28. Neptune's Daughter

1949; dir. Edward Buzzell; starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Red Skelton, Betty Garrett
My views: 11

I think this is probably the movie on this list that the fewest people have heard of.  I have no idea why we got it from the library the first time.  Maybe it was at our home library and we thought it looked fun, or maybe my mom had seen it before, I don't know.  All I do know is that it's cheesy and fun in the best possible way, so while I'm perfectly aware that it is by no means the best film ever made, I'm proud to display it on this blog.

By far the best scene in this film, and a big part of the reason I've watched it so many times, is the "Baby, It's Cold Outside" number, sung first by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban, then by Red Skelton and Betty Garrett.  Interestingly while few people have heard of this film, I'm pretty sure most people have heard that song.  It's really funny to me that most people think of it as a Christmas song because it will always make me think of this movie.  As a result, it always pains me to hear people saying it's a disturbing song about attempted date rape.  When they sing it in this movie, it's summertime in California.  The "it's cold outside" argument is not only flimsy, it's completely invalid, as both parties know.  It's just an innocently flirtatious song, and the choreography is flawless.  I don't know if "choreography" is the right word, since they're not really dancing, but what they're doing while they're singing is what makes this scene so delightful.  That's probably why I can't get too upset by the "what's in this drink?" line; all I think of is Red Skelton drinking out of a vase of flowers.

Beyond that, Esther Williams is beautiful and, naturally, gets to do quite a bit of swimming; Ricardo Montalban is quite attractive; and Red Skelton and Betty Garrett are both hilarious.  It is a little insulting how uninformed the movie assumes people are about South America, as characters keep referring to it as a country, and there is no way Red Skelton could pass for South American, even if Betty Garrett's character is supposed to be exceptionally stupid.  Also, O'Rourke really doesn't sound like a South American last name.  But focusing on these glaring flaws means completely missing the point of the movie, which I think is to rejoice in ridiculousness.  Let's face it, sometimes real life is bizarre and doesn't make a lot of sense either.