WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

richard-1787 This movie is remembered, when it is remembered, as Mario Lanza's screen debut, which it was. He got fourth billing, though, and you can see why. José Iturbi, who was a recognized music personality in the late 1940s, gets a lot of screen time playing the piano, either by himself or with his sister Amparo. Lanza gets a few operatic numbers, in which is he only fair, and some popular tunes, which he sings with a lot more nuance and feeling.My problem with this movie is Kathryn Grayson. In part I don't like her voice, which I find very shrill. In part, though, it's girlish, so it really does not blend with Lanza's, which is very virile. Musically they just don't set off any sparks for me. It's a shame MGM couldn't have found someone more suited to partnering with him.

mark.waltz This is actually a very charming and light-hearted musical about a young opera singer hopeful (Kathryn Grayson) that discovers a truck driver (Mario Lanza) singing opera in her wealthy grandmother's living room and suggests he take over as the leading man in her granny's new opera company. You see, Grayson can't hide the giggles she gets when singing a duet with the chunky Thomas Gomez, an opera star she admires professionally but can't see as romantic either on stage or off. She predictably falls in love with Lanza but a misunderstanding with the secretary at the truck company he works at leads her to think he's already engaged. No amount of midnight serenading or playful interference from grandma Ethel Barrymore can fix it, but you know, this is MGM, and there has to be a romantic clinch at the end, right? Of course right! Before being teamed with the less temperamental Howard Keel for three beautiful romantic musicals, the lovely Grayson was paired with Lanza for two films, and here, in his film debut, he shows true star potential. Less portly and diva-like than his future films, Lanza is charming, funny and extremely handsome. They sing a beautiful duet of Jerome Kern's "They Didn't Believe Me" that is the musical highlight of the show. Keenan Wynn is very funny as Lanza's pal who becomes his agent, and Barrymore takes over the roles that Charles Coburn had been playing for years-the octogenarian who feels that if lovers are going to get together, they need a boost from someone who's older and wiser.Marjorie Reynolds is the lovely young lady who accidentally gives Grayson the wrong impression about her and Lanza. The legendary Jose Iturbi plays himself here, and has several piano concertos that are beautifully played and don't become too highbrow. The final opera sequence, sung in English, is a bit silly and not at all realistic to American opera companies, yet lavish and romantic. Lanza and Grayson are a fine pair on-screen although her teamings with Keel are much more famous.

blanche-2 Mario Lanza made his film debut in "That Midnight Kiss" costarring Kathryn Grayson, Ethel Barrymore, Jose Iturbi, Keenan Wynn, Thomas Gomez, Marjorie Reynolds, and Jules Munshin. The script was tailor-made for Lanza, set in his home town of Philadelphia. It was this film that nearly ruined my own singing aspirations. My mother always thought that if I were really good, someone would discover me - I guess hauling a piano - the way that Lanza was in this film. Nevertheless, I put all that aside when I watched it.Johnny is a truck driver discovered testing out the piano he delivers to Abigail Budell (Barrymore), patron of the arts. She's just founded an opera company for the benefit of her daughter Prudence (Grayson). When the current tenor (Gomez) quits in a huff, Johnny steps in. He and Prudence are in love, but before either one of them can really act on it, Prudence is told by another woman (Marjorie Reynolds) that she wants to marry Johnny. How to get these two songbirds back together? "That Midnight Kiss" is a big budget, glossy MGM musical extravaganza and as such, it's delicious to watch and makes for joyful listening. Lanza, attractive and a natural before the cameras, really commercialized opera in the U.S. with his clarion tenor. His IMDb bios were obviously written by fans. Though he certainly had a fantastic voice, he was evidently hard to work with, especially for his female costars. Alcohol and crash dieting eventually made his heart give out while he was still in his thirties. Also, he had his own sound; in recordings, Caruso sounds much more baritone-y, though Lanza's IMDb bio claims the voices match. It's hard to know what Lanza's voice sounded like on the opera stage. People who heard him in person claim the voice was not very large. Nevertheless, it was perfect for film. Pretty and petite, Kathryn Grayson does a lovely job both in her acting and singing. Both singers shine in the more lyrical pieces sung outside Prudence's window and show their versatility. A side note - it's a little questionable what opera the company is doing - Grayson and Gomez sing a duet from "Lucia" in rehearsals, but the final product was in English and definitely NOT Donizetti! The rest of the cast is superb - Keenan Wynn has impeccable comic timing, and Jules Munshin is given some great bits throughout. Thomas Gomez is hilarious as the bombastic tenor Betelli. Ethel Barrymore is stately and classy as Prudence's grandmother. Iturbi, playing himself, is delightful and plays some beautiful piano. Celeste Aida and the Lucia duet were conducted at pretty swift tempi, as was the "Caro Nome" that Grayson starts to sing at the piano.Highly entertaining and recommended if you're a lover of classical music.

Derek McGovern Mario Lanza makes a very confident screen debut with this movie. The scene in which he first appears - some 15 minutes into the film - is teasingly executed: we hear his voice (singing the Neapolitan classic, Mamma mia, Che Vo' Sape) as co-star Kathryn Grayson enters her home, and - with her (and our) interest aroused - the camera slowly pans to reveal his handsome presence. It's a great moment, helped by the fact that Lanza really does look terrific, especially in comparison with the portly stock tenor we have been watching only minutes earlier.Lanza has some formidable acting talent to compete with in this movie. That he succeeds magnificently speaks volumes about the man's much-underrated acting ability. Also appearing in the film are seasoned veterans such as Ethel Barrymore, J. Carroll Naish, Jules Munshin and Thomas Gomez (hilarious as the aforementioned portly tenor). Keenan Wynn is also on hand as Lanza's amusing buddy, and the film also boasts another big musical name: conductor/pianist Jose' Iturbi, who plays himself.The film is fun, and very competently produced in the grand tradition of MGM musicals. Lanza doesn't have a great deal to sing, but among the highlights are a very lyrical Celeste Aida (minus the recitative), the second half of Una Furtiva Lagrima, and Jerome Kern's They Didn't Believe, which is sung as a duet with Kathryn Grayson. MGM was clearly nervous about allowing Lanza too many "heavy" vocal offerings, but they were soon to rectify this with The Great Caruso, just two years later.All in all, That Midnight Kiss is a most enjoyable romp with Lanza as its raison d'etre. The critics were not especially kind to the film - or Mario's co-star, the established Miss Grayson - but all were in agreement that Lanza made the picture worth seeing. This is what Newsweek Magazine had to say:Aside from Jose' Iturbi's music, virtually the only excuse for this one is Mario Lanza, a singer whose talents would be conspicuous even outside a film devoted to opera. He can act as well as sing. But his efforts in both directions are hampered by an inconsequential story which enmeshes him with Kathryn Grayson - a girl who neither sings nor acts in his league.And from The New York Times:As for the budding Mr. Lanza, the opinion rendered of him by the sanguine Mr.Iturbi is good enough for us. "His voice," says Mr. Iturbi, "has quality and warmth and he has a very nice personality." Check.The following year Lanza would go on to greater things in The Toast of New Orleans, before reaching his pinnacle in The Great Caruso.