Kiss and Make-Up
Kiss and Make-Up is a 1934 romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant as a doctor who specializes in making women beautiful. Helen Mack and Genevieve Tobin play his romantic entanglements. The film was based on the play Kozmetika by István Békeffy. All of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1934 were cast in roles in the film.[1]
| Kiss and Make-Up | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card | |
| Directed by | Harlan Thompson |
| Produced by | B. P. Schulberg |
| Written by | István Békeffy (play) Harlan Thompson |
| Starring | Cary Grant Helen Mack Genevieve Tobin |
| Music by | Ralph Rainger John Leipold Tom Satterfield |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Cast
- Cary Grant as Dr. Maurice Lamar
- Helen Mack as Anne
- Genevieve Tobin as Eve Caron
- Edward Everett Horton as Marcel Caron
- Lucien Littlefield as Max Pascal
- Mona Maris as Countess Rita
- Katherine Williams as Vilma
- Lucille Lund as Magda
- Rafael Storm as Rolando
- Doris Lloyd as Mme. Durand
Production credits
- Harlan Thompson - director, screenplay
- Jean Negulesco - associate director
- B. P. Schulberg - producer
- George Marion Jr. - screenplay
- Jane Hinton - adaptation
- Stephen Bekeffi - writer of the play on which the film was based
- Ralph Rainger - music
- Leo Robin - lyrics
- Leon Shamroy - photography
- Ernst Fegté - art director[2]
Reception
Andre Sennwald of The New York Times labelled the film a "first-class lingerie bazaar and a third-class entertainment,[3] though he thought that Grant had brought much liveliness to the part. Winthrop Sargent of Variety thought that Grant performed well as the doctor, but was of the opinion that he and Horton overplayed their parts "too strongly for laughs".[4] Pauline Kael later praised Grant's performance and thought that he had used his skills developed in vaudeville to good use in the film, displaying a "sense of fun" with "confident, full-hearted exhibitionism".[5]
References
- Back caption, 1 May 1934 Paramount Productions, Inc., publicity photo for this film. Photo shows the director, leading lady, and the thirteen WAMPAS baby stars and identifies them as such and lists them by name and place in a caption on the rear of the photo.
- Michael L. Stephens (1998). Art Directors in Cinema: A Worldwide Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. pp. 101–103.
- Wansell 2013, p. 36.
- Deschner 1973, pp. 74-5.
- Kael 1994, p. 642.
Sources
- Deschner, Donald (1973). The Complete Films of Cary Grant. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0376-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Kael, Pauline (1994). For Keeps. Dutton.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Wansell, Geoffrey (December 13, 2013) [1996]. Cary Grant, Dark Angel. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62872-336-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)