KISS ME KATE
This film musical features songs by Cole Porter and has a plot that revolves around a stage musical called 'Kiss Me, Kate' (based on 'The Taming of the Shrew') that features songs by Cole Porter, who briefly appears as a character - it's all a bit meta for 1953. The main characters are performers Fred Graham and Lilli Vanessa, who used to be married and who have a tempestuous relationship that creates off-stage fireworks to mirror those on-stage. Further comic mayhem is provided by some gangsters who are owed money. The original stage musical won the first ever Tony, and was Cole Porter’s first integrated musical i.e. one in which the songs relate directly to the surrounding story. The story itself is entertaining tosh and the sparkling songs are done full justice by Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson as Fred and Lilli. Most of the dancing in the film features Ann Miller. She turns up in many musicals of this era (such as ‘On The Town’ for example) and unfortunatel...