Watch The Pajama Game For Free

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Pajama factory workers debate striking for a wage increase while the head of their grievance committee romances the new superintendent in this bright and colourful musical starring Doris Day. The imaginative dance sequences are choreographed by Bob Fosse and with memorable tunes throughout (there is a song number at least once every five minutes), there is hardly a boring moment to be had. The plot, however, leaves more than a little to be desired. Some have described the movie as musical version of 'Norma Rae' - a description that is pretty much on the mark - however, the need for the workers to strike here never seems anywhere near as strong. Their working conditions are actually very decent, their desired wage increase is quite minimal, and the frequency of bright song/dance numbers detracts from any sense of urgency in terms of their demands being met. Appealing a couple as Day and lead actor John Raitt are, the two of them also fall in love far too quickly for credibility with barely a mention of the unethical nature of their relationship. There is, however, a lot to like in the way the tension at work conflicts with their romance, culminating in Raitt having to make a very hard quick decision at one point. Raitt is also surprisingly decent for a first time lead actor, though the film's best moments go to trained dancer Carol Haney in (apparently) the only talking role of her movie career. Her creatively choreographed "Steamed Heat" number is a particular highlight, though "Hernando's Hideaway" deserves top marks for her best song.

Most of the film-goers of the early 21st century don't realize probably the biggest film and music star of the 1950's was Doris Day. Doris Day's music albums sold more copies than any other artist's music during the period (even Elvis Presley), and her films were some of the most popular, beating out Marilyn Monroe by leaps and bounds. (It wasn't until after her death that Monroe became the most iconic female movie star of the era, overshadowing Day.) Doris Day was the perpetual Hollywood virgin, the direct antithesis of Marilyn Monroe.The Pajama Game is typical Doris Day musical fair, a film version of the Broadway hit musical. Workers at a clothing factory which produce, you guessed it, sleepwear, are tired of the bad working conditions and low pay. Katherine "Babe" Williams (Doris Day) is one of the factory workers but she's also involved with the union leadership which threatens to strike if working conditions aren't improved and they don't receive a raise to bring them in line with industry standards. Enter Sid Sorokin (John Raitt), the new floor manager. Day and Raitt begin to fall in love (no surprise there), but they're on opposite sides of the dispute: Day on the worker's side and Raitt on the management side.The typical Hollywood "W", a shape representing the up's and down's of a story, forms how the storyline progresses. At first things begin to get better for everyone involved with the arrival of Raitt as a good floor manager. However, when their requests are still not met, Day and her fellow workers begin to pull stunts of sorts to compel the management to agree to their demands. However, Raitt asserts his authority on the worker's floor and Day is forced to take the other side. All the while, the head honcho of the factory, Myron Hasler, has no intention of bending to the will of the factory workers in stereotypical fashion.Overall, the Pajama Game is really designed for the hardcore and fiercely loyal Doris Day fan. The music is a bit corny and the dance sequences go on way too long. Sure, there's nothing offensive about the Pajama Game, as the point it makes about workers and management is not terribly deep. The ending is as you would expect it, although there's a kind of fashion show at the end which is certainly cute. Even by Doris Day standards, this isn't one of her better offerings.

John Raitt's really bland acting is the only drawback to a film that was just a pleasure to watch after an emotional roller-coaster of a week. The fashions and hair are very 50s but are beautiful-looking and the settings colourful and showing signs of life. The photography and editing shows signs of creativity(Racing Around the Clock was true to this), as does the energetic and quite unique choreography from Bob Fosse. You have to love its robustness and wit in Once a Year Day, but the gem is the classic and very catchy Steam Heat. The songs are similarly terrific, especially those two(Steam Heat being the highlight of the film) and There Was Once a Man. The dialogue is warm-hearted and sharp-witted, and while the story is unlikely it has a lot of charm and energy which wins you over at least. The Pajama Game is one of musical comedies that benefits from being a fine example of something being faithful to its original source done well-after seeing those being too faithful and lacking energy as a result, the remake of Bye Bye Birdie being a prime example. Faithfulness has never been essential with me, though the spirit of the original source makes do, anything deserves to stand on its own merits. Doris Day sings beautifully as always and has a winning and charming charisma about her, one of her better performances from a personal perspective. Carol Haney almost steals the show from under her, what great comic timing- so funny without trying too hard- and equally great dancing. In conclusion, a Doris Day treasure and any fans should have no problem enjoying it and how infectious in spirit it is. 9/10 Bethany Cox

With practically the entire original Broadway cast present, this movie version of the smash hit 1954 Broadway musical is a fun-filled, dance heavy extravaganza that goes to the heart of America and covers topics still dealt with today. Factory workers are demanding a 7 and half cent hour raise and union representatives fight management in order to get it. They are lead by the tough Babe (Doris Day, taking over the role created by her former/future co-star Janis Paige) who falls head over heels for the handsome Sid (John Raitt) who is the new superintendent and doesn't want to waste time on "Small Talk". Jealous floor manager Hinsey (Eddie Foy Jr.) fights his urge to distrust his lady love (Carol Haney), but like all other musical comedy's, love conquers all and issues are wrapped up in a neat manner.From the moment Day cracks, "Love, are you nuts?", you know she's hooked on the masculine Raitt who finally gets to repeat a stage role after being overlooked for "Carousel". More plucky than normal, Day was the obvious choice for "star name" for the female lead, but don't feel sorry for the talented Ms. Paige; The very same year, she got to sing and dance with Fred Astaire in "Silk Stockings", praising the benefits of glorious Technicolor, breathtaking Cinemascope, and stereophonic sound. To show there were no hurt feelings, Paige (who had earlier worked with Day in "Romance on the High Seas") took on a major part a few years later as the flirtatious Broadway star who comes between Day and husband David Niven in "Please Don't Eat the Daisies".This is a fantastic score by Adler and Ross ("Damn Yankees"), and a glorious slew of production numbers will thrill you, from the company picnic ("Once a Year Day") to the very Fosse-esque "Hernando's Hideaway" ("Hey Buddy, this ain't Poopsie!") and finally "Steam Heat" where elements of Fosse's later hit "Chicago" are seen with the dance involving Fosse's trademark hat. A glorious supporting cast shines, particularly Foy and the lovable Reta Shaw in a soft-shoe duet, "I'll Never Be Jealous Again". The wonderful Barbara Nichols also appears to good advantage, as does the portly Thelma Pelish. Haney, in her only major movie role, steals every scene she's in.Most musicals transfer to the screen with the best elements taken out, but with most of the original creative team involved (including legendary Broadway director George Abbott), a love letter to what makes Broadway great was written for audiences to enjoy. While some of the elements are definitely more suited for the 1950's, this is the perfect time capsule piece to show what American culture was best at portraying, and the combination of toughness and innocence in every aspect makes this an absolute pleasure.