IT STARTED WITH A KISS [1959 / 2020] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford in a Funny, Frisky and Risqué Comedy!
No sex, please – we’re on our honeymoon! After a showgirl Maggie Putnam [Debbie Reynolds] and an Air Force Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick [Glenn Ford] head to the altar on the basis of one torrid smooch, the bride begins having second thoughts. After all, marriage can’t be based on sexual chemistry alone. So she decrees a month of connubial celibacy to test if the newlyweds are really meant for each other. Think they’ll make the whole 30 days? Funny, frisky and (just a bit) risqué, Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford aren’t the only joys in this romantic comedy set in and around a Madrid U.S. air base. Other pluses include a strong supporting cast; exotic Spanish locales; and a glamorous, plot-promoting red Lincoln Futura, which found fame a few years later as TV’s Batmobile.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominates: 1960 Laurel Awards: Nominated: Top Female Comedy Performance for Debbie Reynolds. Nominated: Top Male Comedy Performance for Glenn Ford [5th place].
FILM FACT No.2: A scene in the film ‘IT STARTED WITH A KISS’ recreated a well-known sequence from the 1938 film ‘Bringing Up Baby,’ when Sgt. Joe Fitzpatrick must walk in step behind Maggie Putnam to hide her torn dress. The car used in the film, of which there was only one was later customized by George Barris and served as the Batmobile for the 1960s TV series Batman.
Cast: Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds, Eva Gabor, Gustavo Rojo, Fred Clark, Edgar Buchanan, Harry Morgan, Robert Warwick, Frances Bavier, Netta Packer, Robert Cunningham, Alice Backes, Carmen Phillips, Don Anderson (uncredited), Jan Arvan (uncredited), Benjie Bancroft (uncredited), Gene Blakely (uncredited), Willis Bouchey (Officer at Airport voice) (uncredited), William Boyett (uncredited), Paul Bradley (uncredited), Jan Brooks (uncredited), Paul Bryar (uncredited), Steve Carruthers (uncredited), Marian Collier (uncredited), Di Ann Conn (uncredited), Rick Crewes (uncredited), Roy Damron (uncredited), Francis De Sales (uncredited), Richard Deacon (uncredited), Bess Flowers (uncredited), George Ford (uncredited), Abel Franco (uncredited), Warren Frost (uncredited), Martin Garralaga (uncredited), Kay Garrett (uncredited), Kenneth Gibson (uncredited), Charlene Glazier (uncredited), Harold Goodwin (uncredited), Herschel Graham (uncredited), Ed Haskett (uncredited), Tom Hernández (uncredited), George Hoagland (uncredited), Stuart Holmes (uncredited), Robert Hutton (uncredited), Morgan Jones (uncredited), Pat Jones (uncredited), Sid Kane (uncredited), Betty Koch (uncredited), Richard LaMarr (uncredited), Joi Lansing (uncredited), Perk Lazelle (uncredited), Edward Le Veque (uncredited), Caryl Lincoln (uncredited), Wilbur Mack (uncredited), Bert Madrid (uncredited), Maurice Marsac (uncredited), David O. McCall (uncredited), Howard McNear (uncredited), William Meader (uncredited), Harold Miller (uncredited), Forbes Murray (uncredited), George Nardelli (uncredited), Monty O'Grady (uncredited), Murray Pollack (uncredited), Jose Portugal (uncredited), Paul Power (uncredited), Isabel Randolph (uncredited), Paul Ravel (uncredited), Marion Ross (uncredited), Cosmo Sardo (uncredited), Jeffrey Sayre (uncredited), Scott Seaton (uncredited), Charles Seel (uncredited), Bernard Sell (uncredited), J. Lewis Smith (uncredited), Norman Stevans (uncredited), Ralph Taeger (uncredited), Ken Wales (uncredited), Virginia Walper (uncredited), Harlan Warde (uncredited), Sandra Warner (uncredited), Kenny Williams (uncredited) and Carleton Young (uncredited)
Director: George Marshall
Producer: Aaron Rosenberg
Screenplay: Charles Lederer (screenplay) and Valentine Davies (story)
Composer: Jeff Alexander
Gowns: Helen Rose
Color Consultant: Charles K. Hagedon
Cinematography: Robert Bronner, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (CinemaScope)
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS HD-Master Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 103 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘IT STARTED WITH A KISS’ [1959] is precisely the kind of airy, light-on-its-feet romantic comedies that they don’t make anymore. No one who worked on this film was trying to make a classic; they just wanted to make a fun comedy to make audiences laugh. In that regard, this film was a success.
‘IT STARTED WITH A KISS’ stars Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds star in this bright romantic and (just a little bit) risqué comedy. Debbie Reynolds plays Maggie Putnam, a nightclub chorus girl who volunteers at a charity ball in order to meet millionaires. Instead she meets Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick [Glenn Ford], a decidedly not-rich soldier. Despite his lack of money chemistry cannot be denied, and the next thing they know Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick and Maggie Putnam are celebrating a very short honeymoon before he ships off to Spain.
Maggie Putnam follows Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick to Spain a month later, once the military has done the necessary processing. Before leaving the U.S.A., Maggie Putnam writes Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick that she has a big surprise for him. Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick assumes Maggie Putnam must be expecting already...but it turns out Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick won the raffle for a very expensive futuristic car at the charity auction, which has already informed you that the same car would later be transformed into TV's Batmobile.
Upon her arrival in Spain, Maggie Putnam wonders if they've moved too quickly and whether they have anything in common but their combustible chemistry. Maggie Putnam proposes they live platonically for 30 days in order to make sure they'll make a go of their marriage before any children come along. Needless to say, Maggie Putnam's eager bridegroom is none too happy, but Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick goes along with it because he loves the somewhat ditzy Maggie Putnam and wants to remain married.
Things just get crazier from there, with the fancy futuristic car causing all manner of problems, including attracting the attention of a bullfighter Antonio Soriano [Gustavo Rojo] and a wealthy widow Marquesa Marion de la Rey [Eva Gabor] who would not be sorry if Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick and Maggie Putnam were to split up.
Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford have a very nice romantic and comedic chemistry; Glenn Ford makes a great straight man for Debbie Reynolds, and he has a good way with some funny lines himself. Maybe you have to see and hear it for it to be funny, but the moment Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick tells Debbie Reynolds "Don't fight the Air Force, honey. It's bigger than you are. It's got weapons" caused me to laugh out, especially stuff like that would not be said in a film today.
Fred Clark as Major General Tim O'Connell performance is a solid plus and Glenn Ford's not-unsympathetic commanding officer, who has to deal with a pair of Congressmen wondering how a sergeant can afford such an expensive car, and, as it turns out, he actually cannot, when he learns about the income tax he'll have to pay for his "free" car. Harry Morgan as Charles Meriden has a couple scenes as Glenn Ford's military pal, and there are other familiar American TV faces such as Marion Ross, Richard Deacon, Frances Bavier, and William Boyett. And what would a fancy ball be without everyone's favourite "dress extra," Bess Flowers, dancing in the background? The supporting cast also includes Robert Warwick, Edgar Buchanan and Alice Backes.
There are countless visual gags throughout the film that call to mind the great screwball comedies of the 1930s, like the torn dress ripped from ‘Bringing Up Baby’ to the kissing-in-the-shower scene on the film’s poster. Many of these jokes seem trite today, but when you have a talented star like Debbie Reynolds pulling it off, they are effortless.
IT STARTED WITH A KISS MUSIC TRACK LIST
IT STARTED WITH A KISS (Music by Rudy Render) (Lyrics by Charles Lederer) [Sung by Debbie Reynolds]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Archive Collection presents us the film ‘IT STARTED WITH A KISS’ with a very high quality Metrocolor 1080p image and enhanced with a CinemaScope 2.35:1 aspect ratio and was remastered from a 2K scan of the interpositive with additional manual clean-up, and has an extremely film-like image that has great textures and a pleasing amount of grain. The Metrocolor palette, which tends to favours earth tones, but also has, splashes of vivid hues, which is true to its Metrocolor image resolution. Black levels look fairly reasonable and are sharp and stable image. All in all, just a wonderfully pure image that plays to the film's most obvious and immediate strengths. So well done Warner Archive Collection for preserving this risqué comedy film.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection brings us the film ‘IT STARTED WITH A KISS’ with just one standard 2.0 DTS HD-Master Audio experience, which has a very clean and crisp presence. Dialogue is always understood, though the regional dialects and accents might require the help with the some optional English subtitles for Americans. The original composed music score by prolific composer Jeff Alexander sounds really nice. The title song by Rudy Render and Charles Lederer and sung by Debbie Reynolds, and employs a nice dynamic range. Overall, the film has a really fine audio mix that really suits this film, especially set in the ambience and atmosphere of sunny Spain. So once again well done Warner Archive Collection for giving us a top class audio experience.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Theatrical Trailer [1959] [1080i] [2.35:1] [2:41] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘IT STARTED WITH A KISS.’ Sadly, the trailer, which captures the film's spirit reasonably well, but is sadly slightly rough, but despite this, it is quite watchable and at least it preserves the correct CinemaScope 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
Finally, seeing the film ‘IT STARTED WITH A KISS’ isn’t exactly a well-known Hollywood film, but it develops into a satisfyingly silly and, occasionally, rib-tickling business. On top of all that George Marshall has directed Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford in fairly breezy style. But its Blu-ray release is another surprise from the wonderful Warner Archive Collection. The film never even had a regular DVD release until Warner Archive Collection released it in 2011. Now, the upgraded Blu-ray disc looks perfect, bringing the beautifully coloured Spanish scenery into our homes. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
