Outspoken & Freckled

People in old movies don’t seem to know how to kiss.

Without a doubt, there are plenty of iconic lip locks from the films of the 1930s and ‘40s, often accompanied by lush orchestrations that infer burning passion. But characters rarely make out like they mean it. Classic film kisses tend to be rigidly closed-mouthed, as if the lovers are trying not to catch something.

I was struck by the frozen-faced fakeness of black-and-white movie make-outs long before I found my own way to first base. It didn’t help that I grew up in the sex-crazed ’70s, when TV cops, doctors, private investigators, lawyers, and cyborgs were ready for action before the first commercial break. If popular culture reflects the mores of the time, it sure seemed like I was missing out on a lot of fun during the Me Decade. And, the classic films I watched during those…