Best movie of this year hands down!

Did you people see the same film I saw?

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Directed by Edward Buzzell, and written by Dorothy Kingsley (who would share a Best Writing Oscar some years later for her work on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)), this below average Musical comedy stars Esther Williams (in the title role?), Keenan Wynn, Red Skelton, Ricardo Montalban, and Betty Garrett. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" earned Frank Loesser his only Oscar, on his fourth try out of five nominations, for Best Song. The scene in which it's sung, by Williams with Montalban and Garrett with Skelton (the two couples), is one of the film's best. Otherwise, it's pretty chauvinistic fluff.Williams plays a champion swimmer whom Wynn's character finally convinces to partner with him to sell swimsuits. They are very successful. Garrett plays Williams's sister, who can't wait to find a fella, that ends up meeting goofy masseur Skelton, who's never even kissed a girl. Enter Montalban, South America's best polo player. After losing a radio callout contest, Skelton winds up giving the injured Montalban a massage, who in turn gives Skelton some romance advice. Wynn decides that arranging a show for the visiting polo players would be good business, and Garrett decides to be the first girl to meet their star, José O'Rourke (Montalban), for her own desires. Garrett mistakes Skelton for O'Rourke and, wanting to impress her and try out his new "moves", Skelton pretends to be José.Trouble arises when the standoffish businesswoman Williams believes the horse riding playboy O'Rourke is courting her; she thinks he's pursuing her and her sister at the same time! This well oiled case of mistaken identity theme is about all there is to sustain the rest of the film, besides some singing, dancing, and music played by Xavier Cugat (as himself) and his band. Naturally, this device only delays the inevitable, each gal will end up with their guy, though Williams puts up the most resistance, with Wynn making his own play for her in a losing effort to Montalban.There is a subplot involving a gangster (Ted de Corsia), and his dumb heavy (the always reliable Mike Mazurki), who figures capturing O'Rourke before the big polo match will be a good way to win a big gambling bet. Otherwise, the only other feature of note is some humorous, not politically correct scenes with Mel Blanc playing a South American named Pancho. Then, of course, there are the swimsuits, and their models, as well as the standard synchronized swimming routines which are typical of Ms. Williams's films.

Swimsuit designer (Esther Williams) has her hands full protecting her man-hungry sister (Betty Garrett). A case of mistaken identity has Esther thinking Betty's in love with Ricardo Montalban when it's really Red Skelton she's fallen for. Esther may spend most of the film out of the water but she's gorgeous as ever. Skelton and Garrett are lots of fun. Montalban is his flirty and charming best. There's also a live-action role for cartoon voice legend Mel Blanc, using his Speedy Gonzalez accent.Fluffy fun with likable performances from everyone and beautiful Technicolor. Oscar-winning "Baby It's Cold Outside" song is justifiably a classic. Aquatic finale is excellent. We also are treated to a brief tour of a swimsuit factory, which I'm not ashamed to admit I found pretty interesting.

A terrific foursome lead the way in this screwball musical about mistaken identity of the most absurd kind. It all concerns a handsome polo player Ricardo Montalban who romances bathing suit manufacturer Esther Williams while silly Red Skelton is pursued by her flirtatious sister Betty Garrett who mistakes Skelton, ridiculously so, for the Latin Lothario.While the entire cast is excellent, it is the effervescent Garrett who stands out. Many of MGM's featured players or second leads stole the show from the star, and Garrett is up there with Virginia O'Brien, Ann Miller and Janis Paige as the sassy flirty gal who may not land the hero but takes off with the best material. Garrett shines in the Latin themed I Love Those Men, and even in an outtake cut from the film shows her metal. The Oscar Winning Baby, It's Cold Outside features all four leads and is winningly staged. Of course, Esther swims, and the finale is lavishly staged.Montalban, the most likable Hispanic actor of his time, has an easy-going charm that never seems cocky or smug. He sings and dances with ease and looks great in tight clothing. Skelton deliberately speaks with the worst Spanish accent on film but is over-shadowed by Mel Blanc who is extremely funny using his Speedy Gonzalez voice. While Keenan Wynn opens and closes the film as a sort of narrator, he is rather wasted. That is really a demotion considering three years before he was one of the leads in Easy to Wed. Mike Mazurki adds his typical dumb mug performance as a gangster trying to fix the final polo match which has some very funny slapstick sight gags.

Lame musical comedy starring Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbahn. Williams plays a bathing suit designer who wants to protect her sister, Betty Garrett, from Montalbahn, a polo star and Lothario whom Garrett has fallen for. Really, though, Garrett has fallen for Red Skelton, who pretends to be Montalbahn. While Williams thinks she's keeping Montalbahn occupied, the two, as you expect, fall in love. Williams is a pretty boring actress, famously only "something" when she's wet, and she's kept out of the water for 95% of the movie, and they even cut away from what promises to be an epic water ballet in the final moments. The only amusing moments come between Skelton and Garrett, though their antics never rise above slightly amusing. They have good chemistry, though. It's too bad their studio didn't recognize it at the time, because they should have been paired again. There are two bits of interest in the film: first, it won the Oscar for best song, Frank Loesser's "Baby, It's Cold Outside". Now there's a trivia question! The song doesn't even make sense in the movie. As far as I could tell, the movie takes place in California. Even if I'm incorrect on that, it certainly was never cold in the movie, and why would someone even write a song about the cold and snowstorms for an Esther Williams movie? Weird. It's a great song, of course, and the best part of the film. Both couples sing it in full back to back, with Garrett and Skelton reversing the roles the second time around. The second thing, there's this one character in the movie named Pancho, who works for the polo team or something. When he began to talk, I was thinking, "Wow, what a stereotypical accent. Sounds just like Speedy Gonzales." Then, "Wow, really a lot like Speedy Gonzales. Wait a second… that actor looks like…" Yes, it was! Mel Blanc, playing a guy who sounds just like Speedy Gonzales. I didn't know Mel Blanc did anything live action.