Wednesday, February 17, 2010

DANGEROUS WHEN WET (1953)



Dangerous When Wet (1953). Musical Cast: Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas,Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Carson. Director Charles Walters, and featuring an animated swimming sequence starring Williams with Tom and Jerry.

A dairy farmer and his entire family start the day with a morning swim in the lake. One day, Katie the oldest daughter meets traveling salesman Windy Weebe who is instantly attracted to her. Weebe sells an elixir that is supposed to make you strong and healthy. He notices the family's strength in the water, suggests that they all swim the English Channel.

The family and Weebe fly off to England where they learn that the distance is 20 miles "as the seagull flies" but with the currents, can be up to 42 miles. Katie is the only one in the family strong enough to swim that far, so she begins training with Weebe. Katie, in the water, is separated from Weebe in the fog and is rescued by Frenchman, Andre Lanet. Lamas falls for Katie, but she tries to stay focused on her swim. In a dream scene, Katie does an underwater ballet with cartoon characters Tom and Jerry.

I thought this film was a lot of fun. Esther did very well in her dramatic and comedic scenes. You can see the genuine chemistry between her and Lamas.

Soundtracks:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I Like Men"
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Sung by Barbara Whiting

"Ain't Nature Grand"
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Sung by Esther Williams and Fernando Lamas
Also sung by Barbara Whiting
Also sung by Jack Carson and Denise Darcel
Also sung and danced by Charlotte Greenwood and William Demarest

"I Got Out Of Bed on the Right Side"
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Performed by William Demarest, Esther Williams, Charlotte Greenwood and Donna Corcoran

No comments: