Too Many Kisses
Too Many Kisses | |
---|---|
Directed by | Paul Sloane |
Screenplay by | Gerald Duffy (scenario) |
Based on | "A Maker of Gestures" by John Monk Saunders |
Produced by | Jesse L. Lasky Adolph Zukor |
Starring | Richard Dix Frances Howard Frank Currier Harpo Marx |
Cinematography | Hal Rosson |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes; 6 reels (5,759 feet) |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Too Many Kisses is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Paul Sloane that is based on the John Monk Saunders story "A Maker of Gestures."[1][2]
Plot[]
Richard Gaylord Jr. is a modern Lothario who has so many sweethearts that his father does not know what to do with him. Tired of paying to get his son out of one romantic entanglement after another, Richard Gaylord Sr. sends his son to the Basque region of France, believing that the women there will only accept attentions from their own people.
Almost immediately, local girl Yvonne Hurja becomes infatuated with Richard, who she sees as being able to help her break free from the unwanted attention of local guardsman Julio. A rivalry grows between Richard and Julio.
Cast[]
- Richard Dix as Richard Gaylord, Jr
- Frances Howard as Yvonne Hurja
- William Powell as Julio
- Frank Currier as Richard Gaylord, Sr
- Joseph Burke as Mr. Simmons
- Albert Tavernier as Manuel Hurja
- Arthur Ludwig as Miguel
- Paul Panzer as Pedro
- Harpo Marx as The Village Peter Pan
- Alyce Mills as Flapper
Reception[]
A review in Billboard read, "This is an excellent selection for any exhibitor[...] Dix, as Richard Gaylord, is dashing and pleasing in every scene. His admirers especially will derive gratification from his work".[3]
A Variety review noted: "Incidentally 'Harpo' Marx, of musical comedy fame (Marx Brothers), does a half-wit that makes him a screen possibility for comedies who will bear watching".[4]
Legacy[]
This film is notable for being the earliest surviving film to feature Harpo Marx of the Marx Brothers.[2] It is the only film in which he did not star alongside his brothers. (His younger brother Zeppo starred in the similarly-titled A Kiss in the Dark, released only three months later). Harpo plays the Village Peter Pan, and technically has speaking lines (albeit not heard, since this is a silent film) for the first and last time in his career.
The film has been restored by the Film Preservation Society, its television premiere coming on Turner Classic Movies on November 29, 2020 before its release to Blu-ray the following day. Marx's son Bill Marx composed and recorded a new soundtrack for this restoration.[5][6]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Hall, Mordaunt (March 3, 1925). "Movie Review". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
- ^ a b Progressive Silent Film List: Too Many Kisses at silentera.com
- ^ "Reviews: "Too Many Kisses'." The Billboard. Vol. 37, Iss. 11, (Mar 14, 1925): 57.
- ^ "Film Reviews: Too Many Kisses." Variety. Vol. 78, Iss. 3, (Mar 4, 1925): 36-37.
- ^ Too Many Kisses Restoration
- ^ Maltin, Leonard (October 20, 2020). "Rare Silent Films on Blu-Ray and DVD". Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
External links[]
- Too Many Kisses at IMDb
- Movie Review by Mordaunt Hall, New York Times, March 3, 1925.
- 1925 films
- 1925 comedy films
- 1925 directorial debut films
- American films
- American black-and-white films
- American silent feature films
- American comedy films
- Famous Players-Lasky films
- Films directed by Paul Sloane
- Films with screenplays by Gerald Duffy
- 1920s silent comedy film stubs