Bathing Beauty Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Bathing Beauty Blu-ray Movie Review

Swim fan.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 27, 2024

George Sidney's musical romantic comedy Bathing Beauty does indeed have all three elements at its disposal, but this fluffy and frivolous endeavor really doesn't amount to much more than occasional eye and ear candy. It's only the third full-length film featuring former competitive swimmer Esther Williams and her first song-driven production... and as the title implies, Bathing Beauty caters to her strengths despite Williams' second billing to popular comedian Red Skelton. Together, they portray engaged sweethearts Steve Elliot and Caroline Brooks, both looking to leave their respective jobs as a songwriter and college swimming instructor. Peppered with lots of big band music (much of it Latin American) but more than a little iffy in the story department, Bathing Beauty is still lightweight fun for die-hard genre fans.

As for that story, it goes off the rails pretty quickly: Caroline's on board with Steve's plans to leave his job... but his friend, New York producer George Adams (Basil Rathbone), has already contracted Steve to pen a few songs for an upcoming water ballet. George persuades actress Maria Dorango (Jacqueline Dalya) to interfere, which she does by breaking up their wedding by pretending to be his secret wife and baby mana. Rather than talk it over, Caroline storms out and returns to her teaching duties at New Jersey's all-female Victoria College. Despondent but not ready to give up, Steve and his pal Carlos Ramírez (a famous Columbian baritone playing himself) figure out a way to be admitted into Victoria College with the help of lawyer Chester Klazenfrantz (Donald Meek). Now essentially the only men on campus, Steve and Carlos must help Caroline to see the light while keeping at least one other suitor at bay.

Needless to say, Bathing Beauty is narratively kind of a mess, using the same kind of convoluted setup later reserved for films starring Elvis Presley and other "outside talents". But it's still entertaining most of the way, not just for time-capsule appeal but the peppered performances that showcase a variety of solo musicians and full bands. (Supremely talented organist Ethel Smith serves up a few scorchers, as do Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra as well as Harry James and His Music Makers.) Soon enough the plight of Steve and Carlos becomes secondary before rebounding in the third act... but as any seasoned fan of musicals can attest to, it doesn't really matter as long as the show's entertaining. Bathing Beauty certainly falls into that category for the colorful songs and Technicolor visuals alone, even if almost every member of its cast and crew has been in substantially stronger productions on the whole.

In the same way that Bathing Beauty caters to Esther Williams' most obvious strengths, so too does Warner Archive's Blu-ray support the film's technical highlights: the sights and sounds, which have likely never looked or sounded better outside of first-run theatrical engagements. This Technicolor stunner simply sparkles thanks to the boutique label's reliably top-notch restoration efforts, while the familiar handful of DVD-era bonus features adds a bit of extra value as well. If you already own Warner Archive's earlier Blu-ray releases of the later Williams films Neptune's Daughter (also starring Red Skelton) and Dangerous When Wet, you might as well clear off more shelf space for this one.

Bathing Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive's stunning new restoration of Bathing Beauty can be considered more or less right in line with their own recent Blu-ray editions of Words and Music and Three Little Words (two other MGM Technicolor musicals released during the same era) and those like-minded Esther Williams films linked above. Suffice it so say, any time the boutique label is able to restore a Technicolor catalog title using its original negatives is a cause for celebration, as the format's telltale color and fine detail make the careful end result a true feast for the senses even on small to mid-sized displays. Bathing Beauty follows suit as seen by the direct-from-disc screenshots included here; this 1080p transfer is exceedingly clean and crisp with great textures and plenty of natural film grain, while only occasional amounts of light posterization and macro blocking stand in the way of what could otherwise be called an inarguably perfect presentation.

Bathing Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Not to be outdone is Bathing Beauty's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, which serves up a nicely restored split-channel presentation of the original mono source elements. At the risk of repeating myself again, all four linked films above provide a pretty accurate synopsis of what to expect here: clean and crisp dialogue, surprisingly good dynamic range on the whole, and overall just a straightforward and purist-minded effort that sounds about as good as possible under the circumstances. Needless to say, your ears will have a lot to look forward to here.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

Bathing Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover art and a handful of solid DVD-era extras.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:34) - This vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

• Mouse Trouble (7:09) - Last released as part of the Tom and Jerry Golden Collection, this 1944 Oscar-winning short is as entertaining as ever and follows Tom's attempts to catch Jerry using a new book.

• Main Street Today (20:00) - A mid-length black-and-white patriotic short film, this Oscar-nominated piece was used to bolster public involvement during World War II by way of a fictional factory short on manpower.

• Private Screenings with Esther Williams (48:00) - This 1996 episode of the long-running but sporadic TCM series Private Screenings features Esther Williams and is hosted by Robert Osborne. It's a warm and enjoyable watch, mostly comprised of film clips and candid personal reflections about her life's work.

• Song Selection - Instant access to the 15 main musical cues and performances such as "Bim Bam Bu", "By the Waters of Minnetonka", "I'll Take the High Note", "I Cried for You", "Waltz of the Flowers", and more.

Bathing Beauty Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Esther Williams films typically have very limited appeal story-wise... so Bathing Beauty, like many others in her body of work, glides by due to Technicolor eye candy. This being her first appearance in a musical, you can also add "catchy performances" to that truncated list of highlights, but in any case Bathing Beauty is a decent enough genre effort that should appeal to fans of the cast. Warner Archive's Blu-ray is even better, offering rock-solid A/V merits and a nice little assortment of DVD-era bonus features too. It's one of many recent catalog release by the boutique label where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and thus Bathing Beauty comes Recommended to the right crowd.