Esther Williams plays a romantically unattached water-skiing secretary who longs to stop "walking on the water" and be some man's wife; Van Johnson and Tony Martin are her potential choices for a husband. Despite fine aquatic sequences filmed at Florida's Cypress Gardens, this romantic comedy is awfully stale. As helmed by plodding director Charles Walters, everything here is made to seem intentionally innocuous, which doesn't lend the picture much staying power. Even Esther's big moments in the water are not quite up to the mesmerizing leaps from her previous swimming vehicles, though they are preferable to the asides with the men, both of whom are colorless. Carroll Baker, in her film debut as Martin's disgruntled ex-girlfriend, is the liveliest of the bunch. Flimsy stuff, indeed. *1/2 from ****

Although critics constantly gripe that Esher Williams could not act this movie lore is absolutely nonsense. Most of her films were slight escapist fare that called for her to display her sparkling light comedic touch which she showed over and over in hit after hit throughout the forties and fifties. WHen allowed to play more dramatic roles like "Million Dollar Mermaid"(MGM,1952) and most superbly in the underrated "The Unguarded Moment"(Universal,1956) she was very fine indeed but the rumor persists. But I will say it is in delightful musical confections like "Easy TO Love"(MGM, 1953) that she remained a top box-office star. Her chemistry with Van Johnson was always there. This was their fifth film together: their first was in Victor Fleming's dramatic fantasy "A Guy Named Joe"(MGM,1943) in support of superstars Spencer Tracey and Irene Dunne but this film made both stars; the empty but hugely successful "Thrill of a Romance"(MGM, 1945); certainly holding their own opposite the marvelous Lucille Ball in the charming and extremely popular "Easy to Wed"(MGM, 1946); and finally the solid hit "Duchess of Idaho"(MGM,1950) which allows Esther and Van to sparkle. But it is their last film "Easy to Love" that captures Esther and Van at their most captivating. The story is the usual fluff about fighting ex-lovers and is topped off with spectacular Busby Berkeley production numbers but all this is wrapped up in a witty script and the superb comic performances of Miss Williams and Mr. Johnson who were never better. Sad to say both their careers declined after this success.

Easy to Love may yet when the definitive history of film is written to be Busby Berkeley's ultimate triumph. No longer confined by a motion picture sound studio, Berkeley stages a water ballet finale that is probably his ultimate fantasy number.I have no doubt that somebody at MGM got together with someone at Florida's Cypress Gardens and decided to make a film promotion of the place. In essence that's what you have here. MGM shot the whole thing down there in Florida and the technicolor photography is spectacular.When MGM did its compilation film That's Entertainment it was also mentioned that for one and one star alone did that studio construct a sound stage just for her. That would be Esther Williams, swimming star and movie star.Esther's place at MGM was something akin to Sonja Henie's at 20th Century Fox. A sports star who was already a celebrity before becoming an actress, Esther because the Olympics of 1940 was canceled did not quite have the clout Henie did when dickering with the MGM brass. Yet Esther was as good a businesswoman as Henie and MGM did quite all right by her in marketing her to the public. She does some numbers in the tank, but that finale is something else.For those of you who have only seen the finale because of That's Entertainment, the story is three guys and Esther and who she will choose. Her choice is her boss at Cypress Gardens Van Johnson, nightclub singer Tony Martin, and her swimming partner John Bromfield.Tony Martin sings the Cole Porter classic title tune and several other numbers, the best of which is one sung with a chorus of senior citizens and Esther, That's What a Rainy Day is For. I particularly like that one it's perfectly suited to Martin's style. Besides the finale Esther a very cute number dressed in a clown get up with a seal and chimpanzee and a mechanical alligator. According to her memoirs they were among her most memorable co-stars. I think it's unfortunate that Easy to Love did not utilize the musical talents of Van Johnson. He was signed by MGM in fact after he was spotted in the cast of Broadway's Too Many Girls. Of course he was no match for Tony Martin as a singer, but in films like Till the Clouds Roll By and Brigadoon he more than held his own. In fact MGM should have used him more in musicals generally than they did.And for we who appreciate these things there's the sight of John Bromfield who spends most of the film in a bathing suit.Easy to Love is quite the spectacle and real easy to take.

Hi, I was hoping that someone might be able to assist me with information regarding this movie. My father ( since deceased ) was on the water ski team at cypress gardens and he told me years ago that he was part of the team used in the making of EASY TO LOVE. Does anyone know the names of the skiers ? They are not mentioned in the credits and I would like to know if he was part of the movie. His name was Robert Paul and his friends called him BOb or Bobby. Thanks in advance. -------- ------- --- ------- ---- ---- ---- ----- ------ -------- ---- --- ----- --- --- - ----- -- --- ----- --- --- -- - ------ -- - - ----- -- -- - ----- --- -- -- ----- --- - - ------ -- - --- - --- -- ------ --- -- ------ -- - ---- -- --- - - ------ -- -- ------ ---- - -- -- --- -- --- -- --- -- --- --- - ------ ---- -- - ----- ----- --- - --- -- -- - -- - --- -- ------- - ------