Neptune’s Daughter *** (1949, Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Ricardo Montalbán, Betty Garrett, Keenan Wynn, Xavier Cugat, Mel Blanc) – Classic Movie Review 11,508

Director Edward Buzzell’s 1949 Technicolor musical romantic comedy film Neptune’s Daughter is a pleasing MGM Esther Williams aquatic musical, memorable for the Oscar-winning song, ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ (Frank Loesser), sung by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán.

Esther Williams stars as sensible Eve Barrett, a designer of swimwear being romanced by polo player José O’Rourke (Ricardo Montalbán), the captain of the South American polo team, while Eve’s scatterbrained younger sister Betty Barrett (Betty Garrett) chases polo club masseur Jack Spratt (Red Skelton) thinking that he is a millionaire, the polo player Jose O’Rourke. Spratt goes along with the mistaken identity charade, falling for Betty, while Eve arranges to meet the real O’Rourke and they fall in love.

Director Buzzell gets the entertaining script and tuneful songs (My Heart Beats Faster, I Love Those Men) buzzing, and the escapist carefree, lightweight, light-hearted tone is just right.

Also in the cast are Keenan Wynn, Xavier Cougat, Ted de Corsia, Mike Mazurki, Mel Blanc, Juan Duval, George Mann, and Joi Lansing.

Other musical numbers are ‘I Love Those Men’ with Betty Garrett with Red Skelton and Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra, ‘My Heart Beats Faster’ with Ricardo Montalbán and ,Jungle Rhumba’ with Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra.

It was a big hit, making profit of $1,473,000 (budget $2,221,000, box office $5,773,000).

It is the third film pairing Williams and Montalbán, after Fiesta (1947) and On an Island with You (1948). Williams previously starred with Skelton in 1944’s Bathing Beauty.

‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ was an unplanned substitute for Frank Loesser’s ‘(I’d Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China’, which the Hays Office deemed inappropriate, though ‘Slow Boat to China’ is underscoring in the fashion show scene. Loesser wrote the duet in 1944 and premiered it with his wife at their Navarro Hotel housewarming party.

The main cast are Esther Williams as Eve Barrett, Ricardo Montalbán as José O’Rourke, Red Skelton as Jack Spratt, Betty Garrett as Betty Barrett, Keenan Wynn as Joe Backett, Mel Blanc as Pancho, Xavier Cugat as himself, Ted de Corsia as Lukie Luzette, Mike Mazurki as Mac Mozolla, George Mann as Tall Wrangler, Frank Mitchell as Little Wrangler.

It is partly filmed on location in Los Angeles and at Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida. Some of the action takes place at Casa Cugat, Xavier Cugat’s Mexican restaurant at 848 North La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood.

Williams later became a swimsuit designer in real life and copied several swimsuit designs from the film in her line of swimwear.

Cole of California created the suits that Williams and the aqua chorus wear in the film. Early in filming, Williams discovered she was pregnant with her first child with her husband Ben Gage. After the shoot, Williams’s doctor ordered her to stop swimming so she gave swimming lessons to blind children. She recalled: ‘Teaching those children how to swim was one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve ever had.’

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,508

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