Kisses for Breakfast
Encyclopedia
Kisses for Breakfast is a 1941 screwball comedy
directed by Yves Mirande
, starring Dennis Morgan
, Jane Wyatt
and Shirley Ross
. The film is a remake of the 1930 pre-Code comedy The Matrimonial Bed
, which was produced by Warner Brothers Pictures
from an English stage play adaptation by Seymour Hicks
(Mr. What's His Name) of a French comic farce, Au Premier de Ces Messieurs ("To the First Husband"), written by Mirande and André Mouëzy-Éon.
) breaks off her engagement to Lucius Lorimer (Jerome Cowan
) for the third time to marry handsome singer and ladykiller Rodney Trask (Dennis Morgan
). After the wedding, Juliet's Southern cousin, Laura Anders (Jane Wyatt
), calls from South Carolina
to apologize for not attending because of appendicitis
. Juliet promises to visit Laura on her honeymoon and has Rodney write down the address. Before the newlyweds can leave, Rodney is visited by a woman named Clara Raymond, who blackmails
him over their past relationship. Juliet's friend, Betty Trent (Lee Patrick
), sees them drive away in Rodney's car. Rodney refuses to pay and is hit over the head by Clara's accomplice, developing amnesia
. The blackmailers drive the car over a cliff, where it bursts into flames, and although no body is found, Rodney is believed to be dead. Rodney, not knowing who he is, takes the name "Happy Homes" from an F.H.A.
billboard he chances to see, finds Laura's address in his pocket, and travels to her cotton plantation in search of his true identity. Laura has no idea who he is, but Rodney talks her into hiring him to run the nearly bankrupt plantation.
A year passes and love develops between Happy and Laura. They marry, and before leaving on their honeymoon, make a surprise visit to Juliet. Family and friends (including Lucius) immediately recognize "Happy" as Rodney, but are not quite certain if it's really Rodney or just a coincidence. Laura and Happy are unaware of the true situation, and when the household concocts a series of delays to prevent the couple from proceeding on their honeymoon, conclude everyone is crazy. They decide to sneak out to Niagara Falls
, but Juliet discovers the plan. She diverts fuel oil
into the water pipes and drenches both in goo when they take showers. Happy is hypnotized
by Juliet's psychiatrist uncle and recovers his memory, thinking it is the day of his first wedding. Lucius reveals the entire story to the innocent Laura.
Refusing to admit defeat because she loves Happy, Laura hogties Juliet and locks her in the sabotaged shower. She confronts Rodney alone is his bedroom. She convinces him that she is the "Cousin Laura" that he spoke to on the phone and that a year has passed. Rodney realizes that he is married to both women. She also charms him into kissing her, and his latent feelings for her arise again. Juliet, covered in black oil, escapes the shower and finds Rodney kissing Laura, leading to a pillow fight
over his affections that winds up with Juliet being tarred and feathered
. Laura decides to leave for South Carolina. Rodney realizes that he loves Laura. He tricks her into bashing him over the head with an urn containing his supposed remains (buttons from his overcoat) and "becomes" Happy again. Juliet disgustedly concludes that he is a "chameleon" and gives him up.
Screwball Comedy
Screwball Comedy is an album by the Japanese band Soul Flower Union. The album found the band going into a simpler, harder-rocking direction, after several heavily world-music influenced albums.-Track listing:...
directed by Yves Mirande
Yves Mirande
Yves Mirande was a French screenwriter, director, actor, and producer.-As screenwriter:* 1909 : La Tournée des grands ducs* 1909 : Le Petit qui a faim* 1909 : Octave* 1930 : Le Spectre vert...
, starring Dennis Morgan
Dennis Morgan
Dennis Morgan was an American actor-singer. Born as Earl Stanley Morner, he used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting his professional name....
, Jane Wyatt
Jane Wyatt
Jane Waddington Wyatt was an American actress perhaps best known for her role as the housewife and mother on the television comedy Father Knows Best, and as Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock on the science fiction television series Star Trek...
and Shirley Ross
Shirley Ross
Shirley Ross was an American actress and singer.Ross was born Bernice Gaunt in Omaha, Nebraska but her family relocated to California when she was a child. She studied at Hollywood High School and the University of California and auditioned successfully for Gus Arnheim's band during her second...
. The film is a remake of the 1930 pre-Code comedy The Matrimonial Bed
The Matrimonial Bed
The Matrimonial Bed is a 1930 American Pre-Code comedy film produced and released by Warner Bros.. It was based on the French play by André Mouézy-Éon and Yves Mirande...
, which was produced by Warner Brothers Pictures
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
from an English stage play adaptation by Seymour Hicks
Seymour Hicks
Sir Arthur Seymour Hicks , better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, screenwriter, theatre manager and producer. He married the actress Ellaline Terriss in 1893...
(Mr. What's His Name) of a French comic farce, Au Premier de Ces Messieurs ("To the First Husband"), written by Mirande and André Mouëzy-Éon.
Plot summary
Fickle Juliet Marsden (Shirley RossShirley Ross
Shirley Ross was an American actress and singer.Ross was born Bernice Gaunt in Omaha, Nebraska but her family relocated to California when she was a child. She studied at Hollywood High School and the University of California and auditioned successfully for Gus Arnheim's band during her second...
) breaks off her engagement to Lucius Lorimer (Jerome Cowan
Jerome Cowan
Jerome Palmer Cowan was an American film and television actor. At eighteen he joined a travelling stock company, shortly afterwards enlisting in the navy in World War I. After the war he returned to the stage and became a vaudeville headliner, then gained success on the New York stage...
) for the third time to marry handsome singer and ladykiller Rodney Trask (Dennis Morgan
Dennis Morgan
Dennis Morgan was an American actor-singer. Born as Earl Stanley Morner, he used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting his professional name....
). After the wedding, Juliet's Southern cousin, Laura Anders (Jane Wyatt
Jane Wyatt
Jane Waddington Wyatt was an American actress perhaps best known for her role as the housewife and mother on the television comedy Father Knows Best, and as Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock on the science fiction television series Star Trek...
), calls from South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
to apologize for not attending because of appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
. Juliet promises to visit Laura on her honeymoon and has Rodney write down the address. Before the newlyweds can leave, Rodney is visited by a woman named Clara Raymond, who blackmails
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
him over their past relationship. Juliet's friend, Betty Trent (Lee Patrick
Lee Patrick (actress)
Lee Patrick was an American theater and film actress.-Early life and education:Born in New York City, Patrick began acting on Broadway in 1924. For more than a decade, she was constantly employed and established herself as a popular actress. She appeared in the original 1929 production of June...
), sees them drive away in Rodney's car. Rodney refuses to pay and is hit over the head by Clara's accomplice, developing amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
. The blackmailers drive the car over a cliff, where it bursts into flames, and although no body is found, Rodney is believed to be dead. Rodney, not knowing who he is, takes the name "Happy Homes" from an F.H.A.
Federal Housing Administration
The Federal Housing Administration is a United States government agency created as part of the National Housing Act of 1934. It insured loans made by banks and other private lenders for home building and home buying...
billboard he chances to see, finds Laura's address in his pocket, and travels to her cotton plantation in search of his true identity. Laura has no idea who he is, but Rodney talks her into hiring him to run the nearly bankrupt plantation.
A year passes and love develops between Happy and Laura. They marry, and before leaving on their honeymoon, make a surprise visit to Juliet. Family and friends (including Lucius) immediately recognize "Happy" as Rodney, but are not quite certain if it's really Rodney or just a coincidence. Laura and Happy are unaware of the true situation, and when the household concocts a series of delays to prevent the couple from proceeding on their honeymoon, conclude everyone is crazy. They decide to sneak out to Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
, but Juliet discovers the plan. She diverts fuel oil
Fuel oil
Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
into the water pipes and drenches both in goo when they take showers. Happy is hypnotized
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
by Juliet's psychiatrist uncle and recovers his memory, thinking it is the day of his first wedding. Lucius reveals the entire story to the innocent Laura.
Refusing to admit defeat because she loves Happy, Laura hogties Juliet and locks her in the sabotaged shower. She confronts Rodney alone is his bedroom. She convinces him that she is the "Cousin Laura" that he spoke to on the phone and that a year has passed. Rodney realizes that he is married to both women. She also charms him into kissing her, and his latent feelings for her arise again. Juliet, covered in black oil, escapes the shower and finds Rodney kissing Laura, leading to a pillow fight
Pillow fight
A pillow fight is a common game mostly played by young children in which they engage in mock physical conflict, utilizing pillows as weapons....
over his affections that winds up with Juliet being tarred and feathered
Tarred and Feathered
"Tarred and Feathered" is a song by English punk rock band Dogs and is featured on their debut album, Turn Against This Land. Released on November 28, 2005, it was the fifth and final single taken from the album....
. Laura decides to leave for South Carolina. Rodney realizes that he loves Laura. He tricks her into bashing him over the head with an urn containing his supposed remains (buttons from his overcoat) and "becomes" Happy again. Juliet disgustedly concludes that he is a "chameleon" and gives him up.
Cast
- Dennis MorganDennis MorganDennis Morgan was an American actor-singer. Born as Earl Stanley Morner, he used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting his professional name....
as Rodney Trask/"Happy Homes" - Jane WyattJane WyattJane Waddington Wyatt was an American actress perhaps best known for her role as the housewife and mother on the television comedy Father Knows Best, and as Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock on the science fiction television series Star Trek...
as Laura Anders - Shirley RossShirley RossShirley Ross was an American actress and singer.Ross was born Bernice Gaunt in Omaha, Nebraska but her family relocated to California when she was a child. She studied at Hollywood High School and the University of California and auditioned successfully for Gus Arnheim's band during her second...
as Juliet Marsden - Lee PatrickLee Patrick (actress)Lee Patrick was an American theater and film actress.-Early life and education:Born in New York City, Patrick began acting on Broadway in 1924. For more than a decade, she was constantly employed and established herself as a popular actress. She appeared in the original 1929 production of June...
as Betty Trent - Jerome CowanJerome CowanJerome Palmer Cowan was an American film and television actor. At eighteen he joined a travelling stock company, shortly afterwards enlisting in the navy in World War I. After the war he returned to the stage and became a vaudeville headliner, then gained success on the New York stage...
as Lucius Lorimer - Una O'ConnorUna O'ConnorUna O'Connor was an Irish actress who worked extensively in theatre before becoming a notable character actress in film.-Life and work:...
as Ellie - Barnett Parker as Phillips
- Romaine Callender as Dr. George Burroughs
- Lucia Carroll as Clara Raymond
- Cornel WildeCornel WildeCornel Wilde was an American actor and film director.-Early life:Kornél Lajos Weisz was born in 1912 in Prievidza, Hungary , although his year and place of birth are usually and inaccurately given as 1915 in New York City...
as Chet Oakley - Willie BestWillie BestWilliam "Willie" Best sometimes known as Sleep n' Eat was an American television and film actor....
as Arnold - Louise BeaversLouise BeaversLouise Beavers was an African-American film and television actress. Beavers appeared in dozens of films from the 1920s to the 1930s, most often in the role of a maid, servant, or slave. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Beavers was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, one of the four African-American...
as Clotilda - Clarence MuseClarence MuseClarence Muse was an actor, screenwriter, director, composer, and lawyer. He was inducted in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1973. Muse was the first African American to "star" in a film. He acted for more than sixty years, and appeared in more than 150 movies.-Life and career:Born in...
as Old Jeff