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Regular
Price $5.99
Starring:
Barbara Billingsley,
Kathryn Card,
Robert Ellis (II),
Richard Gaines,
Darryl Hickman,
Directed By:
Richard Wallace,
Rated: Unrated
Release Date: 1949-11-25
Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
Format:
Animated,
Full Screen,
NTSC,
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Customer Reviews for
Almost a Bride
Too much of a stretch
I was a huge Shirley Temple fan when I was little and she was the main reason I bought this movie. I actually think her acting is excellent and she grew up to have a very nice and shapely figure. However, I myself, have never been a fan of the movies in which the plot consists of basically one mistaken belief heaped upon another mistaken belief and so forth. I've seen better movies and I've seen worse movies, that's about all I can say.Almost a Bride
Didn't realize it was in Black and White
I love Shirley Temple and all of her movies, but i failed to notice that this one was not in color. Other than that i thought it was great.Almost a Bride
One of those aggrivating "comedies"
We enjoy Shirley Temple films in our house, from her beginnings in the short films where she wears a little diaper with a huge pin in it, to her teenage roles such as I'll Be Seeing You and Since You Went Away. We can tolerate The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, but this one, Almost a Bride, was almost too painful to watch. It started off okay, though a bit slow, but quickly got dumb and who wants to watch a father yelling all the time? And it is especially aggrivating when people believe lies instead of the truth. Toward the end I was just about ready to turn it off, it got so bad. I am glad I only paid $5.99 for it, so I don't feel so bad about that. Shirley was a nice looking young woman and it is too bad she didn't do more films at this stage in her life. She had the potential, I think, to do much better material than this. I admit I like her little girl roles much better. If you are a David Niven or Shirley Temple fan, you will probably want this film in your collection. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it unless you are a person who just likes aggrivating movies.Almost a Bride
Temple's screen swansong
ALMOST A BRIDE (aka "A Kiss for Corliss") provides a fitting finale to Shirley Temple's screen career. This was a sequel to the popular "Kiss and Tell", in which Temple first played the lovesick teen Corliss Archer.
In this delightful film, Corliss becomes infatuated with the handsome and worldly playboy Kenneth Marquis (David Niven). She decides to get even with her boyfriend Dexter (Darryl Hickman) and write some steamy - and fake - sections about Kenneth in her diary. Complications arise when the diary falls into the hands of Kenneth and her parents. Naturally her parents are mortified, but Kenneth decides to have a little fun and play along with Corliss' games, so he places an article in the paper announcing his engagement to her! Fantastic support is provided by Tom Tully, Gloria Holden, Kathryn Card and Robert Ellis (who would later go on to play Dexter in the short-lived television sitcom "Meet Corliss Archer").
Temple is ideally-suited to Corliss and the entire film is a bright and breezy delight. Had Temple continued her film career, she would have been sensational as a screwball comedienne. Sadly audiences could not (or indeed would not) accept that little "Curly Top" was all grown up and ready for more challenging roles, and thus Temple retreated from the screen. Still, it's great to see this film surfacing on DVD (through the 'Cinema Deluxe' label from Geneon Entertainment) at a bargain price.
If you enjoyed this film, you will also love the television sitcom "Meet Corliss Archer". Several volumes of episodes from the series are available from Alpha Video Classics.
TECHNICAL DETAILS:
Single-sided, single-layer disc
Slimline case
Audio: 2-channel Dolby stereoAlmost a Bride
Precocious Temple coda
Originally released as KISS FOR CORLISS, this 1949 coda of Temple's silver screen performances again finds Corliss Archer (Shirley Temple) with a crush on an older man. She secretly confesses to her diary an imagined relationship with wealthy, though frequently married, Kenneth Marquis (David Niven), 20 years her senior. Out of spite for a despised Mr. Archer, attorney for his last wife, Marquis confirms the story after Corliss's parents discover the diary. Wedding plans ensue. This leads to a public scandal and jealous true boyfriend, Dexter Franklin (Darryl Hickman).
It seems the only roles offered to teenage Temple were ones where she nurtured affections for mature men. (THE BACHELOR AND THE BOBBY-SOXER, 1947; I'LL BE SEEING YOU, 1945) Though she likely wanted to play more womanly parts, from her youth she was type cast as a precocious girl. The quality of this delightful B+W film is surprisingly poor (fair w/o digital restoration) considering it is the treasured climax of Temple theater. This was a wonderful vehicle for prolific child-star Hickman's unbridled antics which were much more subdued in LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945) and too brief in THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (1946). Though some of the acting may be a bit exaggerated, ALMOST A BRIDE is an enjoyable comedy for the entire family.
Movie quote: "Oh, and if the indignity of taking money from Daddy Dear ever becomes too great to bear, don't hesitate to call on me."Almost a Bride
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