Meredith Baxter & Doris Day in Young Love (1971)

In 1971 this series pilot was incorporated into The Doris Day Show as an episode. It had been produced by Doris' production company as a stand-alone series pilot, but failed to be picked up. It tells the story of a young married couple (Baxter and Michael Burns) coping with the unexpected news of a pregnancy.

It's interesting to see Baxter so young here. This was her second screen credit. It's available on the Doris Day season 3 DVD set as the episode of the series but also in its original form as a pilot as a DVD extra. Look for Dick Van Patten as Baxter's father.

Obscurity factor: 9 (available on DVD, largely forgotten)

Doris Day in the Doris Day Show (1968)

Obscurity factor: 7

Starting in 1968, Doris Day had her own sitcom. She played Doris Martin, a widow with two boys living on a farm with her uncle Buck. The series revolved around her family and their place in the community. Little did we know when it started that this series would radically change and by the end of the fifth year she would be living in San Francisco as a single career girl with no kids. This change was brought on by the upheaval in the culture and television industry during the late sixties and early seventies.

Though the series is a bit uneven, there is lots of fun to be had in it, with great guest stars and regulars, exuberant, if sometimes silly plot lines and sensational production values - several seasons features fashion show episodes with long segments of Doris wearing great, over-the-top outfits from the era. The clip above, uploaded to YouTube by MovieJoe79 was put together by MPI Video to showcase the DVD of the second season. It features Doris and her co-worker (Rose Marie) looking for an apartment for her. They find one above a restaurant owned by Kaye Ballard and Bernie Kopell. Also appearing in the series were Maclean Stevenson, Denver Pyle, Jackie Joseph and Billy DeWolfe. This show did well, if not spectacularly in the ratings, but unlike other shows from the time, never really found a life in syndication. It remained virtually unseen after its initial run until its recent release on DVD. It's worth a look and can be rented on Netflix and bought on Amazon.

Obscurity factor: 7 (known of, but largely unseen since its first airings, on DVD now)

Doris Day & Richard Harris in Caprice 1967

Second in our lineup of cold war films is this one from 1967. It was not well received at the time, and there are problems with it - a meandering plot, unbelievable circumstances and cartoonish characterizations, but it has some things going for it as well. The story has to do with industrial espionage in the cosmetics industry with Doris playing Patricia Foster, an industrial designer caught in the act of stealing trade secrets. Partly because of her duplicity, she's hired by Edward Mulhare, the head of a rival company. Working for him is the dashing Christopher White (Harris) and the sparks fly far and wide when they meet. Of course all is not as it seems in the Femina Cosmetics company and Patricia soon finds herself in over her head in intrigue.

Though it's not a cold war film, per se, it does have many elements of the espionage thrillers of the period. There are some wonderfully zany moments in the film. Look for a delightful scene in a cafe where Patricia foils Christopher's attempt to bug their conversation.  Also remarkable is the art direction. The sets and costumes are stunning, as only Hollywood could make them and the title sequence is ultra stylish and very clever. Look for Lilia Skala and Ray Walston in small but pivotal roles.

This film was much maligned  at the time of its release and, consequently hasn't had much of a profile since. It was released on DVD in 2007 and is occasionally aired on television, though usually on off hours. The trailer was uploaded to YouTube by JetSetTelevision and can be seen above.

Obscurity factor: 4 (Available on DVD, though largely forgotten)