop Around The Corner, You've Got Mail, How To Lose A Guy In 10 days then you will like this movie.
Jennifer X

I don't think Doris Day and Rock Hudson have too much chemistry in the conventional sense, but it certainly is pleasurable watching them squabble. This movie has just the right amount of retro and cheese to make it delightful.
Wahida K

This Movie is so extremely funny. I enjoy Classics with Doris Day and Rock Hudson. The end was even funnier, when the doctor in the neighbourhood thinks the character of Rock Hudson is Preganant. The Doctor and his assisant grab him away at the end. lol That was fav bit.
Cassie H

Really enjoyed this movie. Doris Day is hilarious!
xGary X

If you love fifteis glamour and old school romantic comedies, you'll love this. I am far too cynical for this kind of thing, however...
Sunil J

More than dated, this "classic" is annoyingly prudish and probably the most outrageous of the Doris Day films. She hates Rock Hudson's character for the entire movie and when she finds out that he's been lying to her it takes less than a minute for her to be in his… More
More than dated, this "classic" is annoyingly prudish and probably the most outrageous of the Doris Day films. She hates Rock Hudson's character for the entire movie and when she finds out that he's been lying to her it takes less than a minute for her to be in his arms. This film was made 50 years ago and that doesn't seem long ago enough for such an outcome from a well-liked movie.
Sarah B

Not as good as I imagined. Disappointing. Tony Randall is brilliant as always though.

Read all 7 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Rock Hudson as Brad Allen

            Doris Day as Jan Morrow

            Tony Randall as Jonathan Forbes

            Thelma Ritter as Alma

            Nick Adams as Tony Walters

            Julia Meade as Marie

            Allen Jenkins as Harry

            Marcel Dalio as Pierot

            Lee Patrick as Mrs. Walters

            Mary McCarty as Nurse Resnick

            Alex Gerry as Dr. Maxwell

            Hayden Rorke as Mr. Conrad

            Valerie Allen as Eileen

            Jacqueline Beer as Yvette

            Arlen Stuart as Tilda

            Don Beddoe as Mr. Walters

            Robert B. Williams as Mr. Graham

            Perry Blackwell as Perry

            Muriel Landers as "Moose" Fat Girl

            William Schallert as Hotel Clerk

            Karen Norris as Miss Dickerson

            Dorothy Abbott as Singer

            Lillian Culver as Woman in elevator

            Joseph Mell as Dry Goods Man

            Boyd 'Red' Morgan as Trucker

            Frances Sternhagen
            
            Harry Tyler as Hansom Cabby
See full cast