the audience applauded

Highly Overrated But Still Good

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Directed by Charles Walters, and written by Dorothy Kingsley, this Esther Williams film also stars her future husband Fernando Lamas, who swims with her during this musical romantic comedy. Though absent much of the spectacular synchronized swimming that's a staple in virtually all of her other films, this one does feature an extended animated sequence in which Ms. Williams swims with Tom & Jerry and other cartoon characters. Also appearing are Jack Carson, Charlotte Greenwood, and William Demarest.The Higgins family is a healthy one, the family that swims together stays together. Unfortunately, their family farm isn't doing so well. What they really need is a prize bull to breed better dairy cows than they currently have, and a few repairs here and there. Enter Windy Weebe (Carson), a vitamin serum ("Liquapep") traveling salesman that meets the farmer's daughter, Katie Higgins (Williams). When he happens upon the fit family and learns that Ma (Greenwood), Pa (Demarest), Junior (Donna Corcoran), and Suzie (Barbara Whiting) recently swam in a 14 mile river race, along with Katie who won it, he knows he's found a perfect promotion for his wares. He convinces "the Colonel" (someone we never see who Windy speaks to via the telephone) to sponsor the family in an attempt to cross the English Channel. The family is willing to go along with it because of their financial need, and because Windy tells them the distance is only 20 miles.Once in France, the Higgins family learns that crossing the channel is really a 30 to 40 mile swim because of the route one must take to traverse its currents. However, they begin their training in earnest anyway, which occasionally involves promoting Liquapep, the vitamin product none of them can stand to swallow. On one particularly foggy day, Katie meets rich playboy André Lanet (Lamas), while he's rowing to his yacht; Windy meets another swimmer Gigi Mignon (Denise Darcel). Of course, a romance begins between Katie and André (and Windy & Gigi) which threatens her training schedule and the possibility that she's be fit enough to accomplish the task.Additionally, Pa mortgages the family farm and bets it all on someone in their family winning the race. It also becomes clear that only Katie will be able to attempt the crossing among the family. I'm sure you can guess the result.

Katie Higgins (Esther Williams) is the eldest daughter of a dairy-farming family of health nuts. Health tonic promoter Windy Weebe (Jack Carson) convinces her to enter a contest to swim the English Channel. After arriving in Europe, Katie finds herself pursued by a dashing Frenchman (Fernando Lamas). This is one of Esther's best movies. She's gorgeous here, as she always was -- the Queen of Technicolor. The cast is great. Highlights include Barbara Whiting's performance of the cheeky song "I Like Men," Esther's famous underwater ballet with Tom & Jerry, and pretty much every scene with William Demarest. It's a very funny and charming musical comedy. A must-see for Esther fans.

O.K.; so it's not a classic! So, it's not one of Esther's best, but - considering the over-all movie - it IS very entertaining! When I first saw this movie as as a teenager, I found myself singing "I Got Out of Bed on the Right Side" so much that the family finally said, "For God's sake! Will you SHUT UP?" So, sense of humor! No respect for Esther whom I adored and was in love with as ever other red-blooded American Teenager was at the time! Recently, I was happy to see it play on Turner Classics and the charm of the film has not diminished! I guess the best part of the film was when the whole cast got in on the song "Ain't Love So Grand"! And there's Charolotte Greenwood doing her dancing specialty at the end of the number. I guess this was the second to last that she ever danced in a film with "Oklahoma" being the last in which she played Aunt Eller. Originally, she was the first pick for playing Aunt Eller in Oklahoma on Braodway, but other commitments stopped her from doing it, so Rogers and Hammerstien were thrilled when they finally signed her up for the movie version. Greenwood was known for her eccentric dancing in which she had been a hit in an old move called "The Pip From Pittsburg". It's sad to see many of our characters in the business gone, but it's wonderful that we still have their performances on film to enjoy forever.It's true that Esther married Fernando in real life, but from what I remember, Lana Tuner was married to Lex Barker, and Arlene Dahl was married to Fernando Lamas, and they were a happy foursome so much that Turner divorced Barker, Dahl divorced Fernando, and then Dahly married Lex Barker and Lana Turner married Fernando Lamas, but before the divorces Arlene Dahl gave birth to Lorenzo Lamas who would go on to a somewhat fame in movies and T.V. but not with the stature and popularity of his father. Then much later, after filming Dangerous When Wet Fernando started dating Esther and Esthers film career was beginning to go downhill, and she was pretty well tired of making movies and when Fernando asked her to marry him, he asked her, "Can you stop being Esther Willimas?" and she gladly said, "Yes!" and she kept her word to the day Fernando died and didn't have anything to do with a career in show-business! Much later, Lorenzo was on, I believe, The Johnny Carson Show, and Carson asked him what is was like having Esther as a mother, and he proudly answered, "How many kids can claim they were taught to swim by Esther Williams?"

MGM's resident mermaid Williams gets an ever-so-slightly more challenging part in this musical outing. Often, Williams just did (dazzling) water ballets sprinkled amongst a lot of romantic entanglements and shenanigans. It's much the same here, but at least she gets a chance to do a story that has a few real moments of emotion and even strife. She plays the eldest daughter of an especially healthy farm family who is chosen to swim the English Channel in an international event. Carson plays a relentless promoter while Lamas is a wealthy and charming distraction. The story details Williams and her family undergoing the necessary training and preparation for the big swim, encountering a few hurdles along the way. It culminates in a surprisingly strenuous and moving climax in which a badly exhausted Williams can barely move a muscle in the open sea. Several peppy musical numbers occur throughout the movie including an opening number in which the family begins their daily fitness ritual and an ensemble piece featuring the mother (Greenwood) in a bizarre, wacky, but fun dance routine.There's also a lengthy dream sequence (a major highlight of the film) in which a luminous Williams swims with the famous cartoon characters Tom and Jerry and other animated sea creatures based on the other actors in the film. (Hilariously, Lamas is depicted as an octopus, which aptly sums up the man's on and off screen persona of an insatiable ladies man.) Parts of the film lag a bit as it meanders to it's fairly predictable end, but Carson brings a lot of energy and humor to his role and other cast members provide nice work as well. Lamas and Williams display clear chemistry together, though she maintains that they did not have an affair during the film (just one racy ride home from the studio in which she had her hand under his robe most of the way!) They married about 15 or so years later once he had cooled his libidinous jets somewhat and she was free of her deadbeat second husband. Cruelly, Lamas' formidable body is kept under wraps much of the time. Their only major swimming sequence together is filmed entirely above the water.