Esther Williams and Red Skelton made half a dozen musical comedies together at MGM. "Bathing Beauties" of 1944 was by far their best film, but "Neptune's Daughter" is a close second. The more lavish musical numbers and spectacular swimming scenes, along with Harry James and Xavier Cugat, made that first film hard to beat. While Cugat and orchestra are very good, as always, here, the musical part of this film isn't integrated into the story. Rather, it is presented mostly in interludes of Cugat and company performances at his club, Casa Cugat.
The one exception is a very good scene with back-to-back duets singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Williams and Ricardo Montalban sing it together, then Skelton and Betty Garrett sing it together. The song won the only Oscar for this film, as an original song. Frank Loesser wrote it in 1944, but it became a hit tune after this movie. It had eight recordings made by singers and bands in 1949, including Don Cornell and Laura Leslie with the Sammy Kaye orchestra on RCA; Bing Crosby on radio and a Christmas album; Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan on Decca Records; Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer with the Paul Weston orchestra; and Doris Day and Bob Hope, Dean Martin and Marilyn Maxwell, and Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark. It remains a very popular tune around the Christmas Holidays and winter months, and nearly 70 other recordings had been made of the song by 2020..
What this film lacks in great, integrated musical numbers, it somewhat makes up for in comedy. Skelton's Jack Spratt is mistaken for José O'Rourke, by Betty Barrett. He is half conscious after getting knocked out, and when it comes to he goes along with his mistaken identify since O'Rourke has a reputation as a Latin lover. Well, that leads to complications between Betty and her older sister, Eve (played by Williams). It's the basis of a whole lot of humor and fun.
There is one other thing in this movie that should be of huge interest to long-time movie buffs. Mel Blanc is in the movie and plays Pancho. I scrolled down the IMDb list of Blanc's number one record of 1,228 acting credits, and couldn't find another feature film in which he appeared as an actor. Almost all of his credits have been for voices of film characters. But here, he speaks, with one of his many varied and distinctive voices edged with humor. He is one of a handful of stable workers who tend the ponies for O'Rourke's polo team.
So, this film is a chance for movie buffs to actually see Mel Blanc acting in person. Here's a person that virtually every living person who has ever gone to the movies, will have heard on the silver screen - whether they knew it was him or not. The world-renowned Blanc has used his talented voice to bring to life more characters on the screen than any other person. Most have been cartoon characters, including the most well-known and recognized across the globe - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Woody Woodpecker, Porky Pig, and Elmer Fudd, along with dozens of others (The Road Runner, Coyote, etc. ).
The cast are all good. A person not seen in many films, but who was very good in a number of musical comedies is Betty Garrett, who plays Eve's sister, Betty. And Mike Mazurki, in his typical gangster heavy or thug role is always worth a few chuckles, if not hearty laughs.
Here are some of the best lines in this film.
Eve Barrett, "Betty, dear, you've got to stop throwing yourself at men. You're only going to get hurt." Betty Barrett, "Not if my aim is good."
Betty Barrett, "Gee, you're handsome. Do you think I'm pretty? You don't he to answer that now."
Jack Spratt, impersonating José O'Rourke, "Spanish is the beautiful language of love." Betty Barrett, "You speak it fluently, don't you?" Spratt, "Mmm, oh, umh, Tijuana." Betty, "Ah, huh, well, I wanna if you wanna."
Eve Barrett, "Fine time to get home!" Betty Barrett, "Fine time before I got home."
Eve Barrett, "Betty, dear, can't you get in enough trouble here, without going below the border?"
Eve Barrett, "Now put down those animated beanbags and listen to me."
Eve Barrett, "Mr. O'Rourke, your state of mind after you tuck your horses in is hardly any of my concern. I'm sure you can find some other misguided female to take their place."
Joe Backett, "The mallet wielder insults me. I try to defend myself, and I'm accused of creating a scene."
Joe Backett, "Doesn't our business, our friendship, mean more opt you than this, this, Romeo from the Amazon?"
Betty Barrett, "Oh, I forgot - my engagement ring. I bought it today. You'll get the bill for it tomorrow."
José O'Rourke, "Well, guess this is what you call a happy ending, huh? After all, I got the girl I wanted, she got the man she wanted, and you... Well, you got the business." Joe Backett, "Yeah. Yeah, I sure did, didn't I?"
The one exception is a very good scene with back-to-back duets singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Williams and Ricardo Montalban sing it together, then Skelton and Betty Garrett sing it together. The song won the only Oscar for this film, as an original song. Frank Loesser wrote it in 1944, but it became a hit tune after this movie. It had eight recordings made by singers and bands in 1949, including Don Cornell and Laura Leslie with the Sammy Kaye orchestra on RCA; Bing Crosby on radio and a Christmas album; Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan on Decca Records; Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer with the Paul Weston orchestra; and Doris Day and Bob Hope, Dean Martin and Marilyn Maxwell, and Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark. It remains a very popular tune around the Christmas Holidays and winter months, and nearly 70 other recordings had been made of the song by 2020..
What this film lacks in great, integrated musical numbers, it somewhat makes up for in comedy. Skelton's Jack Spratt is mistaken for José O'Rourke, by Betty Barrett. He is half conscious after getting knocked out, and when it comes to he goes along with his mistaken identify since O'Rourke has a reputation as a Latin lover. Well, that leads to complications between Betty and her older sister, Eve (played by Williams). It's the basis of a whole lot of humor and fun.
There is one other thing in this movie that should be of huge interest to long-time movie buffs. Mel Blanc is in the movie and plays Pancho. I scrolled down the IMDb list of Blanc's number one record of 1,228 acting credits, and couldn't find another feature film in which he appeared as an actor. Almost all of his credits have been for voices of film characters. But here, he speaks, with one of his many varied and distinctive voices edged with humor. He is one of a handful of stable workers who tend the ponies for O'Rourke's polo team.
So, this film is a chance for movie buffs to actually see Mel Blanc acting in person. Here's a person that virtually every living person who has ever gone to the movies, will have heard on the silver screen - whether they knew it was him or not. The world-renowned Blanc has used his talented voice to bring to life more characters on the screen than any other person. Most have been cartoon characters, including the most well-known and recognized across the globe - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Woody Woodpecker, Porky Pig, and Elmer Fudd, along with dozens of others (The Road Runner, Coyote, etc. ).
The cast are all good. A person not seen in many films, but who was very good in a number of musical comedies is Betty Garrett, who plays Eve's sister, Betty. And Mike Mazurki, in his typical gangster heavy or thug role is always worth a few chuckles, if not hearty laughs.
Here are some of the best lines in this film.
Eve Barrett, "Betty, dear, you've got to stop throwing yourself at men. You're only going to get hurt." Betty Barrett, "Not if my aim is good."
Betty Barrett, "Gee, you're handsome. Do you think I'm pretty? You don't he to answer that now."
Jack Spratt, impersonating José O'Rourke, "Spanish is the beautiful language of love." Betty Barrett, "You speak it fluently, don't you?" Spratt, "Mmm, oh, umh, Tijuana." Betty, "Ah, huh, well, I wanna if you wanna."
Eve Barrett, "Fine time to get home!" Betty Barrett, "Fine time before I got home."
Eve Barrett, "Betty, dear, can't you get in enough trouble here, without going below the border?"
Eve Barrett, "Now put down those animated beanbags and listen to me."
Eve Barrett, "Mr. O'Rourke, your state of mind after you tuck your horses in is hardly any of my concern. I'm sure you can find some other misguided female to take their place."
Joe Backett, "The mallet wielder insults me. I try to defend myself, and I'm accused of creating a scene."
Joe Backett, "Doesn't our business, our friendship, mean more opt you than this, this, Romeo from the Amazon?"
Betty Barrett, "Oh, I forgot - my engagement ring. I bought it today. You'll get the bill for it tomorrow."
José O'Rourke, "Well, guess this is what you call a happy ending, huh? After all, I got the girl I wanted, she got the man she wanted, and you... Well, you got the business." Joe Backett, "Yeah. Yeah, I sure did, didn't I?"