Bathing Beauty (1944)

A contrived misunderstanding leads to the breakup of a songwriter and his fiancée. She returns to work as a gym teacher at an all-girls school, but a legal loophole allows the man to enroll as one of her students.

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

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

Stars:

Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Basil Rathbone

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Carlos Ramirez
Ethel Smith	...	Ethel Smith - Music Teacher
Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra	...	Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra
Lina Romay	...	Lina Romay
Harry James and His Orchestra	...	Harry James and His Orchestra (as Harry James and His Music Makers)
Helen Forrest	...	Helen Forrest
Donald Meek	...	Chester Klazenfrantz
Jacqueline Dalya	...	Maria Dorango
Francis Pierlot	...	Professor Hendricks

Storyline

Songwriter Steve Elliott is about to marry Caroline Brooks. A strange woman who's been paid by Steve's agent to say she's his wife interrupts the ceremony. An angry Caroline gets her old job back teaching at a girl's college. Determined to win her back, Steve enrolls in the school to become its only male student.

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Plot Keywords:

women's college | water ballet | water musical | large dog | latin lover | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

July 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Co-Ed

Filming Locations:

Lakeside Golf Club - 4500 Lakeside Drive, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,361,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was initially to be titled "The Co-Ed" with Red Skelton having top billing. However, once MGM execs watched the first cut of the film, they realized that Esther Williams' role should be showcased more, and so changed the title to "Bathing Beauty", giving her top billing and featuring her bathing-suit clad figure on the posters.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Forecast (1945)

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Soundtracks

Loch Lomond
(uncredited)
Traditional Scottish folk song
Sung by the Co-eds with Ethel Smith on organ

User Reviews

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.