KISS ME KATE
US, 1953, 109 minutes, Colour.
Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Keenan Wynn, Bobby Van, Tommy Rall, James Whitmore, Kurt Kaznar, Bob Fosse, Ron Randall, Willard Parker, Carol Haney.
Directed by George Sidney.
Kiss Me Kate is one of Broadway’s most celebrated musicals and one of Hollywood’s best musical adaptations. It is based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
The Broadway production of Kiss Me Kate was a very important moment in the life of composer Cole Porter (seen with great interest in the biopic, De Lovely, with Kevin Kline). It marked his re-emergence as one of the United States’ best composers and lyric writers. He had written a number of very popular songs including ‘Under My Skin’, ‘Begin the Beguine’ as well as scoring Anything Goes.
The film version was directed by George Sidney, a veteran of many of the MGM musicals of the 40s and 50s including Showboat.
Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson had appeared together in Showboat and were a very strong couple. While Cole Porter’s songs are most important for the film – the romantic songs as well as the comic song sung by James Whitmore and Keenan Wynn, ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’ – the film is also noted for its dance routines. Ann Miller was the dancer of the 1940s and 1950s at MGM. Tommy Rall, who later had a strong Broadway career, was a a young dancer. Choreographer Bob Fosse also appeared with his characteristic dance style – to be seen to advantage in All That Jazz. He is teamed with Carol Haney who appeared on Broadway in The Pyjama Game.
All in all, the ingredients from Shakespeare to the modern parallel, to the singing and dancing make Kiss Me Kate a very entertaining film. (It was originally made and screened in the 3D process – accounting for the fact that things would be thrown at the audience including Ann Miller throwing a watch during a dance routine …!)
1. How successful a musical was this? How well did it use musical conventions, songs and their connection with the plot, dance, comedy?
2. The film was made in 3-D? Is this evident? Does the film seem dated in its presentation and technique?
3. How well did the film blend the Shakespeare as atmosphere and the ordinary love story? Audience response to the background off The Taming of the Shrew? The value of adding songs and dances to Shakespeare's play? The song of brushing up one's Shakespeare and the tone it gave?
4. How good were the staged songs and dances? Their colourful illustration of Shakespeare's story? Their relation to the plot?
5. How interesting was the background story of the theatre? How conventional was the love story? Was it interesting?
6. Were the characters well drawn and portrayed? Fred and his theatrical background, the divorce, his infatuation with Lois, his relationship with Lily? Lily and the failure of marriage, a shrewish person, her submission to Fred? The reason for her engagement to the Texan?
7. Lois as a musical-comedy character? As attractive comedy? her relationship with the dancer?
8. The tone that the introduction of the gangsters gave? The comedy? The satire on the Mafia and gangsters? Their personalities on stage in the plays guarding Lily their song and the style that they gave to it?
9. The skit on Texas and the Texans and their attitudes? How much real feeling was evidenced in the filmgoer to the situations and the characters?
10. How did the film presuppose values in the audience about marriage, divorce, love? Success and happy endings? Was the film a significant musical? An original musical?
