MovieChat Forums > Kiss of Death Discussion > Kiss of Death not for children

Kiss of Death not for children


When I first saw Kiss of Death, it had to be about 1949. I was either five or six. It was shown at a Saturday matinee, along with a western and a serial. I do recall seeing the scene where Widmark pushes the old lady down the stairs. Don't think it damaged my psyche any, but I don't think my parents would have wanted to see it. How ironical that this was back in the "good old days" when they showed movies suitable for children.They did not have the rating code of "R" or "X" but I would say that this rates at least an "R." Mildred Dunnock looked like a nice old lady, and that's a hell of a way to treat a lady. I also recall seeing the Red Shoes where the ballerina throws herself in front of a train. Again at the Saturday matinee. We kids back then weren't all that sheltered/

reply

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89123998
Great NPR story on All Things Considered

reply

Cool link. Thanks.

reply

I wouldn't have thought that this would ever have been shown at a children-only matinee. An 'A' certificate at the time would have meant that under 16s would have had to be accompanied by an adult to see the film.

I notice that when it is shown on TV in the US now it has a TV PG certificate. Whereas any DVDs in the UK would give it a 12 rating.

reply

When I was a seven to nine-year-old in a small town in southern California in the early 1960s the local theater had a matinee every Saturday that was attended almost exclusively by kids. There were kid-friendly Disney and Danny Kaye movies, but there were also quite intense crime dramas, science fiction, and horror films shown, some of which were over my head, and some of which scared the hell out of me. There was no rating system at that time, and anybody of any age was admitted without adult accompaniment. The only places kids weren't allowed in were "stag" theaters that showed "dirty" movies, but you had to go somewhere like downtown L.A. or Long Beach to find those.

reply