24. Thrill of a Romance

I working my way through the last few films in the 31 Films in 31 Days challenge. And I have finally watched 31 films -- actually I've watched and taped way more than 31, but for the challenge's sake, I will only number 31 films. The goal is to write up reviews for the remaining eight films this morning -- I've got notes so it shouldn't be terrible. I just need to be consise instead of thorough!

Thrill of a Romance is a very adorable Van Johnson-Esther Williams movie. It is definitely more Williams movie than Johnson's, despite the fact that V-Jo gets top billing, and it becomes very evident from the amount of time spent around the pool.

Cynthia (Williams) is a swimming instructor who gets picked up by a young tycoon named Robert Delbar. After a month of courtship, she gets married to the tycoon and they head off on their honeymoon. They have just checked into their room when Robert gets a call that he is needed in Washington D.C. So what does Robert do but leave his bride of one afternoon at the hotel by himself!

While Robert is away, Cynthia meets Major Tommy Milvaine (Johnson), a decorated war hero, while crying over her husband. Cynthia eventually begins teaching him how to swim and they become friends with Nils Knudson (Lauritz Melchior), an opera singer who is trying to lose weight. Cynthia and Tommy have quite a cozy friendship, and eventually it is evident to everyone that Tommy has fallen in love with Cynthia, despite the fact that she is married.

Tommy and Cynthia get lost in the woods one evening, and don't come back until morning. Of course, this is the day that Robert comes back! He doesn't believe that nothing has happened between the two, and he decides to get an annulment. Cynthia goes back to her aunt and uncle, and in the end, Tommy shows up to serenade her, using the voice of their operatic friend, and the two are reunited in the end.

Thrill of a Romance was really cute, although the musical numbers by Melchior and Tommy Dorsey get a little old quickly. I'm not an opera fan, so I found myself fastforwarding through his numbers.

However, I must say that I kept expecting Robert to die in a plane crash coming back from Washington D.C. (Although, in retrospect, that wouldn't have been a good solution because then Cynthia would have had to deal with being a widow and grieving and all that jazz. Getting an annulment is much quicker and easier.) I also kept yelling at Tommy that Cynthia is a married woman! It definitely didn't start out the way that I thought it would, but, honestly, having an unattainable love is kind of cute, in a way. Very romantic.

Thrill of a Romance is definitely not one of the best Johnson-Williams pairings, but it's pretty good as a nice, gentle romance from 1945. It is pretty entertaining to watch Williams teach Johnson how to swim. And best of all, Johnson's hair isn't quite as poofy as it will be in the future. He's actually kind of cute in this film.

FILE UNDER: Classic Film ; 31 Films in 31 Days Challenge ; Van Johnson