Doris Day

 Doris Day had a fear of flying that stemmed from tours with Bob Hope in the 1940s that resulted in some close calls in impenetrable winter weather. She almost turned down her role in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956) because it was to be filmed in London and Marrakesh. Her husband and manager, Martin Melcher, talked her into accepting it.

Throughout the filming, Day became increasingly concerned that Hitchcock paid more attention to camera set-ups, lighting, and technical matters than he did to her performance. Convinced that he was displeased with her work, she finally confronted him. His reply was, "My dear Miss Day, if you weren't giving me what I wanted, then I would have to direct you!"

At first, Day refused to record "Que Sera, Sera" as a popular song release, dismissing it as "a forgettable children's song." It not only went on to win an Academy Award, but also became the biggest hit of her recording career and her signature song. She sang the same song in two more movies, "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" (1960) and "The Glass Bottom Boat" (1966), and it was used as the theme song for all one hundred twenty-four episodes of her television series, "The Doris Day Show."

It was during the making of this movie, when she saw how camels, goats and other "animal extras" in a marketplace scene were being treated, that Day began her lifelong commitment to preventing animal abuse. She was so appalled at the conditions the animals were in, that she refused to work unless they were properly fed and cared for. The production company actually had to set up "feeding stations" for the various goats, sheep, camels, etc,, and feed them every day before Day would agree to go back to work.

"Oh, well, I didn't want to act like a big shot; it wasn't like that. But I did go to Mr. Hitchcock, whom I loved dearly, and we had a long talk about it. I said, 'Hitch, I can't bear it, I can't bear to see what goes on here with animals.' The horses were so thin, the donkeys were overburdened, and I was just horrified at the dogs running loose and starving. I told him I really couldn't work unless we fed these animals. And he said, 'We're going to do that, I want you to just relax and know that they will be taken care of.' But then I thought, once we leave, it will go right back to the way it was.