Un bacio al buio

This is a fun romantic comedy which relies upon Ida Lupina's face expressions to do much communication. This is an under rated enjoyable movie w lots of laughs. Ida is terrific.

This was wonderfully enjoyable! Men probably disagree since it is most definitely Woman's Movie!! The leading man is almost too handsome and then he smiles!! Wow! Plus, Ida Lupino is so young & gorgeous! I doubt the film maker was hoping for an Oscar but an offering of romance and comedy!! Why not!! It's perfect in that category!!

Middle thirties studio fodder that would be completely forgotten if it didn't have Ida Lupino in one of the star parts. She's very young although starting to move away from the English Jean Harlow mold the studio tried forcing her into when she first arrived. Her voice is still high and light not having yet acquired the smoky whiskey tinge that was to come within a few years. Some fun is provided by two members of the supporting cast, the always reliable Roland Young and the buffoonish Hugh Herbert plus Ida and the forgotten Francis Lederer make an attractive couple but this is a minor romantic comedy nothing more.

"One Rainy Afternoon" is an American remake of the French film "Monsieur Sans-Gêne". I have no idea if the French film is any good or not, all I know is that "One Rainy Afternoon" became VERY tiresome almost as soon as it started! This is due to a terrible miscasting of Francis Lederer in a comedy--and his abilities with comedy were nonexistent. A fine actor, yes, but a comedian, no way! In addition, there is a lot of Hugh Herbert in the film and my theory about his films is that the more of him in a movie, the less I'll enjoy it. High laugh just pierces my brain and makes me want to scream.

As for the plot, it's VERY contrived and not enough to support an entire full-length film. Lederer is going to meet a married woman at the theater but instead of sitting there and kissing her in the dark, he accidentally kisses a stranger (Ida Lupino). What makes this so unendurable is everyone's reaction to this--like the world is about to end or something! To base an entire film on such a faux pas--what a mistake and the film comes off as very forced and unfunny.

UPDATE: I saw this film again recently and think the original review a bit too severe. I now admit that the film, while seemingly endorsing sexual harassment, has some charm nevertheless.

Philippe Martin (Francis Lederer) is a struggling actor who accidentally kisses Monique (Ida Lupino) in a darkened cinema thinking that she is someone else. This incident causes a scandal which goes to court. In the meantime, Philippe's stage career takes off and we end with a theatre performance where the story depicts the recent events and we even have a song about it.

This film isn't very good despite having 2 good main actors in the lead roles. I expected more from Lederer and Lupino but there just wasn't anything in the script to deliver. The film is about an incident which is not capable of carrying a whole film. It also contains a very annoying Hugh Herbert as "Toto" who is given comedy music when he appears, which is all the way through the film. His character helps ruin the film. But it is a film with a nothing story to begin with. Shame the two main actors wasted their time with this.