Wonderland Burlesque's Let's All Go To The Movies: It's In His Kiss - Part II

Wonderland Burlesque's 

Let's All Go To The Movies: 

It's In His Kiss

Part I

It's in his kiss.

Isn't that where it all begins?

A caress of the lips. A deep longing. Sharing a single breath?

On the silver screen such a kiss can be captured forever, frozen in time.

Or so these films would have us believe.

So, let's kiss and tell and spill the beans on these everlasting smacks, smooches, and snogs.

Yes, things can get pretty heated.

Chapstick exists for a reason, you know!

Grab a seat on the aisle.

Popcorn at the ready.

Pucker up and roll film!

- uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

--- ---

Kiss Papa

(1926)

Lige and Estelle have been married three years and the novelty is wearing off. They are about to separate when Lige gets a telegram from the attorneys of his late uncle, saying that a representative is on the way, and if he finds Lige and Estelle happily married, Lige will inherit a huge fortune. Lige can't find Estelle and he gets Nita, the neighbor's wife, to be his temporary wife, and a midget from the circus to be their baby. Estelle has also gotten the telegram, so she gets neighbor Clem for her husband and, also, another circus midget as the baby. The attorney arrives and all concerned are together in the same room. Confusion ensues.

This American two-reel comedy was written and directed by Stephen Roberts and stars Lige Conley, Estelle Bradley, Clem Beauchamp, and Anita Garvin.

Lige Conley

Lige Conley appeared in 140 films between 1915 and 1938. He began his career as part of Mack Sennett's troupe before moving to Roach Studios, where he was frequently overshadowed by Harold Lloyd, Bebe Daniels and Snub Pollard. Moving to Universal did little to change this. It wasn't until he joined Educational Films in 1921 that he became a star, frequently compared to Charlie Chaplin. This was the final in a long line of shorts Conley appeared in for Educational Films. He made the transition into talkies, but only in small roles. In 1938, after completing a small role in Fred Allen's Sally, Irene and Mary, he was hit by a car and died.

--- ---

Kiss the Boys Goodbye

(1941)

Broadway director Lloyd Lloyd and composer Dick Rayburn search for talent down South and discover singer Cindy Lou Bethany who surprises them with her voice and striptease.

Based on a play by Clare Boothe Luce which was inspired by the search for an actress to play Scarlett O'Hara, this American musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and stars Mary Martin, Don Ameche and Oscar Levant.

Originally planned as a vehicle for Jean Arthur, who had to drop out after being tied up at RKO with The Devil and Miss Jones (1941). Mary Martin was cast in her stead.

Ray Milland had been up for the male lead, but Don Ameche was cast instead.

Mary Martin

--- ---

  

Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die

(1966)

AKA: If All The Women In The World, Operation Paradise

Financed by Red China, a Brazilian industrialist plans to sterilize the United States through massive doses of radiation courtesy of his satellite. He double crosses the Chinese by scheming to sterilize the entire Earth, then personally repopulate the planet with beautiful women he has kidnapped and is holding in suspended animation. A down-to-earth CIA agent, an aristocratic female MI-6 agent , and her chauffeur, driving a Rolls-Royce car filled with spy gadgets, team up to stop the madman.

This Italian-American James Bond spoof was directed by Henry Levin and Dino Maiuri, with stars Mike Connors, Dorothy Provine, Terry-Thomas, Margaret Lee, and Raf Vallone.

Columbia Pictures cast Mike Connors in the lead role after an impressive audition for the Matt Helm role in The Silencers (1966) that had gone to Dean Martin.

Mike Connors said that he performed the stunt where he hangs from a rope attached to a helicopter flying around the Christ the Redeemer Statue because a local Brazilian stuntman refused to do it.

Dorothy Provine modeled her characterization on Lady Penelope from the Thunderbirds (1965) TV series. Provine was whisked away to Rome for a week, returning with a glamorous makeover.

Mike Connors and Dorothy Provine had previously worked together in the 1964 comedy, Good Neighbor Sam starring Jack Lemmon. Terry-Thomas and Dorothy Provine had previously worked together in the 1963 epic slapstick comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). Raf Vallone and Mike Connors both previously appeared in the Hollywood biopic Harlow (1965).

The movie was filmed on location in Rio de Janeiro and Rome with Dino De Laurentiis spending a lot of money on production.

This film was rushed into release in the USA in January 1967 so as to beat the much bigger studio James Bond parody Casino Royale (1967) which was launched in April of that same year.

The plot of Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die is similar to the James Bond film Moonraker, which was released 13 years later.

Variety was critical of the film stating that "Dino De Laurentiis has made a limp, banal spy spoof, inept in all departments. Pace is plodding, dialog pallid, direction pedestrian, acting an embarrassment, and technical composition awkward." and that it was an "Unsatisfactory spy spoof for dual bills".

You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube.

--- ---

Kiss Daddy Goodbye

(1981)

A father is killed by a biker gang who are trespassing on his property. What the gang fails to realize is that his two kids have psychic and telekinetic powers with which they bring Pops back to life to enact his revenge!

This American horror film was directed by Patrick Regan and stars Fabian, Marilyn Burns, Jon Cedar, and Marvin Miller.

 

This film was supposed to released by Film Ventures International under the title Caution: Children At Play many years earlier, but the president of the company disappeared after a lawsuit leaving this film in limbo and now in the public domain.

Marilyn Burns starred in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and became the first Scream Queen and the prototype for the 'final girl' trope.

Marvin Miller is best known as the voice for Robbie the Robot on the television series Lost In Space (1965).

You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube.

--- ---

 

Kiss Daddy Goodnight

(1987)

At night, baby-face Laura dresses up as a vamp and lets random guys at bars pick her up, just so she can drug and rob them later. But then someone starts stalking her, and a person close to her is killed.

American neo-noir psychological thriller was directed by Peter Ily Huemer and stars Uma Thurman, Paul Dillon, Paul Richards, Steve Buscemi, and Annabelle Gurwitch.

This marked Uma Thurman's on-screen film debut.

Annabelle Gurwitch is best known as the host of Dinner and A Movie.

You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube. 

--- ---

And that's all for now, folks!

Tune in next time...

Same place, same channel.

Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die - Movie Trailer

(1966)

--- ---