Easy to Love (1953)

That line was first said by Van Johnson to Esther Williams near the start of film when he invites her to go to NY with him. Cut to scene at NY photography session where, after one of many photo shoots, Esther repeats "fun, nothing but fun" sarcastically to Van since his promise to make their trip to NY fun turned out to be more work. Next line, also funny: Van: "most girls would cut off their arm to be in your position". Esther: " this girl would like to cut your throat." I love how Esther loathes Van for never letting her have any time on her own terms. I mean, I would love to have a job where I get to waterski, pose for pictures, and swim in idyllically beautiful waters surrounded by flowers and beautiful music. But I can also understand Esther's feelings about not having any time on her own terms, and Van is smarmy and controlling here. Then Esther meets Tony Martin. They fall head over heels in love during the photo session, then Esther watches Tony sing at a club with several beautiful girls that also work with him, "Didja ever", a cute, catchy song. Tony later (againced Van's will because he wants her to rest up for the grapefruit contest the next day, lol) takes Esther out drinking and dancing all night. She is totally in love with him now. He hooks her up with a swimming audition the next morning and a job offer working with him. I'd love to know the name of that piano piece playing during her audition swimming, it was beautiful. The song and Esther. I also like a number of different funny, quirky comments made throughout the film such as: Esther saying " 10:30 darling" by accident to the elevator operator cause Tony just told her "10:30 darling" about their next meet up, Esther talking to bubbles in glass of champagne after ditching Van to be with Tony " feels good to be free, doesn't it?", then she loathfully repeats Van's "fun, nothing but fun." Then Van asks Esther where she was all night, Esther tells him the truth about being with Tony. Van says "come on now, tell me the truth". Esther sarcastically says "I went swimming in Central Park, they threw pennies at me and I threw grapefruit at them". I loved that last one. Van kept trying to get her to that grapefruit convention that she was so unenthused about going to. Esther also has had relations with Hank, who Esther does a water ballet with surrounded by lots of flowers. I loved that piece of music played during that sequence. Also Tony's "lookout, I'm romantic", " little croquette" (with his beautiful girls again. Listen to the style of the music there, you can hear how the music style is slowly transitioning over from 30s and 40s swing style over to more almost 60s style almost like you'd hear on "Bewitched")."That's what a rainy day is for" (Tony dancing with a group of senior citizens) is also nice. Then we get the fabulous water ski sequence with Esther and many other water skiers played to a great tune and is visually fascinating. This is one of a number of wonderful esther water ballets. My other favorites are in "Bathing beauty", " This time for keeps", and "Million dollar mermaid". I'm not gonna add any spoilers here, because my reason for subtracting a couple points, I wouldn't be able to tell you why without a spoiler.

What's good: beautiful Esther Williams. Enough can't be said about this. She was positively radiant the entire film. No actress brought technicolor to life like Esther Williams. Tan, fit, gorgeous Esther. Also the great Busby Berkeley aquatic numbers. Esther Williams plus Busby Berkeley equals a win every time.What's bad: the men. Unfortunately, Esther is saddled with rather poor love interests here in Tony Martin and Van Johnson. There's no great chemistry to be had with either but Martin tries his soggy best. I definitely felt like he was attracted to Esther, although in a kind of scuzzy greaseball sort of way. He also has several terrible songs. MGM was pushing him extra hard in this. He wouldn't stop singing those terrible songs! I like Van Johnson but he's as exciting a male lead as a wooden plank. So bland and colorless. Esther really had some crappy choices here.Honestly it's not one of the greats. The plot of Esther wanting Van but all he thinks about is business so she tries to make him jealous with Tony is pretty flimsy and the romance is blechh. But see it for the stunning Esther Williams in technicolor and the wonderful production numbers choreographed by the great Busby Berkeley.

Release dates for this one indicate that M-G-M decorated the nation's movie screens with this tuneful treat on Christmas Day. It was a delightful concoction with Esther displaying just about everything that made her one of the studio's biggest box office favorites, including a frantic number where she's dressed as a clown and required, no doubt by Busby Berkeley, assisting director Charles Walters, to perform some exceedingly lively stunts in the course of an elaborate aquatic display of why she was still a champion when wet.Tony Martin croons the title tune, a Cole Porter standard, to Esther as she languidly swims for what seems like miles in a moonlit lagoon and there's an extremely sweet little song, entitled "That's What a Rainy Day Is For," tossed off, as they could afford to do in those melodious times, by Mr. Martin again, to a roomful of charming elderly ladies surrounding Miss Williams. The final extravaganza, set in Florida's Cypress Gardens, involves motorboats, dozens of swimmers, and Esther dangling and diving from a helicopter, no doubt the brainchild of Mr. Berkeley, the scourge of everyone assigned to execute the products of his fertile imagination (and, according to some reports, his alcohol-fueled tirades.)Of course the plot, with Esther pining for a remarkably disinterested Van Johnson, probably irritated even the tolerant audiences of the early Fifties, but it was scripted cleverly enough to display Esther's gift for light comedy, something that is not as appreciated as it should be. When that lengthy sequence of scenes from Esther Williams movies was put together for "That's Entertainment!" in 1974, a young acquaintance of mine, completely unfamiliar with Hollywood's one-and-only mermaid, exited the theater thoroughly besotted with her charms. He found himself literally at a loss for words to express his admiration. I don't know if he ever had the opportunity to see one of her pictures in its entirety, but this wouldn't have been a bad choice, were he limited to just one title.

She was great! And, she could swim too. Esther Williams earned the snide remark from Fanny Brice about her acting but we, back in the late forties and early fifties, loved her. I mean, she didn't even have to act or have a decent script! Check out Pagan Love Song, if you doubt my words! This story, a typical Esther Williams escapist medium, includes some great character actors: King Donovan, married to Imogene Coca; John Bromfield, as the other guy interest, TV's The Sheriff of Cochise and the couple crooner Tony Martin and his wife, Cyd Charisse. But, let's not forget that heart stopper of the bobby soxers, old Van Johnson. I remember my aunt and her girl friend standing in the rain to get tickets to see him in "30 seconds over Tokyo." This film, mild by today's standards, is a peaen to those halcyon days after the (second world) war, when the world was young and full of hope. No video, no DVD. Look for it on the late show.