DVD Review

TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Volume 2

Official Synopsis:

Thrill Of A Romance -
Man overboard! War hero Van Johnson takes one look at Esther Williams and decides he needs swimming lessons. With Tommy Dorsey, Xavier Cugat and more. Dive in.

Fiesta -
Mexico's greatest bullfighter is...Esther? She plays a devoted sister who secretly fills in for her twin matador brother (Ricardo Montalban) after he abandons the ring. A non-aquatic change of pace: Esther disguises herself in matador gear and secretly fills in for her twin brother (Ricardo Montalban) after he abandons the ring.

This Time For Keeps -
An ex-GI falls for a bathing beauty (guess who!). Lauritz Melchior, Xavier Cugat, Jimmy Durante and Mackinac Island locations add to the good times and romance.

Pagan Love Song -
Island girl Esther plans to leave Tahiti, but maybe she'll have a reason to stay when Howard Keel arrives. Gorgeous, frothy fun with pristine Hawaiian locations filling in for Tahiti.

Million Dollar Mermaid -
Tonight in the Hippodrome Tank: Annette Kellerman, Goddess of the Sea! Esther portrays Kellerman in a splashy biopic that includes a must-see Busby Berkeley extravaganza.

Easy To Love -
Esther wins fans at the Cypress Gardens' aquashow, but will she ever win the heart of her all-business boss Van Johnson? Busby Berkeley guides the legendary water-ski number.

Our Take:

I don't know a whole lot about Esther Williams. As much as I love classic cinema and movies from the '30s, '40s, and '50s, my exposure to Esther Williams has always been limited to... well, just about nothing. So I thought the new TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Volume Two box set would be a perfect way to find out a little bit more about them and why I've missed out on watching any of them.

Apparently, the reason I've missed them is because they're kind of light and fluffy. I don't want to say that these are bad movies, because they're not, they just appeal to a limited audience, and that is an audience that enjoys big musical numbers, pat romances, and not a whole lot of thinking. On the visual front, these movies offer a lot of spectacle, and the musical numbers in the films that have them (especially those helmed by Busby Berkey) are pretty impressive, but the films are ultimately kind of throwaway.

The standouts in this set are Easy to Love, an informal sequel (more of a follow up, really) to an earlier film called Easy to Wed, and Million Dollar Mermaid. Easy to Love is a light, breezy romantic comedy of sorts, and it works just a little better than the rest of the films in the set. Million Dollar Mermaid is a biopic of real swimmer Annette Kellerman (never heard of her). It's probably more enjoyable because it was directed by prolific Hollywood director Mervyn LeRoy and co-stars Samson himself, Victor Mature.

Special Features:

This is a pretty impressive box set in terms of extra features. While most of the extras are archival materials such as short films and cartoons or such, I've seen so many of these actor-centric box sets released as bare bones affairs that it's nice to see the wealth of material here.

Thrill Of A Romance -

2 Vintage Shorts: Inflation (with Esther Williams' First Screen Appearance) and the Passing Parade Entry The Great American Mug
Classic Cartoon Wild and Woolfy 4 Outtake Musical Sequences: Gypsy Mattinata, I Should Care, Please Don’t Say No and Vesti La Guibba Theatrical Trailer

Fiesta -

Vintage Passing Parade Short Goodbye, Miss Turlock
Classic Cartoon Hound Hunters Theatrical Trailer

This Time For Keeps -

Oscar-Nominated Pete Smith Specialty Short Now You See It
Oscar-Nominated Cartoon Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse
Little Big Shot Outtake Song Sequence Theatrical Trailer

Pagan Love Song -

Vintage Pete Smith Specialty Short: Curious Contests
Star-Studded Off-the-Set Glimpse of Screen Actors
Classic Cartoon The Chump Champ
3 Outtake Musical Sequences: The House of Singing Bamboo (Unused), Music on the Water and Why I Love So Crazy?/Sea of the Moon (Unused)
Theatrical Trailer

Million Dollar Mermaid -

Oscar-Nominated Featurette The Hoaxters
Classic Cartoon The Wise Little Quacker Theatrical Trailer

Easy To Love -

Vintage FitzPatrick Traveltalk Short Romantic Riviera
Classic Cartoon Cobs and Robbers Theatrical Trailer

Conclusion:

So my education into the films of Esther Williams didn't leave me bowled over, but it wasn't a bad experience either. What I can say is that if you're a fan of the beautiful Ms. Williams, then this box set is a must have.

Overall Picture:

Movies (average): C+
Extra Features: A

- Mike Spring
Editor