Tomorrow, April 3, 2022, marks the 100th anniversary of Doris Day's birth.  Yesterday, Real Gone Music kicked off the festivities with two releases celebrating the singer-actress-activist's extraordinary musical legacy.  Early Day: Rare Songs from the Radio 1939-1950 features two dozen rarities from the dawn of Day's career (as well as a booklet with period photographs and a new essay by TSD's Joe Marchese) on one CD, while Day's final album, 2011's My Heart, premieres on vinyl.  (Read more about both titles here!) The release of those titles inaugurates the Doris Day Centennial which will encompass numerous projects and special events.

The fun continues this weekend on Turner Classic Movies. The network will be showing a quartet of her most popular films - including On Moonlight Bay, Calamity Jane, Love Me or Leave Me, and Lover Come Back - beginning at 12 noon Eastern Time on Sunday, April 3. Then at 8pm, TCM will screen four hours of Doris' television performances, beginning with her 1970s CBS specials Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff and Doris Day Today followed by new High-Definition masters of four episodes of The Doris Day Show with guest stars Tony Bennett and Henry Fonda, among others.

In addition to TCM's birthday marathon telecast, Doris will also be honored at their annual classic film festival taking place at the Chinese Theatre and Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on April 21-22 with screenings of a new 4K restoration of the musical The Pajama Game (1957) and the Rock Hudson co-starring comedy Lover Come Back (1961). A special Club TCM event, hosted by film noir expert and author Eddie Muller, will offer insights from Day's personal friends and dozens of never-before-seen images from her private archive. For more information, go to: filmfestival.tcm.com.

Another 100th birthday treat comes from Hermes Press, who is publishing DORIS DAY -- IMAGES OF A HOLLYWOOD ICON, featuring rare and previously unpublished photographs from the late star's personal collection. Starting with the 1948 Technicolor musical Romance on the High Seas, where she introduced the Oscar-nominated hit song "It's Magic," Day quickly ascended to the top of the most popular stars in Hollywood. While continuing her recording career, she moved effortlessly between song-filled, nostalgic features such as Calamity Jane -- introducing the Oscar-winning hit "Secret Love"; gripping film noir (Storm Warning); musical biography (Love Me or Leave Me); a Hitchcock thriller (The Man Who Knew Too Much) and modern romantic comedies with Rock Hudson (Pillow Talk), Clark Gable (Teacher's Pet), Cary Grant (That Touch of Mink), and James Garner (The Thrill of It All). Day still holds the record as the number one female box-office performer.

DORIS DAY -- IMAGES OF A HOLLYWOOD ICON, published in association with the star's estate, offers hundreds of photos, including glamorous publicity portraits, behind-the-scenes images with famous friends and colleagues, and glimpses into her personal life. Longtime fan Paul McCartney has composed a Foreword. TCM host Eddie Muller and singer-historian Michael Feinstein have contributed appreciations of Day's motion picture and recording careers, respectively. A filmography and discography are also included. This coffee table/art book will be published in June but limited advance copies may be purchased via the Hermes Press website at www.hermespress.com.

Other Doris Day projects are in the works, too, including a Warner Bros. limited series starring Kaley Cuoco based on Day's biography and a second auction of her personal items following the hugely successful one held in 2020 which raised nearly $3,000,000.00 to benefit The Doris Day Animal Foundation. More details on that very important aspect of her legacy can be found at ddaf.org.

Watch this space for more information on the Doris Day Centennial!