Bathing Beauty

Plot synopsis:
In Los Angeles, popular songwriter Steve Elliott (Red Skelton) prepares to marry Caroline Brooks (Esther Williams), who has pledged to give up her job as a college swimming instructor once she has wed. Likewise, Steve plans to quit his songwriting career, even though New York producer George Adams (Basil Rathbone) has already hired him to write new songs for a water ballet show.
When George overhears Steve discussing his "retirement" with Caroline, he vows to prevent the marriage and enlists Maria Dorango (Jacqueline Dalya), an aspiring actress posing as a Latin-American singer, to help him. Moments after a justice of the peace pronounces the redheaded Steve and Caroline man and wife, Maria rushes in, claiming that Steve is her husband and the father of her three redheaded children, which she has paraded in at that moment. Although Steve pleads his innocence, Caroline storms off in a rage and returns to her teaching post at Victoria College in New Jersey. A determined Steve and his friend, Carlos Ramirez, follow her there, but are denied entrance to the all-female school.
Later, in a New York nightclub, Steve meets drunken lawyer Chester Klazenfrantz (Donald Meek) and learns that Klazenfrantz has been hired to change the charter of Victoria College, which has never officially designated itself as all-female. Armed with this information, Steve returns to Victoria and insists on applying for admission. Unaware of Caroline's relationship to Steve, Dean Clinton (Nana Bryant) suggests to the faculty that he be admitted for a two-week probationary period, during which time they would give him 100 demerits, which would qualify him for expulsion before Parents Day.
Once enrolled, Steve tries to speak with Caroline, but she refuses to listen to his explanations and tells him she is seeking an annulment. Later, in music class, stodgy Professor Hendricks (Francis Pierlot) attempts to discredit Steve, whose presence on campus has created a furor among the co-eds, by ordering him to write his own version of the Scottish ballad Loch Lomond and teach the next day's class. With help from several talented students, Carlos, the music teaching assistant (Ethel Smith), and Steve's friend Harry James and his orchestra, Steve meets Hendricks' challenge and is awarded an "A."
That night, Steve visits Caroline at her house, but is turned out after Willis Evans (Bill Goodwin), a conservative botany professor who is in love with Caroline, arrives. When Caroline realizes that Steve is hiding in her closet, spying on her, she commands Willis' Great Dane, Duke, to guard the closet door, while reminding Steve that unless he is in his room in five minutes, he will be expelled for breaking curfew. With only seconds to spare, Steve manages to trick the dog long enough to escape back to his dingy basement room. Steve is then visited by George, who threatens to vilify him in the press unless he finishes his songs. When Steve swears deadly revenge on the person who hired Maria, however, George backs down and offers to help Steve do his homework. Concerned about the approaching Parents Day, Dean Clinton, meanwhile, commands Steve's professors, who have penalized him with only fifty-five demerits, to bear down on him. To that end, Mme. Zarka (Ann Codee), Steve's ruthlessly strict ballet teacher, forces him to wear a tutu and dance with the co-eds, but Steve once again rises to the occasion.
A now desperate Dean Clinton asks Caroline to go out with Steve and ensure that he arrives back at Victoria after the curfew. Caroline agrees, but during the evening, Steve convinces her of his innocence, and as they drive back to school, the newlyweds make plans to return to California together. Unknown to Caroline and Steve, Maria is on campus, looking to expose George, who has been trying to get rid of her, to Steve. At the same time, a campus sorority descends on Steve's room, hoping to initiate him, and Jean Allenwood (Jean Porter), another co-ed, shows up with news that her parents and Dean Clinton are on their way over to inspect his room. As Steve desperately hides all the women in two closets and keeps Caroline from discovering Maria, George unexpectedly arrives. Although Steve succeeds in hiding George and himself and fooling Dean Clinton and the Allenwoods, Maria soon makes her presence known to Caroline, who once again leaves in a fury. Later, Steve promises to write songs for George's water ballet show on condition he make Caroline the star. George agrees, and after Maria is finally able to tell Caroline the truth, Caroline happily reunites with Steve, who then gives George a thrashing.

Tags: romantic

Review:
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.
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..
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.
One of the locations look likes it was filmed in Palm Springs.Red Skelton is adorable if a bit typecast.
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).
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.
I was fourteen-years-old when this film was released and naturally eager to see the fabulous Esther Williams.
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 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.
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?.
It's primarily an excuse to feature Red Skelton in some of his "routiens", like being in drag and doing lots of pantomime.
The film is likable enough and fun to watch for the by-gone days of the flimsy MGM musical that it is.
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.
The finale of fountains of water and flame is memorable.The film, however, belongs to Red Skelton, who gets top billing.
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.
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.
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.
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).
After all, what other Hollywood star actually started and monopolized an entire movie genre the way Williams did with her "aqua-musicals".
If you like great music, beauty and entertainment.
Then, the 1944 MGM musical comedy-romance "Bathing Beauty" is for you.
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.
"Bathing Beauty" is a classic film with some wonderful entertainers.
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.
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.
"Bathing Beauty" is a fun and highly entertaining film for the whole family – especially those who love great music..
Music, mugging, and swimming...beautiful production for a comedy with no script.
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.
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.
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.
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.
After doing memorable short scenes in Andy Hardy's Double Trouble and A Guy Named Joe which were both in black and white, Esther Williams then did the first of her "aquamuaicals" in glorious Technicolor with this, Bathing Beauty.
And, yes, Ms. Williams does her water ballet swim sequences that made her such a big star.
There's also swell music from Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra with vocalist Lina Romay, Harry James and His Music Makers with singer Helen Forrest, organist Ethel Smith, and Jean Porter who provides an entertaining duet with Skelton.
Before that, you might guess that the humor borders on the absurd when you realize the steamy romantic relationship the film revolves around is between Esther Williams and Red Skelton.Once you have dispensed with any notion that the plot of Bathing Beauty bears no resemblance to reality, it is easy to sit back and accept the film as an amorphic assemblage of skits.
Bathing Beauty combines singing, dancing, comedy routines, pantomime, an aqua-routine reminiscent of Busby Berkeley including flaming water fountains, trumpet and organ solos, Stoogesque physical comedy, and Skelton's comedic touches that were the staple of his TV show for year to come.Esther Williams is, of course, beautiful.
"Bathing beauty" is on my very favorite top five list of Esther Williams films and of Esther's water ballets.
Then, the story itself is interesting, with Red Skelton being engaged to Esther.
Then comes the silly, yet very funny plot of Red enrolling in the girl's school just to try and get back with Esther and convince her he didn't do anything wrong.
This all includes some amusing, laugh out loud moments such as Red trying to dance in a pink tutu during ballet class and the hilarious way the ballet teacher treats Red. There's also a neat little number Red does with this cute, petite girl (Jean Porter) from music class "I'll take the high road, you take the low road".
The school girls act silly and play different hyjinks, largely on Red, including another funny scene where a few of them are hiding in a closet while Red is in his room with Esther.
Steve (Red Skelton) pursues Caroline (Esther Williams) to a New Jersey all-girl college where he signs on as a student to be near her and win back her heart.The film is basically a showcase for Red Skelton to put on some mimes and routines.
Unfortunately, Esther Williams isn't given enough to do as she plays second fiddle to Skelton.
Comedian Red Skelton is wasted because of a silly script and the musical interludes is mostly unrelated to the plot.
Esther Williams is sweet and lovely and her scenes in the water are spectacular as always..
"Bathing Beauty" is a silly and rather inconsequential film when you see it today.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
Breezy 'swimusical' comedy extravaganza, featuring Esther Williams, Red Skelton, the Cugat and James bands.
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".
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).
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.
Ethel's organ playing would again be featured in the Esther film "Easy to Wed", in which Ramirez would also return for a song.
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.
Red would be included in several other Esther films, as well, the last being the '51 "Texas Carnival".