That Touch of Mink

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Delbert Mann
Produced by Robert Arthur
Martin Melcher
Stanley Shapiro
Edward Muhl (uncredited)
Written by Stanley Shapiro
Nate Monaster
Starring Doris Day
Cary Grant
Music by George Duning
Cinematography Russell Metty
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date(s) June 14, 1962 (1962-06-14)
Running time 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English

That Touch of Mink (1962) is a romantic comedy starring Cary Grant and Doris Day. The film co-stars Gig Young, John Astin, Audrey Meadows, and Dick Sargent. In addition, baseball stars Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Yogi Berra make cameo appearances.

Plot

Cathy Timberlake (Doris Day), a New York City career woman meets the man of her dreams, Philip Shayne (Cary Grant), in an unusual way. His Rolls Royce splashes her dress with mud while she is on her way to a job interview.

The wealthy, suave Philip and the virginal Cathy are at cross purposes. He just wants an affair, while she is holding out for marriage. Watching from the sidelines are Philip's conflicted assistant, Roger (Gig Young), who is guilt-ridden and seeing a therapist for helping his boss with his numerous conquests, and Cathy's cynical friend, Connie Emerson (Audrey Meadows), who knows just what Philip is after.

Philip wines and dines Cathy. He even takes her to see the New York Yankees play. They watch from an unusual vantage point, the Yankees dugout (he owns part of the team), and are thrown out, along with Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Yogi Berra (playing themselves), by umpire Art Passarella for violating the rules.

After some relentless chasing by the rich, sophisticated Philip, Cathy finally succumbs and agrees to go on a trip to Bermuda with him, implicitly agreeing to intimacy. But conveniently or not (depending on one's perspective), she comes down with a possibly psychosomatic rash, much to her embarrassment and his frustration.

The Bermuda trip is repeated due to Cathy's determination, but she fails once more. On this second occasion, Cathy precedes Philip to the island and drinks heavily to calm her nerves before he arrives. By the time he gets to the hotel, Cathy is very drunk and makes a complete fool of herself before Philip, eventually falling out of the window onto an awning below. Cathy's humiliation is rendered complete in the next scene, as she is carried in her pajamas through the crowded hotel lobby by two uniformed hotel staff members. With a nasally drunken slur, she orders them to return her to Philip's room, to a mixed reaction of shock and amusement by the very refined-looking spectators.

Cathy eventually wins this skirmish between the sexes and they get married. Ironically, on their honeymoon, he breaks out in a rash.

That Touch of Mink was Grant's last role as the suave pursuer of the young female lead. Although in his next role he had a tryst with Audrey Hepburn in Charade (1963), she was the pursuer per Grant's request, because of the 25 year age difference.

Awards

• Nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Art Direction (Alexander Golitzen, Robert Clatworthy, George Milo), Best Sound & Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen.[1]
• Won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Picture and Cary Grant was nominated for Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy.
• Won the Golden Laurel for Top Comedy, while Doris Day won for Top Female Comedy Performance, Cary Grant for Top Male Comedy Performance and Gig Young for Top Male Supporting Performance.
• Won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy.

References

External links

• That Touch of Mink at the Internet Movie Database
• That Touch of Mink at Allmovie
• That Touch of Mink at the TCM Movie Database
• Historic reviews, photo gallery at CaryGrant.net

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

The films of Delbert Mann
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
Television