Red Skelton Woman Getting Dressed in the Morning
A lavish water spectacle...
One MGM musical of the time launched a career that flourished for the balance of the decade… A champion swimmer and a tall, strikingly pretty woman, Esther Williams had played small roles in two MGM films when she was starred in "Bathing Beauty." She played a swimming teacher at a girls' school whose husband (Red Skelton) enrolls at the school to be near her...
The plot was merely an excuse for knockabout antics by Skelton and especially for Williams' aquacades… The pattern was fixed for the rest of the series of popular light musicals she starred in: Williams as a smiling mermaid moving balletically underwater to the strains of a pleasing melody
Bathing Beauty's finale is a lavish water spectacle with the star as the focal point of intricate underwater formations
34 out of 37 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Beautiful, refreshing, funny.
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!!
13 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Red steals the show in pink tutu and ballet slippers...
BATHING BEAUTY offers lots of eye candy and a couple of hilarious RED SKELTON routines proving he's a master at physical comedy. The musical interludes are on the dull side and don't give strong enough material to Ethel Smith (at the organ), Harry James, Xavier Cugat and Carlos Ramirez--a Latin tenor with a strong voice but no charisma.
The slender plot is the usual misunderstanding that occurs in these type of ESTHER WILLIAMS movies. She thinks her newly wed hubby (Red) is the father of three boys, thanks to a practical joke played by BASIL RATHBONE (who looks as if he'd rather be elsewhere in a thankless role). She tries throughout the film to get Red dismissed from the all girl college he enters just to be near her. The highlight of the film is Red's bashful entrance into a class of ballerinas, clad in pink tutu and ballet slippers--all the while being slapped around by a ruthless instructor and going through ballet paces with hilarious results.
The supporting cast is largely wasted--including Bill Goodwin, Margaret Dumont and Janis Paige in a brief role. Jean Porter gets to do more than usual and even has a song and dance number with Red.
The water ballet at the finale is nicely done in typical MGM manner but not as ostentatious as usual for an Esther Williams film. This was her debut as a leading lady and she has lots of confidence and poise, both in and out of the water. In fact, it's one of her better performances--but the spotlight belongs to Red Skelton who deserves his top billing.
18 out of 22 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
It is considered a classic Hollywood musical in China
When I check with US movie database, I find it is not a very important movie in Hollywood history. But Bathing Beauty is more famous in China than in US. Actually Bathing beauty is one of few Hollywood movies which officially released in 40's China before communist government took power. Every Chinese over 60 years old remember this movie and Gone With Wind as two outstanding classic Hollywood picture. My father told me his uncle took him to see this movie when he was a child, he remember the advertisement all over the streets at the time and call it a Splendid Colorful Movie. It is true. The color is strong and the final scene is spectacular. Talented actor Red Skelton has great pantomime show in this movie which he mimes ladies' dress up in the morning and his swan lake ballet is memorable.
30 out of 33 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Pleasant comedy, nice aquatics, and great color too
Warning: Spoilers
I referred to this film, without naming it, in a review of PARLOR, BEDROOM, AND BATH the other day.
Red Skelton is a successful composer, and he is smitten when he meets swimming champ Esther Williams. He intends to marry her, and this puts a crimp in the plans of Skelton's producer "friend" Basil Rathbone. Rathbone manages to sabotage Skelton's wedding, causing a furious Williams to toss him aside and return to her old female college to resume her job as an athletics instructor. Skelton finds he is not allowed (by the rules of the college) to visit Williams, and that she won't meet him outside. So, he signs up as a student. The rest of the plot follows the course as Skelton tries to win back Williams, complicated by her anger at him, the machinations of Rathbone to prevent this reconciliation, and the desires of the college President and Board of Trustees to force Skelton out (hopefully by a violation of the strict rules of the college).
Let's face it, like many musical comedies it is a silly plot. It is interesting that in 1944 they would tackle the issue of single sex colleges (like Mount Holyoke or Bryn Mawr) in America - but tackle it with one of the female schools, instead of looking at the issue of the male dominated colleges. However, the plot dictated a female school.
Esther Williams has several fine displays of her swimming abilities in the movie, and Skelton is wisely out of these until the clincher shot in the end (when she rescues him, but he finds the water a perfect shield for some last minute privacy). I should add that the Technicolor stock of the film is high grade, and a pleasure to look at.
Rathbone had played comedy well before this. Usually he could show a cynical sense of humor (in IF I WERE KING, for example, his King Louis XI of France - the historical "Spider King" - has some nice zingers, courtesy of screenplay writer Preston Sturges). In the Bing Crosby film RHYTHM ON THE RIVER, Rathbone had a very funny role as a self-deluded composer who lost his abilities to compose when he lost his girlfriend (his sidekick Oscar Levant keeps undercutting this self-pity by reminding Rathbone the girlfriend he mourns married a Pasta manufacturer and got fat!). Unfortunately here Basil has only one or two brief funny moments of dialog with Skelton, and he is fleeing an angry Skelton at the conclusion, but it is not enough. He was better served as Danny Kaye's partner in THE COURT JESTER.
Skelton does nicely in his role, and I recall that one scene that is in this film that reminded me of the scene in PARLOR, BEDROOM, AND BATH. The powers that be at the university (and Rathbone) realize that they can expel Skelton if he violates curfew. He has been trapped inside someone's home, and there is a dog watching the outside that won't let Skelton out. So he stands a good chance of violating curfew.
Buster Keaton, aside from an occasional film part, was mostly a gag writer at this time, and he used a variant of the BEDROOM, PARLOR, AND BATH, gag regarding the door of the closet that briefly conceals Charlotte Greenwood in that film. Here, Skelton notices the hinges of the front door can be lifted out. He removes the hinges and then lifts the door so that an opening on one side allows the dog to come in, while an opening on the other side allows Skelton to go out. Then he slides the door back so the dog can't follow him. The scene ends with the confused dog barking at the closed door, while a happy Skelton heads back to his dormitory.
I'm not sure if this was the first time Keaton was assigned to work with Skelton, but they would have a very fruitful and successful collaboration into the early 1950s (far better than Keaton's nightmare with Groucho Marx on GO WEST), with such films as A SOUTHERN YANKEE and WATCH THE BIRDIE (a remake of Keaton's last great film THE CAMERAMAN) to their joint credits.
9 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An Apt Title for Esther Williams's starring debut
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?
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Esther Williams...What a Beauty!
Warning: Spoilers
Esther Williams. Enough said. All male ears pick up. Where? Where? Here in her first starring role. Its major flaw may be there isn't a Latin lover or an attractive lead actor in this film, and Basil Rathbone seems a bit out of his element here. But, having said that, Red Skelton gives his usual comic flair as her fiancé. But there are three little complications. Or, is there? Given it's a MGM musical with little to no plot or nothing that can't be resolved in a matter of seconds, this is really a fun movie with some great musical numbers, courtesy of Xavier Cugat and Harry James. A highlight is Red taking a required?? course in ballet.(He goes back to school, in a girls' college, to win Esther back.) But, the aquatic finale is really something to see. If you want to see Esther Williams, you won't be disappointed. The movie may be silly, but the rewards are in all the right places.
6 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
A Classic!
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!
18 out of 21 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
It Defines "Lavish MGM Musical Comedy."
Warning: Spoilers
Watching this thing -- with Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Harry James, Xavier Cugat, et all -- is like poring over the contents of a time capsule from 1944. My uncle, a professional trumpet player, collected all of Harry James' records. My favorite was "Trumpet Blues." As a kid, I played the old 78 record into oblivion. And I never knew until seeing this that the number was from a movie.
Harry James was really distinctive, and a great musician in his own vernacular way. Red Skelton, the central figure, has some amusing moments too, doing pratfalls in a pink tutu, forced into a class in Eurythmics because he's enrolled in a woman's college to be near his wife. ("Eurythmics", meaning something like beautiful movements, was evidently a tough word for the set dressers because they spelled it wrong on the classroom door.) Probably most of the numbers will be familiar, at least to the more perspicacious of modern audience members. Not just "Trumpet Blues" but a couple of numbers con sabor Latino, a medley of waltzes while we watch a bevy of dolls in synchronized swimming -- not nearly as smutty as Busby Berkeley's numbers, sad to say. And then, at the climax, there is Esther Williams doing her thing over, under, and around soaring water fountains in a proper exhibition of the height of vulgarity. The height, not the depth. This Philistine depravity is exhilarating.
It's cheerful. It's colorful. It will be shown to the members of our Armed Forces overseas, compliments of the Motion Picture Assocation, and it has Basil Rathbone struggling valiantly with a light-hearted comic role.
What's not to like?
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
A Great PWP (Plot, What Plot?) Wartime Morale Movie
The lack of plot is part of what is fun.
Released during the middle of WWII, it is a rather obvious excuse to show beautiful women in bathing suits and have lots of really good musical numbers.
There are several wonderful location shots, even though most of it was filmed on a sound stage. One of the locations look likes it was filmed in Palm Springs.
Red Skelton is adorable if a bit typecast. Ester Williams is stunningly beautiful and graceful.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable, if silly, movie. A great movie for family viewing especially with younger children.
20 out of 23 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Bathing in Technicolor and aquatic beauty
Although 'Bathing Beauty' was intended as a Red Skelton vehicle it's known more for the introduction of Esther Williams, who became a star overnight.
No wonder too. Williams is a sheer delight, in and out of the water. Her aquatic dancing is dazzling, and she has an immensely charming presence that handles comedy and romance very well. This is not knocking Skelton though, because while he could easily have mugged he is suitably subdued here and is very funny, his ballet dancing scenes are some of the best things he ever did on film and still come over as riotous.
Basil Rathbone is underused and has been better, but is still amusing and suave. Other standout supporting turns are from a dynamite Harry James, Ethel Smith and Helen Forrest.
Visually, 'Bathing Beauty' is a beautiful-looking film, with opulent use of colour, handsome cinematography and elegant costumes and sets. The songs and music, while not exactly memorable or timeless, are still very pleasant to listen to and performed with zest, sensitivity and assurance.
Scripting-wise, it is amusing and fun enough while resisting mawkishness in the more romantic elements. George Sidney directs assuredly, and the film maintains interest and rarely loses it. A definite highlight element is the water ballet sequences, the final one being the very meaning of "aqua-spectacular".
However, the story is paper-thin flimsy, contrived and pure nonsense. While a few supporting cast members acquit themselves well, most of them are wasted (Bill Goodwin, Donald Meek) or forgettable, though Carlos Ramirez does stick out as somebody on vocally glorious but entirely charisma-free form.
Overall, Technicolor and aquatic beauty and worth seeing for Skelton and Williams. 7/10 Bethany Cox
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
A sea of specialties, silliness and Skelton.
Warning: Spoilers
Overlook the misleading title. The plot doesn't really focus on the aquatic talents of Esther Williams and her bathing suits. While she does have two amazing swimming sequences, including an elaborate water ballet, the story focuses on the attempts of song writer Red Skelton to woo Williams who married him impulsively. To do this, he registers as a student at the all-girl college where she teaches. This results in extended skits for Skelton to clown, especially a rather violent one where dance teacher Ann Codee basically slaps him silly while he clowns in a tutu. At least the dance sequence where fellow students each try to get rid of a sticky note remains funny. The sequence will bring back memories of I Love Lucy's charm school episode.
The musical sequences fare better than some of Skelton's shtick, particularly a sketch where he demonstrates in pantomime of how a lady gets dressed in the morning. I'll Take the High Note is particularly enjoyable, jazzing up Loch Loman and featuring practically every specialty act in the film including Ethel Smith at her organ and the big band swinging of Harry James and his band. Diminuative Jean Porter is a feisty young lady who stands out in this, while a young Janis Paige is clearly recognizable as the other student. Smith has another specialty as she makes solo organ music even hotter than the brief presence of the over-the-top ego of Xavier Cugat.
In spite of Ms. William's criticism of her own acting here, she's actually fine here, because she spends more time reacting to Skelton than having to emote. There's a ton of supporting players, although most of them get little to do. I wouldn't call Skelton and Williams a dream team, but there is plenty to like, topped by a gorgeous finale that in less capable hands would be a major bore.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
The Pink Ballet Extravaganza
Red Skelton as the pink-tutu ballerina is always hilarious and heartwarming. Esther Williams looks stunning, as always. The dog is a riot, and I love the part where Red calls him 'Lassie', lol. Basil Rathbone as a funny guy is so different from that droll type of part he usually plays. The "I'll Take the High Note" scene was brilliant. Red Skelton as more of the straight man, romantic type, is different and refreshing. That he could dance as well as sing was surprising, and he looked so professional, showing up that music professor. The lady playing the organ was fantastic, and those beautifully-designed shoes she wore were so excellent to look at. Good to see the famous Harry James and Xavier Cugat in this movie.
9 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Inspiration
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.
24 out of 30 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
"I'm gonna knock that patootie oppressor right on his tropaeolums!"
Warning: Spoilers
The original working title for this film was "Mr. Co-Ed" in acknowledgment of Red Skelton's role as a male student at an all girl's college. However when shooting was finished it became clear that Esther Williams stood out as the "Bathing Beauty" of the title, so that's what MGM went with. It became their third largest grossing film up to that point, unimaginably finding itself in the same company as "Ben Hur" and "Gone With the Wind". I'm finding it rather hard to believe.
If you're watching the picture with a critical eye there's not a lot that will stand a credibility test. When Steve Elliott's (Skelton) wedding to Caroline Brooks (Williams) is hijacked by Steve's business manager George Adams (Basil Rathbone), Caroline calls a marriage time out and heads off to Victoria College to resume a teaching job she once held there. The pretext is rather flimsy, who'd believe Red Skelton siring three Mexican kids named Pedro, Pablo and Pancho?
Obviously there was a time in this country's history when pictures like this were popular, and Red Skelton's brand of physical humor could carry the whole thing almost by himself. Today a lot of it seems just plain embarrassing, like Red's pink tutu gimmick and the wake up pantomime. You have to give the man credit though, his timing in the Swan Lake dance routine with the rest of the class seemed rather extraordinary for a comic, you couldn't beat that Daddy with a boogie brush to use the era's vernacular.
The two players who kept me off balance however were Rathbone and trumpet player extraordinaire, Harry James performing with his Music Maker Orchestra. They looked so much alike to me that the only way I could tell them apart was when the music was playing. Come to think of it, I don't recall James and Rathbone ever appearing in the same scene together. Hmm.
The picture wound up making Esther Williams a big star and she went on to make two more films with Red - "Neptune's Daughter" and "Texas Carnival". Based on the success of her first picture here with MGM, she wound up with top billing over Skelton. Not that he wasn't a big star in his own right by that time, it's just that she was bigger.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Music, mugging and swimming...but not always in that order; beautiful production for a comedy with no script
Red Skelton doesn't have to pander exhaustedly to an audience's collective funny bone for big laughs: his smudgy, rubbery face and double takes are amusing even when taken out of the screwball format. Here, director George Sidney has Skelton doing a ballet number complete with tutu, outwitting a Great Dane while dressed in drag, and mugging outrageously in a pantomime bit poking fun at a lady's morning ritual. All this while a reedy-thin plot--about a lovestruck man following his would-be wife to an all-girl college--plays out absentmindedly, with much of the emphasis on live bands, Latin American rhythms, singing and dancing, and organ music. There's also Esther Williams in and out of the swimming pool; her first major movie role as Skelton's true love was probably meant to show off her girlish pluck, yet she treats Red so poorly, he seems better off without her. Skelton, whose tight smile and worried little grimaces remind one of Robin Williams in his youth, is such an ingratiating presence that one can almost overlook the nastiness behind the narrative--that the entire faculty is against having him at the school and is conspiring to throw him out. The music helps plug up the holes, and the color production shimmers with that unmistakable 1940s glamor, but there are very few laughs here. *1/2 from ****
5 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Great Escapist Fun
The critic Leonard Maltin called this film's script "silly". So what did he expect from a Red Skelton-based comedy. After all, this is not Gone with the Wind (1939). Actually the script is quite amusing, with a promising premise—a guy (Skelton) gets into an all girls' school on a technicality so he can pursue his lady love (Williams). This allows for all sorts of opportunities for Red's brand of amusing set-ups, which he exploits to the fullest. I particularly like his pantomime of how a woman gets dressed in the morning. And get a load of the sounds of that ditzy organ player—they're like nothing I've ever heard.
It really is Skelton's movie since he's in most every scene except for the poolside grand finale. I'd like to have been in on the production meetings where the honchos decided to promote this as a Williams movie instead. I suppose they realized she and her swimsuit had more than novelty act potential. After all, what other Hollywood star actually started and monopolized an entire movie genre the way Williams did with her "aqua-musicals". In fact, their popularity continued for about 10-years. Then too, not only could she play a great sexy mermaid, but she's also a good light actress as the movie shows. Anyhow, it's hard to beat this Technicolor extravaganza for sheer visual feast.
I suppose my only misgiving is that they're two premier bands (James & Cugat) in addition to the other acts, which means that neither gets enough playtime. One of them should have been dropped. Anyhow. in my view, Maltin needs a refresher course on the essentials of musical comedy and why silliness is sometimes a virtue.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
This was MGM's third top-grossing film of all time when it was released?!
"Bathing Beauty" is a silly and rather inconsequential film when you see it today. It's not bad---just not the sort of thing that is anything more than a time-passer. Yet, oddly, the film was for a time the third highest grossing film for MGM!! I just don't see it, but in its time, this was a HUGE hit. My theory is that despite the squeaky-clean image, folks in the 40s must have used a lot of drugs--that seems like the only logical explanation of the film's success!!
The film begins with a songwriter, Steve (Red Skelton) and his fiancée, Caroline (Esther Williams) getting married. However, as the man is pronouncing them man and wife, another woman bursts in and insists she's already married to him and presents what she claims are his three kids! Now logic would dictate that everyone would sit down and look at the woman's proof to determine if she is correct AND if not, what is her motivation. However, and this is a HUGE weakness of the film, Caroline runs away--and cloisters herself away in an all-girls school where she is on the faculty. She returns no phone calls and won't have any contact with Steve--even though she loved him enough to marry him in the first place!!! Logical, this is not!
While Steve is moping, he meets a lawyer and they discuss loopholes to get him to see Caroline. They discover that although it's TRADITIONALLY a girls college, the charter does NOT indicate this and the school can't stop Steve from matriculating. Much of the remainder of the film consists of the lone male student trying to fit into the school and making a mess of things. Some of this is rather funny--though, of course, amazingly contrived.
Eventually, what happens with Steve and Caroline is exactly what you know will happen--but it takes them forever to get to this point. This means the finale is a foregone conclusion with no surprises other than the water ballet which has no relationship with the rest of the film and was obviously tacked on for the obligatory Williams swimming scene.
The star of the film is clearly Skelton. He's funny and likable. As for Williams, her character seems shallow and rather nasty--and you wonder why anyone would bother trying to win back such a lady! It's clearly a weak vehicle for her. Another HUGE problem (aside from the plot) is the singing and dancing. This is not the forte of WIlliams or Skelton--yet they film is jam-packed with songs. Too many and too many contrived musical numbers (particularly on the college campus) tend to distract from the plot and Skelton's antics. As a result, the film is very uneven and a film that defies a rational explanation! Not bad--just one that isn't particularly exceptional overall.
3 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Radiant Esther in her first Technicolor musical
Esther Williams' first starring role is a silly but fun musical comedy from MGM filmed in beautiful Technicolor. Despite the title the movie centers more on Red Skelton's character, a songwriter who marries then loses Esther because of the machinations of Basil Rathbone. So Red forces his way into enrollment at the all-girls college where Esther is a teacher, hoping to win her back. It's all fluff but enjoyable. Musical numbers by the Xavier Cugat Orchestra, Harry James and His Music Makers, Lina Romay, Helen Forrest, and more. The music's fine and Red's funny but Esther's the reason most of us are likely to watch this. She's gorgeous, of course, and has a nice swimming scene at the beginning and a classic aquatic ballet number at the end. Just amazing to watch. She's very likable and holds her own with Skelton. It's easy to see how this movie made her a star. The cast also includes Carlos Ramirez, Nana Bryant, Donald Meek, Jean Porter, Jacqueline Dalya, and Janis Paige (in her film debut). Basil Rathbone seems to be having fun with a different kind of part than he usually got to play. Yeah he's sort of the villain but it's a soft villainy not someone evil. He gets to do a little comedy, too, which he seemed to enjoy. It goes on a little longer than it needed to but it's all light and fun. The sort of movie that's a good pick-me-up when you're feeling down.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
If you like great music, beauty and entertainment
Then, the 1944 MGM musical comedy-romance "Bathing Beauty" is for you. This is a great example of the type of musical films made for some two decades – the 30s into the early 50s, that were prized entertainment packages for the public. Some people seem to think this film needed more of a plot. Don't worry – if you know history and/or just plain enjoy great musical entertainment, with some top drawer comedy and all-around talent, you'll love this film. Just enjoy it for how it was intended and for what it remains today – wonderful entertainment.
Sure, there is a plot. It's a thin one with a simple romance and a silly premise. Voila! That was the Hollywood formula for most successful films of this genre. And here it's the basis for stringing together a marvelous run of top notch musical and dance numbers, aquatic scenes, and comedic skits. That's all these great showcases of entertainment had to have – or even should have had – in their day. And today, as well, for those of us who enjoy seeing such showcases of brilliant musical and film entertainment of the past. They aren't drama. They aren't mysteries. They aren't Westerns. They aren't war stories. They're musical comedies and that's the entertainment they delivered.
The end of WW II was more than a year away when this movie came out. The DVD includes the theatrical notice about the movie going to the warfronts for troops to view it behind the lines. For our troops, as well as the people at home, this movie was a chance to see these great musical performers whom the vast majority had only heard on the radio or juke boxes before. I was born just before the U.S. entered the war, and through the 1940s and early 1950s, radios and jukes still played mostly the great swing bands. Rock and Roll came on the scene in the mid-1950s.
"Bathing Beauty" is a classic film with some wonderful entertainers. All did fine with their light scripts. But it's in the "show" elements that this film excels. This is one of the finest films for showcasing a couple of top bands of the time. Harry James really wows us with his trumpet playing and some great swing numbers, and Xavier Cugat's orchestra shows why people so loved Latin music in the 20th century. Helen Forrest and others have very good song and dance numbers. And Red Skelton's comedy skits and scenes are classics unto themselves. Esther Williams seems so natural in her first starring role – even before and in between the swimming scenes.
MGM gave us this first swimming musical. And was it a lavish spectacle! It remains so today. The brilliant Technicolor production really adds to the spectacular swimming, dance and musical combination. And its choreographed swimming numbers and spectacular finale are reminiscent of the great musical productions of Busby Berkeley from the 1930s heyday of grand scale musicals. "Bathing Beauty" is a fun and highly entertaining film for the whole family – especially those who love great music.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Fun in the water
BATHING BEAUTY was never meant to be a classic. It's primarily an excuse to feature Red Skelton in some of his "routiens", like being in drag and doing lots of pantomime. Also a vehicle for showcasing Esther Williams who was just starting out in films. She does well for her first co-starring role. Red is the star in this one unlike NEPTUNES DAUGHTER where he co-stars. The film is likable enough and fun to watch for the by-gone days of the flimsy MGM musical that it is. The plot is almost non-existent and again, just an excuse for Reds antics. Look for a young Janis Paige in the best number in the film. BATHING BEAUTY is one of six titles on DVD in the Williams collection. Now if Warner's would just put out another collection which should include some her better material i.e. EASY TO LOVE; DUCHESS OF IDAHO; SKIRTS AHOY; MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID and THRILL OF A ROMANCE.
3 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Classic of the WWII era
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.
10 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
**1/2
Warning: Spoilers
Basil Rathbone, although nasty and cunning as ever, is way out of his league in this one. Here he is a producer who tries to break up the marriage of Red Skelton and Esther Williams so that the latter can continue writing music for his water story.
To get Williams back, Skelton goes to her college and the film depicts his madcap adventures there in an all-girl's school with the dean and faculty trying to get him to have 100 demerits so that he can be expelled.
The water sequences are beautifully realized by Williams but to say that this is her picture is ridiculous. To me, it was Skelton's with his antics all the way.
Regarding the ballet scene where Skelton dresses in a tutu and is given the works by instructor Ann Codee, wasn't this done before in another Skelton-Codee film?
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Interesting as the first aquatic musical and for Red Skelton's performance.
This was Esther Williams's first starring vehicle and the beginning of that strange if charming subgenre, the swimming musical. She is lovely and has a certain presence; her film persona, a kind of wet precursor of Doris Day's virgins, is already set here. The water ballets that begin and end the film are well done and lavish but not as campy as they later became. The finale of fountains of water and flame is memorable.
The film, however, belongs to Red Skelton, who gets top billing. He does a classic bit that I've seen numerous times from him over the years, miming a woman getting up in the morning and getting dressed. He also has a long ballet sequence of his own, complete with pink tutu, that is one of the best things I've ever seen him do.
The rest of the cast, especially long-suffering Basil Rathbone (what were the casting people thinking?), were either wasted or forgettable, a Colombian baritone Carlos Ramirez, who has the presence of haddock, being one of the latter. The story rather lies there and smells, too.
Music, provided by Harry James, Xavier Cugat, Helen Forrest, and others, ought to have been a lot better, too. The songs are not execrable, simply forgettable given the talents available.
This is not a film for someone who is not a true believer of the genre, but it has its moments for those of us who are.
10 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Breezy 'swimusical' comedy extravaganza, featuring Esther Williams, Red Skelton, the Cugat and James bands
Warning: Spoilers
Esther Williams, as the numero uno bathing beauty of the times, in her first, of many, Technicolor 'swimusicals', has much supporting talent in this extravaganza, which was a smash hit for wartime audiences. Originally conceived as featuring most prominently Red Skelton, in a film titled 'Mr. Co-ed", it was decided to make Esther the headliner name of a retitled "Bathing Beauty". There are two swimming sections, the early one not of much interest, while the finale one is a very elaborate spectacle, featuring many participants in colorful outfits, in and out of the water, with Esther sometimes the focus of attention. Intervening these visual and musical spectaculars is a zany screenplay, with romantic and professional complications, and often featuring Red in various embarrassing situations.
In 1936,Fox had initiated a series of films featuring ice-skating shows, usually including musical and romantic comedy features, as well, headed by ice skating sensation Sonja Henie. But, the last notable film of this series was released the year before the present film. Audiences had become bored with ice skating shows and Ms. Henie. MGM decided to imitate this general format, substituting water shows for ice skating shows, with Esther, a champion swimmer, the perennial female star. It worked surprisingly well, given Esther's comparatively bland screen persona.
As many superior musicals have done, this one starts out with a musical highlight, to dazzle audiences. Xavier Cugat's Latin-themed band, initially featuring the singing and samba wiggling of Lina Romay, and later, the singing of Columbian Carlos Ramirez, as he seemingly pursues a disinterested Esther around the pool. Not long afterward, Harry James and his band is featured, although they can't equal Cugat's show for interest. Later, Helen Forest sings, Unfortunately, she never came across as an exciting singer. Both bands had already been featured in the B&W musical "Two Girls and a Sailor", released earlier that year. In contrast to most of his roles for MGM as a one song man, Ramirez has several singing assignments here, and plays a small role in the screenplay. However, perhaps his most memorable film moment was when he sang "Begin the Beguine", in the Cole Porter biopic: "Night and Day".
While it's often thought that films featuring water ballets were introduced in this film, in fact the first film to do so was "Footlight Parade", back in 1933, with Busby Berkeley as the innovative choreographer. Although Berkeley did choreograph the water ballet in a few of Esther's films, he was not present here. Nonetheless, much of the water ballet featured typical Berkeley-inspired features.
Poor Steve Elliot(Red), an important song writer, is fraudulently accused of being a bigamist, just after his wedding to Caroline(Esther). Seems producer George(Basil Rathbone) overheard that Steve planned to retire from songwriting upon his marriage, and is afraid that his future shows won't sell without Steve's song writing. Thus, he arranged for a woman(Jacqueline Dalya, as Maria) to claim she already had 3 sons fathered by Steve, all presented just after the wedding ceremony. Caroline believes this fraud, and leaves Steve to return to her job as swimming instructor at an all girl college. Steve tries to worm his way back into her life, finding a loophole in the college charter, allowing him to register as a student. This, of course, sets the stage for a series of comedic episodes through most of the remainder of the film.
Although today, Red mostly comes across as a corny sort of slapstick clown, the episode where he is forced to take a ballet class is still truly hilarious. Another highlight is the vaudeville-like song and dance, to "I'll Take the high Note", mostly featuring the tall Red and petite , vivacious, Jean Porter, looking a bit like Lisa Minnelli. The upbeat organ music of Ethel Smith, often jazzy or Latin-themed, is also featured several times, she also playing the music teacher at this college. Ethel's organ playing would again be featured in the Esther film "Easy to Wed", in which Ramirez would also return for a song.
Basil Rathbone, of fame in playing Sherlock Holmes, and fighting losing rapier duels with Errol Flynn, is surprisingly present, as the play and water ballet producer George.
Playing a song writer, Red actually did compose many songs and even symphonies, although few are remembered today. In "Three Little Words"('50), he would play the historic song lyricist Harry Ruby".
5 years later, in "Neptune's Daughter", MGM would reteam Esther with Red, and with Cugat's band again providing most of the musical numbers, hoping to recapture the magic of the present film. Although it too was a major box office success, in some ways, I see it as an inferior total experience. Red would be included in several other Esther films, as well, the last being the '51 "Texas Carnival". In contrast to the present film, Esther was not paired romantically with Red's character in these other films, being provided with a conventionally handsome leading man.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036628/reviews
0 Response to "Red Skelton Woman Getting Dressed in the Morning"
Post a Comment