The Kissing Bandit

Another of the movies I watched recently is the lively Technicolor musical/romantic comedy The Kissing Bandit.

Frank Sinatra plays Ricardo, a young man originally from Mexican California who went east to study in Boston. However, his father has died, so now Ricardo is returning to run the family inn, with help from Dad's assistant Chico (J. Carrol Naish). However, what Ricardo doesn't realize is that the inn was actually a front. You see, Dad was the notorious "Kissing Bandit", who robbed passing coached and was romantic with all the women he robbed. And the Bandit has a large bounty on his head, courtesy of the governor, Don José (Mikhai Rasumny).

Meanwhile, the Governor's daughter Teresa (Kathryn Grayson) is returning home from convent school. The old members of the Kissing Bandit gang set out on another mission with Ricardo in tow, even though Ricardo can barely ride a horse -- he's clearly no bandit. Worse, when it comes time to rob a coach, the one they pick just happens to have Teresa in it. Ricardo meets her, and the two immediately fall in love despite the fact that Ricardo is going to be in danger if he's caught out as the Kissing Bandit. Not that he realizes this is the governor's daughter

That just may happen, because the Governor has other problems. Apparently, he hasn't been doing a good enough job collecting taxes, as a general, Felipe Toro (Billy Gilbert) is sent to collect those taxes by any means necessary. Fortunately, though, the general and his adjutant stop at Ricardo's inn, allowing the gang to waylay him and send Ricardo in the general's stead. This is where he's going to learn that he's fallen in love with the governor's daughter....

Frank Sinatra hated this movie, and it was a financial disaster for MGM, and in some ways it's easy to see why. Sinatra and Grayson are a big clash in musical styles, so the music doesn't always work. Indeed, the producers shelved the movie for a while before adding a specialty dance with Ricardo Montalbán, Cyd Charisse, and Ann Miller, which is really the highlight of the movie. Yowza what a combination. That having been said, I don't think the movie was quite as bad as a lot of people think. The color is nice, and Sinatra, Naish, and Mildred Natwick as Teresa's aunt Isabella are all appealing. Still, having seen it, I can understand better why Sinatra was so desperate to get the role of Maggio in From Here to Eternity and revive his flagging acting career.

The Kissing Bandit is available on DVD should you wish to watch for yourself.