Too Young to Kiss

Too Young to Kiss
A film poster featuring a color painted depiction of Allyson preparing to kiss Johnson with a greyscale Allyson (dressed as a child) in the lower-left corner; stylized lipsticked lips in the lower third of the poster have the film's title—Too Young to Kiss—written upon them.
Directed byRobert Z. Leonard
Screenplay by
Story byEverett Freeman
Produced bySam Zimbalist
Starring
CinematographyJoseph Ruttenberg
Edited byConrad A. Nervig
Music byJohnny Green
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • November 22, 1951 (1951-11-22)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
Budget$1.4 million
Box office$2.3 million

Too Young to Kiss (also All Too Young)[1] is a 1951 American comedy film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Van Johnson and June Allyson. The film, in which Allyson's Cynthia Potter masquerades as a 14-year-old child prodigy, was directed by Robert Z. Leonard.

The monaural, black-and-white film clocks in at 91 minutes long. In theatres, Too Young to Kiss earned 164% of its budget, and received mixed critical reviews. Allyson won a Golden Globe for her work on the film, and four crew were nominated for an Academy Award.

Plot

Cynthia Potter is a skilled pianist trying to catch the eye of concert promoter Eric Wainwright, who is only looking for young talent. Potter (in her 20s), masquerades as her own fictional younger sister, 14-year-old Molly Potter. Wainwright is captivated by her skills, and as the two work together, Wainwright develops a paternal affectation towards the young performer, while Potter becomes romantically attracted to him.[2]

Cast

The cast of Too Young to Kiss included:[3]

  • June Allyson as Cynthia/Molly Potter
  • Van Johnson as Eric Wainwright
  • Gig Young as John Tirsen
  • Paula Corday as Denise Dorcet
  • Kathryn Givney as Miss Benson
  • Larry Keating as Danny Cutler
  • Hans Conried as Mr. Sparrow
  • Esther Dale as Mrs. Boykin
  • Jo Gilbert as Gloria

Production

The 91-minute-long,[4] monaural, black-and-white[1] Too Young to Kiss was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with a crew of:[5]

Release

Too Young to Kiss premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on November 22, 1951.[6][1] It was distributed by Loew's Inc.[1] and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[5] In 2015, the film was available on DVD.[4]

Reception

At the box office, Too Young to Kiss earned US$2.3 million on a budget of $1.4M (equivalent to about $28.5M and $17.4M respectively in 2025).[7]

Upon the film's release, The New York Times' Bosley Crowther was unimpressed with Allyson and Johnson's adolescent antics and the excessive suspension of disbelief required.[6] Over a week later, the Spartanburg Herald-Journal reported that the comedy had been critically acclaimed,[8] and while the Los Angeles Times' Philip K. Scheuer decried the Too Young to Kiss' length, he complimented Allyson's performance as a pianist and the film's "amusing sequences."[9]

Hal Erickson described the film as "fluff", and noted that despite retreading 1942's The Major and the Minor, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's scriptwriting kept the material "fresh and funny throughout".[2] On a four-star scale, Leonard Maltin rated the film at 2.5 stars, calling Allyson's Potter "fetching".[4]

Awards

Five people who worked on Too Young to Kiss were nominated for film awards, with only Allyson winning hers:[10]

Award ceremony Date Category Nominee Result
9th Golden Globe Awards February 21, 1952 Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical June Allyson Won
24th Academy Awards March 20, 1952 Best Black-and-White Art Direction
  • Art direction: Cedric Gibbons & Paul Groesse
  • Set decoration: Jack D. Moore & Edwin B. Willis
 Nominated

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Too Young to Kiss (1951) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Erickson, Hal. "Too Young to Kiss (1951) Overview". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  3. ^ "Too Young to Kiss (1951) Full Acting Credits". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Maltin, Leonard (2015) [2005]. Green, Spencer; Edelman, Rob; Scheinfeld, Michael; Weaver, Tom (eds.). Classic Movie Guide (3rd ed.). Hudson Street: Plume. p. 725. ISBN 978-0-14-751682-4.
  5. ^ a b "Too Young to Kiss (1951) Full Production Credits". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Crowther, Bosley (November 23, 1951). James, Edwin Leland (ed.). "THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'Too Young to Kiss,' With Jane Allyson and Van Johnson, Opens at Music Hall". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522.
  7. ^ Mannix, Eddie, Eddie Mannix Ledger, Margaret Herrick Library
  8. ^ "'Let's Talk Shop' with Polly". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. December 2, 1951. p. C9.
  9. ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (December 13, 1951). Hotchkiss, L. D. (ed.). "'Red Badge' Vivid Impression of War". Part III. Los Angeles Times. Vol. LXXI, no. 10. p. 12. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237.
  10. ^ "Too Young to Kiss (1951) Awards". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  • Too Young to Kiss at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  • Too Young to Kiss at IMDb
  • Too Young to Kiss at the TCM Movie Database (archived version)
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Too Young to Kiss at Wikimedia Commons
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