Doris Day & James Garner Inside Their SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP

IF THINGS HAD BEEN DIFFERENT, THESE TWO-TIME CO-STARS MIGHT HAVE FOUND HAPPINESS TOGETHER  

- LOUISE A. BARILE, Amanda Champagne

The last time Doris Day and James Garner spoke, his daughter Gigi initiated the call. “I handed the phone to my dad and they had a really lovely conversation,” she tells Closer. “I was glad that they had a chance to hear each other’s voices. They were such old friends.”

In 1963, Doris and Jim starred in two hit romantic comedies together, The Thrill of It All and Move Over, Darling. From those experiences sprang a warm, affectionate friendship that would last for five decades. “Doris was everyone’s darling. And I wish I could have done 50 more pictures with her,” gushed Jim. The feeling was mutual. “He’s so funny and so nice, I just love him,” Doris said.

Pairing these Hollywood heavyweights on screen — they played a married couple in both films — seemed natural. Jim, hot off his hit series Maverick, proved adept at comedy as well as drama. Doris, meanwhile, was the period’s queen of the box office, starring in many beloved films. They clicked immediately. “On set, they understood each other’s rhythms so well,” notes Tom Santopietro, author of the biography Considering Doris Day, who adds that their compatibility as actors helped forge their off-camera friendship. They soon realized they had a lot in common.

“They were both very down-to-earth people, no airs and pretenses,” says Santopietro. “They were both Midwesterners — Doris from Cincinnati, and Jim from Oklahoma. I think that informed their practical outlook.”