Esther Williams @ 100: Neptune's Daughter
Monday, August 9, 2021 at 7:00PM 
by Camila Henriques
As we continue with our celebration of Esther Williams's centennial, we're thrown into the story of "a girl, a guy and a swimsuit". All in all, that's an accurate summary of Neptune's Daughter, the 1949 film directed by Edward Buzell that paired the star with one of her frequent onscreen partners Ricardo Montalbán. Like other Williams efforts, the picture relies on her screen charisma to succeed, and, when it does it's pure magic.
It's a funny coincidence that her centennial comes as we're invaded by the Olympic spirit. Williams herself was never able to compete in the games. Her big shot came the year they were cancelled due to World War II, in 1940...
Four decades later, she participated as a commentator (of synchronized swimming). But, even if the USA swimming team lost her to Hollywood, her athletic history was very important in creating her onscreen persona.
Her swimming past is pivotal to Neptune's Daughter. She plays Eve, a former athlete turned successful businesswoman in a company that sells, well, bathing suits. The designs shown in the film were so iconic that later Esther Williams took inspiration from them and created her own bathing suit line.
In the movie, Eve and her sister Betty (played by Betty Garrett) have their destiny challenged with the arrival of a South American polo team. Jack (Red Skelton) who is love with Betty notices the attention Betty is giving the team's arrival and he makes her believe he is Jose, a stud from the team. When a worried Eve confides in the real José (Ricardo Montalban) about the intentions "José" has for her sister, chaos ensues.
But, more than the graceful comic timing of Williams and the beautiful swimsuits modeled on screen, the film has its place in movie history thanks to the musical number "Baby, It's Cold Outside". The smart editing and the beautiful synergy between the four main actors make for an unforgettable technicolor musical performance.
There is a bit of controversy about the film's Best Original Song Oscar win, though. It wasn't actually an original tune made specifically for the film (it was written and first performed years before the film's premiere). A bigger debate, nowadays, is whether the lyrics are portraying a case of sexual harassment. In the film, the tone of the main quartet's performance is definitely more on the cheeky side, but the discussion goes way beyond the scene, especially since the tune became such a standard with dozens of recordings, including a recent one, with revamped lyrics, by John Legend and Kelly Clarkson.
Neptune's Daughter suffers a fate similar to other pictures from the era. The "Latin Lover" trope, nothing more than a myriad of stereotypes, hasn't aged well. One thing that has, though,is Esther Williams in all her swimming glory, just like a true daughter of Neptune.
more Esther tomorrow...
Reader Comments (6)
I am wondering if Esther was ever considered for The Poseidon Adventure. She would have been a natural fit for the Shelley Winters role.
brookesboy-She was offered Shelley's role first and turned it down. She does seem perfect for it from the swimming aspect which obviously was what the producers were thinking but she never would have been able to carry off that final scene as well as Shelley.
As far as Baby, It's Cold Outside all the supposed controversy is so much tempest in a teapot with people striving to find something offensive in what is a playful interchange between a couple, or in this movie's case two couples.
joel--Shelley was terrific and her performance deservedly has become iconic in the culture. However, I would have given the Oscar nod to Stella Stevens, who I think is just incredible and really makes you believe the suffering her character is feeling.
Esther was one of three actresses to whom Albert Brooks offered the lead role in his 1996 comedy "Mother". He'd seen her on a talk show and been very impressed by her undimmed charm and vitality. The other two potential candidates were Doris Day and Nancy Davis Reagan. All three showed some interest but in the end turned him down. Brooks' hope had been to have the role played by an actress who'd been away from the screen so long that her reappearance would be a real event. In the end, he cast Debbie Reynolds who'd never really been away. Still, it worked out, As Reynolds got some of the the best reviews of her career, not to mention a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress.
There is nothing offensive about "Baby It's Cold Outside" it's a seduction son and obviously both partners want to stay in and cuddle
Ricardo Montalban! For those who knew him as Mr Roarke from Fantasy Island, discovering him so young and sexy was a revelation.