On an Island with You ** (1948, Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Jimmy Durante, Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse, Xavier Cugat, Leon Ames, Marie Windsor) – Classic Movie Review 11,515

Director Richard Thorpe’s 1948 musical Technicolor romantic comedy film On an Island with You stars Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Jimmy Durante, Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse, Xavier Cugat, Leon Ames and Marie Windsor.

MGM’s colourful, escapist musical concerns a swimming movie star sensation called Rosalind Reynolds (Williams) who goes off on location in Hawaii with her fiancé Ricardo Montez (Montalban) to make a film but finds romance with ex-navy flier US Navy Lt Lawrence Y Kingslee (Lawford), who is the military technical adviser on the film. Charisse plays Yvonne Torro, Rosalind’s best friend and fellow movie star, who deep down would like to end up with Montalban.

The main attractions are Esther’s bathing suits, Durante as Jimmy Buckley, Montalban (singing voice dubbed by Bill Lee), Charisse and music from Xavier Cugat and his orchestra, but a fine array of talent is often smothered by the dog-eared script. Durante has the best number, his own song ‘I Know Darn Well I Can Do Without Broadway, But Can Broadway Do Without Me’.

Astonishingly, it was one of the top hits of the year – a tribute to Williams’s amazing popularity at this time – earning $5,282,000 and making MGM a profit of $816,000.

Williams recalled: ‘It was yet another movie with a ridiculous plot.’ She disliked director Thorpe and blamed him for an accident on set in which she sprained her ankle had to finish the film on crutches. Charisse tore ligaments in her knee while filming the ceremonial dance on the island and ended up in a cast for two months

Filming of On an Island with You at Anna Maria Island, Florida.

The cast are Esther Williams as Rosalind Reynolds, Peter Lawford as Lt Lawrence Y Kingslee, Ricardo Montalbán as Ricardo Montez, Jimmy Durante as Jimmy Buckley, Cyd Charisse as Yvonne Torro, Leon Ames as Commander Harrison, Kathryn Beaumont as Penelope Peabody aka Pineapple, Dick Simmons as George Blaine, Xavier Cugat as himself, Betty Reilly as herself, Arthur Walsh, Nina Ross, Chester Clute, Bess Flowers, James Dale, Lester Dorr, Mike Lally, Emilia Leovalli, Carl M Leviness, Kay Norton, Gary Owen, Franklin Parker, Cosmo Sardo, Sam Tubuo, Arthur Walsh, and Dick Winslow.

It was shot on MGM lots and on location around Anna Maria Island, Florida, from June 1 to early September 1947.

The songs are ‘On an Island With You’, ‘Takin’ Miss Mary to the Ball’, and ‘The Dog Song’ (Music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Edward Heyman, ‘I Know Darn Well I Can Do Without Broadway’ (music and lyrics by Jimmy Durante), ‘I’ll Do the Strut-Away (in my Cutaway)’ (music and lyrics by Durante, Harry Donnelly, Irving Caesar) and ‘You Gotta Start Off Each Day With a Song’ (Durante).

Lawford replaced originally announced Van Johnson, Williams’s regular co-star.

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,515

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