ESTHER WILLIAMS VOL 2 (MGM 1945-53) Warner Home Video

A little over 2-years ago, Warner Home Video, in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies, released Volume One of Esther Williams; a mixed blessing, since none of the 5-films included in that set had been restored and 2 in particular (Easy To Wed - 1946 and, Bathing Beauty – 1944) were in pretty rough shape. Hence, the celebratory tribute was somewhat blunted by a less than stellar visual presentation. Even more curious for fans was the fact many of Esther's better screen efforts had been omitted - most noticeably absent, Easy to Love (1953) and Million Dollar Mermaid (1952). Perhaps the most promising feature of Volume One was that it was clearly marked as 'volume one' - with the commitment to more volumes to follow in the future. Now, Warner Home Video and TCM have lived up to that promise with their Spotlight Edition of Esther Williams Vol. Two - an altogether more satisfying launch of America's mermaid. The films in this set span Esther's career from 1945 to 1953 – the full flourish of the MGM musical and Esther's part in that pantheon as one of MGM’s most popular and bankable stars.

Richard Thorpe's Thrill of a Romance (1945) kicks off Volume 2's selections - an altogether enjoyable and light-hearted romp. Williams is Cynthia Glenn, a swimming instructor, living blissfully with her slightly obtuse and lovable, Uncle Hobart (Henry Travers) and Aunt Nona (Spring Byington). After spying Cynthia poolside, an improbable romance ensues with uppity business tycoon, Robert Delbar (Carleton G. Young). Cynthia quits her job and the couple retreat to a fabulous country resort for their honeymoon - one of MGM's implausibly lavish concoctions that makes even the Beverly Hills Hotel look second-rate by comparison. Unfortunately for Cynthia, Bob gets called away to D.C. almost immediately, leaving her with nothing to do but mingle with the other hotel guests. These include world-renown opera star, Nils Knudsen (Lauritz Melchior) and returning war hero, Major Thomas Milvaine (Van Johnson). A comedy of errors has mantrap Maude Bancroft (Frances Gifford) erroneously assuming prize fighter, K.O. Karny (Donald Curtis) is Milvaine, leaving Cynthia wide open to pursue a platonic relationship with the real Major. They share long walks through the country and pleasant enough turns in the pool as Cynthia teaches Milvaine to tread water.

There's really not much more to this story, as Bob remains respectfully out of view long enough for Cynthia to realize the mistake of their whirlwind marriage. What makes Thrill of Romance so enticing is therefore not so much the plot as it is presentation, with MGM pulling out all the stops for sheer glamour and gaiety, slickly packaged up a neat entertainment of the ‘little gem’ class. At 105-mins. we get Helena Stanley (as Susan Dorsey) playing The Man with The Horn - a sort of fractured ‘classical music meets swing’ tribute to Tommy Dorsey, as well as Buddy Rich, performing a mean drum solo. And Melchior is in fine voice, belting out a series of favorites including Viva La Company. All in all, Thrill of a Romance scores as effortless fluff, charmingly put forth by MGM's dream factory at the height of its producing powers.

Far more curious is Richard Thorpe's Fiesta (1947), arguably - not an Esther Williams vehicle at all, but rather a launching pad for the careers of Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse. Cast as twins, Williams and Montalban are Maria and Mario Morales - heirs to their father Antonio's (Fortunio Bonanova) estate. Mario's love is music, but Antonio believes his son's future is in the arena as a great bullfighter. A father/son rift develops after Antonio deliberately sabotages Mario's chances of meeting famed Mexican conductor, Maximino Contreras (Hugo Haas) to further his music career, forcing Mario to take refuge among the people. Bitter and forsaken, Mario accidentally hears one of his own compositions 'Mexican Fantasia' played on the radio while in a street cafe. Rushing into Contreras' office, Mario learns Maria has arranged for his composition to be played. In the implausible finale, Maria bribes one of her father's servants, Chato (Akim Tamaroff) into taking Mario's place in the arena. The poor fellow is nearly skewered by the bull for her efforts. Assuming Mario is in the ring, Antonio realizes his son's true passion is music - not bullfighting - and gives his blessing. Somewhere in between this implausible confection we get a budding romance between Mario and Conchita (Cyd Charisse), tapped out to electrifying perfection in 'The Flaming Flamenco'. There is also a rather tepid relationship in store for Maria and milquetoast, Pepe Ortega (John Carroll). None of these subplots seems to gel, but the musical numbers, including 'La Bamba' keep the pace lively enough.

Next up is typical Esther fare - Richard Thorpe's This Time for Keeps (1947), a frothy, tune-filled escapism that MGM so readily excelled at in the good ole days. The son of a famed opera star (Lauritz Melchior), Richard Herald Jr. (Johnny Johnston) is a returning GI who is expected to join his father's opera company and marry Frances Allenbury (Mary Stuart), a high society gal. Tragically, young Herald has other plans - set to jazz and the thrill of another romance with luscious and leggy aquacade star, Nora Cambaretti (Esther Williams). Richard attempts to get a job with the aquacade as a means to procure their continuing romance. However, Nora's accompanist, Ferdi Farrow (the ever-lovable, Jimmy Durante) keeps the young Lochinvar at bay by arranging work for Richard with Xavier Cugat's orchestra instead. Pursuing Nora to Mackinaw Island, Richard ingratiates himself with Nora's grandmother (Dame May Whitty), a retired circus performer. Unfortunately for Richard, the jilted Ms. Allenbury arrives to threaten his budding aspirations on both fronts. The story is pure hokum but clings together, precariously so, with some truly lush photography and winning musical performances by all concerned. Very short on plot, This Time for Keeps maintains its momentum via Metro’s musical producer, Joe Pasternak, famous for mixing the light and the heavy with the utterly implausible to downright fantastic, all of it bubbling over as an intoxicating blend of sincere good cheer.

Robert Alton's Pagan Love Song (1950) is perhaps the only dud in Volume 2; at 76-mins., one of the shortest movies Williams ever made, and a sort of foreshadowing of where the studio’s interests in her future lay. Rich baritone, Howard Keel is cast as Ohio school teacher come coconut plantation owner, Hap Endicot. After initial disappointment at discovering the plantation in ruins, Hap becomes inspired and rallies the locals into helping him rebuild. The only excitement on the island materializes in the sultry form of half-Tahitian/American beauty, Mimi Bennett (Williams), who is slated to depart for New York unless Hap can get his romantic game on. Inconsequential to a fault, Pagan Love Song's nimble plot is fleshed out by a few moderately enjoyable songs: none, enough to distinguish this drivel as anything but largely forgettable. Alton's camera work is commendable as are the Hawaiian locales (subbing for Tahiti); but it somehow never is quite enough to elevate this from a thoroughly disposable little programmer.

Next up, arguably, Esther's best movie - Mervyn LeRoy's Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) - a largely out-of-thin-air fabricated bio pic, reporting to be the life and times of aquatic sensation, Annette Kellerman. Australian born to a doting father, Frederick (Walter Pigeon), as a sickly child, the young Annette (played by Donna Corcoran) strengthens her polio-crippled legs by learning to swim in the pond not far from the Kellerman's Conservatory of Music. Fast tracking through a series of competitions, Kellerman (now sufficiently aged to be played by Williams) becomes a champion swimmer, only to learn Frederick's finances are bankrupted. Selling the conservatory on the promise of employment in London, Frederick and Annette board a luxury liner where they meet James Sullivan (Victor Mature) and Doc Cronnal (Jesse White); a pair of shameless charlatans/promoters, whose latest act is Sidney - the boxing kangaroo. Sullivan is convinced Annette has a future as an aquatic star and offers to help promote her when they arrive in London - an idea immediately shot down by Frederick who believes that swimming should remain Annette's hobby - not her career.

Unhappy circumstance for the Kellermans, who discover upon their arrival Frederick's new place of employment has closed, leaving Annette and Frederick penniless. Desperate for cash, Annette catches onto Sullivan's plan to swim the English Channel, thereby attracting instant media attention. Sullivan convinces the Kellermans America is where they belong, with Annette headlining New York's gargantuan Hippodrome. Although the theatre's manager, Alfred Harper (David Brian) agrees that Annette would be a sensation, he cannot promote a virtual unknown along with the other big acts. So, Harper quietly turns Sullivan down. However, after Annette makes headlines for appearing in a scandalous 2-piece bathing suit off Coney Island pier, she garners media coverage. Sullivan crafts his own modest showcase for her to appear in and eventually the management of the Hippodrome decide to give Annette her big break. She appears in several spectacular ballets and Harper, who has by now developed a romantic yen for her, proposes marriage. He even sweetens the deal by hiring Frederick to conduct the Hippodrome orchestra. Tragedy strikes, as Alfred dies of a heart attack while conducting during one of Annette’s underwater ballets.

Now, Annette attempts to convince James he should settle down. Alas, the wayward Sullivan has his own plans to be the first man to fly across the United States in his homemade biplane. A tiff leads to the dissolution of their partnership. Romantically torn between James and Alfred, Annette leaves the Hippodrome for a movie deal in California. Again, tragedy strikes: the thin glass of Annette's swimming tank rupturing under the weight of the water, flooding the set and severely damaging her spinal cord with the very real possibility of lifelong paralysis. As she convalesces in hospital, Sullivan returns, inspiring Annette to reconsider all she has gone through, as well as all she has left yet to accomplish. The picture ends with a hopeful Annette staring out her hospital window at the sea. Million Dollar Mermaid presents Esther Williams with the first genuine acting assignment of her career - a challenge she admirably rises to with dramatic perfection. Busby Berkeley's inventive Smoke and Fountain sequences, presumably taking place inside the Hippodrome's tank, are the musical highlight in this otherwise largely music-free drama that miraculously retains both our admiration and respect.

Last, though not least, Charles Walters' Easy to Love (1953) rounds out Volume 2's offerings on a spectacular - if ultra-fluffy – note. Esther is Julie Hallerton, a Cypress Garden aquacade star under the guiding hand of Ray 'Cash Register' Lloyd (Van Johnson). Ray knows how to market his bevy of beauties to the public. He also understands how to play fast and loose with Julie's romantic affections to keep her working for him. Presumably to make Ray jealous, Julie begins dating fellow swimmer, Hank (John Bromfield), a buff Texan who co-stars with her in several water spectaculars. Julie tells Ray that Hank is about to propose. Hoping he will take the hint, Ray instead packs Julie off to New York – although, not because he is jealous. Only because he believes marriage to anyone - least of all him - will ruin Julie’s career. This plan of escape backfires when Julie catches the eye of nightclub crooner, Barry Gordon (Tony Martin) who promises much including marriage, money and a life for Julie away from Cyprus Gardens. So, what is Ray to do?

For starters, he recalls Julie to Florida, believing the separation will make her forget about Barry. Unfortunately for Ray, Barry is not one to so easily give up. He pursues Julie where a curiously unromantic ménage-a-trois ensues; a rivalry between Ray, Hank and Barry, each endeavoring to make grand overtures to win Julie's affections. Easy to Love is a spectacularly glossy confection - its strengths, the lush Florida locations captured in brilliantly saturated hues of Technicolor, plus the energetically staged water ski finale, shot from every conceivable, and seeming logistically unsound angle by Busby Berkeley. As soothing, Cole Porter's title track – repurposed here, and, the less than memorable Didja Ever - sung by Martin as part of Barry's nightclub act. The chief misfire is arguably casting. Van Johnson's Ray is so unappealing in his scheming and lack of genuine affection for our Julie, it's difficult to understand why she would prefer him to either Hank or Barry - except that each is about as animated as wet paint drying on a horizontal surface. The mind-boggling ballet presented Esther with several challenges, not the least, she was 2-months pregnant at the time she performed virtually all of her own stunt work, skiing off of floating risers, diving from a helicopter, and zig-zagging in and out of a small army of fellow skiers and racing boats.

All the films in Vol. Two are presented in 4:3 aspect ratio and Technicolor. Of the lot, Fiesta's fares the worst, its color badly faded, most of the image favoring a rust/brown/beige palette, and contrast bumped to unhealthy levels. The most exquisite offering here is Easy to Love with its eye-popping Florida cavalcade of rich and vibrant colors and a startling amount of fine detail evident throughout. A close second is Thrill of a Romance - though there are several glaring instances of Technicolor mis-registration that create annoying halos. This Time for Keeps delivers a pleasing enough transfer, though its color leant to the slightly dull side of the spectrum.  Pagan Love Song's colors are rich, but contain some curiously unnatural flesh tones. Everyone looks as though they have been slathered in dark brown pancake makeup. Million Dollar Mermaid's transfer is of the solid B+ average, with several sequences looking fairly impressive, most noticeably, the fountain and smoke water ballets. The audio is 1.0 mono across the board, and, as originally presented. While virtually all of the movies boast admirable fidelity, the one exception here is Easy to Love. Not entirely certain why this is, but having owned this movie on VHS and LaserDisc in the past, its audio has never sounded anything but horrendously strident – like a scratchy old record with major distortions and an occasionally muffled characteristic. If Easy to Love ever makes its way to Blu-ray (and, frankly it should) Warner will need to go back to basics and remaster the audio here. It’s awful! Extras are superfluous at best, with several musical outtakes being the highlights. There are also short subjects and theatrical trailers. Bottom line: overall, a much better offering than the movies featured in Esther Williams: Spotlight Collection Vol. 1. Recommended for the sheer joy of Esther Williams. The transfers are an inconsistent bunch. Dear George Feltenstein and the Warner Archive – do your homework – pretty please!

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

Thrill of a Romance 3.5

Fiesta 3

This Time For Keeps 3.5

Pagan Love Song 2.5

Million Dollar Mermaid 4

Easy to Love 4.5

VIDEO/AUDIO

Thrill of a Romance 3.5

Fiesta 2.5

This Time For Keeps 3

Pagan Love Song 3

Million Dollar Mermaid 3.5

Easy To Love 4.5

EXTRAS

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