April 3rd always had a special meaning for me ever since I was 9 years old. Why? because April 3rd was Doris Day’s birthday. I became a big fan of hers at age 9, after seeing Doris in her 1953 hit movie Calamity Jane. Her character in the movie captured my attention because I could somewhat identify with her persona in the movie: feisty and ready for action. After seeing that movie, I wanted to know all about Doris Day!
My enthusiasm for Doris grew, and I wanted to celebrate her birthdays. Each year I would send her a gift—a little dog statue, a box of cookies, something I could get a few pennies together to buy. It was part of being a forever fan! Given my determination over the years, not only did I drive my parents crazy at times, but also my teachers. I loved Doris Day!
Yes, I followed my dream and it led me to Hollywood. After meeting Doris in 1967 at Bailey’s Bakery, I knew California was calling my name. I moved to Los Angeles in 1968. Through a series of events and accidents, a group of us met Doris Day.
As time went on, and so did our almost weekly meetups at Bailey’s or Nate N Al’s Deli, (In those days stars moved about town freely) we got to know Doris and she got to know us…something I never would have dreamed possible. After I recovered from a horrific car accident, when she kindly visited me, Doris invited me to be her private secretary. Talk about a dream come true!
Birthdays were special occasions for me there when I was with Doris. One of my special memories of a birthday party we had for our friend was at a little restaurant in Beverly Hills. My friend Mary and I, along with Linda Cowan (daughter of Warren Cowan of Rogers & Cowan) invited Doris and her dear Mom, Alma, to join us to celebrate Doris’s birthday. We ordered a special cake made for her. Given her love of dogs and daisies, we ordered a cake with yellow frosting decorated with a big daisy in the middle and daisies all around the cake. On each of the daisy petals were the names of her eleven doggies. Doris loved it!
To this day, even though Doris is no longer with us on earth, she is still with us in our hearts, April 3rd is a special day for me and for the millions of DD fans around the world. To celebrate her birthday this year on April 3rd, I am hosting a one-hour Doris Day Birthday Special on http://www.myBNR.com heard worldwide.
I interviewed two special guests – Phyllis Hellman who was secretary to Doris and her husband, Marty Melcher, in the 1960s, and Cindy Nevin who is the administrator for the Doris Day Fan Club on Facebook with nearly 24,000 members worldwide. Thanks to Phyllis, I got to meet Doris in 1967 at Bailey’s Bakery.
Our DORIS DAY Birthday Special will air on Doris Day’s birthday, Sunday, April 3rd at 2 pm EST, and be repeated on Tuesday, April 5th @ 2 pm EST and 8 pm EST.
You may order Day at a Time, Mary Anne’s book by clicking back to the website.