... A Kiss Before Dying was a trouble-free production and featured a solid supporting cast that included Mary Astor, Joanne Woodward, Jeffrey Hunter, George Macready, and Virginia Leith. Astor, in particular, is memorable as the psychopath's mother. It was her first film role since Any Number Can Play in 1949 and in her autobiography, A Life on Film, she reported that an unnamed co-star in the film actually said to her at their introduction, "Mary Astor! I thought you were dead!"

Joanne Woodward, who has the smaller, more unfortunate role of the unwitting victim in the film, was at the beginning of her screen career. A Kiss Before Dying was her second movie and she wasn't at all happy about it. In fact, she once referred to it as her "worst picture." Woodward was very outspoken about her dislike of Hollywood and its emphasis on glamour but she did agree to appear at a New York promotion for A Kiss Before Dying where she struck pin-up poses in a sexy, tight-fitting sleeveless dress.

Excerpt from TMN located HERE