It Started with a Kiss (film)

Last updated

It Started with a Kiss
Itstartedwithakissmp.jpg
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by George Marshall
Written by Valentine Davies (story)
Charles Lederer
Produced by Aaron Rosenberg
Starring Glenn Ford
Debbie Reynolds
Eva Gabor
Edgar Buchanan
Harry Morgan
Cinematography Robert J. Bronner
Edited by John McSweeney Jr.
Music by Jeff Alexander
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • August 19, 1959 (1959-08-19)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language English
Budget$1,789,000 [1]
Box office$4,650,000 [1] [2]

It Started with a Kiss is a 1959 American romantic comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds and Eva Gabor. It was shot in Metrocolor and CinemaScope.

Contents

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. [1]

Plot

Joe Fitzpatrick, a sergeant in the Air Force marries a feisty nightclub showgirl named Maggie on a whim. The day after their marriage Joe is sent to a base in Spain. Later that day Maggie is surprised to find that a unique custom car was delivered to her (a shiny red 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept automobile with bucket seats and a clear bubble top); he won it in a raffle. After this she sends him a letter saying that she has a wonderful surprise that she is bringing to him. He ponders what that means, and suspects that she means that she is pregnant. When she arrives in Spain, there is a party where this is sprung on her, and she denies pregnancy, but doesn't explain the surprise.

When the car does arrive Joe is surprised but pleased. However, when Joe first arrived in Spain there was a stiff lecture about not appearing ostentatious to the locals. As they travel around Spain they are met with both envy and disdain from Spanish officials and locals, and the car does indeed stand out. When the top brass see the vehicle, they ask that he send it home at their expense, however, he is afraid that this will upset his newlywed wife, as they are already on shaky ground since she resents the Air Force interfering in their lives.

One of the big car fans is a famous Spanish bullfighter. After the IRS demands that they pay $17,000 in taxes for the vehicle, which they cannot pay, they decide to sell the vehicle to the bullfighter. However, the Air Force learns of this transaction, and it violates one of their regulations about selling personal property to locals. So, he is arrested and confined to quarters.

He and his wife have separated at this point, but at a big party (held in a mansion he is living in temporarily) she learns that he is living with a glamorous countess who is a friend of the bullfighter. She, however, is jealous, and manages to get the bullfighter to propose to her in order to make her husband jealous. However, she really doesn't want the bullfighter so she sneaks into the room she thinks her husband is sleeping in, however she ends up surprising the general in his bed. They make enough noise to attract a crowd who burst in, and in the process she ends up hiding in the bed while her husband is in the room. Of course she is discovered, and in the ensuing confusion of mixed understandings they reconcile and a solution to the car problem is revealed. In the end, they happily retire to their bedroom to enjoy togetherness.

Cast

Production

A scene in the movie recreated a well-known sequence from the 1938 film Bringing Up Baby , when Joe must walk in step behind Maggie to hide her torn dress.

The car, Lincoln Futura, used in the film – of which there was only one – was later customized by George Barris and served as the Batmobile for the 1960s TV series Batman . [3]

Reception

The film was a box office success grossing $4,650,000. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zsa Zsa Gabor</span> Hungarian-American socialite and actress (1917–2016)

Zsa Zsa Gabor was a Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Futura</span> Motor vehicle

The Lincoln Futura is a concept car promoted by Ford's Lincoln brand, designed by Ford's lead stylists Bill Schmidt and John Najjar, and hand-built by Ghia in Turin, Italy — at a cost of $250,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Sugden</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Andy Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, played by Kelvin Fletcher. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 July 1996. Andy is the son of Billy Hopwood and Trisha Hopwood and the adoptive son of Jack Sugden and Sarah Sugden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasmine Thomas</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Jasmine Thomas is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman. She made her first screen appearance in the episode broadcast on 30 June 2005 and her last appearance on 26 March 2009.

<i>Forces of Nature</i> (1999 film) 1999 film directed by Bronwen Hughes

Forces of Nature is a 1999 American romantic comedy film directed by Bronwen Hughes, and starring Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Alessi</span> Soap opera character

Rick Alessi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Dan Falzon. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 8 June 1992. Rick and his family were introduced to the show following several cast departures. The character remained on-screen until 9 March 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Dingle</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Eli Dingle is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Joe Gilgun. He first appeared on screen in the episode which aired on 13 July 2006 and made his last appearance on 30 April 2010. He is the younger brother of Marlon Dingle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Smart</span> Soap opera character

Lance Smart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Peter Vroom. Vroom appeared from the pilot episode as one of the serial's original characters. Lance is characterised a "slow witted" larrikin and those around him see him as a "joke". Lance forms an on-screen partnership with Martin Dibble and their characters were subsequently used as the serial's comedy characters. Both Vroom and Thomson said that their characters did not provide a realistic representation of young people as the production team often censored their dialogue. Lance also has an over-protective mother Colleen Smart with whom he had to contend with. His main romantic relationship is with Marilyn Chambers and the pair became engaged. Their romance was short-lived as Lance decided against marrying her. Lance and Martin were named as the "thickest characters ever to grace soapland" in the Daily Record.

<i>The Story of Three Loves</i> 1953 film

The Story of Three Loves is a 1953 American Technicolor romantic anthology film made by MGM. It consists of three stories, "The Jealous Lover", "Mademoiselle", and "Equilibrium". The film was produced by Sidney Franklin. "Mademoiselle" was directed by Vincente Minnelli, while Gottfried Reinhardt directed the other two segments. The screenplays were written by John Collier, Jan Lustig, and George Froeschel.

<i>Sappy Bull Fighters</i> 1959 American short film by Jules White

Sappy Bull Fighters is a 1959 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 190th and final entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Brothers</i> (2009 film) 2009 American film

Brothers is a 2009 American psychological drama war film directed by Jim Sheridan and written by David Benioff. A remake of the 2004 Danish film, it follows Captain Sam Cahill, a presumed-dead prisoner of the War in Afghanistan who deals with extreme PTSD while reintegrating into society following his release from captivity. The film also stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Cahill's brother and Natalie Portman as his wife. Both films take inspiration from Homer's epic poem the Odyssey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gennie Walker</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Genesis "Gennie" Walker is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Sian Reese-Williams. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 1 April 2008. Reese-Williams announced her departure from the show on 12 May 2013 and she made her last appearance as Gennie on 26 July 2013.

<i>My Best Girl</i> 1927 film by Sam Taylor

My Best Girl is a 1927 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sam Taylor starring Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers that was produced by Pickford. Rogers later married Pickford. Charles Rosher received an Academy Award nomination for his cinematography of this film in 1928. The film is extant and was screened at the Eastman Museum in 2015.

<i>The Private Lives of Adam and Eve</i> 1960 film by Albert Zugsmith, Mickey Rooney

The Private Lives of Adam and Eve is a 1960 Spectacolor comedy film starring Mickey Rooney, and Mamie Van Doren. It is an American B-movie in which the plot revolves around a modern couple who dream that they are Adam and Eve. Others of their acquaintance assume the roles of various characters from the Book of Genesis during the fantasy sequences.

<i>La Parisienne</i> (film) 1957 French film

La Parisienne is a 1957 French comedy film starring Charles Boyer, Henri Vidal and Brigitte Bardot. directed by Michel Boisrond. Bardot plays the daughter of the French President who marries her father's secretary, but the couple become jealous of each other's purported sexual flings. Costumes are by Pierre Balmain. Dialogue is in French, with dubbed versions in other languages.

Camelia is a 1954 Mexican drama film directed by Roberto Gavaldón and starring María Félix. It's based on the novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study. [ ISBN missing ]
  2. US and Canada figures see "1959: Probable Domestic Take", Variety, 6 January 1960 p 34
  3. "Lincoln Futura in "It Started with a Kiss"". IMCDb.org. Retrieved November 20, 2023.