The third of Doris Day's and Rock Hudson's romantic comedies together, Send Me No Flowers is often forgotten about, given the enormously successful Pillow Talk and the extremely similar follow-up Lover Come Back. However, the plot of Send Me No Flowers is by far the most creative and entertaining of the three.Rather than a mistaken identity and a devious plot to rid Miss Day of her virtue, Doris and Rock start this movie already married. They have a lovely marriage, with the exception of his slightly annoying hypochondria. However, when Rock overhears his doctor, Edward Andrews, discussing what he thinks is his medical case, he mistakenly believes he's not long for this world. Hoping to ease his wife's potential suffering, he tries to find her a new husband! It's a delightful, sweet, interesting romantic comedy with a new take on the genre. Instead of a will-she-won't-she dilemma with sexual tension, it manages to inject tension into a happy marriage, an attempt that would normally be boring to audiences. Rock and Doris have their usual darling chemistry together, and once again they're joined by their faithful, funny pal Tony Randall. Rock is particularly sweet in this movie, not only because he takes a break from his usual charming roles, but because he's constantly thinking of his wife's happiness at the expense of his own. There's no best order to watch the Doris and Rock movies, but definitely rent this one when you're in the mood for something cute.

Three stars out of ten.There's some funny material here, but some actions are just plain arbitrary. Towards the climax, Doris Day is leaving Rock Hudson and goes to the train station, but changes her mind and decides not to buy a ticket. After arguing with her husband, she gets upset and goes home to pack! Huh? Why wouldn't she have brought her luggage with her when she was getting ready to leave??I really think the earlier scripts written by Stanley Shapiro were better stories.The opening scenes of advertisements for remedies playing while Rock Hudson turned in his sleep was funny enough.Every time Doris Day looks in the medicine cabinet or otherwise deals with his pills, there's a little sound effect that plays. I found it rather distracting, like something from an annoying children's movie.Tony Randall has the best jokes, especially while he's working on the eulogy.

The successful teaming of Day and Hudson (along with perennial third point of the triad Randall) in "Pillow Talk" and "Lover Come Back" led to this third and final film together. Based on a Broadway comedy, Hudson plays a hypochondriac, obsessed with pills and healthy food, who mistakenly comes to believe that he is dying. His perky wife Day seems unable to fend for herself and so he sets out to locate the right man to take his place after he's gone. She misinterprets his sudden change in demeanor as infidelity, leading to numerous complications. The expected arguments and slapstick humor boil along until the predictable finale. By now Day and Hudson have established a palpable chemistry with one another and, following two films as chaste, squabbling date-mates, they make the logical progression to portraying a married couple. Day's affection for Hudson is apparent and she's less uptight here than in previous outings. This couple clearly has had a fulfilling sex life! She kicks off the film with a hilarious bit of slapstick involving getting locked out of the house in her nightgown, proving that physical comedy was another one of her many talents. Despite playing a suburban housewife, she is permitted (by Jean Louis) to look terrific during most of the film. She also sings the bouncy (if rather tinnily-recorded) title song. Hudson, looking very fit and handsome (which makes his hypochondria all the more preposterous), is equally at ease and has fun with his vulnerable character, a departure from the far more studly and secure men he played in the first two pairings with Day. These changes in the format seem to disgruntle some viewers, but to others it's a neat change of pace and a break from the same old type of plot line. Randall enjoys a top supporting role as Hudson's neighbor and friend, who takes Hudson's "fatal" illness worse than anyone and immediately starts drinking. Tipsy for most of the rest of the film, this revelation of terminal illness seems to have brought out a not-so-subtle bout of homo-erotica in him. He can't seem to get through any scene without pawing on Hudson and shares a bed with him at one point. One of his lines is even, "Do me?" as he holds out a cummerbund to Hudson. The clear wink-wink, nudge-nudge way in which the two men handle these moments make the film interesting to those who now know of Hudson's private life. Lynde appears briefly, but amusingly, as a gregarious cemetery plot salesman who is thrilled to get a new customer, but disappointed that Hudson's family isn't a little bigger. Walker, one of the few men who could dwarf Hudson, has a fairly thankless role as an old beau of Day's who appears suddenly to complicate things. One of his scenes is filmed almost entirely with the back of his head to the camera and he doesn't get even one close-up! He does, however, get one nice sight gag of him exiting a teensy sports car, which is only a little bit bigger than he is. Andrews plays Hudson's exasperated doctor as only he can, bemoaning the fact that he didn't become a specialist and make more money. Other roles include March as a predatory bachelor and Barry as a new divorcée who falls for March's game. It's a pretty, light, sometimes hysterical film that has a few dry spots (including the protracted ending) and some tacky rear-projection. It's also ahead of its time, featuring Hudson's love affair with medicine as today's TV airwaves are cluttered with endless ads for prescription drugs, encouraging people to find an illness to fit them, no matter the side effects. Though it is distinctly different from the previous pairings, it is nonetheless charming and funny and, in some ways, is superior to them.

After PILLOW TALK and LOVER COME BACK, I was expecting so much more than this film! The plot seems like a recycled TV sitcom episode and is overplayed throughout. The freshness of Rock Hudson and Doris Day together is pretty much gone as the plot just seems forced. About the only real positive is Tony Randall's cute performance.Rock is a hypochondriac who mistakenly thinks he's dying--he overhears the WRONG test results (just like Ralph Kramden, Fred Flintstone and many others). For a while he mopes around and overacts terribly, but finally decides he wants to find a new husband for his wife before he expires. That, a few cute moments and a big fight between DAY and HUDSON is about all you get in this film. Too bad.