Who knows - if the time had been right it may have been Bernice Claire receiving all the praise that eventually fell to Jeanette MacDonald. Unfortunately when Bernice was discovered the first musical vogue was disappearing and she was dropped before she got a chance to show what she could do!!! She was billed as "The Screen's Youngest Prima Donna" and her voice is just out of this world but the decision to delay the release of what was originally known as "The Toast of the Legion" may have been due to the now rising hostility against musicals. So despite favourable reviews "Kiss Me Again" (renamed after the hit song of the show) faded from sight almost instantly. Unfortunate because the film had many qualities missing from too many of it's contemporaries. Smooth direction from William A. Seiter, fluid camera work by Lee Garmes, a not over long running time of 74 minutes, a nicely interpolated score by Victor Herbert and dazzling sets by Anton Grot. Bernice Claire was so appealing and brought a freshness to her character, a role that had first been performed in 1905. But although "Kiss Me Again" was designed to showcase Miss Claire's charms, she was, unfortunately, long gone from Warners by the time of it's release.
After a beautiful fashion show - "Clothes Parade", the familiar Cinderella plot follows the story of Fifi (Claire), a Parisian shop girl who loves titled Legionnaire Captain Paul (Walter Pidgeon) while his grumpy father, The Count (Claude Gillingwater) has matched him up with Marie (sweet June Collyer) who, in her turn, loves another - Rene (Edward Everett Horton), Paul's comic offsider.
Warner's classed this movie as an event, so it was one of the rare "All Technicolor" entries ("Sally" was another) - this meant that apart from a washed out look, the women are made up like painted dolls. This would be fine if the film was in color, unfortunately the only print available is a black and white TV print. Paul wants to take Fifi away from the shops but she wants a career as a singer and she proves her voice is splendid with the trilling "Kiss Me Again" (which is reprised several times during the movie). Frank McHugh is actually funny in this movie - he plays Francois, the ex husband of dress shop owner Cecile and, as he calls himself, a "woman waiter" - he tells of his troubles in the riotous "A Make Believe Ladie's Man".
When the Count calls on Fifi (he has heard rumors of Paul's dalliance) he convinces her to give him up for the honour of the family and also gives her 30,000 francs which Fifi puts towards her operatic career. A couple of years later, now known as Bellini, the toast of the opera world, she wows the soldiers with her "Mascot of the Troops". Walter Pidgeon was still known as a husky baritone - his leading man days still in the future - but he didn't get to "strut his stuff" in this movie. He was only given one chorus of "How Great the Sorrow" as he vowed never to stop searching for his beloved Fifi. His song "The Time, the Place and the Girl" was cut.
Unbeknownst to the Count, who invites the famous Bellini to sing at a party celebrating Paul's return from his regiment - no one knows her real identity. Gillingwater who was in the original 1905 production when it was "Mlle. Modiste" gets to sing "I Want What I Want When I Want It" - all about having to put up with healthy food. One of the movie highlights, for me, is the dance sequence featuring the exotic Sisters G. They were a Berlin cabaret act who were bought over for "The King of Jazz" and created a sensation with their surreal act in "Happy Feet". Here with feathers and dreamy costumes reminiscent of the Dolly Sisters, they dance and cavort to a medley of songs including the brilliant "Pan Americana" and "Air De Ballet". Alls well that ends well - Paul is soon reunited with Fifi and as they are carried aloft the film finishes with a chorus of "Kiss Me Again".
"Kiss Me Again" quietly completed the first riotous cycle of musicals. It would be 2 months before another musical ("The Hot Heiress") was released.
After a beautiful fashion show - "Clothes Parade", the familiar Cinderella plot follows the story of Fifi (Claire), a Parisian shop girl who loves titled Legionnaire Captain Paul (Walter Pidgeon) while his grumpy father, The Count (Claude Gillingwater) has matched him up with Marie (sweet June Collyer) who, in her turn, loves another - Rene (Edward Everett Horton), Paul's comic offsider.
Warner's classed this movie as an event, so it was one of the rare "All Technicolor" entries ("Sally" was another) - this meant that apart from a washed out look, the women are made up like painted dolls. This would be fine if the film was in color, unfortunately the only print available is a black and white TV print. Paul wants to take Fifi away from the shops but she wants a career as a singer and she proves her voice is splendid with the trilling "Kiss Me Again" (which is reprised several times during the movie). Frank McHugh is actually funny in this movie - he plays Francois, the ex husband of dress shop owner Cecile and, as he calls himself, a "woman waiter" - he tells of his troubles in the riotous "A Make Believe Ladie's Man".
When the Count calls on Fifi (he has heard rumors of Paul's dalliance) he convinces her to give him up for the honour of the family and also gives her 30,000 francs which Fifi puts towards her operatic career. A couple of years later, now known as Bellini, the toast of the opera world, she wows the soldiers with her "Mascot of the Troops". Walter Pidgeon was still known as a husky baritone - his leading man days still in the future - but he didn't get to "strut his stuff" in this movie. He was only given one chorus of "How Great the Sorrow" as he vowed never to stop searching for his beloved Fifi. His song "The Time, the Place and the Girl" was cut.
Unbeknownst to the Count, who invites the famous Bellini to sing at a party celebrating Paul's return from his regiment - no one knows her real identity. Gillingwater who was in the original 1905 production when it was "Mlle. Modiste" gets to sing "I Want What I Want When I Want It" - all about having to put up with healthy food. One of the movie highlights, for me, is the dance sequence featuring the exotic Sisters G. They were a Berlin cabaret act who were bought over for "The King of Jazz" and created a sensation with their surreal act in "Happy Feet". Here with feathers and dreamy costumes reminiscent of the Dolly Sisters, they dance and cavort to a medley of songs including the brilliant "Pan Americana" and "Air De Ballet". Alls well that ends well - Paul is soon reunited with Fifi and as they are carried aloft the film finishes with a chorus of "Kiss Me Again".
"Kiss Me Again" quietly completed the first riotous cycle of musicals. It would be 2 months before another musical ("The Hot Heiress") was released.