Splashing around

Get out your swimming trunks and two-piecers! With pool-side frivolity just around the bend, why don't you splash around with a tall glass of "Bathing Beauty" as your summer-time primer? The 1944 comedy drenched in Technicolor teams together vaudeville alumni Red Skelton and Olympics-bound champion swimmer Esther Williams as a pair of lovelorn characters unknowingly double-crossed by Basil Rathbone's character's greedy tactics. Subtle screwball humor abounds after a misunderstanding sends Williams's Caroline in a huff back to Victoria College to her swimming instructing roots while Skelton's Steve sacrifices all sense of decorum to relentlessly win her back. As an "interim" male student in the all-female school, Skelton's comedic timing is flawless as he pulls off physical "stunts" like twirling about in a tutu and popping in and out of a coat closet while sidestepping the wrath of a monstrous Great Dane. It won't be difficult to root for this naturally sweet character, not just for his pure whimsy or his lovesick tremors over Caroline, but for the camaraderie he unleashes among his classmates. Caroline is less winsome with her rigid attitude, but Williams's icy-tinged beauty makes for a convincingly cold-shouldered character you can't take your eyes off. 

The hysterical side characters also make this lovely musical a delight to sink into. You've got Carlos Ramirez as himself serenading a perturbed Caroline, Ethel Smith portraying a stereotypical spinster music teacher complete with goof ball expressions and Bill Goodwin playing a straight laced botany professor also enamored by the elusive swim teacher. As you near the end of the movie, you'll be treated to a tautly crafted scene that involves characters emerging out of a closet on a tandem bike and a wide-eyed girl peeking out from a blanket suspended from the ceiling. The innocent shenanigans prove that back then, directors merely relied on G-rated humor to draw out guffaws from the audience.



On top of all the clever comedy, the tightly woven music and choreography will prompt some foot tapping and head bobbing. This was the Big Band era after all, so expect several rounds of ear-shattering drumming and saxing (check out the clip above of Harry James and company belting out a tune). Be on the heels of one particular scene where a brigade of enthusiastic music students listens to the music teacher tap the keys and pedals of the organ to produce a hoppity tune that sounds comparable to the modern scores of today. And the fashion, oh the fashion! I love the students' khaki uniforms pulled together with a red kerchief and Williams's sequined black and white-striped dress that she flaunts during dinner. As expected, the directors capatilized on Esther's mermaid-like moves in the water - you'll be captivated by her diving acumen, her seamless strokes and her spotlighted performance during a choreographed nautical number. Though bathing suits were quite conservative in the 40s, Bathing Beauty will still inspire you to sculpt and tone your way to a two-piecer.


Photo Source: Wikipedia

-Dani