Kiss and Tell

. I saw this movie one time, on TV. I was 12. That would have been around 1960. And I've never forgotten it. My mother and myself, and my younger sister, laughed through the whole thing til our sides hurt. It struck so close to home for all three of us. I've been looking for the thing to come out on tape all my adult life. But it doesn't matter when it comes out. As long as it does one day, I won't have outgrown it. .

Shirley Temple is Corliss Archer, the perpetually fifteen-year-old girl whose imagination and stubbornness always gets her into trouble. Here, through a series of events, she's covering up for her secret sister-in-law, pretending to be expecting and married to boy-next-door Jerome Courtland. It's typical idiot plotting, with Walter Abel as Miss Temple's apoplectic father, Katherine Alexander as her long-suffering mother, and Robert Benchley, who pops into view to keep things bubbling for another few minutes.

I thought it was pretty racy for a Production Code movie, but it's based on a stage play that had been produced on Broadway a couple of years earlier. Corliss had been created by F. High Herbert, who turned it into quite a franchise opportunity, with movies, stage shows, the long-running radio show, a television series, and even a comic book; that ran only three issues. Miss Temple would reappear as Corliss in a second movie four years later. With Porter Hall, Darryl Hickman, Carlyle Blackwell Jr, and Daisy the Dog on loan from Blondie.

KISS AND TELL with Shirley as Corliss Archer is the kind of family comedy rampant in the '40s and '50s--but what seemed mighty funny back then doesn't have quite the same punch today. In other words, all the material is slightly dated and the genuine laughs in the script by F. Hugh Herbert are few and far between.

Nevertheless, it's one of Shirley's most appealing performances as a teen-ager and she seems to be enjoying herself immensely. She has good support from Jerome Courtland, as an awkward neighborhood boy, and Walter Abel as her exasperated father and Katharine Alexander as his patient wife. I believe Shirley had already played Corliss Archer on radio and certainly had an affinity for this sort of role.

I recall enjoying it much more years ago. A recent viewing of the film left me much less impressed with the overall result. It seemed to be straining a bit hard for laughs and the material was very thin.

I didn't have high expectations for this film. I feared Shirley Temple as a teenager would be awkward. However, this movie was surprisingly entertaining! It was well paced, with a strong supporting cast. The plot twists were quite funny. Shirley plays Corliss Archer; She agrees to keep her brother's secret marriage underwraps, and winds up getting herself in a lot of trouble.

I was nine years old when I saw Kiss and Tell. I went to the morning movie and stayed until the last showing at 9:00 pm. I loved it so much that I didn't want to leave and kept saying,' wait until this part, then I'll leave.' Shirley Temple was a beautiful teenager. I remember that she had a kissing booth to help raise money for the war effort. The movie shows great community spirit in support of the soldiers that had gone off to battle. It was fun to see her go from a child to a teenager that I could identify with. Wanted to grow up and be like Shirley Temple. Would recommend this movie for family viewing! The other actors and actresses played wonderful supporting cast. Would love to see this movie out on a DVD!