Kiss and Tell

Very shortly after the picture starts Shirley, as 15 year old Corliss Archer gets herself and best friend Mildred Pringle played by Virginia Wells into hot water with their parents. Shirley was 17 at the time this was filmed and still the scene stealer and still the talented, funny and cute actress she was as a child despite those critical of her films in the 1940's and the poor treatment she was sometimes subjected too. Walter Abel who played Harry Archer (Corliss's father), was also quite funny and stole a few scenes of his own in this movie. Katharine Alexander as Janet Archer (Corliss's mother) blames the trouble the girls get into on Mildred and it begins a feud between the two families. When the two girls are forbidden to see each other, Corliss's brotherLenny tells Corliss a secret she must keep from everyone and things snowball out of control as she plots and fibs trying to keep the secret and patch things up between the families. From the start of this movie until her final film in 1949, Shirley just grew more beautiful , attractive and talented with each scene and it didn't matter if she was in raggedy pajamas and a bathrobe or stylish fashions of the time, I always felt I'd miss something if I looked away. A look, a smile or something only very talented actors( Lauren Bacall, Steve McQueen are good examples) often do to hold your attention. In her childhood films Shirley would flip another actors tie around or fiddle with a shirt collar or an object on the set somewhere. In Kiss and Tell there's a few brief scenes when she's plotting something, she chews on a bobby-pin and at one point her boyfriend Dexter yells at her to "Take that bobby-pin out of your mouth!". I also found Her mispronouncing words in some of her lines quite amusing. Overall its funny and well acted and also shows support for the military as many of Shirley's films did. Supporting cast members Jerome Courtland as Corliss's boyfriend Dexter and Darryl Hickman as Mildred's little brother Raymond were a little over the top a times but also had some good moments and added to the mischief snowballing from the feud. Even Shirley herself would later admit her films in the 1940's could have been better, but that was mostly Hollywood's fault for cheeping out and not taking better care of this amazing actress among other things. She was the best she could be in each and every one of her films and she is the reason we watched them, and still continue to watch them today, but definitely!

Shirley Temple was just as famous for being a darling child actress as she was for "losing her touch" when she grew up. If you watch The Story of Seabiscuit or Since You Went Away, you'll agree that her acting chops weren't as good as when she was little. However, in Kiss and Tell, she's fantastic! There's absolutely nothing wrong with her acting talents in this movie, and if all her adult roles were as cute as this one, I'm sure she would have enjoyed a much longer acting career.

In Kiss and Tell, Shirley plays a mischievous teenager who constantly gets into scrapes with her best friend, Virginia Welles. The boy next door, Jerome Courtland is crazy about her, and she loves teasing him and making him jealous. In the opening scene, Shirley and Virginia are selling guest towels in a booth at a fair for soldiers on leave. Shirley gets the bright idea to sell kisses instead of towels, and their profits skyrocket! The girls' mothers aren't too happy about it, and enforce an estrangement of the two families so their kids start behaving better. But Shirley's brother and Virginia are in love-how are they going to see each other during his leave?

F. Hugh Herbert's script is quick, clever, and hilarious. Everyone does a fantastic job keeping up the pace and delivering quips that keep the audience constantly entertained. It's easy to visualize this comedy in its original Broadway play, and even though the situations are unique to the 1940s, modern audiences will still find it hilarious. If you like snappy comedies, you'll love this one. And if you're of the opinion that Shirley Temple lost her talent with age, rent this movie to change your mind!

I was nine years old when I saw Kiss and Tell. I went to the morning movie and stayed until the last showing at 9:00 pm. I loved it so much that I didn't want to leave and kept saying,' wait until this part, then I'll leave.' Shirley Temple was a beautiful teenager. I remember that she had a kissing booth to help raise money for the war effort. The movie shows great community spirit in support of the soldiers that had gone off to battle. It was fun to see her go from a child to a teenager that I could identify with. Wanted to grow up and be like Shirley Temple. Would recommend this movie for family viewing! The other actors and actresses played wonderful supporting cast. Would love to see this movie out on a DVD!

. I saw this movie one time, on TV. I was 12. That would have been around 1960. And I've never forgotten it. My mother and myself, and my younger sister, laughed through the whole thing til our sides hurt. It struck so close to home for all three of us. I've been looking for the thing to come out on tape all my adult life. But it doesn't matter when it comes out. As long as it does one day, I won't have outgrown it. .

I didn't have high expectations for this film. I feared Shirley Temple as a teenager would be awkward. However, this movie was surprisingly entertaining! It was well paced, with a strong supporting cast. The plot twists were quite funny. Shirley plays Corliss Archer; She agrees to keep her brother's secret marriage underwraps, and winds up getting herself in a lot of trouble.