IMDb > Kiss Me Kate (1953)
Kiss Me Kate
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Kiss Me Kate (1953) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   1,832 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
George Sidney
Writers:
Dorothy Kingsley (screenplay)
Sam Spewack (play) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Kiss Me Kate on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 November 1953 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Musical | Romance more
Tagline:
THE FAMED STAGE HIT...NOW A BIG COLORFUL MUSICAL! more
Plot:
Fred and Lilly are a divorced pair of actors who are brought together by Cole Porter who has written a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
Tilda Swinton In Hip Remake Of 'Auntie Mame' Gets Us Thinking: Five Other Musicals That Should Be Updated
 (From MTV Movies Blog. 8 September 2009, 12:00 PM, PDT)
Shawshank Actor James Whitmore Dead at 87
 (From Worst Previews. 7 February 2009, 8:00 AM, PST)
User Comments:
A vibrant musical delight. more (46 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
Kathryn Grayson ... Lilli Vanessi 'Katharina'

Howard Keel ... Fred Graham 'Petruchio'

Ann Miller ... Lois Lane 'Bianca'
Keenan Wynn ... Lippy
Bobby Van ... 'Gremio'
Tommy Rall ... Bill Calhoun 'Lucentio'
James Whitmore ... Slug
Kurt Kasznar ... 'Baptista'
Bob Fosse ... 'Hortensio'
Ron Randell ... Cole Porter
Willard Parker ... Tex Callaway
Dave O'Brien ... Ralph
Claud Allister ... Paul
Ann Codee ... Suzanne
Carol Haney ... Specialty Dancer
Jeanne Coyne ... Specialty Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Bair ... Gregory (uncredited)
Michael Dugan ... Stretcher bearer (uncredited)
Ted Eckelberry ... Nathaniel (uncredited)
Mitchell Lewis ... Stage doorman (uncredited)
Hermes Pan ... Sailor (uncredited)
William Tannen ... Taxi driver (uncredited)
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Directed by
George Sidney 
 
Writing credits
Dorothy Kingsley (screenplay)

Sam Spewack (play) (as Samuel Spewack) and
Bella Spewack (play)

William Shakespeare (play "The Taming of the Shrew") uncredited

Produced by
Jack Cummings .... producer
 
Original Music by
André Previn (uncredited)
Conrad Salinger (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
Charles Rosher (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Ralph E. Winters 
 
Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons 
Urie McCleary 
 
Set Decoration by
Richard Pefferle 
Edwin B. Willis 
 
Costume Design by
Walter Plunkett 
 
Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff .... hair stylist
William Tuttle .... makeup designer
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Rhein .... assistant director
 
Sound Department
Douglas Shearer .... recording supervisor
 
Special Effects by
Warren Newcombe .... special effects
 
Editorial Department
Alvord Eiseman .... color consultant
 
Music Department
Saul Chaplin .... musical director
Skip Martin .... orchestrator
André Previn .... musical director
Conrad Salinger .... orchestrator
Robert Tucker .... vocal supervisor
Robert Franklyn .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Wally Heglin .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Lemuel Ayers .... stage producer
Hermes Pan .... choreographer
Arnold Saint Subber .... stage producer
Bob Fosse .... choreographer (uncredited)
Alex Romero .... assistant choreographer (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
109 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Anscocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.75 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Stereo (Western Electric Sound System) | Mono
Certification:
Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:G (video rating) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #16600)
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Several of the Broadway lyrics were considered too "spicy" for a film. For instance, "according to the Kinsey Report" was changed to "according to the weather report" in the song, "Too Darn Hot", and a verse containing bawdy puns was omitted from "Brush Up Your Shakespeare". more
Goofs:
Factual errors: At the time he wrote this musical, far from being a healthy man, Cole Porter was a wheelchair-bound cripple who needed constant medical care. His legs had been crushed in a riding accident when the horse fell on him. more
Quotes:
Lilli Vanessi: Do you really think *I* could play the shrew?
Fred Graham: You'd make a perfect shrew!
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Broadway: The American Musical: Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin': 1943-1960 (#1.4)" (2004) more
Soundtrack:
From This Moment On more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
A vibrant musical delight., 25 February 2000
Author: Tommy-92 from Baltimore, Maryland

Great adaptation of the Broadway musical with a wonderful Cole Porter score. Yes the plot is just an excuse (though not a flimsy one) to put the numbers together, but so what? Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel are very good as battling exes who are destined to be together, in the best tradition of Scarlett and Rhett, with a dash of His Girl Friday thrown in. Plus, it's all acted out amidst Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, which provides for some great comic moments. Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore as the two gangsters are hilarious in the classic "Brush Up Your Shakespeare." Bob Fosse, who plays Bianca's blond suitor in the "Shrew" play-within-a-play, electrifies the screen with Carol Haney in their short but spectacular dance during the "From This Moment On" number. But it is Ann Miller who steals the show with her tradmark perkiness, charm and dynamite dancing skills, demonstrated memorably in another classic, "Too Darn Hot," and her numbers with Tommy Rall. Definitly recommended if you want a laugh, a tune to hum and a great show to see.

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Howard Keel Forever Doctor_Mabuse
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