Küss mich, Dummkopf (1964)

Küss mich, Dummkopf: Directed by Billy Wilder. With Dean Martin, Kim Novak, Ray Walston, Felicia Farr. Jealous piano teacher Orville Spooner sends his beautiful wife, Zelda, away for the night while he tries to sell a song to famous nightclub singer Dino, who is stranded in town.

“In January 1965, I remember reading a TV Guide article bemoaning the immorality depicted in recent Hollywood films. Two movies, in particular, were singled out. The first, THE CARPETBAGGERS, was based on Harold Robbins trashy novel and KISS ME, STUPID, referred to as out and outu0026#39;smutu0026#39;by various film critics at the time. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe much maligned and savaged KISS ME,STUPID has aged far better than the previously mentioned title, thanks in large part to director Billy Wilderu0026#39;s razor sharp satiric barbs at the expense of small town Americau0026#39;s morals and mores, in this case, Climax, Nevada.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDean Martin portrays himself or rather a ratcheted up version of his u0026#39;Dinou0026#39; persona. From his killer opening monologue at The Sands in Las Vegas surrounded by a bevy of beautiful showgirls, Martin establishes himself as the ultra cool embodiment of u0026#39;The Ratpack.u0026#39; His comic timing is impeccable throughout this flick.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKim Novak as u0026#39;Polly the Pistolu0026#39; a cocktail waitress-cum-whore delivers a knock out sympathetic performance. Her physical presence in this film represents girlie magazines of the era such as u0026#39;Dude,u0026#39;Gent,u0026#39;u0026#39;Rogue,u0026#39;and u0026#39;Nuggetu0026#39; i.e. big dames who are well proportioned. Another of the more interesting aspects watching Kim Novak on screen throughout her career is her facial expression which usually looks like sheu0026#39;s in the midst of having sex.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen Martin and Miss Novak are on screen together, the sexual tension is palpable. In one scene, u0026#39;Dinou0026#39; is sitting next to u0026#39;Pollyu0026#39; who is wearing a several sizes too tight dress, when he removes one of her high heels and starts lecherously tickling her foot. He then pours a long stemmed beaker of chianti into the high heel stiletto and proceeds to drink from it. During a period when an American sex comedy meant serving up Rock Hudson u0026amp; Doris Day to titillate audiences, KISS ME,STUPID arrived on the scene like a ribald slap on a pretty girlu0026#39;s primly skirted derrière.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie has an alluringly seedy look about it. Debauchery plays much better in black u0026amp; white than in Technicolor. Ray Walston(already a household name,thanks to u0026quot;MY FAVORITE MARTIANu0026quot;) portrays a manic version of a frustrated songwriter who imagines himself to be cuckolded up to a third of the way through the film. Even Walstonu0026#39;s hair looks taut, almost spiked to add to his on the brink behavior. Felicia Farr as Walstonu0026#39;s wife ,Zelda, provides a perpetually smiling, sometimes naive outlook on her life as one of the residents of Climax. (She was married to Jack Lemmon at the time, a Wilder favorite). Yet she does have the final word in this movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn the midst of adulterous affairs with impunity(in itself shocking four years before the MPAA codes were brought in) ultimately,KISS ME,STUPID is a love story. Miss Novak as u0026#39;Pollyu0026#39;explains in her husky yet nurturing voice u0026quot;A woman without a man is like a trailer without a car.u0026quot; Who knows, maybe we can hitch a ride to u0026quot;The Belly Buttonu0026quot; where we can u0026quot;Drop In And Get Lost.u0026quot;”