Neptune's Daughter (1949 film)

Last updated

Neptune's Daughter
Neptune's daughter poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Edward Buzzell
Screenplay by Dorothy Kingsley
Ray Singer (additional dialogue)
Dick Chevillat (additional dialogue)
Produced by Jack Cummings
Starring Esther Williams
Red Skelton
Ricardo Montalbán
Betty Garrett
Cinematography Charles Rosher
Edited by Cotton Warburton
Music by Frank Loesser
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Loew's Inc.
Release date
  • June 9, 1949 (1949-06-09)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,221,000 [1]
Box office$5,773,000 [1]

Neptune's Daughter is a 1949 Technicolor 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. It was directed by Edward Buzzell, and features the debut of the Academy Award–winning song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Frank Loesser.

Contents

This was the third movie that paired Williams and Ricardo Montalbán, the other two being Fiesta (1947) and On an Island with You (1948), and the second Williams film to co-star Red Skelton (after 1944's Bathing Beauty ).

Plot

Although she initially rejects an offer by Joe Backett to become his business partner at the Neptune swimming suit design company, aquatic ballet dancer Eve Barrett changes her mind when she considers the publicity potential of the job. One day, Joe learns that a South American polo team will be playing a big match in town, and he and Eve begin planning a swimming spectacle for the event. Eve tells her man-crazy sister and roommate Betty about the South American team, and Betty immediately seizes upon the idea of finding herself a date among the players. Meanwhile, Jose O'Rourke, the handsome playboy captain of the polo team, seeks relief for his injured arm from Jack Spratt, a bumbling masseur, who complains to Jose about his lack of success with women. During the massage, Jose gives Jack advice on how to attract women, stressing the importance of speaking to women in Spanish, which he calls the "language of love." Later, while looking for the famed South American team captain, Betty accidentally mistakes Jack for Jose. Jack does not reveal his identity to Betty and accepts her invitation to visit her at her house.

On their date, Jack secretly plays a Spanish language instruction record while pretending that he is speaking romantic Spanish phrases to Betty. At the end of the evening, Betty tells Eve about her date, and Eve tries to dissuade her from pursuing a romance with any of the visiting polo players. The following day, while giving a tour of the Neptune bathing suit factory, Eve meets Jose and warns him to stay away from her sister. Jose is confused by the warning but because he is attracted to Eve, he pretends to understand and agrees to break his presumed date with Betty. When Jose asks Eve to go on the date with him, she reluctantly consents and does so only to prevent him from pursuing her sister. Despite her best attempts to make her date with Jose a failure, Eve finds him attractive and enjoys her evening. Confusion abounds the following day, when Eve's maid, Matilda, tells her that Betty has gone on another date with Jose. Furious at the news, Eve goes to Jose's apartment and demands to see her sister. She searches Jose's apartment to no avail and does not understand why Betty is not there. Later, when crooked nightclub owner Lukie Luzette learns that a man named Jose is the polo team's most valuable player, he decides to kidnap Jose and keep him out of the game to ensure that his bet against his team will pay off. Lukie sends one of his henchmen to abduct Jose, but the henchman mistakenly abducts Jack instead. Jose, meanwhile, proposes marriage to Eve, and she, having found no evidence of further wrongdoings, accepts.

However, just as Eve is about to tell Betty that she intends to marry Jose, Betty informs her that she and Jose are now engaged. When Jose shows up at Eve and Betty's house, Eve, convinced that he has deceived her, shuts the door in his face. Moments later, Jose is abducted by Lukie's men and placed in captivity. Jack, meanwhile, manages to escape from his captors just as the big polo match begins. Betty, who still believes that Jack is Jose, insists that he save his team from defeat and helps him mount a horse. While Jack inadvertently scores a victory for the South American team, the police find Jose and free him. Jose arrives at the polo field in time to accept the team's trophy and to clear up Eve's confusion. Jack admits to Betty that he is an impostor, but she forgives him and assures him of her love. All ends happily as a double wedding is planned for both couples. [2]

Cast

Production

Although the story states off-hand that Jack Spratt is a resident of the fictional town "Clayport, California," the movie was filmed partly on location in Los Angeles, California and at Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida. [3] Some of the action in the film is depicted as taking place at Casa Cugat, Xavier Cugat's Mexican restaurant which was located at 848 North La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood. [4] [5]

Williams discovered she was pregnant with her first child with husband Ben Gage early into shooting. [6]

Williams contracted with Cole of California to appear as their spokesperson before making the film. As a result, the company created the suits that Williams and the aqua chorus wore throughout the film. After filming was done, Williams's doctor ordered her to stay away from activity, and she instead gave swimming lessons to blind children. "Teaching those children how to swim was "one of the most gratifying experiences I've ever had," wrote Williams in her autobiography. [6]

Williams played a swimsuit designer in this film, and went on to copy several swimsuit designs from this film in the line of swimwear she would later create. [6]

Musical numbers

The song "Baby It's Cold Outside" was not planned to be in this film. It took the place of Frank Loesser's "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China," which the Hays Office thought inappropriate. [7] However, "Slow Boat" was still used as underscoring in the fashion show scene.

Release

According to MGM records the film was a big hit and earned $3,477,000 in the US and Canada and $2,296,000 overseas, resulting in profit of $1,473,000. [1] [9]

Critical reception

A 1949 New York Times review of the film called it a "great big beautiful musical, full of slickness and Technicolored plush, models and Xavier Cugat rhythm." [10]

Accolades

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

Home media

On July 17, 2007, Turner Entertainment released Neptune's Daughter on DVD as part of the Esther Williams Spotlight Collection, Volume 1. The 5 disc set contained digitally remastered versions of four other Williams's films: Bathing Beauty (1944), Easy to Wed (1946), On an Island with You (1948) and Dangerous When Wet (1953). [13]

Related Research Articles

Ricardo Montalbán Mexican actor (1920–2009)

Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a variety of genres, from crime and drama to musicals and comedy. He portrayed Armando in the Planet of the Apes film series from the early 1970s, starring in both Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). As the villain Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically enhanced human, he starred in both the original Star Trek television series (1967) and the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).

Xavier Cugat Spanish-Cuban musician and bandleader

Xavier Cugat was a Spanish musician and bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. In New York City he was the leader of the resident orchestra at the Waldorf–Astoria before and after World War II. He was also a cartoonist and a restaurateur. The personal papers of Xavier Cugat are preserved in the Biblioteca de Catalunya.

Esther Williams American swimmer and actress (1921–2013)

Esther Jane Williams was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II, she joined Billy Rose's Aquacade, where she took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. While in the city, she spent five months swimming alongside Olympic gold-medal winner and Tarzan star Johnny Weissmuller. Williams caught the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts at the Aquacade. After appearing in several small roles, and alongside Mickey Rooney in an Andy Hardy film and future five-time co-star Van Johnson in A Guy Named Joe, Williams made a series of films in the 1940s and early 1950s known as "aquamusicals", which featured elaborate performances with synchronised swimming and diving.

<i>Thats Entertainment! III</i> 1994 film

That's Entertainment! III is a 1994 American documentary film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate the studio's 70th anniversary. It was the third in a series of retrospectives that began with the first That's Entertainment! (1974) and That's Entertainment, Part II (1976). Although posters and home video packaging use the title without an exclamation mark, the actual on-screen title of the film uses it.

<i>Thats Dancing!</i> 1985 film directed by Jack Haley Jr.

That's Dancing! is a 1985 American compilation film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that looked back at the history of dancing in film. Unlike the That's Entertainment! series, this film not only focuses specifically on MGM films, but also included films from other studios.

AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars is the American Film Institute's list ranking the top 25 male and 25 female greatest screen legends of American film history and is the second list of the AFI 100 Years... series.

Abbe Lane American singer and actress (born 1932)

Abbe Lane is an American singer and actress. Lane was known in the 1950s and 1960s for her revealing outfits and sultry style of performing. She was the fourth wife of Latin bandleader and musician Xavier Cugat.

<i>Duchess of Idaho</i> 1950 film by Robert Zigler Leonard

Duchess of Idaho is a musical romantic comedy produced in 1950 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, it was the fourth film pairing Esther Williams and Van Johnson. It was filmed at the MGM Studios lot and exteriors shot in Sun Valley, Idaho.

The 22nd Academy Awards were held on March 23, 1950, at the RKO Pantages Theatre, honoring the films in 1949.

<i>Bathing Beauty</i> 1944 film by George Sidney

Bathing Beauty is a 1944 musical film starring Red Skelton, Basil Rathbone, and Esther Williams, and directed by George Sidney.

<i>This Time for Keeps</i> 1947 film by Richard Thorpe

This Time for Keeps is a 1947 American romantic musical film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante, Johnnie Johnston and opera singer Lauritz Melchior. Produced by MGM, it is about a soldier, returning home from war, who does not wish to work for his father's opera company or to continue his relationship with his pre-war lover.

<i>Take Me Out to the Ball Game</i> (film) 1949 film by Busby Berkeley

Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a 1949 Technicolor musical film produced in the Arthur Freed unit of MGM. It stars Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Betty Garrett, Edward Arnold and Jules Munshin, and was directed by Busby Berkeley. The title and nominal theme is taken from the unofficial anthem of American baseball, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." The film was released in the United Kingdom as Everybody's Cheering.

<i>Dangerous When Wet</i> 1953 film by Charles Walters

Dangerous When Wet is a 1953 American live-action/animated musical comedy film starring Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas and Jack Carson, directed by Charles Walters and featuring an animated swimming sequence starring Williams with the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry.

<i>Two Girls and a Sailor</i> 1944 film by Richard Thorpe

Two Girls and a Sailor is a 1944 American musical film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Van Johnson, June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven. Set on the American homefront during World War II, it's about two singing sisters who create a lavish canteen to entertain members of the military, thanks to financial contributions from a mysterious donor. The picture features a host of celebrity performances, including Jimmy Durante doing his hallmark "Inka Dinka Doo", Gracie Allen, and Lena Horne. Richard Connell and Gladys Lehman were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

<i>Two Weeks with Love</i> 1950 film by Roy Rowland

Two Weeks with Love is a 1950 romantic musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Roy Rowland and based on story by John Larkin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dorothy Kingsley.

<i>Fiesta</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Richard Thorpe

Fiesta is an American Technicolor musical-drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1947, starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalbán, Mary Astor and Cyd Charisse. The film was directed by Richard Thorpe and written by George Bruce and Lester Cole.

<i>Texas Carnival</i> 1951 musical film by Charles Walters

Texas Carnival is a 1951 American Technicolor musical film directed by Charles Walters and starring Esther Williams, Red Skelton and Howard Keel.

<i>On an Island with You</i> 1948 film by Richard Thorpe

On an Island with You is a 1948 musical Technicolor romantic comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe. It stars Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalbán, Cyd Charisse, Kathryn Beaumont and Jimmy Durante.

<i>Pagan Love Song</i> 1950 film by Robert Alton

Pagan Love Song is a 1950 American romantic musical film released by MGM and starring Esther Williams and Howard Keel. Set in Tahiti, it was based on the novel Tahiti Landfall by William S. Stone.

<i>Eves Secret</i> 1925 film

Eve's Secret is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a Broadway play, Moon-Flower, by Zoë Akins, adapted from a Hungarian play by Lajos Bíró. On Broadway Elsie Ferguson starred. Clarence Badger directed Betty Compson and Jack Holt.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ↑ "Neptune's Daughter". AFI: Catalogue of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Home Page". Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Mexican Food: What Do Showbiz People Like to Eat?". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. March 11, 1980. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  5. ↑ Andrews, Colman (May 18, 1986). "A Bogus Critic Without Reservation". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 The Million Dollar Mermaid: An Autobiography, By Esther Williams, Digby Diehl, Published by Harcourt Trade, 2000, ISBN   0-15-601135-2, ISBN   978-0-15-601135-8
  7. ↑ "Slow Boat To China". Piano Man SLC. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  8. ↑ Loesser, Susan (1993). A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life; A Portrait by His Daughter" p. 79-81. ISBN   1-55611-364-1.
  9. ↑ "Top Grossers of 1949". Variety. January 4, 1950. p. 59.
  10. ↑ Bosley Crowther (June 10, 1949). "Movie Review - Esther Williams, Red Skelton Seen in 'Neptune's Daughter,' New Bill at the Capitol". The New York Times . Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  11. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  12. ↑ "AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 11, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.