 |
| On An Island With You - 1948 |
Coming up next is 1948's "On An Island With You", the story of a naval lieutenant who falls in love with a movie star that he met a few years beforehand. She doesn't remember him, but he's certain she's the girl for him.
The film's cast includes Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalban, Jimmy Durante, Cyd Charisse, Xavier Cugat, Leon Ames, Kathryn Beaumont, Dick Simmons, Ernest Truex, Marie Windsor, and Bess Flowers.
In the South Pacific, movie star Rosalind Rennolds is shooting a film with her co-star and fiancé, Ricardo Montez.
Naval lieutenant Larry Kingslee is hired as a technical advisor on the film. He's thrilled to meet "Ros". But he knows something she doesn't: the two have met before.
As a matter of fact, they met three years before. Ros was doing a morale boosting trip for the war effort and Larry was chosen to play in a skit with her. She played the skit so many times during the war that she doesn't even remember him.
After an evening at a nightclub, Larry watches Ros and Ricardo swim in the hotel pool. Naturally, he's very jealous of Ricardo.
But he's not the only one who is jealous. Another of the film's stars, Yvonne Torro, watches the two and wishes that she were Ros.
The next day, Larry has to stand in for Ricardo when the film calls for a naval pilot to actually fly a plane with Ros inside. Larry completes the scene, but he continues flying, essentially kidnapping Ros. He doesn't intend to be gone long, only an hour.
Larry takes Ros to the island where they first met. Although initially outraged, Ros begins to succumb to Larry's charms.
When the hour is up, they return to the airplane, only to find it has been sabotaged. They have to spend the night on the island.
As the night surrounds the island, Larry begins to dream. It is a very pleasant dream.
He dreams about swimming with the lovely Ros, having an underwater battle with Ricardo, and winning the girl in the end.
The dream, of course, comes to an end. Larry ends up in some pretty hot water with the navy. Having come to care for him, Ros wants to help out, but a misunderstanding causes both of them to fall out.
Don't worry. The lovebirds get together in the end. I won't tell you how. And don't worry about Ricardo, either. He ends up falling in love with Yvonne, the other star of the film.
During the film, there is a beautiful water ballet. Esther Williams does what she does best. The finale is a fantastic dive into the pool.
Music for the film is ably provided by Xavier Cugat and his orchestra. Accompanying Cugie is his little dog, Francisca Jimenez Maria Gonzalez Conchita, or "Chita" for short.
Cast rundown:
Esther Williams..............................Rosalind Rennolds
Peter Lawford................................Lt. Lawrence Kingslee
Ricardo Montalban..........................Ricardo Montez
Jimmy Durante..............................Buckley
Cyd Charisse..................................Yvonne Torro
Xavier Cugat..................................Himself
Leon Ames.....................................Commander Harrison
Kathryn Beaumont..........................Penelope Peabody
Dick Simmons................................George Blaine
Ernest Truex...................................Nightclub Waiter
Marie Windsor.................................Jane
Bess Flowers...................................Nightclub Patron
And that's it for On An Island With You. This movie became one of MGM's most successful films of the period. It cemented Esther William's place as one of the studio's top money-making stars. The movie also played a large part in making Hawaii a late-1940s tourist destination. Tourists wanted to experience the South Pacific vibe for themselves. Ironically, the film was made in Florida.
As a side note, does anyone know where I can pick up one of these hippos for my pool? It's used as a poolside decoration in the film, and I NEED one desperately.
No comments:
Post a Comment