Wonderland Burlesque

Thursday, July 23, 2026

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

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's All Go To The Movies:

It's In His Kiss

Part VIII

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

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Too Many Kisses

(1925)

Richard Gaylord, Jr. is a modern Lothario who has so many sweethearts that his father does not know what to do with him. Tired of paying to get his son out of one romantic entanglement after another, the elder Gaylord sends his son to the Basque region of France, believing that the women there will accept attentions only from their own people. Almost immediately, a local girl, Yvonne Hurja becomes infatuated with Richard, whom she sees as being able to help her break free from the unwanted attention of local guardsman Julio. A rivalry grows between Richard and Julio and the battle for Yvonne's heart begins!

Based on the John Monk Saunders story A Maker of Gestures, this American silent comedy was directed by Paul Sloane and stars Richard Dix, Frances Howard, William Powell, and features Harpo Marx of The Marx Brothers.

A review in Billboard stated "This is an excellent selection for any exhibitor. Dix, as Richard Gaylord, is dashing and pleasing in every scene. His admirers especially will derive gratification from his work". While Variety noted: "Incidentally 'Harpo' Marx, of musical comedy fame (Marx Brothers), does a half-wit that makes him a screen possibility for comedies who will bear watching".

For many years, Too Many Kisses had been considered a lost film until a print was discovered in a private collection in the early 1970s. It has since been restored by the Film Preservation Society.

Richard Dix was an American motion picture actor who achieved popularity in both silent and sound film. His standard on-screen image was that of the rugged and stalwart hero. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his lead role in the Best Picture-winning epic Cimarron (1931). Dix appeared in 101 film roles. Plagued by alcoholism, he died in 1949 at the age of 56, a mere two years after he retired from film.

Frances Howard Goldwyn was an American actress. She was the second wife of producer Samuel Goldwyn. She was under contract when Samuel Goldwyn, two decades her senior, proposed marriage. Accepting the offer, she promptly cancelled her contract and retired from film. They had one son. Throughout their marriage - which would last until Samuel Goldwyn's death in 1974 - Frances Howard Goldwyn would turn a blind eye when it came to her husbands wandering eye. Samuel Goldwyn was a notorious womanizer, but a great provider.

Richard Dix

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Hold That Kiss

(1938)

June Evans, clothing model, and Tommy Bradford, travel agent, both dream of being rich. When they meet at millionaire, J. Westley Piermont's daughter's wedding, they both assume each other is wealthy. Each being there to do errands. Piermont having a very poor memory unknowingly helps June and Tommy confirm their lies. The two begin to date, resulting in each other trying to outdo the other. But both have no money.

Fay Holden, who plays Mickey Rooney's mother in this film, played Mrs. Hardy, the mother of Andy (Micky Rooney) in 15 of the 16 Andy Hardy movies.

This American romantic comedy was directed by Edwin L. Marin and stars Maureen O'Sullivan and Dennis O'Keefe, with Mickey Rooney, Fay Holden, and Ruth Hussey.

An MGM B movie, this was O'Keefe's first lead role and the last film in which Mickey Rooney did not receive star billing.

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Too Young to Kiss

(1951)

Eric Wainwright, a busy impresario, is besieged by hordes of wannabe concert stars, eager for their big break. One of them is Cynthia Potter, a talented pianist... but she can't get in to see him. When she learns that Wainwright is auditioning young musicians for a children's concert tour, Cynthia dons braces and bobby sox and passes herself off as a child prodigy.

This American comedy was directed by Robert Z. Leonard and stars Van Johnson and June Allyson.

The fifth of six movies that June Allyson and Van Johnson appeared in together.

The film would have us believe that 33-year-old Allyson successfully masquerades as a 14-year-old child prodigy.

Too Young to Kiss earned 164% of its budget (earning $2.3 million domestically with a budget of $1.4M), and received mixed critical reviews.

The Spartanburg Herald-Journal reported that Too Young to Kiss was critically acclaimed. Hal Erickson described the film as "fluff", and noted that despite retreading 1942's The Major and the Minor, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's scriptwriting kept the material "fresh and funny throughout" However, The New York Times' Bosley Crowther was unimpressed with Allyson and Johnson's adolescent antics and the excessive suspension of disbelief required.

June Allyson won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical. It was also nominated for an Oscar for best black and white art direction.

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

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It Started With a Kiss

(1959)

Air Force Sgt. Joe Fitzpatrick meets and marries a beautiful model, Maggie Putnam, on the eve of being shipped off to Spain. When the new Mrs. Fitzpatrick waits to join her husband, she promises him in a letter "the most wonderful surprise that could happen to two people." Joe naturally assumes that she's pregnant, but the surprise turns out to be a fabulous new car that he won in a raffle. His new bride and car win him the scorn and jealousy of Spain's most famous torero, not to mention the suspicions of his commanding officer.

This American romantic comedy was directed by George Marshall and stars Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds, Gustavo Rojo, Eva Gabor, and Fred Clark.

The supporting cast features a number of future television stars: Francis Bavier (The Andy Griffith Show), Henry 'Harry' Morgan (M*A*S*H), Edgar Buchanan (Petticoat Junction), and Richard Deacon (The Dick Van Dyke Show).

The car that Glenn Ford wins is a 1955 Lincoln Futura, the one-off concept car that ultimately became the Batmobile on Batman (1966). The car cost Ford $250,000 ($2.4M in 2022), and unlike most concept cars at the time was completely drivable. It was originally pearlescent white, but that color did not photograph well, so it was painted red for this film. The car, as the original "Batmobile", was sold at auction for $4.62M in 2013 (equivalent to about $5.63M in 2022).

This is one of two films released in 1959 starring Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds. The other was The Gazebo.

This film was a success at the box office. According to MGM records the film earned $2,750,000 in the US and Canada and $1.9 million elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $582,000.

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

Debby Reynolds

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I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses

(1978)

AKA: Drop Dead, Dearest, Left for Dead

A woman is murdered and her millionaire husband is accused. But is he guilty?

Based on the infamous Peter Demeter murder case, this Canadian mystery drama was directed by Murray Markowitz and stars Elke Somers and Donald Pilon.

On 18 July 1973, the 33-year-old Christine Demeter was found murdered, bludgeoned to death in the garage of their family home in Mississauga, Ontario. Her husband, Peter, a former real estate developer, was convicted in 1974 of arranging the murder of his wife. It was the longest trial in Canadian history to that date, and revealed that both husband and wife may have been plotting to murder each other to collect a million dollar insurance policy. The suspected contract killer Demeter hired was identified but never found.

This film is one of the infamous 'Video Nasties', a colloquial term popularized by the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association (NVALA) in the UK to refer to low-budget horror or exploitation films, distributed on video cassette in the early 1980s that were criticized by the press, social commentators, and various religious organizations for their violent content. These video releases were not brought before the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) due to a loophole in film classification laws that allowed videos to bypass the review process. The resulting uncensored video releases led to public debate concerning the availability of these films to children due to the unregulated nature of the market.