The Glass Bottom Boat is about everything that life was about in the 60’s. The Cold War was in full swing, James Bond had become a household name and Doris Day was still the top box office actress. With all of this, how could the film go wrong- what could they lose? Doris Day and Rod Taylor had already lost alot in their previous film Do Not Disturb which many have never even heard of unless you are an avid Doris Day fan. All believed including the man responsible for many Jerry Lewis movies, Frank Tashlin that this would be a success. With Tashlin’s talent for spoofing the times the world was in, Glass Bottom Boat was just what the doctor ordered.
The film begins by introducing the widowed Jennifer Nelson, played by Doris Day. She works at NASA with a part-time job as a mermaid for her father’s Glass Bottom Boat service. When Jennifer gets caught up, literally, she meets Bruce Templeton, played by Rod Taylor. She is not immediately impressed, and thankful that they will never see each other again, or so she thinks.