Neptune's Daughter

Two of MGM's biggest box office attractions teamed once again for the film Neptune's Daughter in 1949. Esther Williams and Red Skelton certainly brought their own respective fan bases for this film. With these two MGM was fighting the good fight against the increasing drawing power of television which would certainly soon claim Skelton.

Esther Williams and scatterbrained mantrap sister Betty Garrett are peddling a new line of swimwear and no one could certainly model her own designs better than Esther Williams both in and out of the water. But she's constantly worried about all the boyfriends that Garrett is finding and then discarding. Better to keep a close eye on her.

Enter masseuse Red Skelton at the club resort that Williams and Garrett are staying. He's got no luck with women at all. So he seeks advice from South American polo player Ricardo Montalban who's a devil with the ladies. Red not only seeks advice, but he appropriates Montalban's character name of Jose O'Rourke. That causes some real problems when Montalban courts Williams and Williams learns somebody named Jose O'Rouke has been calling on Garrett.

Red has some really inventive comedy routines one involving tricking Mike Mazurki into thinking he needs a spinal adjustment while he's being held against his will. And the climax is a hilarious polo match where Skelton substitutes for Montalban in a polo match where gamblers are trying for a fix. I've seen many different sports lampooned in film, but Neptune's Daughter is the only film around that took to satirizing polo.

Frank Loesser who was really coming into his own as a writer of both music and lyrics did the score for Neptune's Daughter. Loesser had a big hit in Charley's Aunt running on Broadway and was working on another project when Neptune's Daughter came out, a musical based on Damon Runyon characters called Guys And Dolls. Played instrumentally, but not sung is his previous hit On A Slow Boat To China done during a fashion show sequence involving Esther Williams's swim suits.

And Loesser brought home the film's Oscar for best song with Baby, It's Cold Outside. Montalban and Williams do it first and later there's a comic obbligato from Skelton and Garrett. The big selling record for this song came from Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark in a duet recorded just before Clark was killed in a plane crash. It's a delightful and bouncy number that readily lends itself to satire. I have bootleg recording of a radio broadcast where Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester do it. Turn that one over in your minds.

Topping it all off is a water ballet by Esther and they typically got bigger and better in films as she tried to top herself. Williams was really fortunate that her career was with MGM because it would only be a major studio that would have invested the production values in her films.

Because of that this very charming musical comedy holds up very well for today's audience.

Not many people today seem to know much about Esther Williams' fabulous films of the mid and late 1940s and early 1950s. The later 1950s is such a well known era with the birth of rock'n'roll and Elvis, but the immediate post WW2 years 1945-1954 are in general bit less known to the under 60 year old age group today (a 60 year old this year would've just been born in 1957, and many people can only relate so much to the time periods before they were even born). Some of the best Golden Age films (there are many wonderful films in the 1928- 1945 period too) are from 1945-1954 such as "Singing in the rain", "Easter parade", "A streetcar named Desire", and many others. And of course Esther Williams' films, all of them were between 1944 and 1955.

"Neptune's daughter" was great. Esther here is owner Kenan Wynn's assistant of a large clothing and swimsuit company. Red Skelton has a funny role as a masseur of the South American polo team, which includes star player Ricardo Montanan. I like the early scene with Red almost winning top prize in a radio show contest but barely missing out due to one little reason, that scene was funny due to how it was played out. This film has the great "Baby it's cold outside", first verse Esther and Riccardo, second Betty and Red.

Red lies about being Latino to attract Esther's sister Betty. That idea was played out like a joke, since Red has red (no pun intended) hair, fair skin, and is not too talented at acting Hispanic. Betty was also not too bright for completely falling for it. There were a few sexual tones in this film; when Ricardo compares a woman to a horse and says "but one cannot make love to a horse, unless one is another horse". That line in a more modern movie would've certainly come with some perverted smart*** comebacks, and people wouldn't use the term "make love", they would've used dirtier language. I liked the scene with Betty and Red with Xavier Cougat's orchestra (this is another of numerous Esther films with Xavier) Since Red lied about understanding Spanish, he had to play his way out of a situation during a song where he was thought to know how to play several different instruments. There was also another great old fashioned exotic samba type song with Xavier, orchestra, and beautiful exotic Latin girls.

I loved the addition of Mel Blanc and his Speedy Gonzales voice, the Bugs bunny reference with Red saying "Albaquerque" and saying "he went thataway" while pointing two fingers in two different directions, and the whip and cigarette in the mouth trick and Mel's cousin "No nose". I also found funny a scene with several men trying to get Red onto a horse, and it almost looked like the horse was looking at the camera and thinking "what a maroon".

I also loved the scenes with Esther and Riccardo such as the dialogue between them in the car while driving, Riccardo had some amusing lines there such as his comments on the sites Esther was trying to show him ("you've showed me pirates cove with no pirates, inspiration point with no inspiration, and lovers lane with no love"). Also funny was Riccardo's comment on the detour sign ("quote, a detour is to take the bad road cause the good road's unavailable, unquote") bringing up Esther's earlier detour remark (then comically says "you also implied I am a blackmailer, and several other unpleasant things".). I like how Esther tells Ricardo before reluctantly taking him on a date "I will show you the most boring evening of your life". That sort of reminded me of in "Bathing beauty" Esther's reluctantly accepting Red into the college showing him his room saying "I hope you will be very uncomfortable here". Kenan's comment over seeing Riccardo with Esther at the club was also funny ("There he goes feathering his nest, unfeathering mine"). I also loved the part in Esther's clothes factory when Riccardo and Esther were talking in her office. I don't know how many people caught the "Naked gun" reference; Riccardo got a thin piece of glass stuck on the end of his finger in the same way Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) got a thin tropical biting fish stuck on the end of his finger in Ludwig's (played by Riccardo) office in "The naked gun". Esther also had a tropical fish tank in her office that Riccardo noticed in this film much like in "Naked gun" the tropical fish tank in Ludwig's office that Drebin got the fish stuck on his finger out of. Also the same was how in both films they were trying to pull it off their finger and then quickly hiding that hand behind their back whenever someone looked at them. Good referencing. I'm guessing the "Neptune's daughter" referencing in "Naked gun" was Riccardo's idea since he was in both films and in both scenes I just mentioned (he did not look as much as 40 years older in "Naked gun", he aged well). The only thing is that there are likely a good amount of Naked gun fans who hasn't known what film they were referencing in the scene in Ludwig's office.

Hey, this is a topper. One of the best of WILLIAMS swim films, mainly because it has the great Betty Garrett. Her scenes are wonderful, and she and Red Skelton are wonderful together. The Red and Betty seduction scene where he's trying to act like a Spaniard is sensational and wait until he tastes Garretts appetizer. Sheer genius. The new DVD copy is terrific, sharp and clear. Yes, its MGM's clean-cut studio bound movie, but it's what MGM did best. Haven't seen the other WILLIAMS movies in the collection yet, but am looking forward. Also looking forward to another volume and hope that her best, yet under-rated SKIRTS AHOY is included. See this for pure fun.

While not a great film, and it won't be for all tastes, 'Neptune's Daughter' was to me an entertaining film that ticked most of the right boxes.

'Neptune's Daughter' is at its weakest in the story department, where the silly and thin mistaken-identity story is purely functional at best, where a few parts border on the improbable. Keenan Wynn is given little to do and his acting and narration felt like they belonged in another (darker) film because they seemed at odds here. Most of the comedy is a lot of good-natured fun, but some falls flat due to being overdone somewhat.

However, 'Neptune's Daughter' is a beautiful-looking film, with opulent use of colour, handsome cinematography and elegant costumes and sets. The songs and music are pleasant and energetic, "Baby It's Cold Outside" being one of the most deserving wins in the Best Song category though Red Skelton and Betty Garrett's number with Xavier Cugat is a delight too.

While not all the comedy works, most of it does and in a way that's genuinely amusing and good-natured. The highlight is Skelton and Garrett's first date in her apartment, a hilarious scene and beautifully played and executed. The staging for the songs is suitably spirited and always pleasing visually, though while the big water ballet is beautifully photographed and performed and fun it wasn't quite the "aqua spectacular" that was expected, just lacking the continuous energy and imagination of the best Esther Williams water ballets.

Esther Williams is very charming and brightens up the screen whether in or out of the water, while Ricardo Montalban is suave, devilishly handsome and full of energy and charisma. Red Skelton seems to be really enjoying himself and is very funny, a riot even in his best bits, and bubbly Betty Garrett enchants the viewer from the moment she's introduced to her last second. Look out also for a rare live-action appearance from the immortal voice actor Mel Blanc, in case you don't spot him he's the mustachioed guy that sounds exactly like Speedy Gonzales.

In conclusion, a very enjoyable film that did make me feel warm inside, though it is not masterpiece status. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I am astonished about the low rating of this movie! There are of course many musicals which are boring and this one - I admit - does not feature very much. No great songs (despite "Baby it's cold outside - Oscar!), no great dancing and absolutely no great acting. But there is something to make the film special: The comedic timing is perfectly, the gags drop fluently. The supporting roles are fantastic: Red Skelton at his best and the absolutely wonderful Betty Garrett to team him (they should have made more movies!). Xavier Cugat and his orchestra play enthusiastic samba rhythms, the decoration of the picture is bright and joyful! There is no single boring moment, the whole film is like a short trip to the Caribbean sea with a fancy cocktail in your hand!