[6]
Cary Grant stars in this comedy about a plastic surgeon and beauty clinic operator who falls in love with one of his most beautiful creations (Genevieve Tobin), unable to realize his heart really lies with the ‘untouched beauty’ of his dutiful secretary (Helen Mack). Once it becomes obvious to Grant’s character that his strict diet, lifestyle, and skin care regimen warps his patients’ minds — turning them into slaves of beauty — he gives his practice up and tries to win back Mack’s heart. But she’s already betrothed to another man (Edward Everett Horton).
Grant shows some early chops for comedy here and is the stand-out performer in the ensemble. He even sings in a couple of scenes. Mack has some nice vulnerable moments as well. Tobin plays the daffiest character, at her funniest when she threatens to get fat if Grant doesn’t marry her — knowing full well the artist won’t tolerate seeing his masterpiece swell. Kiss and Make Up lacks the dramatic grounding or verisimilitude to be a memorable classic, but it might satisfy your hankering for a goofy Golden Age comedy. The early scenes at Grant’s Egyptian-styled beauty clinic are notably peculiar, taking advantage of Hollywood’s lax censorship standards with several bathing suit-clad women being pampered and exercised. Less than a month after this film was released, the Hays Code would be enforced, making sure no such ‘scandalous’ content would be seen in a studio production for nearly twenty-four years.
Directed by Harlan Thompson. With Lucien Littlefield, Mona Maris, and Toby Wing.