Doris Day and Rock Hudson surprisingly only made 3 movies together all of which saw them team up with Tony Randall. Now whilst "Pillow Talk" was genuinely very good and "Lover Come Back" although very similar to "Pillow Talk" was still entertaining their third and final movie together "Send Me No Flowers" just doesn't quite work. The good news is that Day, Hudson and Randall are all great fun to watch and the storyline is thankfully not just a rehash of what they did before, but it has a feeling more of being an idea for a sitcom than a full blown movie and struggles for being so.

Judy Kimball (Doris Day - Move Over Darling) has a happy enough life, even if her husband George (Rock Hudson - The Last Sunset) is a sleeping, talking, walking hypochondriac who at the slightest ache or pain is down the doctors. But on one of those visits George over hears his doctor on the phone receiving some bad news about a patient and mistakes that news for his own leading him to believe he has just weeks left to live. Not wanting to worry Judy he enlists the help of their neighbour and best friend Arnold (Tony Randall) to get everything on order for when the day comes and that includes finding a suitable husband for Judy to provide her companionship when he goes. But George's behaviour leads to Judy becoming suspicious and more confusion as to what going on.

The opening scenes to "Send Me No Flowers" really lays way to that whole feeling of being a sitcom episode with George and Judy your average married couple living in a lovely house etc etc. It even has the obvious throw away comedy moment with Judy accidentally locking herself outside of the house in her night gown, totally irrelevant to the story but delivers that sense of being light hearted comedy. And that feeling continues as we meet George a complete and utter hypochondriac who has a medicine cabinet to rival a chemist. Oh it's all fun stuff, but it's lightweight humour that is more at home in a 60s sitcom than a movie, and the whole domestic set up with their neighbour Arnold being a close friend just adds to that feeling.

Even when it moves to the main part of the movie with George setting about preparing for his death after a confusion in the doctors room it still carries on feeling like it's an idea for a sitcom episode and as such it struggles. It feels a little long winded, scenes are dragged out and repeated to try and fill it out and whilst watching George and Arnold trying to find a new husband for Judy are amusing they go on a little too long. It's one of those issues which always occur when writers try to turn a short comedy story more suited to 30 minutes on TV into a full length movie. It's by no means terrible, there are plenty of well choreographed scenes full of humour which have the desired effect but you get a sense of relief when it does finally end.

Of course there is a certain amount of predictability to it because you know that Judy will become suspicious over George's sudden strange behaviour and as such there will be even more confusion over things when she learns the truth. It's obvious but also pleasant and as it runs through cliche ideas heading towards the happy ever after ending and you really expect nothing else from either a rom-com or a Doris Day and Rock Hudson movie.

What makes it all work is of course Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. Day puts in stellar work giving us those over the top facial expressions as the exasperated wife and Rock Hudson is amusing as a hypochondriac especially when he thinks he is dieing. Plus Tony Randall yet again playing the best friend delivers comedy over the top ness when he tries to help George put his affairs in order. The trio work so well together that it all feels very comfortable and natural and although they are playing distinctly different characters to what we've seen before in their other movies together it still works.

Aside from the well oiled trio of Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall "Send Me No Flowers" also boasts some entertaining performances from the likes of Hal March, Edward Andrews, Clint Walker and the hilarious Paul Lynde as Mr. Akins the enthusiastic manager of the local cemetery.

What this all boils down to is that "Send Me No Flowers" is as you would expect a fun movie which thanks to Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall has enough moments and scenes which will amuse. But it has a feeling of a 60s sitcom and not just in looks, the whole storyline feels likes it's more suited to a 30 minute TV show than a full on movie.