The Kiss is a 1958 short film written and produced by John Hayes. It was the first major film by Hayes, who would go on to find fame as the writer, producer, and director of B-movie genre films such as Garden of the Dead.
The film was nominated for the 1958 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film but lost to Disney's Grand Canyon.
In New York, a young man feels isolated while others around him find romantic connections. He responds to a "lonely hearts" ad in the newspaper and meets an attractive woman. However, when she leans in for a kiss at the end of their date, he panics and leaves abruptly. Determined to improve, he reads an instructional manual called Art of Kissing and goes on another blind date from the lonely hearts ad, leading to unexpected outcomes.