Kissing Time

A Vitaphone Short Subject

A handsome South American lieutenant has his KISSING TIME with a beautiful American traveler rudely interrupted by his uncouth general, who wants the lady for himself...

Although this short film can boast little beyond its ludicrous lovemaking, the songs are sung nicely, and the characters of the obese general and fey Englishman are slightly humorous. The unusually dense plot, with its ghostly, bell ringing hermit & unhappy ending, makes this musical somewhat atypical for its time.

Operettas were idea subject matter for early talky two-reelers. They were swiftly paced, colorful (even in black & white) and rather cheap to produce, utilizing as they did the sets & costumes of the feature films. Their brief length negated any need for character exposition and the stories were easy to follow, even when sung by heavily accented voices. Best of all, they were full of Sound, and that was still enough of a novelty to keep most audiences from becoming overly critical or expectant of anything smacking of real art.