Main Cast: Fred MacMurray, Polly Bergen, Arlene Dahl, Edward Andrews, Eli Wallach
Release Year: 1964
Country: US
Run Time: 113 minutes
Plot
Behind every great woman, there's a man who isn't so sure he's happy to be there -- or at least that's the state of affairs in this gender-switch comedy. Leslie McCloud (Polly Bergen) makes history when she becomes the first woman elected to the office of President of the United States. However, while Leslie's achievement is a great step forward for women, her husband Thad McCloud is less enthusiastic about his own role in closing the gender gap. Thad soon finds his daily schedule is filled with meeting women from garden clubs, his official quarters are still filled with pink and frilly furniture from the previous resident, and Leslie's extremely busy schedule is putting a severe crimp in their love life. While Thad stews over his lowly status as a male "First Lady," Leslie is attempting to avoid an international incident by negotiating with Latin dictator Valdez (Eli Walach), who develops a less-than-diplomatic interest in the Leader of the Free World. Kisses For My President also features Arlene Dahl, Edward Andrews, and Ana Capri. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Even when it was initially released, Kisses for My President was a tepid, rather unimaginative comedy, a one-joke affair that ran out of steam rather quickly. The passage of time has only made things worse for Kisses, as it is difficult for a modern viewer to watch the film without at least finding it horribly dated and, more likely for many viewers, tremendously insulting. Credited scenarists Claude Binyon and Robert G. Kane seem to have taken the question "What would happen if a woman were elected president?" and then turned to whoever it is that thinks up "women driver" and "mother-in-law" jokes to come up with the screenplay. Even in 1964, the riffs on men and women changing expected places were tired and dated; today, they're actively annoying. This might be less important if Kisses had a stronger, more engaging plotline that surprised with its twists or that featured supporting characters that were more imaginatively conceived than its two leads. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Director Curtis Bernhardt gives the proceedings a fairly professional gloss, but the project requires a great deal more than that to overcome its basic flaw. Certainly Polly Bergen and Fred MacMurray give it their all, but there's only so much they can do with the material. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Donald May - John O'Connor; Ahna Capri - Gloria McCloud; Ronnie Dapo - Peter McCloud; Bill Walker - Joseph; Adrienne Marden - Miss Higgins; Bill Richards - Harry Holcombe; Richard St. John - Jackson
Credit
Herman A. Blumenthal - Art Director, Gene Taft - Associate Producer, Steven Bernhardt - Associate Producer, Howard Shoup - Costume Designer, Curtis Bernhardt - Director, Sam O'Steen - Editor, Bronislau Kaper - Composer (Music Score), Gordon Bau - Makeup, Robert Surtees - Cinematographer, Curtis Bernhardt - Producer, Chick Bernhardt - Producer, John P. Austin - Set Designer, Stan Jones - Sound/Sound Designer, Marvin Willens - Stunts, Claude Binyon - Screenwriter, Robert G. Kane - Screenwriter
