Trailer—It Started with a Kiss

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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!