That was an excellent one.

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

"Bathing beauty" is on my very favorite top five list of Esther Williams films and of Esther's water ballets. I believe this was Esther's second film ever. She appeared once before in an Andy Hardy film with Mickey Rooney looking beautiful as one of his love interests. She is gorgeous here. Esther is just so beautiful, sweet, charming, and graceful. The water ballet here is one of the best of Esther's with the beautiful overhead patterns in the water, the graceful beautiful girls dancing outside of the pool in the background while the beautiful girls in the pool do their water dancing while the beautiful classical music plays, the elaborate underwater spin circles the girls do while Esther swims through them, and the spectacular fountain works in the pool. Then, the story itself is interesting, with Red Skelton being engaged to Esther. Even the first scene by the pool is nice. Then, during Red and Esther's wedding, Red is unfairly set up and made to look like he cheated on Esther. Esther believes it, and flees. She flies back to the east coast to take her old job at a girl's boarding school. 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. Through particular circumstances, the scene ends with the three girls and a musician riding out of the closet on a four person bicycle while singing. This is typical great classic comic timing. " Bathing beauty" was great, with the combination of it being sweet, passionate, spectacular, and very funny. Esther was beautiful and charming, as always. This film was pure, Hollywood golden age greatness.

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.

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?

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.