KISS ME, KATE!
Tit. it.: Baciami, Kate! Sc.: Dorothy Kingsley, dalla pièce e dal libro di Samuel e Bella Spacewack, ispirati a «The Taming of the Shrew» di William Shakespeare. F.: Charle Rosher. Mu.: Cole Porter. M.: Ralph E. Winters. Scgf.: Cedric Gibbons, Urie McCleary. Cost.: Walter Plunkett. Su.: Douglas Shearer. Eff.sp.: Warren Newcombe, Arnold Gilespie. Ass.R.: George Rhein. Cast: Kathryn Grayson (Lilli Vanessi/Katherine), 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). Prod.: MGM; 35mm. D.: 109’ a 24 f/s. Col.
Film Notes
With Kiss Me, Kate!, Metro wanted to run a test: in three cities, Columbus, Dallas and Syracuse, the film was shown with the 3-D system, in three others, Evansville, Houston and Rochester, it was shown in the two-dimensional version. It was immediately clear that audiences had chosen the 3-D version, so all the 2-D theaters converted to 3-D before the experimental week came to an end. Metro notified those cinemas scheduled to show the film in the future of the results, saying: «In light of this experiment, we urge you to show Kiss Me, Kate! in 3-D». Some discredited the results as falsified, and for the New York premiere, the flat version was shown. The music by Cole Porter includes several of his classics, like «Too Darn Hot» and «Wunderbar». A film of exceptional quality, it’s no surprise that it was one of the biggest box office hits of the 1953 season. The theatrical version was a big success on Broadway.
Riminicinema catalogue, 1992