|
Hot Picks
| |
|
Bathing Beauty
USA 1944
produced by
Jack Cummings for MGM
directed by George Sidney
starring Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Basil Rathbone, Bill Goodwin, Jean Porter, Nana Bryant, Carlos Ramírez, Ethel Smith, Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra, Lina Romay (II), Harry James and his Music Makers, Helen Forrest, Donald Meek, Jacqueline Dalya, Francis Pierlot, Ann Codee, Margaret Dumont, Bunny Waters, Janis Paige
story by Kenneth Earl, M.M. Musselman, Curtis Kenyon, adaptation by Joseph Schrank, screenplay by Dorothy Kingsley, Allen Boretz, Frank Waldman, music by Daniele Amfitheatrof, Johnny Green, gag consultant: Buster Keaton
review by
Mike Haberfelner
|
|
|
 |
Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
|
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
|
|
|
 |
|
Composer Steve (Red Skelton) and Caroline (Esther Williams) are madly
in love and want to marry, but there's Steve's impresario Adams (Basil
Rathbone) who wants Steve to compose him musical after musical instead,
and Adams even goes so far as to sabotage Steve's wedding by hiring
actress Maria Durango (Jacqueline Dalya) to show up at the wedding and
claim he is already married to her ... Heartbroken, Caroline returns to
her job at the Victoria College for Girls, and Steve, not knowing
what got him into the mess he had nothing to do with ... decides to join
the Victoria College as a student to win her back, using a loophole in the
college's constitution that actually permits male student on the campus.
Of course, everyone and not only Caroline (who doesn't admit to actually
being married to Steve) is upset about the man in the college, and they
try everything to get rid of him as quick as possible, before its the
parents' visiting day - but that's easier said than done because for the
sake of winning Caroline back, steve behaves like a model student, and he
is greatly helped by his young female co-eds who have all taken a(n
innocent) liking in the man about twice their age. Eventually, the
teachers of the college device a plan to catch him off the premises past
curfew - which would result in immediate eviction -, which means though
that Caroline has to go on a date with Steve. On this date she falls in
love with him all over again. As a result, she helps him to sneak back
into his room without being caught. Later, she sneaks into his room as
well for a little of you-know-what ... which is when all hell breaks loose
when three co-eds, Maria Durango - who has come to apologize - and Adams -
who has come to keep Maria from apologizing - show up as well, and so do
one co-eds parents, who are shocked about the goings-on in their
daughter's college. As a result, Caroline is fired from her job and
never wants to see Steve again, and Adams gets Steve back under his spell
and persuades him to write a water musical - which Steve only accepts if
Caroline is to star. It all ends well of course, when Maria Durango
finally makes her way to Caroline to explain the whole situation, and
while Caroline has her water ballet finale, Steve chases Adams through the
scenery to lynch him ... Harmless college comedy with a few
musical numbers and a few swim scenes thrown in - and also a few pretty
good slapstick setpieces. Everything is high camp in this movie of course,
but it goes to the credit of director George Sidney that he's totally
aware of that and tells his story in a self-ironic way. Now the result
might not exactly be a masterpiece, but totally acceptable light-hearted
entertainment.
|
amazon.co.uk
amazon.de
eThaiCD.com
find Bathing Beauty at adultvideouniverse.com
