A Kiss in the Dark (1949 film)

A Kiss in the Dark
A Kiss in the Dark
Directed by	Delmer Daves
Screenplay by	Harry Kurnitz
Story by	Everett Freeman; Devery Freeman
Produced by	Harry Kurnitz
Starring	David Niven; Jane Wyman
Cinematography	Robert Burks
Edited by	David Weisbart
Music by	Max Steiner
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	March 25, 1949;
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

A Kiss in the Dark is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Delmer Daves and starring David Niven, Jane Wyman, Victor Moore, Wayne Morris and Broderick Crawford.^[1] The plot involves a pianist who purchases an apartment house full of eccentric tenants.

Plot

Concert pianist Eric Phillips, who has been on the road touring for 21 years, returns home. He is served a warrant to perform repairs on the building that he owns and learns that his financial advisor Peter Danilo bought the building with Eric's money some time ago as an investment. Eric visits the building and meets some of its tenants, including the young and beautiful model Polly Haines, and Eric is attracted to her. Polly's suitor, insurance salesman Bruce Arnold, sells Eric a policy. Eric and the tenants agree to improve the building together, starting with a roof garden with a day-care center. However, a building inspector tells Eric that the building repairs are insufficient. Eric blames the former owner and present manager Horace Willoughby for the poor quality of the work and fires him. Polly comes to Horace's defense, telling Eric that Horace is a helpful but unfortunate man who was forced to sell the building. Filled with remorse, Eric rehires Horace to lead the repair effort.

Eric and Polly fall in love, and Bruce is jealous. Eric takes advice from musician friend Madame Karina and works less with his hands. Bruce convinces Eric that Polly is not really interested in him and that she feigned interest so that Bruce could sell him insurance. Eric plans to tour again, but before he has a chance to go, Horace locks him with Polly in his apartment. They talk and discover that both Bruce and Peter wanted Eric separated from Polly, for different selfish reasons. Eric leaves on the tour with Polly and it becomes their honeymoon trip.

Cast

David Niven as Eric Phillips
Jane Wyman as Polly Haines
Victor Moore as Horace Willoughby
Wayne Morris as Bruce Arnold
Broderick Crawford as Mr. Botts
Joseph Buloff as Peter Danilo
Maria Ouspenskaya as Madame Karina
Curt Bois as Hugo Schloss
Percival Vivian as Benton
Raymond Greenleaf as Martin Soames

Production

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther called A Kiss in the Dark "flimsy and unoriginal" and wrote: "No one can take great exception to the formula of boy-meets-girl, so long as some bright contrivance is pleasantly worked into it. And no one can say that Miss Wyman is above a nice frolicsome lark. But the trouble with this standard fiction is that it isn't very bright and Miss Wyman has very little of a frolicsome nature to do in it."^[2]

References

^ "A Kiss in the Dark". afi.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
^ Crowther, Bosley (March 26, 1949). "The Screen in Review: 'A Kiss in the Dark,' With Jane Wyman and David Niven, ls New Bill at the Strand". The New York Times. p. 10.

External links

A Kiss in the Dark at IMDb
A Kiss in the Dark at the TCM Movie Database
A Kiss in the Dark at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

[afi-1] "A Kiss in the Dark". afi.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.

[nytreview-2] Crowther, Bosley (March 26, 1949). "The Screen in Review: 'A Kiss in the Dark,' With Jane Wyman and David Niven, ls New Bill at the Strand". The New York Times. p. 10.

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