This movie could be summed up as a piece of Hollywood fluff, and I suspect the main reason people would watch it now would be for the movie debut of Mario Lanza as actor and on-screen singer. It is indeed a lightweight vehicle for singing (Lanza and Kathryn Grayson) but there are other talents present too, who present their stuff with verve. Keenan Wynn wisecracks, Jose Iturbi plays up a storm on the piano, and the bit part actors are good value. I don't much care for the rather camp mugging of Jules Munshin, but Thomas Gomez is comic as the tenor opposition. Kathryn Grayson is ornamental and has a light silvery voice. Mario Lanza proves he was a warm, expressive and natural actor right from the start (bearing in mind that he was never asked to play anything but more-or-less autobiographical parts). His singing, of course, is stellar but there's not enough of it for me. It's understandable though, that MGM may have been testing the waters as to how much in the way of operatic performance the movie-going public would accept. The dialogue is light and humorous, and it's noticeable that everything, including the musical performances, is moved along briskly to avoid the viewer's interest drifting. No such risk for me!. It's very acceptable entertainment which has aged well, noting especially that the print of the movie which has been digitized is very good quality in respect of both audio and video properties.
Review of That Midnight Kiss
