Bathing Beauty (1944)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

Kenneth Earl (story) &
M.M. Musselman (story) ...

Release Date:

July 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

M.G.M's Mammoth Technicolor Musical Spectacle!

Plot:

Songwriter Steve Elliott is about to marry Caroline Brooks. A strange woman who's been paid by Steve's...

Plot Keywords:

College | New York City | Tutu | Lawyer | Los Angeles

Cast

Red Skelton	...	Steve Elliot
Esther Williams	...	Caroline Brooks
Basil Rathbone	...	George Adams
Bill Goodwin	...	Professor Willis Evans
Jean Porter	...	Jean Allenwood
Nana Bryant	...	Dean Clinton
Carlos Ramírez	...	Himself
Ethel Smith	...	Ethel Smith - Music Teacher
Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra	...	Themselves
Lina Romay	...	Herself
Harry James and His Music Makers	...	Themselves
Helen Forrest	...	Herself - Singer with Harry James and His Music Makers
Donald Meek	...	Chester Klazenfrantz
Jacqueline Dalya	...	Maria Dorango
Francis Pierlot	...	Professor Hendricks

Also Known As:

The Co-Ed (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #9966) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Australia:G | West Germany:16 | Argentina:Atp | Canada:F (Ontario) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Lakeside Country Club - 4500 W. Lakeside Drive, Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Some initial credits are not in the second set of credits, so the cast ordering uses the initial credits first and fills in the rest with the subsequent credits, according to IMDb policy.

Quotes:

Professor Hendricks: Are we keeping you awake, Mr. Elliot?
Steve Elliot: Barely.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Bart of Darkness (#6.1)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Magic is the Moonlight (Te quiero juste)

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.