The Kissing Bandit (film)

The Kissing Bandit is a 1948 film directed by László Benedek. It stars Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson, with Ricardo Montalbán, Ann Miller, and Cyd Charisse in supporting roles.

The Kissing Bandit
Directed byLászló Benedek
Produced byJoe Pasternak
Written byIsobel Lennart
Starring
Music byGeorge Stoll
CinematographyRobert Surtees
Edited byAdrienne Fazan
Production
company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • November 18, 1948 (1948-11-18)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3,291,000[1][2]
Box office$1,381,000[1]

Plot

The film is set in the early nineteenth century. Ricardo (Frank Sinatra) is the son of a robber known as the Kissing Bandit. He however is a shy, Boston-bred young man who does not know how to sit on a horse. He falls for the daughter of the Spanish Governor of California.

Cast

Songs

Music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Earl Brent and Edward Heyman.

  • "Love is Where You Find It"
  • "Tomorrow Means Romance"
  • "What's Wrong With Me?"
  • "If I Steal a Kiss"
  • "I Like You"
  • "Siesta"
  • "Senorita"

Reception

The film was a financial disaster, earning $969,000 in the US and Canada and $412,000 overseas, resulting in a loss to MGM of $2,643,000. This made it one of the least successful musicals in MGM history.[1][3][4]

It was reviewed - unfavourably - in Picturegoer : "the progress of [the] romance is uninspired and very dull. The one worthwhile performance comes from J. Carrol Naish as The Kissing Bandit's henchman."[5]

References
  1. Glancy, H. Mark (1992). "MGM film grosses, 1924–1948: The Eddie Mannix Ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. Los Angeles. 12 (2): 127–144. doi:10.1080/01439689200260081.
  2. Another source puts the cost at $2.5 million Variety February 1948
  3. Variety says it earned $1.8 million see "Top Grossers of 1948", Variety 5 January 1949 p 46
  4. "Top Grossers of 1949". Variety. January 4, 1950. p. 59.
  5. Picturegoer, 4 June 1949, p. 16
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.