100 Years of Frank Sinatra: "The Kissing Bandit"

The Kissing Bandit, Sinatra's second of two movies released in 1948, premiered at the Capitol Theater in New York City on November 18.  Nancy notes that it "opened to dismal reviews that roasted his performance in the starring role."

New York Times movie critic Bosley Crowther wasn't impressed with what he saw on the screen.

Maybe if W. S. Gilbert could have been called in to doctor the book and two or three songs by Arthur Sullivan could have bee tossed in to backstop the score, Metro's "The Kissing Bandit," which came to the Capitol yesterday, would be the delightful comic opera that it was plainly intended to be.

But he cut Sinatra a little slack.  But just a little.

And Mr. Sinatra's performance as the unpiratical young man is not in that vein of skipping humor which more talented comics traverse. Except for appearing gawky, which seems not very hard for him to do, and singing his songs rather nicely, he contributes little to the show.

"Ma" and "Pa" look as though they just saw Frank's latest picture.

Other Frank Sinatra 100 posts:
"Our Love".  (2/14/2015)
"I'll Never Smile Again".  (2/15/2015)
"Fools Rush In".  (2/16/2015)
"Dolores".  (2/17/2015)
"Oh Look At Me Now".  (2/18/2015)
"This Love of Mine".  (2/20/2015)
"There Are Such Things."  (2/24/2015)
"Night and Day".  (2/26/2015)
"The Night We Called It a Day".  (2/27/2015)
Paramount Theater, December 30, 1942.  (3/2/2015)
Reveille with Beverly.  (3/4/2015)
"You'll Never Know".  (3/7/2015)
Higher and Higher.  (3/8/2015)
"People Will Say We're in Love".  (3/10/2015)
The Shining Future.  (3/17/2015)
"I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night".  (3/19/2015)
Step Lively.  (3/20/2015) .
"Saturday Night (is the Loneliest Night of the Week)".  (3/21/2015)
"You'll Never Walk Alone".  (3/23/2015)
"Oh What It Seemed to Be".  (3/24/2015)
Anchors Aweigh.  (3/26/2015)
"Day by Day".  3/27/2015)
Till the Clouds Roll By.  (3/29/2015)
"Always".  (3/30/2015)
It Happened in Brooklyn.  (3/31/2015)
"I've Got a Crush on You".  (4/3/2015)
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".  (4/5/2015)
"It Only Happens When I Dance With You".  (4/7/2015)
The Miracle of the Bells.  (4/9/2015)
The birth of Tina.  (4/11/2015)