For all of her acclaim as an actress, Doris Day said her days as a big band singer were "the happiest times in my life". Born Mary Ann Von Kapplehoff in Cincinnati, her stage name was even derived ...

"She wasn't trying to act. It was just who Doris Day was, I think, a great energy and exhilaration, and she seemed to love life, at least that's the impression you got," he told BBC Radio 4's PM ...