Bathing Beauty

Bathing Beauty is one of those films that one can see over and over again. Lavishly produced and with a wonderful and exciting music, it is a picture that must be included in every DVD collection. My first contact with this movie was one late night when I taped it from our local TV station. Then, several years later, my daughter Paloma was only 10 when she saw it for the first time. She was fascinated!! Now she is 18 and knows the music and most of the script by heart. Esther Williams is beautiful, very warm and excellent swimmer. Skelton funny as always. Although the plot is silly, it serves as a frame for a wonderful presentation of long past artists such as our Colombian Carlos Julio Ramírez who was considered one of our best baritones. Also, Xavier Cugat "Cugie", Harry James and Ethel Smith. Today we have no artists like them. So if you enjoy MGM musicals, you will enjoy this one quite a lot!!

The swimming routines of Esther Williams and the comedy of Red Skelton are timeless which is why Esther's debut as a star can be seen hundreds of years from now and not lose any entertainment value. Of course an appreciation of swing music and Latin music does help.

Bathing Beauty which is certainly an appropriate title for Esther's first starring role has Red and Esther as newly minted newlyweds when some woman objects to the wedding saying she's already Red's wife.

Red's a writer of swing music and his publisher Basil Rathbone deliberately arranged that incident to break up the marriage so Red can deliver some special material. However the minister beat out the objection with his 'I now pronounce you man and wife' so they are married, but Esther will get that annulled. But not if Red can help it.

She goes back to her old job teaching at an all girl's college which Red enrolls at as a student to be near her to plead his case. At this point the rather thin plot is just a frame for the various routines and numbers done by the stars and with guest performers like Harry James and his Orchestra, Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra and the famous Tico Tico girl Ethel Smith doing, what else Tico Tico on the organ. Also orchestra vocalists Helen Forrest with James and Lina Romay with Cugat have some good numbers.

Basil Rathbone taking time off from playing Sherlock Holmes hams it up to beat both those featured bands in his role as the comic villain of the piece. Red does his usual clowning and is an adept musical performer in a swing version of Loch Lomond.

But this film is strictly Esther and her final water ballet sequence was the first of many making use of that special tank MGM built for this very special star.

You could remake this film today, but where would you ever come up with another Esther Williams or Red Skelton?

Plot, who cares about the plot. It is a WWII movie in COLOR, with LOTS of GIRLS. Actually, one of the few Red Skelton movies in which he really isn't a clown. The most important parts are the opening pool party, lots of real era swimsuits, and the singers and musicans, and Esther Williams. This is a fun movie, with lots of girls.

I was fourteen-years-old when this film was released and naturally eager to see the fabulous Esther Williams. However, I was totally mesmerized by Harry James, premier trumpeter of his day. His playing was absolutely dynamite. I had never heard anything like it. I made up my mind then and there that I wanted to do that. I went on to a successful trumpet-playing career largely due to the initial influence of the great James. In those days (Mid 1940's) everyone wanted to be a trumpet player (unlike the deluge of guitars today)mainly due to the influence of Harry James. I am impressed to this day whenever the film is shown on TV. For those of you unfamiliar with the film or of Harry James, I strongly recommend it, especially for young budding trumpet players.

Of course,the story was not very interesting - or,in other words,forgettable. Also,many of the gags weren't really funny. But all that doesn't count for it is Esther Williams' first starring feature - and she is so lovely and wonderful in the aquatic scenes,where she shows all her talents! The aquatic scenes are also well choreographed,the music for them is well chosen,the side-scene as colorful and kitschy as fabulous and the show furious and excellent! I also liked the appearances of the music stars... all in all,a typical Hollywood musical classic!