Coming up next is 1953's "Dangerous When Wet", an aqua-musical that sees Esther Williams swim the English Channel to earn the money to save her Arkansas family farm.
The film's cast includes Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas, Jack Carson, Charlotte Greenwood, Denise Darcel, William Demarest, Donna Corcoran, Barbara Whiting, and Patrick O'Moore.
At the Higgins Dairy Farm in Arkansas, it is equal parts work and play. They are a highly physically fit family, and they do their exercises together every morning. On this particular morning, they sing "I Got Out Of Bed On The Right Side" as they get ready to work out.
A traveling salesman named Windy Weebe, who is peddling a vitamin drink called Liquapep, takes a fancy to the older Higgins daughter, Katie. She doesn't really think he's all that spectacular, though.
Windy gets the idea that the whole family could swim the English Channel as a publicity stunt for Liquapep. Knowing they require some much-needed cash to make improvements on the farm, the Higgins family agrees and begins training right away.
On the trip to England, the family poses for pictures holding the product that is sponsoring them, though none of them can stomach the taste.
When the family finally makes it to England and gets their first good look at the Channel, they become discouraged. A local tells them that it is twenty miles across as the seagull flies, but it can be nearly twice as long to swim because of currents and tides. The Higgins troop doesn't know if that's the kind of thing they want to tackle.
Katie meets handsome Frenchman Andre Lanet, and the two spend a lot of time together when she's not training, and even when she is.
It's ultimately decided that Katie has to swim the Channel alone, the rest of the family is disqualified for some reason. Add to this the fact that her father has leveraged the entire dairy farm to pay for some new equipment in the hopes that they will win the prize money to cover the debt, and you've got a recipe for some serious stress. Katie dreams one night that she's swimming with iconic cartoon characters Tom and Jerry!
The next day, Ma Higgins tells Katie that she needs to take a break from training and just relax.
So, she heads off with Andre and the two spend the entire day together. They have a picnic, and even do some night swimming.
Pa and Ma Higgins have a some fun, too. They put on a little show for some of the guests at their hotel, singing "Ain't Nature Grand". (Though it's essentially the same in every film she dances in, I never get tired of watching Charlotte Greenwood do her thing.)
Pretty soon, the time comes when has to brave the waters of the English Channel. There are several women competing from different countries.
Andre arrives on his yacht and joins the rowboat following Katie. He gives her lots of moral support. She's definitely glad he's there with her.
He even joins her in the water when it appears she's about to call it quits. She makes it over the finish line on her own and then collapses. Andre is there to pick her up. She wins the prize money and the Higgins Dairy Farm is saved.
When it's time for the Higgins family to leave England for home, they get quite a shock. They're all busy singing a reprise of "I Got Out Of Bed On The Right Side". Pa Higgins gathers up the family by knocking on their hotel room doors. They all gasp in shock when Andre opens Katie's door!
He calmly points to a ring on Katie's finger. They breathe a sigh of relief and head for home.
William Demarest...............................Pa Higgins
Donna Corcoran..................................Junior Higgins
Barbara Whiting..................................Suzie Higgins
Patrick O'Moore...................................Bob Gerrard
And that's it for Dangerous When Wet. Esther Williams married Fernando Lamas sixteen years after this film debuted. She was married to her second husband Ben Gage at the time this movie was filmed. Debbie Reynolds was originally cast as Katie's middle sister Suzie.
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