Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)

Jealous piano teacher Orville Spooner sends his beautiful wife, Zelda, away for the night while he tries to sell a song to famous nightclub singer Dino, who is stranded in town.

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Billy Wilder (screenplay), I.A.L. Diamond (screenplay)

Stars:

Dean Martin, Kim Novak, Ray Walston

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dean Martin	...	Dino
Kim Novak	...	Polly the Pistol
Ray Walston	...	Orville
Felicia Farr	...	Zelda
Cliff Osmond	...	Barney
Barbara Pepper	...	Big Bertha
Skip Ward	...	Milkman (as James Ward)
Doro Merande	...	Mrs. Pettibone
Bobo Lewis	...	Waitress
Tom Nolan	...	Johnnie Mulligan (as Tommy Nolan)
Alice Pearce	...	Mrs. Mulligan
John Fiedler	...	Rev. Carruthers
Arlen Stuart	...	Rosalie Schultz
Howard McNear	...	Mr. Pettibone
Cliff Norton	...	Mack Gray

Storyline

Dino, the charming and lecherous Las Vegas singer, stops for gas on his way to Hollywood in Climax, Nevada. The oily gas station attendant is Barney Millsap, a would-be lyricist who writes pop songs with Orville Spooner, the local piano teacher. By disabling Dino's car, Barney contrives a scheme to have Dino sing one of their songs on an upcoming TV special. To entertain Dino, Barney contacts the village tart, Polly, employing her to pretend to be Orville's wife, Zelda, for a night. She doesn't like Dino, but does love being Orville's surrogate wife. Dino goes to a bar, where he meets the real Zelda, and they spend the night together while Polly spends it with Orville.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | piano teacher | gas station attendant | nevada | foreign language adaptation | 

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Taglines:

Dino...he came to dinner...Polly the Pistol - she stayed for breakfast...Beethoven - he cooked up the whole mess...

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

During a costume fitting on St. Patrick's Day, Kim Novak made people laugh by wearing an emerald in her navel instead of a rhinestone.

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Goofs

After Orville's wife digs under his sweatshirt for a pen while Johnny is playing the piano, the sound of the piano distorts as if the sound tape slowed down for a second.

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Quotes

Zelda Spooner: ...Bobby Darin or Elvis.
Dino: Elvis who?
Zelda Spooner: I suppose you have never heard of the Beatles either.
Dino: Oh sure. And I can sing better than all three of them.
Zelda Spooner: There are four of them!
Dino: Oh, haven't you heard? One of them got his hair caught in his guitar and was electrocuted.
Zelda Spooner: You can make jokes about them but they're young and they're popular, while you...
Dino: What about me?
Zelda Spooner: Let's face it, you are over the hill.
Dino: Sure you do know how to hurt a fellow.

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Alternate Versions

The American version is 2 minutes longer than the European version, Dean Martin complains of a back injury, Zelda massages it, he falls asleep. In the European version, Zelda and Dean are kissing and it is more likely they will make love. The next scene is the same in both versions with Zelda waking up naked and Dean has left the trailer.

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Connections

References Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

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Soundtracks

'S Wonderful
(uncredited)
Music by George Gershwin
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Dean Martin
(in the opening scenes)

User Reviews

Seriously under-rated.

Some people still consider this movie a flop. Having just re-watched this movie for the first time in years, I can't see why. Perhaps Walston is a bit weak in a leading role (Sellers would have been fantastic), but the script is first rate, both funny and touching.

Dean Martin and Kim Novak are seriously under-rated actors in my opinion; here Dean sends himself up as 'Dino' and is not afraid to play himself as un-likable. Novak is, as always, wonderful. Sadly Kim never seems to get the appreciation she deserves, her performances in such movies as 'Vertigo' and 'Bell, Book & Candle' are never less than first class. While the lesser-known Felicia Farr comes across very well (she was also the wife of Wilder's frequent star, Jack Lemmon, I wonder how this film would have worked with Lemmon in the Walston role?)

This is a gem of a movie and one of Wilder's best.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kiss Me, Stupid

Filming Locations:

Aquarius Theater - 6230 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,869

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mirisch Corporation, Phalanx Productions, Claude Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1