Too Many Kisses is a 1925 film directed by Paul Sloane.
Richard Gaylord Jr. (Richard Dix) is an affable rich young man who can't resist women—at the start of the film he's been hit with his seventh breach-of-promise case. His father, owner of a mining company, is sick and tired of paying off all the girls that Richard seduces.
So it's fortunate when the Gaylord mining company takes up a project to mine for "turidium" in the Basque Country of northern Spain. Richard Senior figures that, the Basque being a people who tend to marry their own and avoid outsidersnote , his son should be able to avoid the temptations of women. Richard Senior proceeds to pack Richard Junior off to Spain.
Naturally, Richard Junior falls in love with Yvonne, the beautiful daughter of a Basque landowner. There's a problem however in the person of Don Julio, the local police captain and evil brute, who wants Yvonne for himself.
Two future big stars appear in supporting parts. William Powell, who spent most of the silent era playing bad guys before becoming an A-lister, plays Don Julio. Harpo Marx plays the local village idiot, in his film debut and one of only two film appearances he made without the rest of the Marx Brothers.
Tropes:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Don Julio for Yvonne. The way her lip curls in disdain when he kisses her hand says it all.
- Balcony Wooing Scene: Don Julio attempts this, strumming a guitar and singing for the entertainment of Yvonne on the balcony. It doesn't work very well as Richard is already on the balcony with Yvonne, having climbed over from his adjoining room.
- Breach of Promise of Marriage: Richard has been cited in seven, count 'em, seven cases. As the film opens his father is writing a check for $40,000 (well over $600K a century later) to Junior's latest girlfriend.
- Call-Back: After the Glove Slap doesn't work, Don Julio tweaks Richard's nose, pulls on his hair, and yanks his tie loose, all in an effort to get Richard to fight. Richard doesn't because he promised Yvonne, but in the big climactic fight he does all of that back to Don Julio.
- Fainting: In silent film love-interest style, Yvonne faints at the sight of the knives being flung by Don Julio's goons. She falls right into Richard's arms, leading to a kiss.
- Glove Slap: Don Julio does this to Richard, trying to goad him into a duel. Because Yvonne has made him promise not to fight, Richard refuses.
- I Kiss Your Hand: Don Julio makes a show of kissing Yvonne's hand. It's a negative example, as Don Julio is obviously a creep and Yvonne is obviously repulsed when he kisses her hand.
- Lazy Mexican: Lazy Spaniard. Richard and Simmons, his father's clerk who is Richard's minder on the trip, arrive in the town of Potigny to find the entire village napping, or having a siesta. After Richard is unable to rouse the desk clerk at the hotel, who is sleeping standing up, he gives up and takes a nap himself.Simmons: A two hour nap after lunch. They call it a siesta—or something like that.
- Mathematician's Answer: Richard Senior, who approves of Yvonne, says "When are you thinking of getting married?" His son answers "Constantly."
- No Name Given: Harpo Marx's character is named in the credits as "The Village Peter Pan." He appears to be a village idiot sort.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Don Julio goes to the fiesta, leaving Richard tied up and in the custody of four of his minions. When Harpo Marx's character shows up at the house, Richard has somehow escaped, after having beaten up all four of the minions and tying their leader up, all offscreen.
- Retraux: The 2020 restored version included restoration credits at the end, including a composition credit for Harpo Marx's son Bill. The end credits are done in an old-timey style to match the opening credits.
- Second-Face Smoke: Don Julio does this to taunt Richard, after his men have kidnapped Richard and tied him up.
- Unobtanium: "Turidium", the fictional but apparently very valuable metal that Richard Senior is looking for. At the end, Richard wins a fight with Don Julio by clocking him on the head with a rock, which turns out to be a solid hunk of turidium.
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Don Julio explains this himself, saying that he wants Richard to see him embracing Yvonne before Richard gets killed.
- Worst News Judgment Ever: A front-page newspaper article is devoted to the "seventh love triangle" of Richard Gaylord Jr.
