Bathing Beauty - Warner Archive Collection

Bathing Beauty was the movie that started it all for Esther Williams. It launched her off the diving board, propelled her into the pool, and jettisoned her into the hearts of moviegoers worldwide. It also spawned a series of swimming spectaculars that would showcase the inimitable aquatic talents of its attractive star, who would ride the wave of popularity over a dozen years and more than a dozen films.

The silly plot, which took a total of seven(!) writers to craft, is just an excuse to get Williams wet and her top-billed co-star Red Skelton into a host of slapstick situations. Songwriter Steve Elliott (Skelton) and swimming teacher Caroline Brooks (Williams) agree to give up their respective careers after they get married, but that decision doesn't sit well with Steve's agent George Adams (Basil Rathbone), because Steve is slated to write the score for - what else? - a new aquatic show.

To secure Steve's services, George conspires to break up the lovers and succeeds moments after they say "I do." A woman claiming to be Steve's wife crashes the ceremony and drags in three red-headed boys whom she says are his sons. Caroline falls hook, line, and sinker for the ruse, runs out on the shell-shocked Steve, vows to get an annulment, and hightails it back East, where she returns to her old job at an all-girls college. Determined to win her back, Steve finds a loophole in the college's admissions policy and enrolls in the school. The administration hopes to get him expelled by setting him up for failure, but Steve rises to their myriad challenges. Will his Herculean efforts finally melt the frosty Caroline? And can he also coax her into starring in his new water show?

Awash in three-strip Technicolor, filled with catchy tunes, and capped by a beautifully choreographed and gracefully executed water ballet, Bathing Beauty is quintessential escapist entertainment, and wartime audiences lapped it up. The film grossed almost $7 million worldwide, making it MGM's third-most successful picture to date. And the fact this blockbuster was directed by a 27-year-old wunderkind by the name of George Sidney makes it all the more impressive.

Bathing Beauty started out under a different title and was envisioned as a straight comedic Red Skelton vehicle, but when Williams joined the cast all that changed. A good chunk of the film still focuses on Skelton, whose antics include showing up in a pink tutu for a ballet class, keeping a growling Great Dane at bay, and honoring the Marx Brothers when he hides a bevy of co-ed babes in a cramped closet, but Williams steals the spotlight whenever she's on screen. Her acting isn't yet up to snuff, but her swimming is sublime and she and Skelton make an ideal pair. That chemistry would lead MGM to co-star them in two subsequent movies, Neptune's Daughter in 1949 and Texas Carnival in 1951.

In addition to all the tomfoolery and aquatics, Bathing Beauty showcases two very popular big bands. Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra supply a couple of Latin-themed numbers, while trumpeter extraordinaire Harry James and His Orchestra provide some scorching jazz. Both bandleaders also figure into the story, but they mostly provide musical interludes that, while entertaining, stall the already thin narrative. The screenplay is about as skimpy as some of the swimmers' bathing suits, but if you look at the film as a series of sketches and numbers rather than a cohesive whole you'll enjoy it a lot more.

The climactic water ballet is worth waiting for (many clips from it are included in the MGM musicals documentary That's Entertainment!) and it remains impressive from both an artistic and technical standpoint. MGM hired Williams to compete with 20th Century-Fox's ice skating sensation Sonja Henie (a former Olympic champion whose very successful film career was winding down) and Williams quickly eclipsed her. As Williams' popularity soared, her stunts became more daring and the size of her sets ballooned. From a swimming perspective, Bathing Beauty is fairly intimate and exudes a freshness and beguiling sense of innocence and wonder that make it one of her most appealing and enduring pictures.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Bathing Beauty arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu without music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.

Scrumptious might be the best word to describe another pitch-perfect Technicolor transfer from Warner Archive. From beginning to end, the brand new HD master struck from a new 4K scan of the original nitrate Technicolor camera negatives is a joy to behold and showcases the glorious cinematography of two-time Oscar-winner Harry Stradling. The 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer looks incredibly film-like, with a faint grain structure, excellent contrast, and crystal clarity. (The image is so vibrant, the scuffed and dirty sides of the community pool MGM used in the opening underwater sequence are all too evident as Williams glides by.)

Colors are superb, with bold reds, deep blues, verdant greens, and sunny yellows constantly grabbing attention. Williams' magenta bathing suit and Skelton's pink tutu are also stunning, while rich blacks and bright, stable whites provide stark accents. Sharp lines heighten the impact of silhouettes, the reflections in the pool water are dazzling, and an array of glamorous close-ups highlight Williams' fresh-faced beauty and Skelton's red hair and ruddy complexion. The pristine source material is free of any age-related damage and no digital anomalies could be detected. This transfer is a bona fide treat that will delight fans of Williams, Skelton, and Golden Age classics.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono tracks pumps out exceptional sound that greatly enhances the film. A wide dynamic scale handles both Harry James' screaming trumpet riffs and the mariachis, cow bells, and bongos used by Xavier Cugat's orchestra without a hint of distortion, and the lush orchestrations by Daniele Amfitheatrof and Johnny Green (neither of whom receive screen credit) exude a lovely depth of tone. The myriad slaps Skelton weathers from his drill sergeant ballet teacher are crisp, all the dialogue is easy to comprehend, and no age-related hiss, pops, or crackle intrude. 

Some nice supplements enhance this release.

• Vintage Cartoon: Mouse Trouble (SD, 7 minutes) - In this funny Tom & Jerry romp, Tom consults a book about how to catch a mouse, but the advice and tips don't yield the hoped-for results. 
  
• Vintage Short: Main Street Today (SD, 20 minutes) - This Oscar-nominated two-reel short looks at how  a small town deals with staffing shortages during World War II. Familiar character actors Ray Collins and Henry O'Neill headline this piece of patriotic propaganda.
• TCM Private Screenings with Esther Williams, hosted by Robert Osborne (SD, 47 minutes) - The late, beloved TCM host sits down with Williams, who discusses her life and films and shares some anecdotes in this lively, entertaining, and revealing 1996 interview.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 3 minutes)

One of Esther Williams' most charming vehicles, Bathing Beauty showcases the fresh-faced swimmer in her first starring role and introduces a unique form of cinematic entertainment that would captivate audiences for the next decade. A dazzling new 4K scan of the original Technicolor nitrate camera negatives and crystal clear remastered audio add to the appeal of this buoyant musical comedy. Highly Recommended.

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