Kiss and Make-Up (1934)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Harlan Thompson

Writers:

István Békeffy (story)
Harlan Thompson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 July 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

...a racy romance of a famous beauty doctor (original ad)

Plot:

Dr. Maurice Lamar is a noted plastic-surgeon who makes his rich clients beautiful, and also makes them...

Plot Keywords:

Mediterranean | Secretary | Honeymoon | Paris | Pun In Title

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Dr. Maurice Lamar
Helen Mack	...	Anne
Genevieve Tobin	...	Eve Caron
Edward Everett Horton	...	Marcel Caron
Lucien Littlefield	...	Max Pascal
Mona Maris	...	Countess Rita
Katherine Williams	...	Vilma
Lucille Lund	...	Magda
Rafael Storm	...	Rolando
Doris Lloyd	...	Mme. Durand
Sam Ash	...	Plumber
Helena Phillips Evans	...	Landlady (as Helena Phillips)
Toby Wing	...	Consuelo of Claghorne
Henry Armetta	...	Banquet Chairman
George Beranger	...	Valet

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Helen Mack replaced Carole Lombard, who refused to do the role.

Soundtrack:

The Mirror Song

Love Divided By Two

KISS AND MAKE-UP (Paramount, 1934), directed by Harlan Thompson, gives promise as being some sort of domestic comedy about troubled marriage, but in fact is a very silly, virtually plot less comedy dealing about cosmetics. Starring Cary Grant, the story is set in Paris, France, where he plays Maurice LaMarr, a doctor in charge of a modernistic beauty salon in which women come to be made beautiful and glamorous. He is loved by Annie Hensen (Helen Mack), his loyal secretary, however, after encountering Eve (Genevieve Tobin), the wife of Marcel Caron (Edward Everett Horton), whom he has made more beautiful than the rest, he falls madly in love with her. After Marcel divorces his Eve, it leaves her free to marry Maurice, who soon realizes his mistake after he finds that she isn't really beautiful after all. During their honeymoon after Maurice sings a song looking towards the waves at the beach, Eve approaches him in saying, "Kiss me." Getting a full view of a face full of cosmetics, he replies in a frightful way, "No, NO!" As for Annie, who feels she has lost the man she loves, decides to run off and marry Marcel.

With Grant heading the cast, which would be the main purpose in watching this today, if it should ever resurface again after nearly two decades out of the television markets, the film's introductory opening goes at great lengths in not only showcasing the facial clips of the major lead actors and their character roles, but a list of young starlets billed as "The Wampas Baby Stars of 1934" including some now obscure names as Lucille Lund, Jacqueline Wells (both of Universal's "The Black Cat" fame); Jean Gale, Hazel Hayes, Gigi Parrish, and much more. Look fast for future film star Ann Sheridan as one of the models who asks, "Doctor, what is that terrible noise?" in regards to some hammering. The supporting actors who partake in the story are Mona Maris as Countess Rita; Lucien Littlefield as Max Pascal; Toby Wing as Consuelo Claghorne; and Rafael Storm as Rolando.

A Paramount gag comedy that makes little sense, and getting plenty of laughs, includes several key scenes such as where a woman customer comes to the shop to be made beautiful, and the final result coming out completely bald, along with another segment where Grant, under either and appearing very confused and dizzy, driving his automobile as he chases after a taxi that has Annie and Marcel riding down a crowded street. Aside from comedy, for which this movie definitely is, it features two songs, the campy "Cornbeaf and Cabbage - I Love You" (sung by Helen Mack and Edward Everett Horton) and "Love Divided By Two" (sung twice by Cary Grant), by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin, the latter used as the underscore during the opening credits. In spite of Grant's reputation as a debonair leading man of screwball comedies, and a fine actor when it comes to heavy dramatics, he presents himself a fine singer, offering viewers a rare opportunity in hearing Grant vocalizing. Genevieve Tobin, on loan from Warner Brothers, is showcased in the usual manner as a free spirited woman who is far from being loyal to the men who love her; Edward Everett Horton, a very busy character actor this time sporting curly hair, as the jealous ex-husband; and Helen Mack (best known for her performance in RKO's THE SON OF KONG, 1933) satisfactory as the good sensible girl. Grant and Mack would share another movie, the better known comedy of HIS GIRL Friday (Columbia, 1940), with Grant and Rosalind Russell as the leads, and Miss Mack assuming a smaller but notable performance.

KISS AND MAKE UP is harmless fun, enjoyable by those who appreciate this sort of Depression era type of flimsy comedies that throw in anything in order to stretch out the story into a feature length movie of 70 minutes with studio production heads keeping its contract actors such as Grant busy enough to get plenty of exposure. This may not be top-of-the-line Cary Grant material, but no disaster by any means either. It's the sort of offbeat comedy Grant might have thought back regarding his long but successful career in such classics as PENNY SERENADE (1941) and NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) only to ask himself, "Gee, was I really in KISS AND MAKE UP?" He certainly was. Distributed to DVD in 2006, double featured with another Grant comedy, THIRTY DAY PRINCESS (1934). (***)