The author of Day at a Time: An Indiana Girl’s Sentimental Journey to Doris Day’s Hollywood and Beyond recounts a holiday time with the star
Remember the saying QUE SERA, SERA from Doris Day’s 1956 hit record? That song reminds me of New Year’s Eve in 1972, when I was living with Doris in her Beverly Hills home. Her Mother, Alma, was in Houston, TX, spending Christmas and New Years with relatives and the new housekeeper had an emergency. I stepped up and offered to stay with Doris until someone returned home after Christmas. And what followed was clearly “What will be, will be!”
Doris was not big on celebrating holidays, so we were pretty much low key through the two-week celebrating time. On Christmas day we did go to a nice luncheon in the home of her metaphysical guru, Carmen Sawtelle. Mid- week Doris had some minor surgery and wasn’t thinking about celebrating New Year’s Eve at all. She was resting in bed. A mutual bachelor friend of ours, David Knox, who had been a long time fan of Doris’s since the 40s, asked me out for New Year’s Eve. At first I was reluctant to go as I didn’t want to leave Doris alone. However, she encouraged me to enjoy a nice dinner and evening with David. He came to her home to pick me up at 7pm. I was ready and told Doris I wouldn’t be late and would call her while I was out to see if she needed anything. Sure wish we had cell phones back in the day.
David and I had a lovely dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel and enjoyed the holiday atmosphere at the hotel with all its beautiful decorations. Around 9 p.m. I called Doris to see how she was. She sounded a little anxious, but graciously encouraged me to have a good time. I felt a little guilty leaving her at home alone on New Year’s Eve, especially since that minor surgery seemed to have made her apprehensive. After speaking with Doris I told David I thought we had better go back to Doris’s home and celebrate there… he agreed. I called Doris back and told her we would come home – she sounded relieved.
We drove down the street to Doris’s home and I invited David in to celebrate the evening. My four dogs (Rudy, Schatzie, Bobo and Charlie) were in the living room area and Doris had her seven in her bedroom. Mine were nestled on various sofa pillows and very relaxed. They greeted me and David when we returned, and promptly resumed their doggie resting. While David sat at the bar in her living room, I went in to check on Doris in her bedroom. She seemed glad that I had chosen to come home. She said she was fine and for me to “just enjoy your visit with David.” I told her if she needed anything, to just buzz me on the phone. She had a nice phone system in her home where you could dial a room with a phone…pretty advanced for the early 70s.
I rejoined David in the living room – we had a cocktail and I put on some nice nostalgic music. Within a few minutes Doris was buzzing me—again. I excused myself and headed back to her bedroom. Doris wanted to know about the my four dogs, but then told me to “go back to be with David and to enjoy the evening.”
I returned to the living room and David and I resumed our conversation…within a half hour the phone lit up and it was Doris. I raced back to her bedroom to check on her. It was nothing serious, but I began to think my New Year’s Eve celebration was over with David.
I knew David was not a late-nighter, so I went back to the living room where he was waiting for me to return. I guess I gave the impression that this was not exactly a relaxing evening for us with my getting buzzed every half hour or so from an anxious Doris. David was very understanding and could see I was feeling stressed. He stood up and said “Let’s call it a night. Happy New Year,” At this point I was relieved. I didn’t want Doris to feel neglected, but still, she had continually told me to enjoy my time with David.
I said good-bye to David, who had been so patient with me all night. It was about 11:30 pm when he departed. I let my four dogs out on the kitchen side and when they cam back in, headed back to my bedroom with my four canine companions. Doris could hear us walking back to my room and then buzzed me at midnight to wish me a very HAPPY NEW YEAR as 1972 turned to 1973.
And I say that to all the Doris fans and everyone else— Happy New Year to all!
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