CHARLES WALTERS
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BB.5.
USA, 1953. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Story by Laszlo Vadnay, Screenplay by Laszlo Vadnay, William Roberts. Cinematography by Ray June. Produced by Joe Pasternak. Music by George Stoll, Robert Van Eps. Production Design by Cedric Gibbons, Jack Martin Smith. Costume Design by Helen Rose. Film Editing by Gene Ruggiero.
Weak Esther Williams vehicle that, as with so many her films, is just a series of excuses to get her into a bathing suit. She plays the star attraction at Cypress Gardens in Florida who is constantly bickering with her money-minded manager (Van Johnson) about her career. After he takes her to New York (cause it’s all about swimming there) for a photo shoot, she catches the eye of a famous singer (Tony Martin) who offers her a part in a grand spectacle for bigger money than she’d been making back home. Trouble is, she is now caught between jobs and men for whom she feels affection. It’s a silly excuse for a movie, but the underwater scenes really are lovely and some of the songs tunefully fun. Williams always considered this to be her favourite of her movies, though this was likely because of the fun she was having making it and not because of the end product (she was also pregnant during filming, which for her might have been a positive experience).
