Great funny moment in an obscure movie: Teacher's Pet,
Doris Day, Clark Gable, and that gem of a second banana who never
got the girl, Gig Young.
Gig Young plays a professor who has not only tons of
knowledge, but has been everywhere and done everything. Clark
Gable is a city editor with no booklearning and his conviction
that he's done more than everyone else is being severely shaken
by this younger, handsomer, man.
They are both out at a night club with Doris Day; Gable is
trying to make Gig Young look bad. But Gig is urbane,
unflappable, he is charming, he knows everything but is never
pushy with it. So in desperation, Gable pays the waiter to pour
Gig's drinks in triplicate. No dent in Gig's appearance or
behavior; Gable is getting thoroughly
plastered and looks it.
He finally leaves, stumbling out of the night club. Young and
Day follow, to look after him. Gable denies he's drunk, angrily
waits for a cab.
Young say, "Look. You need some air. Just take three deep
breaths and you'll feel much better." And he demonstrates,
taking a deep breath, and letting it out. Another deep breath,
and lets it out.
One more deep breath, his eyes roll up in his head, and he
slowly falls to the ground.
Day and Gable watch him drop, bend down to check on him, and
the look in Day's eyes after that is reason to remember she was
one of the more talented comediennes of the 50s.
