That Midnight Kiss (1949)
That Midnight Kiss (1949), directed by Norman Taurog, starring Kathryn Grayson and Mario Lanza.
score
The biggest kiss in movie history!
Synopsis
Opera singer Prudence Budell, overhears truck driver Johnny Donnetti singing opera, and persuades her opera company to give him a chance in her new opera. They fall in love, but on meeting his colleague Mary while visiting Johnny's work, Prudence becomes convinced Johnny is in love with her.
- Robert SurteesCinematography
- Norman TaurogDirector
- Gene RuggieroEditing
- Joe PasternakProducer
About the film
That Midnight Kiss is a 1949 Technicolor American musical romance film also starring Mario Lanza (in his first leading role) and Kathryn Grayson. Among the supporting cast were Ethel Barrymore, conductor/pianist Jose Iturbi (playing himself), Keenan Wynn, J. Carrol Naish, and Jules Munshin. The commercially popular film was directed by Norman Taurog, who the following year would again direct Lanza and Grayson in the even more successful The Toast of New Orleans.
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That Midnight Kiss is a 1949 Technicolor American musical romance film also starring Mario Lanza (in his first leading role) and Kathryn Grayson. Among the supporting cast were Ethel Barrymore, conductor/pianist Jose Iturbi (playing himself), Keenan Wynn, J. Carrol Naish, and Jules Munshin. The commercially popular film was directed by Norman Taurog, who the following year would again direct Lanza and Grayson in the even more successful The Toast of New Orleans.
Plot
Abigail Trent Budell (Ethel Barrymore), a wealthy resident of Philadelphia and patron of the arts, supports her soprano granddaughter Prudence Budell (Kathryn Grayson), just returning from Europe after five years of vocal training. Prudence's grandmother sponsors an opera company run by the famous maestro Jose Iturbi (himself) to give her chance to lead an opera. They hire the also famous tenor Guido Russino Betelli (Thomas Gomez), but Prudence does not feel comfortable with him on the stage.
Prudence happens to see an American-Italian truck driver, Johnny Donnetti (Mario Lanza), singing opera. She soon becomes instrumental in bringing Johnny to public attention by insisting that he replace the opera troupe's defecting star tenor.
From here, Johnny becomes attracted to Prudence. Things get complicated when she encounters Mary (Marjorie Reynolds), one of Johnny's colleagues, whom she assumes is in love with him.
Cast
Kathryn Grayson as Prudence Budell
José Iturbi as José Iturbi (as Jose Iturbi)
Ethel Barrymore as Abigail Trent Budell
Mario Lanza as Johnny Donnetti
Keenan Wynn as Artie Geoffrey Glenson
J. Carrol Naish as Papa Donnetti
Jules Munshin as Michael Pemberton
Thomas Gomez as Guido Russino Betelli
Marjorie Reynolds as Mary
Arthur Treacher as Hutchins
Mimi Aguglia as Mamma Donnetti
Amparo Iturbi as Amparo Iturbi
Bridget Carr as Donna Donnetti
Amparo Ballester as Rosina Donnetti
Ann Codee as Mme. Bouget
Music
Reception
According to MGM records the film earned $1,728,000 in the US and Canada and $1,449,000 overseas resulting in a profit of $173,000.
References
External links
That Midnight Kiss at IMDb
That Midnight Kiss at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
That Midnight Kiss at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Text from That Midnight Kiss on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Midnight_Kiss
Trivia
- It premiered on September 22, 1949, a Thursday.
- It runs 1h36 — a typical feature length.
- As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Oldflix.
- This film's quiz has 12 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
- CountriesUnited States
- LanguagesEnglish
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Set in
- Philadelphia
Where to watch
Cast
-
Kathryn Grayson
Prudence Budell -
Mario Lanza
Johnny Donnetti -
José Iturbi
Himself -
Ethel Barrymore
Abigail Trent Budell -
Keenan Wynn
Artie Geoffrey Glenson -
J. Carrol Naish
Papa Donnetti -
Jules Munshin
Michael Pemberton -
Thomas Gomez
Guido Russino Betelli -
Marjorie Reynolds
Mary -
Arthur Treacher
Hutchins -
Mimi Aguglia
Mamma Donnetti
Quiz about this movie
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Tags
Crew
- Robert Surtees Cinematography
- Norman Taurog Director
- Gene Ruggiero Editing
- Joe Pasternak Producer
- Charles Previn Original music
- Conrad Salinger Original music
- Bruce Manning Screenplay
- Tamara Hovey Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is That Midnight Kiss about?
That Midnight Kiss: Opera singer Prudence Budell, overhears truck driver Johnny Donnetti singing opera, and persuades her opera company to give him a chance in her new opera. They fall in love, but on meeting his colleague Mary while visiting Johnny's work, Prudence becomes convinced Johnny is in love with her.
Who directed That Midnight Kiss?
That Midnight Kiss was directed by Norman Taurog in 1949.
Who stars in That Midnight Kiss?
The cast of That Midnight Kiss includes Kathryn Grayson, Mario Lanza, José Iturbi, Ethel Barrymore and Keenan Wynn.
How long is That Midnight Kiss?
That Midnight Kiss runs for 96 minutes, or 1h36.
Where can I watch That Midnight Kiss?
That Midnight Kiss is available on Oldflix. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.
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Page updated on 09/13/2026.
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