The Pajama Game (film)

Plot

Sid (John Raitt) has just been hired as superintendent of the Sleeptite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He soon falls for Babe (Doris Day), a worker in the factory and member of the employee union's leadership. At the company picnic they become a couple, but Babe worries that their roles in management and labor will drive them apart. She is correct. The union is pushing for a raise of seven-and-one-half cents per hour to bring them in line with the industry standard, but the factory's manager is giving them a runaround. In retaliation, the workers pull a slow-down and deliberately foul up the pajamas, but when Babe actually sabotages some machinery, Sid fires her.

Meanwhile, Sid has been wondering what secrets the manager is hiding in his locked account book. To that end, he takes Gladys (Carol Haney), the boss' assistant, on a date to the local hot spot, "Hernando's Hideaway", despite her insanely jealous boyfriend "Hine-sie" (Eddie Foy, Jr.). He gets Gladys drunk, and in this state, she lends him the key to the locked book. Returning to the factory, Sid discovers that the manager reported the raise as having been instituted months ago. He has been pocketing the difference himself. Sid threatens to send the book to the board of directors if the raise is not paid immediately.

At the union meeting that evening, the manager agrees to the raise. When Babe realizes that it was Sid who engineered the raise and that he has only been attempting to avoid labor strife, she returns to him.

Production

As recounted in 2016 by Janis Paige, the studio desired to use as many members of the Broadway cast as possible. But one of the leads had to be a movie star. She said that the male lead, played by Raitt, was originally offered to Frank Sinatra. Had he accepted the role, Paige said, she would have played the part that was given to Doris Day.

Songs

1. "The Pajama Game" – Ensemble
2. "Racing With the Clock" – Ensemble
3. "I'm Not At All In Love" – Babe and Ensemble
4. "I'll Never Be Jealous Again" – Hines and Mabel
5. "Hey There" – Sid
6. "Once-A-Year-Day" – Babe, Sid, and Ensemble
7. "Small Talk" – Babe and Sid
8. "There Once Was a Man" – Babe and Sid
9. "Racing With the Clock" (reprise) – Ensemble
10. "Steam Heat" – Gladys
11. "Hey There" (reprise) – Babe
12. "Hernando's Hideaway" – Gladys and Ensemble
13. "7½ Cents" – Babe, Prez, and Ensemble

Reception

The film has a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

At the time of its release, it received a favorable review by Bosley Crowther of The New York Times. He compared the film favorably to the Broadway stage version, and said the film is "as good as it was on the stage, which was quite good enough for many thousand happy customers over a period of a couple of years. It is fresh, funny, lively and tuneful. Indeed, in certain respects—such as when they all go on the factory picnic—it is even more lively than it was on the stage."

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: