Here’s a story about a man, a woman, and a bathing suit. No kidding. I must admit I saw the preview for this movie on TCM and knew I would miss it so I Netflixed it instead. Neptune’s Daughter takes us all the way back to 1949, and boy were sexist and racist stereotypes all the rage back then. There’s the black maid, and the simple minded Latino (who I swear sounds EXACTLY like Speedy Gonzales) and of course the hope that a girl, above all else, will find a husband.
The story pairs workaholic swimsuit designer (and model) Eve Barrett (Esther Williams) with Polo star/playboy José O'Rourke (Ricardo Montalban). Eve’s dingbat sister Betty (Betty Garrett) accidentally knocks out masseur and bonafide loser with the ladies Jack Spratt (Red Skelton) while predatorily seeking a Latin polo player, which she then mistakes Jack for Jose, because you know they could practically be twins.
The two couples struggle through all kinds of sticky situations because of the mistaken identity and somehow figure it out before it’s too late.
This is definitely a period piece and it might not be the best in the synchronized swimming genre, but there’s singing and dancing and swimsuits galore! The extras on the DVD include a short film detailing some pretty hairy water stunts and a deleted scene with Betty Garrett singing “I Want My Money Back”.
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