Puerile Esther Williams musical (one of her weakest, which is saying something!), is strictly for completists. Not Williams completists; Stanley Donen completists. Richard Thorpe megs the hokey, downright nonsensical Joe Pasternak production, while Donen, credited on screen for ‘Dances and Water Ballet,’ likely staged, choreographed and directed them. The sort of busy work M-G-M assigned to him during what must have seemed a demotion after ‘assisting’ Gene Kelly on major set pieces in COVER GIRL/’44 and ANCHORS AWEIGH/’45.* https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/05/cover-girl-1944.html https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2022/09/anchors-aweigh-1945.html There’s only so much Donen can do on a story that sees Williams’ water ballet gal running hot-and-cold for smooth, but bland singer Johnny Johnston, fresh out of the army. HE: unaware of her family showbiz dynasty that sends him to Mackinac Island, MI for Grandma’s approval. SHE: unaware his father is world-famous heldentenor Lauritz Melchoir. Let the misunderstandings begin. Friend of the family Jimmy Durante shows up to be jealous in a fatherly manner and perform one of his specialty songs (‘I’m the Man Who Found the Lost Chord’). For Donen, the big water ballet comes rather early and is a bit puny. Donen does get to tether his chorus of beauties underwater where they presumably drown, unseen by the audience above ground. Sacrifice or waste? Donen probably was thinking the same thing about what the studio was asking him to do.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY/LINK: Donen next worked with Williams on the far superior TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME/’49. On that one, Williams felt dissed and refused to let Donen make his solo directing debut on her PAGAN LOVE SONG/’50. A film so bad its director never megged again. No wonder Donen credited Williams with saving his Hollywood career. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2010/04/take-me-out-to-ball-game-1949.html
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: *Per Donen on working with Kelly: Who assisted whom a point of contention.
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