Former secretary’s memoir is a loving tribute to Doris Day

Christ the King parishioner Mary Anne Barothy of Indianapolis, right, poses with actress Doris Day in this file photo from the late 1960s. Day founded a national animal rescue organization and stays busy with animal rights advocacy. (Photo courtesy Hawthorne Publishing)

By Mary Ann Wyand

Two dreams have come true for Christ the King parishioner Mary Anne Barothy of Indianapolis.

She got to meet and then work as a personal secretary for actress Doris Day, and recently published a book about her friendship and experiences with the popular movie, television and recording star in Hollywood during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Barothy wrote Day at a Time: An Indiana Girl’s Sentimental Journey to Doris Day’s Hollywood and Beyond as “a loving tribute to thank Doris for inviting me into her world.”

Her fun-to-read memoir also includes stories about meeting singer Elvis Presley, comedienne Carol Burnett, singers Sonny and Cher Bono, country singer Glen Campbell, actor Durward Kirby, actress Patricia Neill, actor James Cagney, actress June Allyson, actor Warren Beatty and other Hollywood stars.

“Doris is one of the kindest people and a wonderful friend,” Barothy said. “She’s a joy to know. She epitomizes the joy of life. She is that way in person. It was not an act. She was always bouncy and very positive even though she had a lot of ups and downs personally.”

Day completed 39 movies in 20 years while recording albums then working in television. She is 83.

“She’s an American icon not only for her films, but also for her television show and records,” Barothy said. “She’s done it all. … She’s an historical person, and my memories are history.”

Barothy will sign copies of her book for the public during the “official opening” from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Oct. 26 a

the St. Augustine Home for the Aged, 2345 W. 86th St., in Indianapolis.

She has worked as a development assistant for the Little Sisters of the Poor since 1999.

Book sales at the St. Augustine Home this Friday and in coming weeks will benefit the Little Sisters’ ministry to the elderly poor.

“Art and Nancy Baxter at Hawthorne Publishing and I wanted to do something for the Little Sisters,” Barothy said. “We decided to donate a portion of the sale of each book sold there to the sisters.”

The Baxters are promoting Barothy’s book as “stories never told and personal photos of Doris never seen anywhere, [which] bring a Hollywood world now vanished to life.”

Day was “at an apex moment in her career and personal life in the years 1969 to 1974,” Barothy said, when she worked for her.

The actress had just begun work on “The Doris Day Show,” a popular TV comedy, following the death of Marty Melcher, her third husband and agent, and she needed a secretary.

Barothy, who was a devoted fan since her grade school years, was in the right place at the right time. She was thrilled to work for Day for four years and live at her home for two years. She returned to Indianapolis when her mother developed health problems in 1977.

While attending Christ the King School, the former St. Agnes Academy and Marian College in Indianapolis, Barothy was a loyal member of the Doris Day Fan Club and never gave up on her

dream to move to southern California and hopefully work for her favorite actress.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, she worked as a reporter for The Indianapolis News and saved money so she could move to the West Coast in 1968.

It was “the golden age of movies and television,” Barothy recalled, and she wanted to be a part of that exciting life. Palm trees and beaches along the Pacific Ocean also captivated her imagination.

“People have asked me how I could remember it all,” Barothy said. “… I kept a journal and wrote a manuscript 32 years ago. If I had to try and recreate it now, I couldn’t be as exact as I was back then.”

St. Augustine resident Don Dewar has lived at the Little Sisters’ home for about 10 years, and keeps busy with social and volunteer service activities there.

Dewar, a World War II veteran, bought one of the first copies of Barothy’s book.

“I think this book is super,” he said. “It’s very good. She did a real good job. The photography was excellent.”

He admits to being a big fan of the popular movie, TV and recording star.

“I remember Doris from her movies and TV show,” Dewar said. “I’m crazy about Doris.”

(Mary Anne Barothy has scheduled book signings in central Indiana and Cincinnati in November and December. For more information about her book, log on to www.dayatatimesentimentaljourney.com.) †