The Kissing Bandit is a 1948 American comedy musical Western film directed by László Benedek. It stars Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson, with J. Carrol Naish in a supporting role, and Ricardo Montalbán, Ann Miller and Cyd Charisse in cameo roles.
| The Kissing Bandit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | László Benedek |
| Written by | Isobel Lennart |
| Produced by | Joe Pasternak |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Robert Surtees |
| Edited by | Adrienne Fazan |
| Music by | George Stoll |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,291,000[1][2] |
| Box office | $1,381,000[1] |
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In the early nineteenth century, Ricardo, the son of a robber known as the Kissing Bandit, is a shy, Boston-bred young man who does not know how to sit on a horse. He falls for the daughter of the Spanish Governor of California.
The film was a financial disaster, earning $969,000 in the US and Canada and $412,000 overseas, resulting in a loss to MGM of $2,643,000. This made it one of the least successful musicals in MGM history.[1][3][4]
It was reviewed unfavorably in Picturegoer: "The progress of [the] romance is uninspired and very dull. The one worthwhile performance comes from J. Carrol NaishasThe Kissing Bandit's henchman."[5]
On an episode of the radio show, Light Up Time, Sinatra referred to himself as "star of The Kissing Bandit, the script of which somebody should have put a match to."[citation needed]
On December 10, 1950, a 19-year-old Estonian Australian immigrant named Peeter Pedaja hijacked a motorcycle while brandishing a toy gun somewhere on the road near Gympie, Queensland. Heading farther south, he forced a car to stop between Landsborough and Nambour, and demanded money from the driver before speeding off, eventually being arrested by Queensland police. He told the court that he meant no harm, and was inspired to "do something unusual" after watching The Kissing Bandit.[6][7] Pedaja was released on a suspended sentence, and was eventually proclaimed "The Kissing Bandit in Real Life" by the Australian media.[8]
