Kiss Me, Stupid
| Kiss Me, Stupid | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Billy Wilder |
| Produced by | Billy Wilder |
| Written by | Billy Wilder I.A.L. Diamond Based on a play by Anna Bonacci |
| Starring |
Dean Martin Kim Novak Ray Walston Felicia Farr Cliff Osmond |
| Music by | André Previn |
| Cinematography | Joseph LaShelle |
| Edited by | Daniel Mandell |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
Lopert Pictures Corporation United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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126 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $5,000,000 |
Kiss Me, Stupid is a 1964 American comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder and starring Dean Martin, Kim Novak, and Ray Walston.
The screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is based on the play L'ora della fantasia (The Dazzling Hour) by Anna Bonacci, which had inspired Wife For a Night (Moglie per una notte, 1952), an Italian film starring Gina Lollobrigida. The comic song lyrics were written by Ira Gershwin, using some of George Gershwin's unpublished melodies.
While driving his Dual-Ghia from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, lecherous, heavy-drinking pop singer Dino (Dean Martin) is forced to detour through Climax, Nevada. There he meets the amateur songwriting team of Barney Millsap (Cliff Osmond), a gas station attendant, and piano teacher Orville J. Spooner (Ray Walston), a man easily given to jealousy. Hoping to interest Dino in their songs, Barney disables the "Italian" sports car and tells Dino he will need to remain in town until new parts arrive from Milan. (Dual-Ghia was actually an American marque, mating a Dodge frame, drivetrain, and engine with Italian coachwork.)
Orville invites Dino to stay with him and wife Zelda (Felicia Farr), but becomes concerned when he learns the singer needs to have sex every night to avoid awakening with a headache. Anxious to accommodate Dino but safeguard his marriage, Orville provokes an argument with his wife that leads to Zelda fleeing in tears. He and Barney then arrange for Polly the Pistol (Kim Novak), a waitress and prostitute at a saloon on the edge of town called the Belly Button, to pose as Orville's wife and satisfy Dino.
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