Kisses for My President (1964)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Excellent, smart action film.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

I had heard about this movie for years and even knew how it ended, but I decided I should finally see it for myself--it was on TCM this past weekend. As a feminist, I was prepared to be offended, but parts of the movie pleasantly surprised me. President Leslie McCloud, well played by Polly Bergen, is a strong, smart woman more than capable of handling the duties of president. And Eli Wallach is very funny as the Castro-like dictator seeking aid for his country. Today the casting of a non-Latino actor in the role wouldn't go over, but Wallach, a gifted character actor, does a good job. The character is a bit stereotypical, but hey, he's a dictator-- we're not supposed to like him. Fred MacMurray's performance is OK--I prefer him cast against type, as in Double Indemnity and The Apartment--but his "first gentleman" character is such a bumbler, until he redeems himself in the congressional hearing, that it's hard to believe he was ever a successful businessman. And Edward Andrews, like Wallach a fine character actor, is excellent as the smarmy senator who had run against McCloud. But the movie finally does a cop-out on the idea of a woman president--she has to resign because she's pregnant! So for most of the film, the script takes the idea of a woman president seriously, and shows Leslie McCloud to be a serious, intelligent, competent one, but in the end biology dictates her destiny. So yes, we needed the women's movement and still do--even in 2016, a lot of Americans wouldn't vote for a woman for president, and don't tell me sexism had nothing to do with it. One more problem: Even though the movie was made at the height of the civil rights movement, the only black character who gets notable screen time is the White House butler.

The idea for this film is a very good one...but the execution is lackluster to say the least. It's a shame.When the film begins, Leslie McCloud (Polly Bergen) is being sworn is as President of the US. However, soon after, it's obvious that no one even considered what Mr. Thad McCloud (Fred MacMurray) would do as First Lady or First Fella or whatever he would be. This isn't at all realistic as you'd think this would all be planned out. Then, through the course of the film, Thad just seems kind of lost and the President seems to have little time for him. And, the kids run amok as neither the President nor her husband seem to have considered what to do with the kids. And, as for Thad...he's like a fish out of water in all this.So here's the problem. Unless the President was chosen by lottery, Mr. McCloud and his wife would have already had to work out their roles and the impact of all this on her kids. After all, you would assume she would have already been a Congresswoman, Senator or Governor...and so the family moving to the White House should NOT have been this difficult. In essence, the plot really didn't make a lot of sense the way they handled it...nor the way the President just gave it all up at the end!! If you can look past all this (and you won't), the film has some cute moments. But it could have been so much better had the script made more sense.

Granted, this movie is not to be taken too seriously. Who would have given heavy thought to having a female president in 1964? However, I didn't find it insulting. It was simply a comforting little comedy starring top-flight actors.As usual, the highly diversified Fred MacMurray was excellent as the husband of the female president. Polly Bergan, always in grand form, displayed her ability to capture her character perfectly ... as directed by Curtis Bernhart for Warner Brothers.Also presenting good performances were the great Eli Wallach and beautiful Arlene Dahl.This was the type of comedy that reflected what was expected on the "big screen" in 1964. Filming it in Black-and-White was a good decision. Color would have taken away the simplicity that made it special.It was 113-minutes of fun.

Though we haven't had to deal with the idea in reality in the USA, several other countries have managed to get along fine with the idea of a female president and the issues that it would bring out. I suppose it would depend on the man the woman was married to.Kisses For My President was a film already behind the times. I think that audiences might have gotten away with during the Thirties when women's suffrage was not yet 20 years old. Maybe Tracy and Hepburn in their prime could have elevated the material to something better than it was. Or Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Russell would have been perfect for the part of the first female president.Not that Polly Bergen and Fred MacMurray aren't fine themselves, in fact Bergen is the best thing in the film. I'm in agreement with the other reviewer who said her scene telling off the smarmy opposition Senator Edward Andrews is her high point. What I can't get is the fact that there apparently was no thought given to just what Fred MacMurray's role would be as first spouse. I mean this is someone who was smart and dynamic enough to have built his own company which he had to sell as a result of his wife's political career success. That in itself makes the entire film one of forced situations.At least MacMurray was smart enough eventually to see through his wife's former Radcliffe roommate and beauty queen and mantrap Arlene Dahl. She was a trap that the ordinary guy would fall into.The closest we've come to this situation in real life is Geraldine Ferraro and Sarah Palin as Vice Presidential candidates. Ferraro's career eventually failed because of the wheeling and dealing of her husband John Zaccaro. Anything I would say about Sarah Palin and Todd would elicit all kinds of comments. But presidential brother Billy Carter caused no end of embarrassment to his brother Jimmy with his letting the Carter name be exploited by all kinds of nefarious people.I think MacMurray had his best moments with those two ancient biddies of Washington society Lillian Bronson and Evelyn Varden. As staff for the First Lady they come with the White House furniture and seem ready to carry on despite the sex of the boss.Kisses For My President could have been a whole lot better though it does have its moments.