Dangerous When Wet
Encyclopedia
Dangerous When Wet is an Technicolor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
musical
starring Esther Williams
, Fernando Lamas
, and Jack Carson
, directed by Charles Walters
, and featuring an animated swimming sequence starring Williams with the famous cat-and-mouse duo, Tom and Jerry
.
) is the wholesome daughter of a dairy farmer. The entire family (Pa, Ma, Suzie, Katie, and Junior) start the day with a brisk song and morning swim. One day, Katie meets traveling salesman Windy Weebe (Carson
) who is instantly smitten. Weebe sells an elixir that purports to turn the user into a peppy, fit-as-a-fiddle specimen, and upon noticing the entire family's strength in the water, suggests that they all attempt to swim the English Channel. The family and Weebe head off to England whereupon they learn that the distance to be conquered is 20 miles "as the seagull flies" but with the currents, can be up to 42 miles. Katie is the only one in the family strong enough to attempt this feat, so she begins training with Weebe as her coach.
On a foggy day, Katie, in the water, is separated from Weebe, in a rowboat, and is rescued by a handsome Frenchman, Andre Lanet (Lamas
). Lamas falls for the spunky American and begins trying to woo her. Katie tries to stay focused on her swim, but is being pulled in different directions by the two men. In a dream sequence, Katie does an underwater ballet with cartoon characters Tom and Jerry
, as well as animated depictions of the different people in her life. The film ends happily with Katie's attempt to cross the Channel and the resolution of her gentlemen issues.
had pink bubbles drawn coming out of her mouth for a cost of $50,000.
The film's ending was rewritten after an incident that occurred in real life during the shooting of the film when Johnny Weissmuller
(Esther's old Aquacade
partner) dove into the water to swim alongside Florence Chadwick, whom he was coaching.
was originally slated for the role of Williams's little sister, Suzie.
Though Williams had heard of Lamas before his being cast as her love interest in the film, the two had never been formally introduced. In 1969, the two married, and remained so until Lamas's death in 1982. When asked whether she knew him when the studio suggested his name for a possible costar, Williams mentioned that "he starred in movies with Jane Powell, Greer Garson, and Lana Turner, and [she] knew he was romantically linked to Lana Turner. And [she] heard he could swim. Yes, Fernando Lamas sounded like good casting." Lamas initially turned down the role, stating he came to MGM to be a "star," and only wanted to act in "important pictures." Williams had to convince him that his part would be rewritten to be larger.
A review from Variety called it "a light mixture of tunes, comedy, water ballet and Esther Williams in a bathing suit."
(1944), Easy to Wed
(1946), On an Island with You
(1948) and Neptune's Daughter
(1949)
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
starring Esther Williams
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
, Fernando Lamas
Fernando Lamas
Fernando Álvaro Lamas was an Argentine-born actor and director, and the father of actor Lorenzo Lamas.-Early life and career:...
, and Jack Carson
Jack Carson
John Elmer "Jack" Carson was a Canadian-born U.S.-based film actor.Jack Carson was one of the most popular character actors during the 'golden age of Hollywood', with a film career spanning the 1930s, '40s and '50s...
, directed by Charles Walters
Charles Walters
Charles Walters was a Hollywood director and choreographer most noted for his work in MGM musicals and comedies in from the 1940s to the 1960s....
, and featuring an animated swimming sequence starring Williams with the famous cat-and-mouse duo, Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
.
Plot summary
Katie Higgins (WilliamsEsther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
) is the wholesome daughter of a dairy farmer. The entire family (Pa, Ma, Suzie, Katie, and Junior) start the day with a brisk song and morning swim. One day, Katie meets traveling salesman Windy Weebe (Carson
Jack Carson
John Elmer "Jack" Carson was a Canadian-born U.S.-based film actor.Jack Carson was one of the most popular character actors during the 'golden age of Hollywood', with a film career spanning the 1930s, '40s and '50s...
) who is instantly smitten. Weebe sells an elixir that purports to turn the user into a peppy, fit-as-a-fiddle specimen, and upon noticing the entire family's strength in the water, suggests that they all attempt to swim the English Channel. The family and Weebe head off to England whereupon they learn that the distance to be conquered is 20 miles "as the seagull flies" but with the currents, can be up to 42 miles. Katie is the only one in the family strong enough to attempt this feat, so she begins training with Weebe as her coach.
On a foggy day, Katie, in the water, is separated from Weebe, in a rowboat, and is rescued by a handsome Frenchman, Andre Lanet (Lamas
Fernando Lamas
Fernando Álvaro Lamas was an Argentine-born actor and director, and the father of actor Lorenzo Lamas.-Early life and career:...
). Lamas falls for the spunky American and begins trying to woo her. Katie tries to stay focused on her swim, but is being pulled in different directions by the two men. In a dream sequence, Katie does an underwater ballet with cartoon characters Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
, as well as animated depictions of the different people in her life. The film ends happily with Katie's attempt to cross the Channel and the resolution of her gentlemen issues.
Cast
- Esther WilliamsEsther WilliamsEsther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
as Katie Higgins - Fernando LamasFernando LamasFernando Álvaro Lamas was an Argentine-born actor and director, and the father of actor Lorenzo Lamas.-Early life and career:...
as André Lanet - Jack CarsonJack CarsonJohn Elmer "Jack" Carson was a Canadian-born U.S.-based film actor.Jack Carson was one of the most popular character actors during the 'golden age of Hollywood', with a film career spanning the 1930s, '40s and '50s...
as Windy Weebe - Charlotte GreenwoodCharlotte GreenwoodFrances Charlotte Greenwood was an American actress and dancer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Greenwood started in vaudeville, and eventually starred on Broadway, movies and radio. Standing around six feet tall, she was best known for her long legs and high kicks...
as Ma Higgins - Denise DarcelDenise DarcelDenise Darcel is a retired French actress who made a few films in Hollywood.Born as Denise Billecard in Paris, she was college educated. According to one of her friends who she met in Paris during WWII, she was a passenger in an L-5 Stinson light observation aircraft on VJ Day to see the...
as Gigi Mignon - William DemarestWilliam DemarestCarl William Demarest was an American character actor. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles.-Early life and career:...
as Pa Higgins - Donna CorcoranDonna CorcoranDonna Corcoran, is a former child actress who appeared in several Hollywood films of the early 1950s. She most notably appeared in several aquatic musicals that featured Esther Williams ,and as a vulnerable girl being victimized by an emotionally disturbed babysitter in a more...
as Junior Higgins - Barbara Whiting as Suzie Higgins
- Bunny Waters as Greta
- Henri Letondal as Joubert
- Paul Bryar as Pierre
- Jack RaineJack RaineJack Raine was a British television and film actor. He was married to actress and musician Binnie Hale.-Selected filmography:* Night Birds * The Middle Watch * Fires of Fate * The House of Trent...
as Stuart Frye - Richard AlexanderRichard AlexanderRichard Thain Alexander was a British politician. He was Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Newark until losing his seat in the landslide of the 1997 general election....
as Egyptian Channel swimmer - Tudor Owen as Old Salt
- Ann CodeeAnn CodeeAnn Codee was a Belgian actress with numerous hit films on her résumé.-Biography:Codee married actor Frank Orth around 1911 or so. She and her husband toured American vaudeville in the 1910s and 1920s in a comedy act. The team made its film debut in 1929, appearing in a series of multilingual...
as Mrs. Lanet - Darrell Wesley Clow as the Norwegian Swimmer
Production
In the underwater sequences in which Williams speaks to Tom and Jerry, Joseph BarberaJoseph Barbera
Joseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century....
had pink bubbles drawn coming out of her mouth for a cost of $50,000.
The film's ending was rewritten after an incident that occurred in real life during the shooting of the film when Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor best known for playing Tarzan in movies. Weissmuller was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven...
(Esther's old Aquacade
Billy Rose's Aquacade
Billy Rose's Aquacade was a music, dance and swimming show produced by Billy Rose at the Great Lakes Exposition in 1937.Later Aquacade moved to the 1939 New York World's Fair where it was the most successful production of the fair . The Art Deco 11,000 seat amphitheatre was designed by architects...
partner) dove into the water to swim alongside Florence Chadwick, whom he was coaching.
Casting
Debbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
was originally slated for the role of Williams's little sister, Suzie.
Though Williams had heard of Lamas before his being cast as her love interest in the film, the two had never been formally introduced. In 1969, the two married, and remained so until Lamas's death in 1982. When asked whether she knew him when the studio suggested his name for a possible costar, Williams mentioned that "he starred in movies with Jane Powell, Greer Garson, and Lana Turner, and [she] knew he was romantically linked to Lana Turner. And [she] heard he could swim. Yes, Fernando Lamas sounded like good casting." Lamas initially turned down the role, stating he came to MGM to be a "star," and only wanted to act in "important pictures." Williams had to convince him that his part would be rewritten to be larger.
Critical reception
Bosley Crowther wrote in a 1953 New York Times review the "frolicsome item not only dumps you quite often in the drink, but also gives you some rather pleasant company to clown around with while on dry ground. As we say, there is nothing very special or spectacular about "Dangerous When Wet," but it comes as relaxing entertainment at this torpid time of the year."A review from Variety called it "a light mixture of tunes, comedy, water ballet and Esther Williams in a bathing suit."
Home media
On July 17, 2007, Turner Entertainment released Dangerous When Wet on DVD as part of the Esther Williams Spotlight Collection, Volume 1. The 5 disc set contained digitally remastered versions of several of Williams's films including Bathing BeautyBathing Beauty
Bathing Beauty is a 1944 musical starring Red Skelton, Basil Rathbone and Esther Williams and directed by George Sidney.Although this was not William's screen debut, it was her first Technicolor musical. The film was initially to be titled "Mr. Co-Ed" with Red Skelton having top billing...
(1944), Easy to Wed
Easy to Wed
Easy to Wed is a 1946 American musical comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell. The screenplay by Dorothy Kingsley is an updated adaptation of the screenplay of the 1936 film Libeled Lady by Maurine Dallas Watkins, Howard Emmett Rogers, and George Oppenheimer.-Plot:Financier J.B...
(1946), On an Island with You
On an Island with You
On an Island with You is a 1948 musical romantic comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe. It stars Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalbán, Cyd Charisse and Kathryn Beaumont....
(1948) and Neptune's Daughter
Neptune's Daughter (1949 film)
Neptune's Daughter is a 1949 musical romantic comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer starring Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Ricardo Montalbán, Betty Garrett, Keenan Wynn, Xavier Cugat and Mel Blanc...
(1949)