DANGEROUS WHEN WET (1953) (Warner Archive Blu-ray Review)

DANGEROUS WHEN WET (1953)

Label: Warner Archive

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 95 Minutes 52 Seconds 

Audio: English DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Full Frame (1.37:1) 

Director: Charles Walters 

Cast: Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas, Jack Carson, Charlotte Greenwood, Denise Darcel.

The splashy MGM Technicolor swim-comedy Dangerous When Wet (1953) is a breezy and wonderfully light entry about a particaurly physically fit family of Arkansas-based dairy farmers, the Higgins family, who are recruited by travelling vitamin tonic Liquapep salesman Windy Weebe (Jack Carson, Mildred Pierce) to swim the English channel as a publicity stunt and to win the prize money to help with money issues on their farm. Travelling to England the family begin their training, swimming the English Channel, where looker Katie (Esther Williams, Neptune's Daughter) has a meet-cute with French Champagne entrepreneur André Lanet (Fernando Lamas, The Violent Ones) who sort of rescues her when she becomes lost while swimming the channel during a heavy fog. A reluctant romance ensues, but the attention from the Frenchman threatens to deter her swim-champion chances. 

The lovely Arthur Schwartz-Johnny Mercer musical numbers are bright and peppy, starting off with the jaunty “I Got Out of Bed on the Right Side,” which introduces the family at the top of the film, “I Like Men”, “In My Wildest Dreams” and “Ain’t Nature Grand”, each one a winner, if you're a fan of musical this is fun stuff. While I am not honestly a huge musical fan I am happy to report that this offers more romantic-comedy than musical numbers. The film is arguably best known for a dream sequence wherein William's swim under the sea with Hanna-Barbera’s Tom and Jerry, a wonderful and whimsical animated detour in the film that looks wonderful restored on Blu-ray. 

Audio/Video: Dangerous When Wet (1953) makes a splash on Blu-ray from Warner Archive with a new 2023 1080p HD master from 4K scan of Original Technicolor Camera Negatives, looking quite grand. The source is in flawless shape and has been lovingly restored, the Technicolor is vibrant and well-saturated, fine detail is wonderful and black levels are solid. The animated dream sequence with Tom & Jerry is also quite lovely in HD restored and looking better than ever. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles. There's no age-related issues or hiss, dialogue is crisp and the musical numbers sound quite pleasing.

All the archival extras from the Esther Williams Vol. 1 DVD are carried over here, these include a 3-min Unused Musical Outtake "C'est La Guerre" with Darcel and Lamas, the 8-min Tom & Jerry cartoon "The Cat the Mermouse" which thematically is quite a nice tie-in, the 9-min B&W Smith Specialty short "This is a Living?", 11-min Audio-only demo recordings by Lyricist Johnny Mercer, a 5-min Audio-only interview with Esther Williams and Dick Simmons, 3-min Original Theatrical Trailer, and from the menu there's a Song Selection option that allows you can navigate straight to your favorite musical numbers. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original illustrated movie artwork.


Special Features:
- "C'est La Guerre "- Unused musical outtake with Darcel and Lamas (2:52)
- Classic Tom & Jerry cartoon "The Cat and the Mermouse" (7:40) HD
- Classic Pete Smith Specialty short "This Is A Living?" (9:19)
- Audio-only demo recordings by Lyricist Johnny Mercer (11:04)
- Audio-only interview with Esther Williams and Dick Simmons (4:51)
- Original Theatrical Trailer(3:10)
- Song Selection

Screenshots from the Warner Archive Blu-ray:

Extras: 

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