moonspinner55 Nonsensical remake of 1936's "Libeled Lady" casts Esther Williams as a beautiful but arrogant heiress who sues a publication for two million dollars after they print a would-be scandalous story. The newspaper gets revenge by matching the socialite up with a suave womanizer--not expecting true love to blossom. Tepid shenanigans does get Williams into the water, albeit briefly; much of this comedy is spent on fast-talking wisecracks delivered at a high decibel level. Unfortunately, louder doesn't equal funnier, and some good players flounder (particularly titian-haired Lucille Ball, in one of her weakest performances). Organist Ethel Smith has a fun bit (joined by a Spanish-singing Williams and Van Johnson!), and the film is certainly well-dressed, but the comedic timing is unpolished and the plot is insufferable. ** from ****

edwagreen Lucille Ball steals the film in a supporting role. She displays some of the many antics she would use in her famous television show- "I Love Lucy," some 5 years after this film was made.In some ways, Lucy reminded me on Lina Lamont, without the crazy voice, in "Singin'in the Rain," (1952).The film has a funny premise when heiress Esther Williams wants to sue a newspaper for defaming her, and reporter Keenan Wynn "hires" his fiancée Lucy to romance and even wed fellow reporter Van Johnson so that Johnson can in turn carry on with Williams and embarrass her to the extent that she will drop the suit. Keenan Wynn is his usual testy, acerbic self.As the wealthy farmer, veteran actor Cecil Kellaway is definitely miscast here. You needed someone such as Edward Arnold.As good as Ball is here, I could have also envisioned Eve Arden for the part, especially with the wisecracks and sarcasm needed for the role.The film gets sidetracked somewhat by the duck shooting scene and the ending might be what you suspect, but isn't 100% satisfying. It's somewhat incomplete.

bkoganbing The film Easy To Wed had an impossible task to follow the film and stars of one of the best screen comedies ever made Libeled Lady. I would take nothing away from Van Johnson, Esther Williams, Lucille Ball, and Keenan Wynn. But frankly they're all not a patch on the quartet of William Powell, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, and Spencer Tracy. Music and MGM technicolor is what distinguishes this film and the music primarily Latin in origin is pretty good and comes from a variety of sources. Colombian singer Carlos Ramirez contributes a native song and Ethel Smith plays her famous Tico Tico on the organ. Part of the film is set in Mexico so these acts are brought in without any strain on the plot. When the stars do their numbers, the results are pretty tepid.Esther Williams stays fairly dry in Easy To Wed. Only a dip on a water slide and a brief swim in the family pool where she unplugs a rubber raft and sends Van Johnson into the water are all you see of her. No classic water ballets in Easy To Wed which must have disappointed her fans tremendously.In Libeled Lady the character Loy/Williams's father is played by Walter Connolly and he's an avid fisherman. Here he's a hunter and Van Johnson has to take a crash course in duck hunting to make an impression on father Cecil Kellaway. Van's best moments like William Powell's in the first film are in the hunting scenes. The basic outline of the story remains the same. A false story about heiress Esther Williams's romantic escapades has caused a lawsuit to be filed by Cecil Kellaway. Editor Keenan Wynn postpones for the umpteenth time his wedding to Lucille Ball to meet the crisis at the paper. Wynn's plan, to hire back his ace reporter Van Johnson and marry his girl friend Ball to Johnson and then have Johnson strike something up with Williams. Just as Jean Harlow did, Lucille Ball amazingly enough goes along with this madcap scheme. Everybody performs well, but after you've seen Libeled Lady you will think of Easy To Wed as a road company version of that classic.

JLRMovieReviews "Easy to Wed" is a remake of "Libeled Lady," with Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow, William Powell, and Myrna Loy. You don't have to know that. But, it helps to know that, when one is wondering why this Esther Williams movie doesn't make Esther center stage. As a matter of fact, despite the lead actor of Van Johnson, this breezy comedy, which is pleasant enough, but rather long, relies on Keenan Wynn and Lucille Ball to keep the ball rolling. They are the ones throwing their weight around. Esther Williams looks great as usual, but Lucy's not-so-soft-spoken character and constant wardrobe changes into flowing and colorful outfits outdoes her, as Esther quietly looks on. And, as much as I like Van Johnson, he's not given much to do and for that matter he seems a bit disinterested. The plot revolves around getting a libel suit against a newspaper dropped. Actually, the best part comes after Esther finally warms up to Van and even Lucy is spellbound by his charms. This is not Esther at her wettest, and this is no classic, like the original. So enjoy and don't expect too much; just sit back and take it easy.