User reviews

It Started With A Kiss is the first of two successive films that George Marshall directed Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds in. The second was The Gazebo which I like much better. Not that this service comedy is without merit.

Ford plays an Air Force Sergeant on leave who both buys a raffle ticket from Debbie and then winds up marrying her. The prize is this $40,000.00 car which would now be worth about $200,000.00 in today's money value. When Ford goes back to Spain where he's stationed, Debbie follows him and the car follows Debbie.

Debbie's having a few second thoughts about her hasty marriage and has put the brakes on the sex part of her relationship with Ford, trying now to get to know the guy she's married to. Each of them gets some temptation thrown their way, him with Eva Gabor, her with bullfighter Gustavo Rojo.

But the biggest problem is that car. They can't drive it around as they are warned against ostentatious displays of American prosperity. Glenn finds he can't sell the thing and on top of that as the prize in a lottery, it's subject to taxation like quiz show earnings. What to do?

In Peter Ford's recent biography of his father, he says that this film with Debbie Reynolds and The Gazebo that came after was at a critical time for both. He was ending his marriage to Eleanor Powell and Debbie was the odd girl out in the Elizabeth Taylor-Eddie Fisher-Debbie Reynolds triangle that was front page for months. The two did a lot of commiserating on both sets.

Peter Ford also mentions that his father loved working with director George Marshall. I've done some reviews myself of their joint collaboration and have said they are an unfortunately unheralded actor/ director collaboration.

Fred Clark has a nice part as a most harried Air Force general who has to deal with Ford and Reynolds marital and motor problems as well as a visiting Congressional delegation. Long time Ford friend Edgar Buchanan does well as an acerbic Representative.

It Started With A Kiss is not as good some of the other Ford/Marshall collaborations, but it has a few good laughs and should satisfy fans of Glenn and Debbie.

Half-price showgirl in New York, pining for a millionaire husband, marries lovestruck, underpaid Air Force sergeant on the eve of his departure for peacetime duty in Madrid; she follows, bringing misunderstandings, comic embarrassments and a "car from the future" with her. Sex-based shenanigans for stars Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds is pleasant enough, particularly for the first 45mns or so; after that, it deflates. Debbie, thinking she and Ford married for the wrong reason (sex), decides they should be platonic for a month--leaving Glenn to sleep on the sofa (after taking a cold shower). Movies based on misconceptions between characters have to be awfully smart to keep our interest (and keep us laughing), but this script by Charles Lederer, based on a Valentine Davies story, seems about 10 years out of touch. Ford thinks Debbie means she's pregnant when she writes that she has a big surprise, even though they've only been married for a month. When he meets her at the airport, she tells him the surprise could arrive the next day...and he STILL thinks she's talking about a baby! It's all in good fun, but these actors are much too smart to palmed off as dummies. ** from ****

Besides being a slightly better-than-average romantic comedy, this movie features several very familiar television supporting stars -- if you're an old coot like me anyway! -- including Eva Gabor ("Green Acres"), Edgar Buchanan ("Petticoat Junction"), Harry Morgan ("Dragnet" and "M*A*S*H"), Frances Bavier ("The Andy Griffith Show"), Richard Deacon ("The Dick Van Dyke Show"), Marion Ross ("Happy Days"), and last, but not least, the Batmobile!

The main attraction going for this film is the futuristic car shown in it, which for 1959 looked way ahead of its times. The comedy, as directed by George Marshall tries to be a movie exploiting the sexual tensions between the two stars. The same premise was achieved with better results in other films of the era, notably, "Pillow Talk".

The mere idea of a young married couple putting such a barrier between their sexual life is risible, at best. The two stars, Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford try their best, but are bogged down because of the screen play.

As someone has already noted, the film shows in minor roles actors that went to better careers in television. Eva Gabor, Harry Morgan, Edgar Buchanan, Frances Bavier, among them.

The basic excuse for watching the film is the car and some views of Spain, as it looked in the late fifties. In fact, a woman in slacks, as we see Ms. Reynolds at the beginning of the film, as she arrived in Madrid, was a big no-no in the Spanish society of the time. Things have changed since then!

Glenn Ford is 43 and has been a sergeant for approximately twenty-five years. What is wrong with him?

Again, young female talent is paired with much older male talent at MGM -- a pattern that is so often repeated that it is the norm.

This could have been something that stood out, but instead follows the MGM pattern circumspectly. Reynolds is good in her role; why not give her a young male star to play off? Instead, MGM gives her a daddy, just like in most all other musicals they produced.

This is a waste of Debbie Reynolds' talent, although she does sparkle when she is alone and can sing.

Air Force staff sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick (Glenn Ford) meets showgirl Maggie Putnam (Debbie Reynolds) at a charity. She's trying to find a rich man, but he won't take no for an answer. He plants a magical first kiss on her and she falls head over heels.

I'm sure that back in the day, Joe is seen as playful and romantic. That's how I choose to see him. Debbie Reynolds remains endearing even as a gold-digger. She's not a gold-digger for that long anyways. The meet-cute is definitely eventful. This is fine as a rom-com. For comic book fans, the car's first appearance would immediately strike you dead. It's the Batmobile. For that, this will go down in cinematic history.

Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford starred in two hits of 1959, both comedies , It Started with a Kiss (1959) and The Gazebo (1959). At the end of the fifties Ford was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

A penniless sergeant in the Air Force, Joe Fitzpatrick (Glenn Ford), impulsively marries a feisty nightclub showgirl named Maggie (Debbie Reynolds), who thinks money is more important than love. When Joe is reassigned to a base in Spain, Maggie follows behind, bringing with her the flashy 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept that Joe won in a contest. Believing Joe married her for sex, Maggie forbids him to consummate their marriage for 30 days, which leads to a domino effect of trouble. This was a very enjoyable flick and Debbie Reynolds has very good comedic timing ! It is on Blu-ray too !

It may have started with a Kiss, but it's the Exotic Car he won (she sold him the Ticket, that's how they met) that causes all the trouble & provides all the fun. Can't help but think it should be somewhere in the title. The experimental 1955 Lincoln Futura, the concept car that was the future model for the Batmobile. This was a very enjoyable flick

For those who may not be aware, the 1955 Lincoln Futura was a Lincoln-based concept built in Italy by world renown Pininfarina in Italy. This truly incredible concept was so space-age advanced for its day after the waterfall-type cars of the 50's, it garnered quite a lot of attention and is still enamored by those who knew it then and now. Of course this was further popularized when the original concept car was painted red and appeared in the movie "It Started With A Kiss" starring Glenn Ford and Debbie Reynolds.

At some point following the movie, this underutilized concept car sat deteriorating on a studio back-lot. Ford then supplied the original Futura to George Barris when William Dozier Productions came along in 1965 and decided to use this former concept car as the proposed "crime fighter" in the premier of the TV Batman TV Show.

Originally it started off as a $250,000 1955 Ford Lincoln Futura concept car. With a deadline of 3 weeks this Lincoln was transformed into the world's most famous car.

"It Started With a Kiss" is a movie that has several funny story elements but the overall picture never quite works. Much of it is because the characters (particularly Debbie Reynolds') don't make much sense and were poorly written.

When the film begins, an Air Force sergeant tries repeatedly to pick up a model working at a charity event. Joe (Glenn Ford) is boorishly persistent...something considered acceptable in films back in the day, though with changing attitudes he'd DEFINITELY fall into the category of a sexual harasser today! Maggie (Debbie Reynolds) isn't impressed and repeated tells him to get lost. In a last ditch effort to get her, he kisses her...and apparently is such a stud that she falls for him and they immediately marry. Does this make sense? No.

Two days later, Joe is flown to duty in Spain and she is to follow a month later. During this time period, she learns that Joe's lone raffle ticket from the charity event was THE winner...and he's the new owner of the Ford Futura--a one-of-a-kind concept car*. She writes Joe that she has a huge surprise for him. He, oddly, assumes that means she's pregnant...but considering they only were apart a couple weeks at this point, you can only assume Joe is a total moron and knows nothing about sex education. Even if she WAS pregnant (which she wasn't), she wouldn't have known for sure for at least a couple months. Does this make sense? Nah.

While in Spain, the Air Force personnel are told to not be ostentatious about money and be conservative...and then Maggie shows up with the spectacular car! However, when Joe's commanding officer tries talking with her, she repeatedly treats him like crap...and with open contempt. So, your husband is a sergeant and your wife is mouthy with the Major. Does this make sense? Nope.

After Maggie arrives, she has the bright idea that because they really didn't know each other AND because they have little in common other than sexual attraction. Because of this, she insists that they sleep apart. Does this make sense? Not much...and there are a lot of scenes showing a VERY frustrated Joe!

Soon, the couple learns that they are in serious trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. Why? Because they won a $40,000 car (probably worth about $200,000-300,000 in today's money)...and they owe $17,000 in taxes on the car...on a sergeant's salary!! They never even thought of this!! Does this couple seem like they have a brain between them? Nah...especially when Maggie doesn't seem to understand that they cannot keep it!

Later, the General is upset (and understandably so) because not only has the Sergeant been showing off by driving around with the car but he sells it to a bullfighter for $17,000. So, Joe just eats the $23,000 difference...and the bullfighter was 'willing to pay ANYTHING to get the car'! And, now he's in trouble with the General. So what dumb thing do they do? Maggie begins yelling at the General and threatening him!

The film goes on and on like this...with two really incredibly stupid people doing incredibly stupid things. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the audience to care about these dodos...especially Maggie. The bottom line is that the film has amusing moments but the overall picture just doesn't make sense or work well. All you know is that Joe and Maggie are stupid...but have great sexual chemistry together. All in all, a very disappointing film with little to recommend it other than the car!

*This bright red Futura went on to become very famous. Hollywood paid to have it completely restyled and repainted and it became the Batmobile on the "Batman" TV show! I am sure today it's worth considerably more than $40,000. In fact, it recently was sold for $4.62 million!!!

All in all, a mildly entertaining time capsule of days gone bye, bye; the "good old days" when couples married so they could have "legitimate" sex.

Debbie Reynolds, a chorus line cutie is at her perky peak, and Glenn Ford, an Air Force sergeant, is his usual dull-as-dishwater leading man.

This genre of bedroom farce popular with 1950s' audiences is full of contrived complications, titillating juvenile sexual innuendo but is overall wholesome movie fare.

If the Catholic arbiters of morality objected to this movie upon its release, I wonder how the fiery red futuristic car passed condemnation? It's the sexiest thing in the movie. What a babe to ride! Ford's commanding officer tells him the State Department deems the car too "splendiferous." This Lincoln concept car certainly had star power; it went on to be cast as the infamous Batmobile.

As the backdrop for the film is Spain, how could the cultural trope of the heroic bullfighter not be included? So that's inserted into the high jinks too. Olé!

I think that this film is one of the funniest films i have ever seen. I think Debbie Reynolds is hilarious and the chemistry between her and Glenn Ford is perfect. There is not a dull moment in the film and Debbie looks beautiful as always.

The story is about a showgirl Maggie(Debbie Reynolds) who meets a penniless soldier Joe (Glenn Ford). She takes an instant dislike to him but after he accidentally tears her dress, he returns it to her on the condition that she goes on one date with him. They end up getting married the night they have their date after just one kiss. Joe and Maggie move to Spain and find they have nothing in common but physical attraction, so Maggie proposes that for one month they live but not as man and wife which means that Joe is not allowed to kiss or sleep with Maggie, much to Joe's frustration.A hilarious plot and a wonderful film. Not to be missed.

This film is pretty ho-hum overall, despite having a handful of good laughs. I think the main problem is the two leads, Debbie Reynolds and Glenn Ford. Although both are excellent actors and more than capable of turning in top-notch performances, they both seem slightly uncomfortable in this production. I can't think of other, more suitable actors for these roles off-hand, but these two just didn't gel either in their own parts or in their on-screen relationship. Maybe the (rather vulgar) car was the star? Whatever, this movie failed to leave us happy and satisfied and I doubt we will watch it again. Maybe we will look up 'The Gazebo', which is said to be a more successful pairing of the two stars.

Run of the mill romantic comedy with Ford as a harried newlywed with big time financial and spouse woes. The wife expects him to be a celibate and at the same time causes him to be jealous as she gets cozy with a local bullfighter. A few laughs but merely mediocre for the most part.

I'll admit, the main reason I watched this was for the car. As is mentioned in the Trivia Section, the car in question is a Lincoln dream car from the mid 1950's. Very rarely do these cars make appearances in the `real world', as most don't really function. They usually have no engine, or are made from some material that would be ruined if actually driven. These cars spend their life on a turntable at an auto show with fashion models in, or on them. After they serve their purpose, they get destroyed, or stored. Few, if any turn up in movies, as this Lincoln did, and then go on to TV stardom, as well! Ford later sold the car to custom car designer George Barris, and it became the basis for the Batmobile in the TV series "Batman". And if you were a kid like me at the time, IT was the star of the show. Sorry Batman and Robin!

This is what was best described as a `Bedroom Comedy'. Rock Hudson, and Doris Day made movies like this, with a light amount of `sexual tension' sewn into a light comedy movie. You never saw 'anything', it was left to the viewers imagination, what happened.

The film itself is decent enough. I like most anything that Glenn Ford did, and Debbie Reynolds turns in another good performance here. The supporting cast is peppered with plenty of folks who, like the car, went on to fame on TV, Eva Gabor, Harry Morgan, Edgar Buchanan, and of course, Francis Bavier.

The country side of Spain is beautiful, the acting is competent, so I'll give it a 6 out of 10.

This film did well at the box office, and the producers of this mess thought the stars had such good chemistry in this that they cast them in the much darker screwball farce, The Gazebo. Frankly, I am shocked to see all the positive comments on this ludicrously plotted unfunny comedy. Both lead characters have the maturity of seven-year-olds and are much less interesting to spend time with. A veteran supporting cast including Fred Clark, Harry Morgan, and Eva Gabor lend excellent support. And, the beautiful cinematography certainly makes the rich countryside of Spain seem lush. And, there are four or five truly funny scenes to go with two wise scenes and a whole bunch of recycled and unfunny clutter.

I cannot recommend It Started With A Kiss.

Interesting cast (many from 60's TV shows), and mildly entertaining. However, when the car is the star of a film, 4 stars is the best I can give it.

I missed this one when it was released, being warned away by mostly negative reviews and the objections of the Catholic censorship body of the time. (I believe some facsimile had replaced the dreaded Legion of Decency by 1959, the year of its release.) The prudes objected to the generally "suggestive" tone of the proceedings and, after watching it on a Turner Classic Movies broadcast recently, I can see why their knickers got into a twist. Even by today's much more relaxed standards, its situations and its treatment of marriage are pretty sleazy.

It's a rather lame "bedroom farce" that makes poor use of the talents of nearly everyone involved and its main redeeming assets are the location shots of several Spanish cities and its countryside and the gorgeous Lincoln Futura concept car (which lost its eye-popping fire engine red paint job when it was transformed into the Batmobile for the campy Batman TV series).

For some reason M-G-M brass at the time thought that the chemistry between Glenn Ford (dull as dishwater, as usual, and sporting one of the worst and greasiest-looking haircuts on a leading man ever) and a very pert and pretty Debbie Reynolds was worth exploiting. Their second co-starring vehicle, "The Gazebo," was rushed into production and released just four months after this one. Debbie was soon free of her M-G-M contract and went on to appear in somewhat worthier enterprises at virtually all the other major Hollywood studios, with an occasional return to her launching pad at Metro.

DEBBIE REYNOLDS is charming and cute as the girl every man dreams of, and GLENN FORD is the man with dreams of sex once he's seen DEBBIE but a car gets them together.

I saw this film with my parents at a drive-in in 1959, and I was mesmerized by the fabulous Lincoln Futura, the best of the 1950s "dream cars".

As a devoted sci-fi fan, this car was the very essence of the "future". The Futura implied predictions of a future similar to those presented in movies like "Forbidden Planet". It was an example of the kind of superior technological design which I eagerly anticipated in the decades to come.

Predictions like this were why I loved to watch Disney shows like "Mars and Beyond", "Tomorrow the Moon", and "Magic Highway USA".