The doctor walked back into the room with a gloomy face and sat down next to his patient, a teenage girl whose dream was to be a dancer. A young girl who’s every waking moment was thoughts of appearing on the professional stage.
Several weeks earlier, Doris Mary Ann Kappelhof of Cincinnati Ohio was a passenger in a serious car accident, which resulted in an injury to her leg.
So after many weeks of rest and x-rays, the doctor, who did not have pleasant news to report and was not looking forward to facing the shining smiling face that always greeted him, gave his final diagnosis.
Bottom line, Miss Kappelhof would not be a dancer. The injuries were permanent.
At that regretful moment, a different fate was caste for this young girl that would change her life and her future completely.
So after weeks of soul searching, a young Doris changed her dream and began taking singing lessons. Her tutor, so impressed with her progress, managed to get her some airtime on a local station. From this, a regional favorite, bandleader Barney Rapp, signed her up to perform with his band. He was so taken by her personality; he made the suggestion that she change her name to something bright and easy to remember. After some thought, Miss Kappelhof remembered a favorite tune of hers simply entitled
“Day After Day” and decided that “Day” felt good and sounded right to her. So at the next performance, Leader Rapp introduced his wonderful singer by her new name, the name that all generations have come to know and love, Doris Day!
Almost like a fairy tale, Miss Day’s professional career skyrocketed. From Barney Rapp, she moved to the Bob Crosby Band (Bing’s brother). And then on to Les Brown and his Band of Renown were she recorded her first worldwide hit, “Sentimental Journey”. At that time, she also appeared with Frank Sinatra on the Saturday Night Hit Parade as well as made her first very successful movie debut as an actress and vocalist in “Romance On The High Sea”. The Oscar nominated song from the film “It’s Magic”, was her first solo hit, which set the way for screen stardom.
The 1950’s and 60’s brought a plethora of hit songs including “Que Sera Sera” and “Secret Love” as well as numerous well loved film comedies, musicals and serious dramas. She played opposite such leading men as James Cagney, Rock Hudson, Jimmy Steward and Rex Harrison.
From 1968 to 1973, television brought Doris into our homes each week via the very successful “Doris Day Show” on CBS.
We sometimes say that fate is pre-determined. We often admire how spirit and will can move mountains no matter how high or how wide. But it is glorious when a person sees a door close before them and simply turns to another, opens it and walks through.
Doris Day, never the dancer, but forever the star.