On an Island with You

Musical-comedy vehicle for swimming star Esther Williams set in Hawaii. Peter Lawford has a rather hopeless role as a moony-eyed Lieutenant who becomes obsessed with Esther, playing a movie actress; she's already involved with her co-star (Ricardo Montalban) and is also busy sparring with her unloved movie-rival (Cyd Charisse, in a demeaning part as a girl nobody seems to want). In its day, probably a very acceptable piece of fluff, but in this age of celebrity stalkers, Lawford's intrusive, seemingly off-balanced fan is unintentionally creepy (at one point he even kidnaps Williams, but she stops him from being arrested). Only for die-hard MGM musical buffs, although Esther's swimming sequences are not on their usual grand scale here. *1/2 from ****

It's difficult sometimes to view an older film without using a modern lens and being oversensitive or judgmental. Case in point: On an Island with You, where Peter Lawford plays a Navy officer who kidnaps his romantic obsession, a movie star played by Esther Williams. What is acceptable behavior from men towards women has obviously changed a lot in the last sixty plus years since this was made. It's hard for me to believe that there was ever a time when the disturbing and outright criminal behavior of Lawford's character could pass for romantic. But sadly, that is the case and the movie fails because of it.

It doesn't help matters that Lawford, always a stiff actor, plays the character as though he is an unbalanced creep. Lawford has no chemistry with Williams, either. This is made more apparent when Esther shares scenes with Ricardo Montalban, whom she did have wonderful chemistry with. Lawford pales by comparison. On the plus side, it's a Technicolor movie with Esther Williams so you know the gorgeous quota will be met and then some. The musical and aquatic numbers are all good, though none are classics. Jimmy Durante does his best to keep things light. Cyd Charisse shows off her dancing skills, which is always nice. As it stands, it's a watchable movie (more so if you're a big Esther fan) but probably the weakest of all of Esther's starring vehicles.

As an Esther Williams fan -- read fanatic -- since I was a pre-adolescent, I have to admit that On an Island with You is one of a few of her films that misfires as entertainment.

Admittedly applying contemporary values to a light 56-year-old film, I can't get around the fact that there's something disturbing about the Peter Lawford character's obsession with, stalking of, and eventual kidnapping of the Williams character. This is romantic? Lawford's wooden acting is part of the problem -- more warmth might have mitigated the creepiness of the character's behavior.

I have read that Lawford disliked Williams and felt, despite his success in Good News, that he'd been forced into an uninteresting, secondary part in a movie that was clearly hers. That would explain the total absence of chemistry between them.

Redeeming elements: the Charisse-Montalban dance numbers and Cugat's music.

This is truly a great Musical Classic from 1948 with a cast of veteran actors and all at the height of their careers. Esther Williams, (Rosalind Reynolds) is a movie star who gives outstanding performances swimming gracefully with Richardo Montalban, (Ricardo Montez) and Peter Lawford, (Lt. Lawrence Y. Kingslee) who is a U. S. Navy technical adviser on the film who is suppose to fly a plane with Rosalind Reynolds hiding on the plane. Richardo Montez is in love with Rosalind Reynolds and expects to marry her after their filming of their movie. However, Lt. Kingslee met Rosalind a few years in the past and fell immediately in love with her and has every intention to marry her at all costs. Jimmy Durante, (Jimmy Buckley) along with Xavier Cugat and his orchestra gave great supporting roles to this great musical classic.

Thin and fairly dull Esther Williams vehicle, with Peter Lawford as her love interest. Williams and Lawford are both boring, and have no chemistry together. They are upstaged by just about every single other person in the cast, Cyd Charisse, Ricardo Montalban, Xavier Cugat, Jimmy Durante (whom you'd think was the star of the movie as much as he's in it), Kathryn Beaumont and even a chihuahua. Williams does have a good swimming number near the end, and she wears some fantastic costumes. I can't say anything good about Lawford. Recently departed dancer Cyd Charisse has the two best sequences in the movie, an erotic dance with Montalban and, the best scene in the movie, her dance on the stairs, aided by a group of masked natives. The Technicolor cinematography is beautiful throughout the movie, but it's downright dazzling in that number. At first I thought this was going to be a poor choice in honoring Charisse, but it turned out to be perfect. Child star Kathryn Beaumont went on to provide the voices for Disney's Alice in Wonderland and Wendy Darling. The DVD for this was stunning.