Hold That Kiss

The worst thing about this charming, well acted comedy is its generic title. Hold what kiss?

The leads are at their romantic best. The supporting players are delightful.

I personally would have preferred it sans the Mickey Rooney character but he doubtless helped its box office (if it had any.)

A few stereotypes are engaged in, too; but otherwise, it is a charming concoction. It's funny: O'Sullivan's boss Monsieur Maurice is written very broadly but the penultimate scene in which a tricked O'Keefe tricks her by making her pose in one gown after another after another -- they now know each other to be in retail and not in society -- is very funny.

During the Great Depression, audiences liked to see the differences between rich and poor people played for laughs. This frothy romance from 1938 is in that vein. If you like mix-ups, silly situations and innocent fun in the classic Hollywood spirit, this should appeal to you.

Maureen O'Sullivan and Dennis O'Keefe play working-class folks in the big city who happen to meet under confusing circumstances. They quickly fall in love, but each gets the mistaken impression that the other is rich.

As the romance heats up, the two try harder and harder to impress each other with bogus details of their "privileged" lives. But each feels ashamed of being a phony, and each dreads the day when the truth comes out.

The girl's wacky relatives (including a younger brother played by Mickey Rooney) take her wealth charade to extraordinary lengths, and their antics supply most of the comedy in the film. Some of the gags are dated, but a few are still laugh-out-loud funny.

The main problem is with the leads. While O'Sullivan was perfectly cast in this movie, O'Keefe was not. He was more suited to tough guy roles than to this kind of gentle fluff. But he deserves credit for trying hard. The same could be said for the picture itself.

MGM used their second and third tier actors for their B films, making them really more like A-. These movies were used as a training ground for up and coming actors as well. Here, Dennis O'Keefe and Maureen O'Sullivan star with Mickey Rooney, Frank Albertson, and Jesse Ralph, and another young up and coming, Ruth Hussey, in "Hold that Kiss," from 1938.

June (O'Sullivan) comes from a chaotic family and works in the couturier business; Tommy (O'Keefe) is a travel agent. At a posh wedding, she's helping the bride with her going-away outfit, and he's delivering tickets. Each assumes the other is a guest and therefore a member of the rich, horsey set.

Both O'Keefe and O'Sullivan were very good, if lightweight actors who never achieved superstardom. O'Sullivan, busy most of the time having her seven children, was very beautiful with a nice Irish lilt to her voice.

Enjoyable movie, with an upbeat performance by Rooney. I loved the atmosphere in the family especially, with the brothers teasing one another, and June bringing home that giant St. Bernard. Good fun.

Average 1930's romantic situation comedy that had a low budget but nevertheless delivered the expected average goods for the genre.Nothing too badly done here and nothing spectacular either.This movie is sure to delight the big fans of the lead stars though as they indeed look good here in all their prime good looks.This movie will also satisfy big fans of romantic situation comedies set in 1938 city life......

Poor travel agent Tommy Bradford (Dennis O'Keefe) gets invited by wealthy J. Westley Piermont to his daughter's wedding. Piermont introduces June Evans (Maureen O'Sullivan) to him. They both start lying about themselves to the other. She's also poor and her younger brother Chick (Mickey Rooney) only adds to the lie.

This starts with an interesting premise. I like the couple, but they're not really heating up the screen until after they discovered the truth. After the initial start, the family becomes the more prominent part and their antics are much more fun. Mickey Rooney has third billing in this. It is the third act where the couple comes back hard and it is a fun time.