{"id":50211,"date":"2020-08-14T15:53:18","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T22:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=50211"},"modified":"2021-12-23T15:25:18","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T22:25:18","slug":"kiss-me-kate-1953","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=50211","title":{"rendered":"Kiss Me Kate (1953)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You&#8217;d make a perfect shrew!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Poster-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-50213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Poster-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Poster-177x270.jpg 177w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Poster.jpg 657w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA divorced actor (Howard Keel) tries to convince his ex-wife (Kathryn Grayson), who is about to marry a cattle baron (Willard Parker), that she should co-star with him and his girlfriend (Ann Miller) in an upcoming musical production of <em>Taming of the Shrew<\/em>, with songs by Cole Porter (Ron Randell). Meanwhile, Miller&#8217;s lover (Tommy Rall) signs Keel&#8217;s name on an IOU to a mobster, leading two thugs (James Whitmore and Keenan Wynn) to come after Keel.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Actors and Actresses<\/li>\n<li>Ann Miller Films<\/li>\n<li>Battle-of-the-Sexes<\/li>\n<li>George Sidney Films<\/li>\n<li>Hostages<\/li>\n<li>Howard Keel Films<\/li>\n<li>James Whitmore Films<\/li>\n<li>Kathryn Grayson Films<\/li>\n<li>Keenan Wynn<\/li>\n<li>Let&#8217;s Put On a Show!<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Shakespeare<\/li>\n<li>Strong Females<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nGeorge Sidney&#8217;s vibrant adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kiss_Me,_Kate\">Cole Porter&#8217;s 1948 Broadway musical<\/a> remains a delightfully zingy back-stage drama, filled with colorful characters, stunning choreography by Hermes Pan (as well as a song by and with Bob Fosse), fun tunes, and a remarkable ability to make us forget the misogynistic valences of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Taming_of_the_Shrew\">its source material<\/a>. Most noteworthy of all is Ann Miller, whose dance numbers are uniformly dazzling &#8212; starting with &#8220;Too Darn Hot&#8221; and continuing through &#8220;Why Can&#8217;t You Behave?&#8221; with Rall (if not the keenest of actors, he&#8217;s a highly effective dance partner), &#8220;Tom, Dick or Harry&#8221;, &#8220;Always True to You In My Fashion&#8221;, and &#8220;From This Moment On&#8221;. Keel has great fun playing both Fred and &#8216;Petruchio&#8217;, while Grayson is appropriately fiery &#8212; though, to her credit, not unlikable &#8212; as Lilli and &#8216;Kate&#8217;, and Wynn and Whitmore balance a fine line between brutish and comedic. Meanwhile, the vibrant Technicolor cinematography, sets, and costumes nicely bring both the primary storyline and the &#8220;play within a movie&#8221; to life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Howard Keel as Fred\/Petruchio<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Keel.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Keel.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Keel.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Keel-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Keel-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Keel-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Kathryn Grayson as Lilli\/Kate<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Grayson.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Grayson.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Grayson.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Grayson-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Grayson-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Grayson-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ann Miller&#8217;s marvelous dancing<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Too-Darn-Hot.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Too-Darn-Hot.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Too-Darn-Hot.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Too-Darn-Hot-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Too-Darn-Hot-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Too-Darn-Hot-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/MIller-Why-Cant-You-Behave.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/MIller-Why-Cant-You-Behave.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/MIller-Why-Cant-You-Behave.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/MIller-Why-Cant-You-Behave-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/MIller-Why-Cant-You-Behave-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/MIller-Why-Cant-You-Behave-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Miller.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Miller.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Miller.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Miller-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Miller-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Miller-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Vibrant cinematography, sets, and costumes<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Cinematography.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Cinematography-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Cinematography-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Cinematography-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Sets.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Sets.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Sets-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Sets-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Sets-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine choreography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Dancing.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Dancing.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Dancing.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Dancing-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Dancing-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kiss-Me-Kate-Dancing-372x270.png 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cole Porter&#8217;s score<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a most enjoyable musical. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0045963\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/1246\/kiss-me-kate#articles-reviews?articleId=25428\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1953\/11\/06\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-kiss-me-kate-an-inviting-film-adaptation-of.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=4687&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4745kate.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You&#8217;d make a perfect shrew!&#8221; Synopsis: A divorced actor (Howard Keel) tries to convince his ex-wife (Kathryn Grayson), who is about to marry a cattle baron (Willard Parker), that she should co-star with him and his girlfriend (Ann Miller) in an upcoming musical production of Taming of the Shrew, with songs by Cole Porter (Ron Randell). Meanwhile, Miller&#8217;s lover (Tommy Rall) signs Keel&#8217;s name on an IOU to a mobster, leading two thugs (James Whitmore and Keenan Wynn) to come&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=50211\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50211"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79059,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50211\/revisions\/79059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}