L'apprentie amoureuse

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.

"Kiss and Tell" is a mildly funny family comedy whose main claim to fame is having the teenage Shirley Temple star as the goofy Corliss Archer. She's a bit of a dingbat and gets herself into all sorts of trouble and two families suddenly think that this young lady and her equally young boyfriend, Dexter are married...even though they play characters who are only 15 or 16!

The trouble starts when Corliss' family and Mildred's start fussing at each other over some silly misunderstanding. This causes huge problems for Corliss' brother when he arrives home on leave, because he wants to marry Mildred and they do so secretly. But now with all the arguing, the pair decide to keep their marriage a secret until the new groom gets back from the war. But there's a hiccup...Mildred becomes pregnant and through a misunderstanding, folks think Corliss is an unwed mother-to-be. Corliss doesn't want their families to know about the real wedding and decides since she promised not to tell that she would pretend to be the pregnant one...and names poor Dexter as the father! Is this the end to the lies and craziness? Not on your life. How does Corliss extricate herself...or will she suddenly find herself married to Dexter at their parents' insistence?

This film is surprisingly adult for its time. While teens getting married was not uncommon back in the 40s, being pregnant without being married was a huge taboo...or at least to admit to doing. The whole notion of premarital sex was pretty racy stuff for the day-- especially when it was the 'little girl' America loved, Miss Temple! Overall, a funny but slight film that is well worth seeing. The only serious problem was Corliss' father (Walter Abel), as his character seemed like a cartoonish buffoon much of the time. And, incidentally, Temple returned a few years later for a sequel (it was terrible) and shortly after that, there were two television versions which starred Lugene Sanders as well as Ann Baker. Neither of the shows were particularly successful.

. 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. .

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.

Enjoyed this film immensely.

Good acting all round.

I wish it would come round on english telly.

Made me feel very happy.