Hold That Kiss

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.

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.

While watching Hold That Kiss this morning I once again had in mind the famous MGM pecking order. The film was to me obviously something written with Joan Crawford in mind.

But it went to Maureen O'Sullivan for one reason or another and wound up as a B film with her and Dennis O'Keefe. She's a fashion model in a fancy department store and he's a travel agent. They meet at a society wedding and each thinks the other is worth a few bucks. After that they put on quite interesting campaigns to land the other.

Hold That Kiss is a pleasant and amusing comedy from MGM's B picture unit. It's got quite a good list of character actors in support. Most prominent however was Mickey Rooney who next year would be the number one box office male star in the nation. He plays O'Sullivan's younger brother and an eager participant in her schemes.

There's also a nice diverting subplot involving Frank Albertson who's another of O'Sullivan's brothers and Edward Brophy who is O'Keefe's sidekick. Each has an all consuming interest in the sport of kings and not from the society end of owning and improving the breed. I can't really go into too many details, but trust me it's a pip.

I could easily see Hold That Kiss on an MGM double bill at the Loew's theaters around the nation with Boys Town. Imagine that, a double Mickey.

Surprisingly enjoyable grade B comedy with large cast of solid actors who put on a good (but not great) show. The basic premise is that two ordinary people meet and think that the other has money. Bolstering this premise is a tangled story line that weaves each of the main characters into contact with others without each knowing who the other is relative to the main plot. The viewer has full knowledge of how all these characters relate to each other and is thus always expecting the truth to out.

A good deal of slapstick comedy and a comedic St. Bernard aid cast members. The film has the same tempo and feel as MGM's 'You Can't Take It With You' – done the same year however with a first rate crew. Lots of uncomplicated comings and goings keep the story moving but not too hard to follow. The rich really do not have it better than just plain folks.

Maureen O'Sullivan is delightful and perky. Mickey Rooney overacts – but the part calls for it and he steals a number of scenes. Edward Brophy plays Brophy once again. Dennis O'Keefe is plausible. Leonard Carey (uncredited) does a fine job as a comedic elevator operator/butler. Racial slurs typical of the time could be cut for modern audiences. Recommended.

This charming comedy revolves around as case of mistaken identity, which is not a novel idea, but it feels fresh in the hands of Director Edwin L. Marin, who keeps things moving. And the script is cleverly written.

A strong cast pulls laughs from the story at every turn. I especially enjoyed Maureen O'Sullivan and Mickey Rooney. I wish they had a few more scenes together, highlighting their sibling quarrels.

Dennis O'Keefe plays the boyfriend to O'Sullivan, and they are a good romantic match, especially when played for laughs, as in this film.