Actually I give it a 7.5 but since it won't let us do that, I rounded it off to an 8. This is a good clean early 1950s film. Esther is great in a lot of her things. Many of her films are sweet fictional comedy/romances such as "Bathing beauty" and "This time for keeps" (those two films have her most wonderful water ballets of all). My favorite Esther films are the two I just mentioned, "Thrill of a romance", "Neptune's daughter", and "Easy to love" (which has her great skiing escapade). I also like her couple of competitive events style films such as "Million dollar mermaid" (which also has 2 great water ballets) and "Dangerous when wet". I also enjoyed "On an island with you" and "Pagan love song" with their tropical Pacific island locations. The film starts with Esther's enthusiastic athletic family led by her pa who's played by William Demearest (who was also great in Twilight zone episode "What's in the box" which he starred with a much older looking Joan Blondell, who was great in her young beauty days in Busby Berkeley's 1930s films). They march out of their country farm home to their backyard swimming hole singing "I got outta bed on the right side" to go swim laps. After their morning routine, Esther sees a small truck driver who is blocked from driving by her family's cows in the road. I liked Esther's couple of witty sarcastic funny remarks she makes at driver Jack Carson (Jack: "you gotta go milk those cows?" Esther: "No, they're very clever, they milk themselves". And then, Jack: "can I meet you?" Esther: "go to the corner of fifth and Main and wait, if you don't see me by next Thursday, you'll know something happened".). Jack's response is "boy, the farm girl's really with it". Jack advertises liquapep (a health tonic) and is hosting a rally in town. The family attends the liquapep rally. Esther's sister Katy goes on stage to sing "I like men". This is the second film where Esther had a very boy crazy sister who seemed way ahead of her time with that assertive boy chasing attitude. The other one was Esther's sister Betty Garrett in "Neptune's daughter". Anyways, Katy's number wins them a ribbon, and the whole family is then chosen to go to England to swim the English channel. When over there, with Jack in tow, we meet some other characters such as a pretty French woman with an eye for Jack, and Fernando Lamas (Esther's soon real life husband to be) with an eye for Esther. The family soon learns that what was thought to be a 20 mile swim, is actually more 30-40 miles due to the channel currents making you zigzag. Then the fam finds out how everyone except Esther has been disqualified, much to pa's upset. Romance begins to bloom between Esther and Fernando, and the acting between them two I'm sure didn't have to be practiced much due to their real life romance. I think I could tell the naturalness between them. This movie of course contains the famous Esther swimming with Tom and Jerry sequence, which was Esther's dream one night soon before the channel swim. I like how Esther's family is a family of seahorses, the French lady is a charming sea creature, and Fernando is an octopus (who sings "In my wildest dreams" as Fernando while Esther's awake on his yaht, and he sings it in the dream as the octopus). I liked the mixing cartoons with real life, "Anchors aweigh" with Jerry mouse and Gene Kelly was another classic. The race across the channel with Esther and the following boats keeping an eye on her and the other swimmers was very good and interesting, and there were some similarities there to Esther's river Thames swim in "Million dollar mermaid". Esther having been an almost Olympic swimmer (which didn't happen due to the Olympics being cancelled due to the war) really helped Esther get the opportunity to do something great with her swimming in another way. Becoming a famous swimmer and water ballet girl on films was in a sense just as if not maybe more exciting than competing in the Olympics, since she was trying something entirely new. She also officially started synchronised swimming as an official sport. That and her water ballets in her films. She was America's mermaid.

Jack Carson plays a traveling salesman, promoting a potion called Liqua-pep on the county fair circuit. While driving through Arkansas, he meets a family that owns a dairy farm and are dedicated to physical fitness.When Jack's character, Wendy, realizes the eldest daughter, Katy (that's how it's spelled in the credits)--played by Esther Williams--is a beauty and a tireless swimmer, he wants her to attempt the English Channel as a promotion for his snake oil. Eventually, she agrees.Along the way, she meets a Frenchman played by Fernando Lamas (who Esther marries sixteen years later) who becomes her love interest.Esther's films tend to be light fare, intending merely to entertain while allowing her to swim in a pool, a lagoon, or wherever the script might take her. "Dangerous When Wet" includes a few upbeat songs and the usual all-American touchstones. But it is best known for Esther's underwater swimming sequence with Tom and Jerry (Jerry danced nine years earlier with Gene Kelly).

My review title is a quote from Jack Carson, as his character is getting nowhere trying to strike up a romance with Esther's character, on her family porch at night. Don't understand the reason for the title of this capsule of euphoric escapism. It's the story of 32y.o. spinster milkmaid Katie(Esther)(undoubtedly cast as much younger), still part of her marginal, if healthy, dairy farming family. By her responses to a series of questions by aspiring suitor Windy Weebe(Jack Carson), she seems to have no interest in romantic relationships with men, who are easily attracted to her. In contrast, her younger sister, Suzie(Barbara Whiting) seems interested in men(as evidenced by her song("I Like Men"), but is never seen with a romantic hopeful, although she is surrounded by a bevy of men during her 2 songs. Other than seeing a few bovines wandering around, we never really feel we are on a dairy farm. The family awakens as a group well after the usual very early morning milking time. Instead of rushing to the milking barn, they group sing, then undergo a daily exercise training program, including a swim by Esther.. Later, all truck off to England, with the sponsorship of the dubious Liquipep company(thanks to accompanying Weebe), to compete in a 'swim the English Channel' contest.The film can usefully be divided into 6 segments:1) An introduction to the Higgins family, with William Demarest as father, Charlotte Greenwood as mother, Katie the oldest, followed by Suzie, and much younger 'Junior'(they must have been hoping for a boy). Weebe: self-described 'general promoter' is also introduced. Consists of activities at or near the farm.2)Introduction to foggy England, training for the Channel swim, the accidental meeting of Katie with French playboy Andre Lanet(Fernando Lamas), and the beginning of their romance. 3)the dream-staged cartoon segment, in which Katie cavorts in the ocean with Tom and Jerry, among other animals, some of whom clearly represent characters in the film.4)The "Ain't Nature Grand" musical interlude, followed by more Katie & André romancing.5) The Channel swim contest6)A very brief finale, in which all the principals reprise the opening "I Got Out of Bed on the Right Side", to express their general euphoria.Jack Carson and William Demarest provide most of the light comedy, as expected, Carson more or less functioning in the role of Red Skelton or Jimmy Durante in certain other EW films. Carson's character remains a hopeful romantic partner with Katie through most of the film, despite absolutely no encouragement. A romantic dalliance with French swimming competitor Gigi is suggested, Nonetheless, his character remaining on good terms with the Higgins, after the initial hostility.In place of a water ballet, featured in many EW films, we have the cartoon segment and the Channel swim, along with various other minor swimming scenes. In the cartoon, Lamas clearly is represented by a large octopus, who keeps trying to snatch Katie, while often singing "In My Wildest Dreams", as had Lamas. The rest of the Higgens family is presented by a foursome of seahorses, singing "I Got Out of Bed on the Right Side", as in the film beginning. Gigi is represented by a small French-speaking fish. The turtle leisurely swimming on his back may possibly represent Weebe in his rowboat. A ferocious shark-sailfish hybrid chases Katie, Tom , and Jerry. Not clear to me who it might represent.Arthur Schwartz and Johnny Mercer did the score. Barbara Whiting gets a role early on in "I Like Men". Shortly before the swimming contest, Katie and Andre, in their private room, begin "Ain't Nature Grand". In a more public place, this is taken up, in succession, by sister Suzie, then Weebe & Gigi, then Papa and Mama Higgens. This performance final ends with Charlotte displaying, at age 63, her signature sideways high kicks, followed by an ape-like 4 ped walk. These can also be seen in "Down Argentine Way", and "Young People", for example.Lamas was a well-recognized all around athlete and champion swimmer, and could sing and dance tolerably. Thus, he made an ideal mate for Esther's character. Many years later, they would marry.The channel swim section is perhaps the least interesting. Although Katie insists she has to quit near the end, we are sure that Andre's dogged encouragement will prevail.... The first woman to swim the English Channel was American Gertrude Ederle, back in 1926. It wasn't until shortly before this film was made, that interest in women swimming the channel was reawakened...Odd that in the film, initially the whole Higgens family is promoted as taking part in this contest. Later, only Katie is recognized as having a chance.If you have the DVD, be sure to check out the special feature "This is a living?", which consists of a series of films of amazing dare devil stunts!

Get ready to be wet and happy all over! William Demarest and Charlotte Greenwood are head of this family that practices healthy habits: eating right and plenty of exercise, which of course includes swimming. Enter Esther Williams who is in her element in this feel-good lightweight comedy musical. Fernando Lamas is an added plus to this story of a family that tries to swim the English Channel. Their chemistry and good looks make for much of this film's appeal. But, it works on so many other levels, too, with enjoyable and peppy songs and great acting by its supporting character actors William Demarest, Charlotte Greenwood (who has a very memorable dance number), and Jack Carson as her agent. Plus, a famous cat-and-mouse team is featured to good use. With that much talent, you can't go wrong. So, jump in and get wet all over. You'll feel better.