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Typical vehicles for Esther Williams had the swimming sensation standing around and smiling, waiting for her chance to take another dip in the pool. Surrounding her were vaudevillian sketch comedy, musical interludes, and lukewarm romantic triangles. The formula worked to varying degrees of success, and it’s just bizarre that Easy to Wed would be chosen as a starring role for Williams, there’s hardly any of that formula in sight.
No, Easy to Wed is a remake of the star-studded screwball comedy Libeled Lady. While Williams could be charming in softball comedy routines, playing verbal sparring matches as an extended flirtation was above her acting range. I didn’t find the original Libeled Lady to be particularly great on the merits of its script or direction, but it was a great excuse to watch William Powell, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy, and Jean Harlow, the real standout of that film, engage in verbal sparring and moments of physical comedy.
Easy to Wed trades out that megawatt cast for Williams in the Loy role, Van Johnson in for Powell, Keenan Wynn in for Tracy, and Lucille Ball in for Harlow. Williams was always better playing spunky, can-do girls-next-door, and she’s out of her depth trying to play a haughty society girl. Same thing goes for Johnson, who was spectacularly charming as a song-and-dance man and had surprising range in his later dramatic roles, but a razor sharp and dry wit he was not. It’s not their fault they’re miscast, and they do try their best.
Wynn and Ball easily steal the film. Wynn picks up much of the slack and finds the right verbal rhythm for the dialog that the two leads lack, but it is Ball who provides the essential performance in this film. She’s in great form, demonstrating many of the comedic chops which would blossom even further in just a few years on I Love Lucy. A scene in which she drunkenly recites Shakespeare is an absolute standout.
The main problem with Easy to Wed is that the script is too convoluted for the Williams formula to shine through. Much like Libeled Lady, even for a screwball comedy that is a plot-heavy story, and at 110 minutes the thinness of the material becomes more apparent. There are meek charms to be found in Easy to Wed, but they only come from Lucille Ball and Keenan Wynn, fans of the Johnson and Williams need look elsewhere for better vehicles that displayed their talents.
