Skirts Ahoy! (1952)

This is How Movies Should Be Made

It is a performances centric movie

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Even though I am a fan of Esther Williams, I found this film very uneven.Skirts Ahoy! was released in 1952 when the U.S. was involved in the Korean conflict. The roles of women in society were changed significantly during WWII, which ended only about five years before. The country was adjusting quickly and creating social phenomena (the baby boom, the suburban real estate boom, and a search for equilibrium in the roles of the sexes) that would be studied for decades. Esther Williams, Vivian Blaine and Joan Evans play three Waves in training at the Great Lakes U.S. Naval Training Center. They are rather aggressive in pursuit of men--an attitude that many men would find off-putting, especially in the early 50s.Barry Sullivan plays the navy physician that Esther Williams pursues. I found his performance drab, making it difficult to understand her fascination with him.Vivian Blaine practically plays Miss Adelaide from Guys and Dolls here, a role she perfected on Broadway in 1950 and, later, in the film (1955).Esther gets her moments in the pool, of course. As usual, the aqua routines are not really a part of the overall plot. And the studio managed to throw in a number of music and dance numbers that are the same way, so that Esther is an audience member during them. It's pretty remarkable that the local dinner club features Billy Eckstine. In a show on the base, we find Keenan Wynn, Debbie Reynolds, Bobby Van and a full selection of orchestra, drill teams, and choral groups.The dance number featuring Debbie and Bobby was fun. Both are so fresh that their roles are uncredited. Singin' in the Rain was released in the same year, so who knew Debbie would be such a hit when Skirts Ahoy! came to theaters?I particularly enjoyed the performances of the (5) DeMarco Sisters. Great harmonies, great energy.The film has an improbable resolution, but the entire plot is merely a device to separate the swimming and musical numbers.

Ankles Aweigh! If Kelly and Sinatra could get two turns to play sailors, why not swimming star Esther Williams? It makes sense for Williams to be in the navy, but when she is sadly lacking is a story. What she does get is a fine co-star in Vivian Blaine who plays a naval version of "Guys and Dolls'" Miss Adelaide, utilizing that voice she hadn't supplied in earlier films. Third female co-star Joan Evans plays an extremely whiny character (surprising because Blaine's voice carries more of a whining pitch, yet she never seems like she is...), a jilted bride who joins the navy to escape her troubles yet at first can't cope. The basic story (what there is) has the three girls on the town getting into all sorts of trouble. They get one really good musical number ("What Good is a Gal Without a Guy?") which deserves classic status even though the film is otherwise mediocre and poorly constructed.When Ms. Williams does get into the water (with a couple of kids and a clown-faced plastic buoy taking over for Tom and Jerry from "Dangerous When Wet"), the result is mixed. Out of the blue comes a boring marching number that the producers should have nixed, remembering the similar dreadful one that Betty Grable lead in "Pin Up Girl". Top that with a cameo by Debbie Reynolds and Bobby Van in a pointless musical number, and you really begin to see this as "Naval Melody of 1952" rather than a patriotic salute to the Waves. (Williams should have seen the writing on the script, and given the producer a Wac for even suggesting this to her!) The male romantic interests provide no interest, with poor Barry Sullivan suffering from several indignities, especially one where he's annoyed by Williams in a crowded movie theatre (showing an MGM movie, none the less). I never thought that something would surpass the same year's horrible "About Face" (Warner Brothers), but this pretty much ties it.

This movie isn't terribly accurate as to actual Boot Camp life, they had MUCH more freedom than we did, but it was filmed at Great Lakes Naval Station about 10 years before I was stationed there in 1962-3. The barracks, the furnishings, everything in the background shots look just the way they did when I was there. We also lived in those same WWII temporary barracks. I thoroughly enjoy this movie every time I watch it just for the memories and to see those wonderful uniforms that I really liked! My favorite part of the movie each time is the Drill Team scene, they do some of the very same routines that we did when I was on the Boot Camp Drill Team at Bainbridge, Maryland in 1962.

Shirts Ahoy 1952 doesn't have the kind of excitement like other musicals from MGM. The crisp singing numbers are not there at all. The only bright spot of the entire film is when Debbie Reynolds and Bobby Van perform. The actors in this film are very dull in acting, dancing, and singing. The camera shots are also poor. The casting of this film should had more big time musical stars than just one person. Esther Williams. Esther Williams gives her usual great swimming performance. But the swimming scenes are very few and far between. Vivian Blaine is not a seasoned screen veteran and her acting is so poor you wonder why the MGM bosses made this picture in the first place. Barry Sullivan is not his usual acting mood. His performance is very bad. In all flop.