''Kiss and Make-Up'' is a 1934 romantic comedy film starring

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

as a doctor who specializes in making women beautiful.

Genevieve Tobin Genevieve Tobin (November 29, 1899 – July 31, 1995) was an American actress. Early years Tobin was born in New York City. Career Tobin's stage debut came in 1912 in ''Disraeli''. She appeared in a few films as a child and formed a doub ...

and Helen Mack play his romantic entanglements. The film was based on the play ''Kozmetika'' by István Békeffy (credited as Stephen Bekeffi). All of the

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

of 1934 were cast in roles in the film.

Plot

Dr. Maurice Lamar runs a highly successful business in Paris providing cosmetic surgery and other beauty treatments to women. Old friend Max Pascal visits him to try to borrow money to finish his research, but Maurice rejects him, instead offering him a job and later a partnership, but Max declines. Maurice unveils the new Eve Caron and declares her perfect. However, her husband Marcel wants a wife who is just a bit beautiful, not someone who attracts the attention of every man, so he divorces her. Maurice then marries her. They travel to a beauty convention on the Riviera on their honeymoon, accompanied by Maurice's naturally pretty secretary Annie, who secretly yearns for him. However, Eve is so careful about guarding her beauty that all the restrictions that she imposes on herself irritate her new husband. Eve takes so long getting ready that they miss the banquet in his honor. While swimming, Annie meets an appreciative Marcel Caron. They go on a date, and Annie admires Marcel's curly hair. When Marcel later encounters Maurice at a nightclub, he is delighted when he correctly guesses what Eve has done to Maurice, as he had to endure the same behavior himself. On the honeymoon night, Eve complains that she has no more cleansing cream and insists that Annie bring her some more. After Annie delivers the cream, she becomes upset and quits, and Maurice cannot understand why. When Maurice sees Eve ready for bed, with cleansing cream on her face and wearing a hairnet and gloves, he takes another hotel room and later seeks a divorce. Maurice returns to Paris, only to find his business in shambles without Annie to manage things. He decides to quit cosmetics and conduct research with Max. Annie appears and informs Maurice that she is going to marry Marcel. Maurice then realizes that he loves Annie. He chases after the couple in a taxi and they both crash. Annie discovers to her horror that Marcel's curly hair is a

toupée A toupée ( ) is a Fake hair, hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic fiber, synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women a ...

. She tells Maurice that she loves him.

Cast

as Dr. Maurice Lamar *

as Eve Caron * Helen Mack as Annie * Edward Everett Horton as Marcel Caron *

Lucien Littlefield Lucien Littlefield (August 16, 1895 – June 4, 1960) was an American actor who achieved a long career from silent films to the television era. He was noted for his versatility, playing a wide range of roles and already portraying old men befor ...

as Max Pascal *

Mona Maris Mona Maris (born Mona Maria Emita Capdeville or Maria Rosa Amita Capdeville; November 7, 1903 – March 23, 1991) was an Argentine film actress. Early life Mona Maris was born Mona Maria Emita Capdeville. Some sources spell her last name as C ...

as Countess Rita * Rafael Alcayde as Rolando (credited as Rafael Storm) * Toby Wing as Consuelo Claghorne *Dorothy Christie as Greta * Ann Sheridan as beautician (uncredited) Listed in the opening credits are the "WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1934": * Judith Arlen * Betty Bryson * Jean Carmen * Helen Cohan (credited as Helene Cohan) *Dorothy Drake * Jean Gale *Hazel Hayes *

Ann Hovey Ann Hovey (August 29, 1911 – August 25, 2007) was an American chorus girl and minor film actress of the 1930s, primarily in B-movies. Life and career Born Ann Jacques Hovey in Mount Vernon, Indiana, Hovey was born into a wealthy an ...

* Lucille Lund * Lu Ann Meredith (as Lu-Anne Meredith) * Gigi Parrish (as Gi-Gi Parrish) * Jacqueline Wells *Katherine Williams

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic Andre Sennwald called the film "a first-class lingerie bazaar and a third-class entertainment" and wrote: "It represents a triumphant attempt to achieve pictorial allure without disturbing its pious editorial point of view on the impersonal worship of feminine beauty. It crowds the screen so thickly with silk, satin and nymphs that it is with some difficulty that such agreeable players as Edward Everett Horton, Cary Grant and Genevieve Tobin succeed in projecting themselves at all. ... 'Kiss and Make-Up' succeeds to a remarkable degree in being dull."

Winthrop Sargent Winthrop Sargent (May 1, 1753 – June 3, 1820) was an American politician, military officer and writer, who served as List of Governors of Mississippi, Governor of Mississippi Territory from 1798 to 1801, and briefly as acting List of Adjutant ...

of '' Variety'' wrote that Grant and Horton overplayed their parts "too strongly for laughs."

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...

later praised Grant's performance and thought that he had used his skills developed in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

well in the film, displaying a "sense of fun" with "confident, full-hearted exhibitionism."

References

Sources

* * *

External links

* *{{tcmdb title, 80406 1934 films 1934 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American films based on plays American romantic comedy films Films produced by B. P. Schulberg Films set in Paris Films set on the French Riviera Films about plastic surgery 1930s American films Films scored by Ralph Rainger