A Kiss in the Dark opens with a shot of
Jane Wyman in a two-piece bathing suit. Alas, the dictates of cinematic construction demand that some sort of plot must follow this promising beginning. Wyman plays model Polly Haines, one of several mildly eccentric tenants in an apartment building owned by neurotic concert pianist Eric Phillips (
David Niven). Requiring absolute peace and quiet, Eric intends to evict his tenants and thereby have the building all to himself. Soon, however, he is won over by the apartment dwellers, who in their own various ways are as high-strung as the musician. He also falls in love with Polly, just as expected. The supporting cast of
Kiss in the Dark is peopled by such expert farceurs as
Victor Moore,
Broderick Crawford,
Wayne Morris,
Joseph Buloff, and
Curt Bois. Making her final screen appearance is
Maria Ouspenskaya as the building's resident "earth mother." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide