Kiss Me, Stupid!

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Kiss Me, Stupid! ★★ 1964 (PG-13)

Once condemned as smut, this lesser Billy Wilder effort now seems no worse than an average TV sitcom. Martin basically plays himself as a horny Vegas crooner stranded in the boondocks. A local songwriter wants Dino to hear his tunes but knows the cad will seduce his pretty wife, so he hires a floozy to pose as the tempting spouse. It gets better as it goes along, but the whole thing suffers from staginess, being an adaptation of an Italian play “L'Ora Della Fantasia” by Anna Bonacci. 126m/B VHS, DVD . Dean Martin, Kim Novak, Ray Walston, Felicia Farr, Cliff Osmond, Barbara Pepper, Doro Merande, Howard McNear, Henry Gibson, John Fiedler, Mel Blanc; D: Billy Wilder; W: Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond; C: Joseph LaShelle; M: Andre Previn.