Romance on the High Seas is a 1948 musical comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz. The film stars John Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore, and Doris Day in her first film role.
Director: Michael Curtiz
Production Company: Michael Curtiz Productions
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Cast: Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore, Doris Day, Oscar Levant, SZ Sakall
US Box Office: $5,500,000 ($131,600,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Technicolor
Genre: Musical, Comedy
Release Date: June 26, 1948 (premiere), July 3, 1948 (general release)
Plot Summary: Elvira Kent (Janis Paige) and Michael Kent (Don DeFore) are an unhappily married couple, they each suspect the other of having an affair. Elvira pretends to take an ocean cruise to South America, but actually hires singer Georgia Garrett (Doris Day) to pose as her on the cruise, so Elvira can secretly stay home to watch Michael to see if he cheats on her. At the same time, Michael hires private investigator Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) to follow Elvira (who unbeknownst to him is actually Georgia) on her trip and see if she’s cheating. Romance and laughs ensue as Georgia and Peter (who thinks Georgia is Elvira) meet and eventually fall in love on the cruise.
Production: In 1947 Warner Bros producer Alex Gottlieb began working on a musical comedy film based on a story by Argentine screenwriters S. Pondal Rios and Carlos A. Olivari. The concept involved a woman on a cruise ship who fell in love while pretending to be someone else, and the film was planned to star Betty Hutton. The film was titled Romance on the High Seas, and the script was written by screenwriter brothers Julius and Phillip Epstein. Frequent WB film director Michael Curtiz was chosen by the studio to direct the project. Due to Curtiz’s tax problems, WB had set him up with his own production studio within their company (Michael Curtiz Productions), and he filmed Romance on the High Seas through this studio.
Romance on the High Seas was originally planned by Warner Bros to be a star vehicle for Betty Hutton. Warner planned to cast her as Georgia Garrett, but Hutton was pregnant at the time of production so she dropped out of the role. Next Warner and Curtiz attempted to borrow Judy Garland from MGM to star in the film, but MGM refused to loan her out. Eventually, singer Doris Day was cast in the part. Romance on the High Seas was Day’s first film. At a private Hollywood party where she was singing, lyrics writer Sammy Cahn told Day that he thought she would be a good match for his upcoming musical film and had her sing the song “Embrace You.” Curtiz, who was at the party, was impressed by Day so he had her audition for Romance on the High Seas. Curtiz’s requirements for the lead were that she had to be beautiful, be able to sing, and have the right “sparkle.” Curtiz realized that Day was perfect, so he signed a contract with her and cast her in the lead role.
Romance on the High Seas was shot from June to August of 1947. The film was primarily shot at Warner Bros studios in Burbank, California, however it did feature some on location shooting as well. Additional filming took place in Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, Brazil as well as Cartagena, Columbia. As this was her first film role, Doris Day was very naïve about how movies were filmed. She knew that the first scene she was going to shoot took place on a cruise ship, so when she got to the set she asked when the cast and crew would be leaving for the boat! This got a chuckle out of listening crew members. Day got along well with her costar Jack Carson, and they dated for a short time.
Fun Facts and Trivia: Although Elvira is stated to be a bad singer in the film, her actress Janis Page could sing well and had starred in several musicals. Page played the lead role of Babe Williams in the 1954 Broadway musical The Pajama Game, and Doris Day played the role in the 1957 film adaptation of the play. Page and Day later appeared together in Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960). Jack Carson and Doris Day appeared in two more films together: It’s a Great Feeling (1949) and My Dream is Yours (1949). Although it was written for Romance on the High Seas, Day’s song “It’s Magic” was released as a single in 1947. The song was very popular and in September of 1948 it peaked at number two on Billboard magazine’s Retail Record Sales chart. The song was also successful in the United Kingdom, the song became so popular that Romance on the High Seas was retitled It’s Magic in the UK after the song.
Reception: Romance on the High Seas was released on July 3, 1948. The film was popular with audiences and was successful at the box office. Due to the positive reaction that audiences had to Doris Day, Warner Bros signed a seven year contract with her.
Romance on the High Seas received mixed reviews at the time of its original release. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave the film a negative review. He was strongly critical of Day’s performance and he thought that the film itself was mediocre. However, Steve Perkins of the Austin American-Statesman gave the film a positive review and he liked Doris Day’s performance. The Kaufman Herald, a small-town Texas newspaper, also gave the film a positive review and complimented Day.
Although it is largely forgotten today, Romance on the High Seas has received generally positive reviews in retrospect. Diana Saenger of Classic Movie Guide gave the film a positive review and complimented Day’s songs in the film. Nell Minow of Movie Mom also gave the film a positive review. In 2002, Romance on the High Seas was one of 400 films nominated for the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 most romantic American films. AFI also nominated the film for its list of the top 25 American musical films, and the song “It’s Magic” for its list of the top 100 best movie songs.
Oscars: Romance on the High Seas was nominated for two Oscars at the 21st Academy Awards ceremony: Best Score (Ray Heindorf) and Best Song for “It’s Magic” (music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Sammy Cahn). The film didn’t win either of the awards.
Why You Should See It: Romance on the High Seas is a cute and funny romantic comedy. Doris Day is good as Georgia Garrett in the film. Even though Romance on the High Seas was her first film, Day gives a natural performance and she is quite likeable in the role. Day does a great job with her songs and the other cast members are pretty good as well. The film also has plenty of funny situations and witty dialogue.