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One only has to think about the concept -- Frank Sinatra in a period musical as an innkeeper-cum-desperado in Old California -- to quickly realize that The Kissing Bandit was doomed to failure. It's tempting but ultimately unfair to blame Bandit's extremely poor quality on Sinatra; but while the crooner does indeed deserve to shoulder his fair share of the blame, it's equally true that even with a more appropriately cast star, the best Bandit could have hoped for would have been mediocrity. After all, there's only so much that can be done with this kind of plot, especially when the writers don't seem to know whether they're writing it straight or spoofy. A stronger directorial hand would undoubtedly have helped, but Laslo Benedek's work here is strictly routine. Sinatra sounds good when he's singing, of course, but his performance here is otherwise dreadful. Kathryn Grayson comes across better, although her own dramatic work is really only adequate. The songs are pleasant, with "Love is Where You Find It" actually quite engaging. The film's undeniable high spots are two dance-oriented numbers, one with the lovely Sono Osato and the other the exciting "Dance of Fury" with Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse and Ricardo Montalban. There's also the usual handsome MGM production values -- quite nice, but not enough to offset the flaws.