If you’ve ever watched a modern movie musical and felt like something was missing—maybe the scale felt a bit small or the choreography seemed overly edited—you need to go back to 1953. Specifically, you need to look at George Sidney’s Kiss Me Kate film 1953. It’s a beast of a movie. Honestly, it’s one of the few instances where a Broadway smash was translated to the screen without losing its soul, mostly because MGM decided to throw every possible technological gimmick and high-tier talent at it. They even shot it in 3D during the first big craze for the format, which means you’ve got Kathryn Grayson flinging various household items directly at your face.
It’s a "show within a show." Based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, the plot follows Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessi, a divorced couple who are forced to star opposite each other in a musical version of the play. The friction is real. The ego is massive. And while the 1948 stage play by Bella and Samuel Spewack was already a legend, the Kiss Me Kate film 1953 adds a layer of Hollywood gloss that somehow makes the cynicism of the story even funnier.
The 3D Gamble and Technical Brillance
Back in the early fifties, Hollywood was panicking. Television was stealing the audience, so the studios started experimenting with anything that TV couldn't do. Enter Ansco Color and 3D. When you watch the Kiss Me Kate film 1953 today, you can still see the moments designed to pop out. During "I Hate Men," Kathryn Grayson isn’t just singing; she’s hurling pewter mugs at the camera. It’s aggressive. It’s great.
The film was shot using the twin-lens 3D process, which was notoriously difficult to align. If one camera was off by a fraction of an inch, the audience ended up with a massive headache. Yet, the cinematography by Charles Rosher is surprisingly fluid. Most 3D films of that era stayed very static because moving the heavy rigs was a nightmare. Sidney didn't care. He moved the camera anyway.
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Interestingly, by the time the film actually hit most theaters, the 3D fad was already dying. Most people ended up seeing it in 2D. But the depth is still there. You can feel the physical space of the stage sets, which were designed by Cedric Gibbons and Edward Carfagno. They didn’t try to make it look "real." They leaned into the theatricality. It looks like a fever dream of Renaissance Italy.
Ann Miller and the "Too Darn Hot" Factor
We have to talk about Ann Miller. Seriously. If there is one reason to watch this movie, it’s Miller’s performance as Lois Lane (Bianca). Her rendition of "Too Darn Hot" is arguably one of the greatest dance numbers in cinema history. Period.
While the song was originally sung by a male character on stage to open the second act, the Kiss Me Kate film 1953 shifted it to Miller. It was a genius move. She taps with a speed that seems physically impossible, supposedly hitting 500 taps per minute. Whether that’s studio hyperbole or not, her precision is terrifying. She’s dancing on a set that includes a folding screen and various pieces of furniture, and she never misses a beat.
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Then you have the "Tom, Dick or Harry" number. This is where you see a very young Bob Fosse. He wasn't the choreographer for the whole film—that was Hermes Pan—but Fosse was allowed to choreograph his own short sequence within that number. You can see it immediately. The inward-turned knees, the hats, the jazz hands. It’s the birth of the Fosse style on film. He’s dancing alongside Tommy Rall and Bobby Van, and the three of them together are just electric. They make modern "dance movies" look like they're moving in slow motion.
The Cole Porter Magic and Censorship
Cole Porter’s lyrics are sophisticated. They are also incredibly suggestive. The Kiss Me Kate film 1953 had to navigate the strict Hays Code of the 1950s, which meant some of the raunchier lines from the Broadway show had to be scrubbed or softened.
In the song "I'm Ashamed That Women Are So Simple," the lyrics were tweaked to satisfy the censors. However, the film somehow kept the "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" number mostly intact. Performed by Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore as two mobsters who accidentally end up on stage, it’s a masterclass in comic timing. They are bumbling, violent thugs who suddenly break into a vaudeville routine about using literature to seduce women. It’s absurd. It shouldn't work. It works perfectly.
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- Howard Keel as Fred Graham: Keel had a voice like a pipe organ. He was the quintessential MGM leading man, but here he gets to play someone who is kind of a jerk. It suits him.
- Kathryn Grayson as Lilli: She was often cast in very "pretty" roles, but in this film, she gets to be genuinely ferocious. When she discovers Fred has sent flowers to Lois instead of her, her rage is palpable.
- The Soundtrack: The orchestrations by Conrad Salinger are lush. They take Porter’s melodies and turn them into something operatic yet swinging.
Why It Matters Now
The Kiss Me Kate film 1953 represents the absolute peak of the studio system. It’s a moment in time where talent, money, and technology converged. There is no CGI here. No auto-tune. When you hear Howard Keel hit a high note, that’s his lungs doing the work. When you see Ann Miller spin, there are no hidden wires or digital touch-ups.
There’s a rawness to the perfection.
A lot of people think old musicals are "cheesy." And sure, there’s some 1950s melodrama. But the core of the story—the idea that we use art to communicate the things we can't say in real life—is universal. Fred and Lilli can’t tell each other they still love each other, so they do it through Shakespeare’s dialogue. They can’t vent their anger, so they slap each other during a musical number. It's cathartic.
Practical Steps for the Modern Viewer
If you're going to dive into the Kiss Me Kate film 1953, don't just stream it on a tiny phone screen. You’ll miss the scale.
- Seek out the Blu-ray: There is a 3D Blu-ray restoration that is stunning. Even if you don't have a 3D TV (most people don't anymore), the 2D transfer on that disc is much cleaner than the compressed versions you'll find on random streaming sites.
- Watch the "Fosse Moment": Skip to the "Tom, Dick or Harry" number. Watch Bob Fosse’s segment (it’s near the end of the song) and compare it to his later work like Cabaret or All That Jazz. The DNA is all there.
- Listen to the Lyrics: Pay attention to "Brush Up Your Shakespeare." The puns are fast and frequent. You might need a second listen to catch all the references to Troilus and Cressida or Othello.
- Compare the Ending: If you know the play The Taming of the Shrew, notice how the film handles the controversial ending. It’s a bit more "meta" here, emphasizing that these are actors playing roles, which makes the gender politics slightly easier to swallow for a modern audience.
The Kiss Me Kate film 1953 isn't just a museum piece. It’s a loud, vibrant, slightly chaotic masterpiece that proves that sometimes, the old way of doing things—with massive sets, live singing, and grueling choreography—really was better. Go watch it. Even if you think you hate musicals, you’ll probably find yourself humming "Wunderbar" for the next three days. It's unavoidable. It's just that good.