"I don't greatly care/ If they are where they ought to be/ If you are with me" - Thrill of a Romance

You can't go wrong with an Esther Williams movie. They're almost designed to be uplifting and happy in every way, and so today I want to talk about Thrill of a Romance.

via tumblr, source unknown

This is my entry for the Esther Williams blogathon hosted by Love Letters to Old Hollywood. Make sure you head over to read all the entries this weekend!

Say hello to Laurtiz Melchior, an opera singer who landed a contract with MGM and appeared in a few films in the '40s. He plays the loveable Nils Knudsen, a guest at the Hotel Monte Belva. 

We open in Los Angeles where Cynthia Glenn is teaching a swimming lesson at the local pool. She's teaching the children to dive.

One of her students, her favourite, I'd say, is named Julio, and he wants to see her dive from the taller diving board. 

Just as she's about to dive, she hears someone yelling at her. 

It's Bob Delbar, a millionaire businessman, who wants to see her dive. 

Bob likes what he sees and asks Julio who his teacher is. 

When Cynthia gets home, we're introduced to her scatterbrained aunt and uncle, Aunt Nona and Uncle Hobart. 

I really love this yellow dress. Esther's style is so emblematic of the time. 

Aunt Nona tells Cynthia that some flowers arrived for her, and she reads the card: it's from Bob Delbar. 

"He had no money but he had ideas, and wasn't afraid to work!" 

Cynthia and Bob go out on a date, and at the restaurant, we're introduced to Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra. Tommy Dorsey was a big band leader of the era, and he appeared, with his orchestra, in several films throughout the '40s.

I love that jacket.

But, of course, Bob the businessman is in high demand, and the waiter comes over to let him know that J.P. Bancroft wants to talk to him. Somehow, probably because it's the movies, this single date and the heckling at the swimming pool, are enough for Cynthia to decide that she's in love with Bob. 

Next thing you know, those crazy kids are married! That's it, go home, movie's wrapped.  

Little Julio shows up because he wants to show Cynthia something, it's his wedding present to her. 

Here's our glimpse at Cynthia's wedding dress. So very '40s.

Julio's gift? He dives into the pool!

Cynthia's thrilled that he would do it and gives him a big hug, not caring, like Bob does, that it's getting her wedding dress wet. But they can't stick around, they're heading off on their honeymoon!

The newlyweds arrive at the Hotel Monte Belva. Oh, to spend a honeymoon—or heck, I’d even just go for a weekend at this point, having been cooped up since March—at the Hotel Monte Belva. 

Imagine being welcomed by musicians when you go to a hotel. 

When Cynthia and Bob get up to their honeymoon suite, they find the room is still occupied by another pair of newlyweds who have been so wrapped up in each other they haven't left yet. 

Obligatory shot of Esther's outfit, this time with dramatic animal print. 

Enter Mrs. Fenway, who's there to make sure their visit at the Hotel Monte Belva goes swimmingly! 

They hear Nils Knudsen singing from his balcony, a sign of things to come, as Nils is almost always singing in the film. 

Cynthia and Bob get dressed and head down for supper. I love the flower wrapped around the bodice of her dress. 

Notice how this guest is gorging himself? 

Nils does. But Nils has given the hotel, Mrs. Fenway in particular, strict orders to not serve him fatty foods as he wants to lose weight. Just as he's about to crack and order food...

...Mrs. Fenway shows up and he can't go through with it. 

They haven't even been there a full day, nor a full meal yet, and the phone's already ringing for Bob. 

It's J.P. Bancroft on the phone, and he's insisting that Bob go to Washington, D.C. to work on a deal. Cynthia, of course, is devastated that he'd leave on the first night of their honeymoon, but he says he doesn't have a choice. 

Major Thomas Milvaine notices Cynthia's sadness. Stay tuned for more on this hotel guest.

Hey look, it's Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra! Cynthia noticed that they were playing at the hotel. Bob didn't even remember that they were playing at the restaurant that night.

This is the jazz pianist wunderkind, Susan Dorsey. She's the daughter of Tommy Dorsey, and is always ready to jump in and perform when one of the musicians doesn't know a song.

In reality, she's Helene Stanley: an actress and model who was the live model for Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Anita (from 101 Dalmatians) at Disney. She was also married to Johnny Stompanato for a few years before divorcing him (he later moved onto Lana Turner and met his maker when Lana's daughter stabbed him in self-defence). Her career ended in 1961, with her job on 101 Dalmatians wrapped, and she retired from show business. 

Poor Nils. I can't decide if I think Mrs. Fenway is oblivious to Nils's 'suffering' or if she knows what she's doing, eating that food directly in front of him...

Cynthia's back in their hotel room, morose that she's alone on her wedding night. 

But then she hears Nils singing down on the patio, and goes to her balcony to watch. 

On a beautiful summer night, of course you'd want to sit outside listening to live music. 

Including Lyonel, a bellboy at the Hotel Monte Belva who has a secret: he loves to sing and wants the chance to do it publicly.

But soon enough, Cynthia's grief is too much as she listens to Nils's singing and she begins to sob on the balcony. 

Her neighbour to the left, Major Thomas Milvaine, who had also been out on the balcony listening to Nils, hears her. 

He asks if there's anything he can do to help, but she demurs that she's fine. He sees through it and keeps pressing until she reveals that Bob left her alone. He thinks they must've been married a while, but she reveals they've only been married since noon today. 

Then he's singing a different tune. He can't understand why Bob would leave her alone. You can tell he's starting to feel something for her. 

The next morning, Cynthia's ready to throw herself into some fun. She decides to go to the swimming pool. How chic is that robe? 

She meets Maude Bancroft, a fellow guest and the daughter of Bob's colleague, JP Bancroft. They gossip over who they think Major Thomas Milvaine is... 

...but Maude guesses wrong. She instead finds herself yoked to K.O. Karney, a boxer who thinks mighty highly of himself and can't read social cues. He also fancies himself a great diver, but every time he hits the water, it's inelegant and causes an obnoxious splash. 

Cue Esther Williams to show us how it's done.

I simultaneously love and hate how good Esther Williams looks in the water. She truly was America's Mermaid. 

There's a very fascinating podcast called Esther Williams and the Birth of Waterproof Makeup (narrated/researched by Rachel Syme, one of my favourite writers) on the 'You Must Remember This' series 'Make Me Over' that I'd recommend listening to. It's all about how Esther is basically responsible for waterproof mascara. 

She bumps into Major Thomas Milvaine, and he's immediately enchanted. 

Tommy tries to swim but he sinks instead, much to the delight of the Dorsey girls. He asks them if they can pat their heads and rub their bellies at the same time (they can't); and doesn't seem too fussed over the fact that he can't swim. And why would he, with Cynthia there to teach him?

He doesn't even have swimming trunks, either. Just shorts from his military uniform. Anyways, he tries the whole pat-your-head, rub-your-tummy routine on Cynthia, but she instead offers to teach him to swim. 

She shows him how to float, and holds her hands underneath him...

But he sinks when she lets him try it on his own. 

Later, at lunch, Nils invites Tommy to sit with him. He asks if Nils has already had his lunch, to which Nils replies, "If you call an apple a lunch, I've had it." He invites Tommy to go walking with him as well, and then asks him to arrange swimming lessons. 

Tommy says he knows that Nils can swim, but Nils says that if he had a teacher like Cynthia, he'd want to learn again. 

They all stop to chat, once Cynthia comes up. He admires her swimming, she admires his singing.

 

When they're alone, Tommy reveals that he's Major Milvaine, and she asks him what it was like to be stranded in the ocean. He says he was scared, since he couldn't swim. Cynthia says she would've been terrified, too, and she can swim. 

On the raft, he dreamt about food and the girl he wanted to marry. He was sad that he'd never meet her, worrying that she'd be a widow before she ever got to be a wife. Then he reveals that he has a star named George. Turns out his mother told him that everyone has a star to watch over them and to call upon when they need help. Tommy's star is named George. 

Cynthia's skeptical of the star, but Tommy says, "I'm here, aren't I?" 

A waiter comes over with a telephone for Cynthia (honestly, I love it in old movies when they'll bring the telephone to the table for important calls. Such a relic of a bygone time...) and she gets excited, thinking it's Bob, but...

It's Aunt Nona and Uncle Hobart. Turns out Aunt Nona can't find her glasses and they think Cynthia is the only one who knows where to find them. Pockets? Ice box? It's where they were the last time she lost them. 

Cynthia tells Tommy that he reminds her of Uncle Hobart, and that she adores him. Tommy seems to like the comparison. 

Later, Tommy and Cynthia join Nils for his walk, but he tires quickly and leaves them to walk without him. 

They get to talking and share more about their lives. He's a newspaperman in Omira, Nebraska. He wants to go back home someday. She says that Uncle Hobart collects funny headlines, another way Tommy reminds her of her uncle. 

Soon, the trio is spending all their time together. Horseback riding, sailing on the lake...

Is there anything more awkward than being sung to? It happens all the time in old movies and I don't know how they just sit there and smile. I can't even have 'Happy Birthday' sung to me without making it supremely awkward...

The face I make when I'm being sung to. 

The next day, more swimming.

He's still trying to learn, bless him. 

And she's still trying to teach him!

They spend all night dancing (cheek to cheek). 

I love this dress. I might love it as much as the dress Esther wears in Bathing Beauty. It's just so fun!

Jealousy? Turn back to K.O. Karney, darling! 

I love the way they look at each other. They're both smitten, though only one of them is willing to admit it. 

Tommy Dorsey asks Nils to sing for the crowd, and he says he'll do it for a steak, mashed potatoes and onions and a beer. Tommy accepts the terms (though Oscar the waiter is standing behind them disapprovingly) and Nils says he wants to sing 'Jeg Elsker Deg' but none of Tommy Dorsey's orchestra members know it. 

You know who does? 

Susan Dorsey. All she needs is the key and she's game!

So Nils performs it beautifully, and once he gets back to his table with the meal he'd been promised...

...Miss Fenway shows up and assumes he ordered for her and digs in. 

Outside, Tommy is reciting poetry to Cynthia. He starts with The Indian Serenade by Percy Bysshe Shelley. She's entranced. He then recites another.

Tommy: The moon belongs in the sky/ The water in the sea/ But to be honest, I don't greatly care/ If they are where they ought to be/ If you are with me.

Cynthia: I don't know that one. Who wrote it? 

Tommy: Milvaine.

Cynthia: Who?

Tommy: T. Milvaine.

Cynthia: When?

Tommy: Just now.

She immediately goes inside. Nils shows up to commiserate. Tommy asks if the one he loves is very beautiful. Nils says yes, with onions and mashed potatoes. Somebody feed him!

Back in the pool. More longing stares from Tommy as he watches Cynthia glide through the water. 

Another cute moment as Lyonel summons up the courage to tell Nils that he likes to sing as well, but...

...he gets stage fright being in public and can't utter a single sound. 

Back to Cynthia and Tommy. They're flirting poolside. 

Then they dive into the water and wouldn't you know it!

Tommy Milvaine can swim! 

Another night, another dance. 

Another night of Maude's jealously. 

Nils and Mrs. Fenway talk about how wonderful it is to be in love, because they have eyes and can see what's happening. 

Tommy tells Cynthia he's leaving in the morning, that he wants to spend part of his leave somewhere with salt water. But then Cynthia receives a telegram from Bob: he's going to have to stay in Washington even longer due to this deal. Speaking of the Bancroft family...

Maude has finally had enough of K.O. Karney, so she does what any rational person would when they're next to somebody they despise at a pool: she pushes him in. 

Maude: Poor, poor K.O. Muscles, muscles, everywhere but none in his head. 

Maude asks Tommy if he has to go tomorrow, and he says yes, for good. She knows he's in love with Cynthia and follows him to the bar to chat. He tries to say he's not in love with Cynthia, and Maude says she believes him, otherwise why would he pass up another week with her, maybe longer? 

Maude was talking to her father earlier and he indicated that he didn't know when the deal would wrap up. Turns out Bob's waiting to come out to the Hotel Monte Belva with J.P. Bancroft. 

The crowd's dancing and suddenly this angelic voice starts singing but nobody can find who it is!

It's Lyonel, hiding at the top of the outdoor stage. 

Nils and Tommy bring him down to the main stage and praise his singing. He's got a great voice! 

Back on their balconies, Tommy reveals that he's going to stay another week, maybe longer, just as long as he can. She wants him to stay, as long as he stays on his side of the hedge. She says that no matter how long Bob's gone, she won't let Tommy make love to her (a saying that had a totally different meaning back then), and he can stay as long as he remembers that. 

Back in her room, Cynthia places a long distance call to Bob. She asks him to come back right away. Nothing's the matter, but she's lonesome.

He wants her to be patient a little bit longer, he can't leave in the middle of a deal. He encourages her to go out and make friends with the other guests. Bob, if you only knew...

Oh, if you were wondering, K.O. Karney's fine, and he's not mad at Maude. So there's that.

Cynthia goes back down to the bar and finds Nils listening to the jazz quartet. She asks him to stay with her and be a chaperone. He agrees and leads her over to a table of servicemen and Mrs. Fenway. He wants to cheer her up, so he sings her another song. 

The next day at breakfast, she joins Nils again.

But she calls to Tommy's room and it turns out he checked out last night. 

Nils says that he had a small glass of orange juice and a small egg for breakfast, and Cynthia asks why he's on a diet. See the man over there?

He's a doctor! And that means if he can eat huge dinners, drink beer, and not care about his health...

Then, by golly, neither is Nils!

Tommy shows up again at supper. He came back to the hotel after all, and now he's looking for Cynthia. Nils tells him to go for a walk on the Sunset Trail. 

Where he finds Cynthia, looking splendid in that rich red! He wants to walk, he won't say anything, but she tells him to at least say a word or two. They continue walking but they don't recognize any of the landmarks. 

When they stop to look at the lovebird initials carved into a tree, Cynthia can't help herself, she throws herself into Tommy's arms. 

He knows she loves him, and he loves her. Cynthia says she's not sure about her feelings, because she wants to give Bob a fair shake.

The only way to move forward is to stop speaking, and for Tommy to leave immediately. So they start back to the hotel. 

But they're totally, hopelessly lost. Just the situation you want to find yourself in just after you've announced your love and that you can't act on it...

I love the way he takes her hand to guide her back down the path. It's such a small moment, but it's so intimate and shows that he loves her without even having to think about it. 

What a gentleman. He gives Cynthia his coat to stay warm. They decide to camp out until morning. 

He's going to wake her up at daybreak. He puts the coat around her, then looks up...

"Hey, look! It's George!" Remember how he said he doesn't ask George for help? You can tell he wants it in this case. 

Perfect timing, Bob! He arrives at the hotel while Cynthia and Tommy are still missing, and he has J.P. Bancroft in tow. 

Here's Maude to greet them. She says that Cynthia wasn't too upset without him.

Up in the honeymoon suite, Bob knocks on Cynthia's door. But she's not there!

Don't worry, Maude is ready to spill the tea. Bob says Cynthia never came back to the room last night, and she answers every question in that tone that says she knows more than she's letting on. Maude looks out the window and sees Cynthia and Tommy coming back. 

And Bob is standing in front of the elevator doors waiting for them. He sees how close they are. He immediately jumps to the conclusion that they've been getting a little too close on her honeymoon. 

Tommy takes the blame and encourages Bob to forgive Cynthia. He rushes her back to their room.  

He accuses her of everything (and finds it funny that a soldier who'd been lost in a jungle in the South Pacific couldn't find his way out of the woods in California), and tells her it's over after she admits that she's in love with Tommy. She'll get a settlement, but she says she doesn't want one, she only wants the annulment. 

Downstairs, Tommy's checking out for real. Nils tells him not to be unhappy for long, that he'll fall in love again. 

Bob's just furious, naturally. He goes back to the Bancroft room and immediately jumps on the phone with his lawyer to get his marriage annulled. Notice Maude in the background? A romance is all but certain between them. 

Only his lawyer has news of his own: Bob was never actually divorced from his last wife! His marriage to Cynthia wasn't legal. That certainly wraps it up in a nice little bow, eh? Maude wishes him better luck next time, and they share a look. 

Cynthia checks out a little while later, and rushes over to Nils to say goodbye. She tells him that she's leaving Bob, and he asks where she's going. She's not going to stop at Darwin Field, where Tommy's now stationed, but she hopes that maybe Darwin Field will come to her. 

Nils gets on the phone and calls up Darwin Field to get Tommy on the phone. As a chess player behind him says, "It's your move." 

And here's the move, outside Cynthia's house, where she's back with Aunt Nona and Uncle Hobart. 

I'm sure Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra have nothing better to do then cram themselves into a cab to help serenade Cynthia, but it lends itself perfectly to a '40s romance, eh? 

Aunt Nona and Uncle Hobart hear the music, but in true fashion...

They can't locate the source of the music. You have to love them. 

Outside, Tommy's pulling a Cyrano de Bergerac singing 'Please Don't Say No'...

...Cynthia's loving every minute of it...

...and Nils is hiding behind the car, happy that he meddled in their affair. 

Cynthia rushes down the stairs, out into the street to embrace Tommy. Cue the happy ending!

But it's not without humour. 

Aunt Nona: How do you suppose he does that? Sings and kisses at the same time? 

The end! Thrill of a Romance is such a thrill. It's definitely one of my top five Esther Williams movies. Come back tomorrow, on Esther's birthday, to see which ones made the list!