“The Pajama Game” launched a couple of hit songs I know you’ll recognize. “Hernando’s Hideaway,” the classic tango song, came from this movie, as well as the song that goes, “Hey there, you with the stars in your eyes.” The latter was performed by the velvet-voiced Doris Day, who stars as Babe Williams, employee of the Sleeptite Pajama Factory.
She’s lobbying to get all the employees a seven and a half cent raise per hour. They’ve made her their leader and she’s taken the reins fearlessly, willing to face down management to get what she wants. Seven and a half cents isn’t a whole lot all by itself, but as another song in the movie points out, “Give it to me every hour, forty hours every week, that’s enough to be living like a king!”
Sid Sorokin (John Raitt) is hired to be the new factory superintendent. He lands right in the middle of the debate, poor guy. When Babe goes in to see him and state her demands, he can’t help but be attracted to her, but they’re clearly on opposite sides and shouldn’t get involved with each other. Later, when Babe stages a slowdown, Sid has a hard time forgiving her. He threatens to hire anyone who doesn’t get to work, calling them all slackers. Babe, in turn, breaks one of the machines. It looks like our couple is doomed, chemistry notwithstanding, but who says two people on opposite sides can’t find middle ground?
After schmoozing the boss’s secretary at the exclusive club “Hernando’s Hideaway,” Sid manages to get his hands on the owner’s books and discovers that the workers have already been given the raise, but the owner is pocketing it. Together, Sid and Babe bring the whole thing to the front and are finally able to pursue their relationship.
This movie is full of quirky lines and great characters. You’ll enjoy this unrated film.
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