Bathing Beauty - Official Trailer (1944)

Released during the middle of WWII, it is a rather obvious excuse to show beautiful women in bathing suits and have lots of musical numbers. Although this was not Esther William’s screen debut, it was her first Technicolor musical. The film was initially to be titled “Mr. Co-Ed“ with Red Skelton having top billing. However, once MGM executives watched the first cut of the film, they realized that Esther Williams’ role should be showcased more, and changed the title to “Bathing Beauty,“ giving her prominent billing and featuring her bathing-suit clad figure on the posters. And thus began Esther Williams’ career as a real ’Bathing Beauty’.