Bathing Beauty Review
Bathing Beauty gave birth to the Esther_Williams aquacade film and is one of the better examples of that genre, perhaps because it features a winning and engaging performance from Red_Skelton. Indeed, Bathing Beauty was initially conceived of as a starring vehicle for Skelton (minus all of the aquatics, of course), and he actually has much more responsibility for carrying the picture than Williams, whose debut as a lead performer this was. Skelton is a delight throughout, reining in his tendency to overplay and coming across as quite touching in several moments. He also gets plenty of opportunity to let loose, most memorably in a comic ballet sequence. Williams is fine when on land and a winner when wet, and the big ballets that open and close the movie are highlights, the fire-and-water finale especially being memorable. The plot is so much nonsense, the dialogue rarely more than serviceable, and the supporting actors are largely wasted, with Basil_Rathbone sleepwalking through his negligible part. But the musical guests range from good to great (with the notable exception of the big-voiced but boring Carlos_Ramirez) and director George_Sidney keeps the whole silly affair bubbling along nicely. Craig Butler, Rovi
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