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MGM could always depend on an ESTHER WILLIAMS movie to be breezy fun for movie fans who wanted escapism during the '40s in the form of light entertainment. And that's what they get here. VAN JOHNSON, a war hero she meets at a mountain resort, is her romantic interest and occasional swimming partner while her husband, CARLTON G. YOUNG, is neglecting her by performing his business duties.

And, of course, you have to have music in an Esther Williams movie. So, they have LAURITZ MELCHIOR, the chubby tenor from the Met, serving as a sort of S.Z. Sakall type providing gentle humor and suave charm in between some robust songs. Then they have TOMMY DORSEY and his Orchestra for fans of contemporary music with Buddy Rich beating on the drums.

The other standard ingredient is lush Technicolor that makes the most of some stunning scenery as well as some gorgeous shots of Esther in various swimming suits doing her thing in a pool of Olympic proportions. She also looks good on land in a series of smart outfits.

The weakness is a thin story that needs all the padding it gets. But for Esther Williams/Van Johnson fans, this had all the standard ingredients they looked for in this sort of musical.

I didn't recognize Esther Williams when I saw her with her hair down, and had to look here to see who the actress was...what a beautiful woman! And the costumes were wonderful, along with the scenery of Yosemite, making this movie the perfect diversion for a lazy Sunday afternoon. The plot was a bit slow, and at today's standards left a lot to the imagination, however the innocence of post-WWII "romance" made this an absolutely charming tale. Van Johnson was good (as always, in my opinion), but the tenor actually stole the show and provided the perfect sounding board for both characters so that we could see that they weren't really philanderers -- just caught up in a difficult situation. My husband and I both enjoyed this movie, and I got a lot of great costume ideas, as well! I recommend this movie to anyone who is nostalgic for a simpler time and doesn't want to have to think too much -- just watch and be entertained!

For 1945 with the Code firmly in place this film was quite daring in its subject matter. But the Esther Williams audience only wanted to see Esther in a bathing suit in or out of the water and Thrill of a Romance gave the viewer plenty of both.

Esther is a swimming instructor at a public pool in Los Angeles and driving by one day is Howard Hughes like tycoon Carleton G. Young. He puts on quite the campaign and they wed.

But Young is far more interested in business and while at a resort hotel on their honeymoon, Carleton gets called away to Washington on a big deal. We know what his priorities are. So Esther is an unconsummated bride alone on her honeymoon, when up pops war hero Van Johnson.

So for a week she and Van keep each other company and look pretty sad all the while.

Now Thrill of a Romance was not advertised to be Hamlet, but I found the premise here to be way to silly. But with lots of shots of Esther wet and dry and music by Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra and Lauritz Melchior of the Metropolitan Opera we had a whole lot of music of every taste. A highlight is a drum solo by Buddy Rich who after Frank Sinatra left as the band's vocalist, was Dorsey's main attraction.

Young Jerry Scott who plays Lyonel a bellboy at the hotel gives a nice lyric tenor interpretation of Because which that year was revived in a big hit record by Perry Como.

Speaking of Sinatra, he recorded a song written for this film I Should Care which was authored by his personal arranger Axel Stordahl and Sammy Cahn. Also sold a few platters back in the day.

Melchior sung a wide range of both classical and popular tunes. And he sort of functioned in the role of a father confessor to both Johnson and Williams. Had this been done at Warner Brothers, Melchior's part would have been played by S.Z. Sakall. Melchior even had the cheeks for it.

It's a nice film, maybe a little too light and too silly for today's audience. But Esther Williams fans got what they wanted.

The glorious voice of Wagnerian Tenor Lauritz Melchoir adorns this formulistic film, crafted by MGM staff writers.

After dominating the Met and international operatic stages along with colleague Soprano Helen Traubel, Melchoir along with Traubel and Ezio Pinza signed MGM contracts. The three appeared in light musicals for this studio, singing arias, light ballads and specialty numbers, which were incorporated into the plotlines.

Here Melchoir's role is quite gratuitous, yet all is forgotten when he opens his mouth and sings several varied selections.

His voice rings out like a bell, and he possesses a welcome warmth and humor in his screen presence. Joined by studio regulars Esther Williams, Van Johnson, and Bandleader Tommy Dorsey, Melchoir manages to punctuate the slightly sub-par plot with charm.

It's as though the project was cast first, then writers were called upon to write for each personality. While the proceedings may be a bit routine, the music, color and trappings are quite enjoyable, and a pleasant reminder of a gentle era of movie making.

Fun and easy flowing movie. Good old film but would LOVE to know the name of the girl playing piano with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the movie. This is not considered a "heavy" movie but light weight and one the kids could watch with mom and dad in today's society. Some typical water scenes of Esther Williams that all of us can enjoy and of course dream we could do the same in our pool. Costuming is tastefully done and this brings back some great music and actually there are several genres covered. Not for Head Bangers or Hip Hoppers but for those that want to hear what the good old stuff really was meant to sound like. Abit more actual acting in this movie than a lot of those that Esther was in. Watch and enjoy!

In this film, Cynthia (Esther Williams) is romanced by a rich industrialist, Robert Delbar (Carleton Young). After a very short courtship, they marry. However, almost as soon as they arrive at the hotel for their honeymoon, Robert is called away on business--and stays away a very long time. The new Mrs. Delbar is lonely yet oddly accepting--and I think almost every other woman would have gotten an annulment and left the jerk. During this prolonged stay, Cynthia begins spending time with a handsome war hero (Van Johnson) and it's obvious he's very smitten by her. What will become of them?

While I generally enjoyed this film, it is weak for an Esther Williams film because there is more swimming and LOTS of opera--which tended to disrupt the nice romance between Cynthia and the pilot. Still, the film is enjoyable and worth seeing. I also appreciated seeing and hearing young Jerry Scott sing--and it's amazing with such a fine voice this would be his only movie credit!

By the way, in addition to filming most of the film in a sound stage (with a VERY obvious painting serving as the 'mountains'), a bit of the film was filmed on location. Part was filmed at Big Bear Lake and part at Yosimite--two places more than five hours apart by car!

How great to be able to see a movie that included Tommy Dorsey, Buddy De Franco and Buddy Rich on the screen; it's a treat for an jazz lover. And when was the last time they made a movie that included an opera singer (Lauritz Melchior). Will it ever happen again? Maybe with Andrea Bochelli but he's never sung at the Met. This hodge-podge of a story and cast, set in incredibly beautiful California landscapes in hyper-Technicolor, has lots of nostalgic charm. There is a lot you can learn about life in America in 1945 watching this movie: what was salable to audiences, acceptable sex roles, what hairdos were hip, the fashions of the day. Notice how few people are fat? I can't stand Van Johnson, but I can live with is presence just to see the Yosemite scenery and the redwoods.

Enjoyed this 1945 film with young stars like Van Johnson and Esther Williams starting out on a brilliant career in the entertainment of swimming and musicals. Esther Williams,(Cynthia Glenn) was a swimming instructor at a pool and was noticed by a very rich business man who immediately swept her off her feet and got married to Cynthia. There honeymoon was a complete disaster because her husband had a business meeting in Washington, D.C. and he left her all alone without even making love. Van Johnson,(Major Thomas Milvaine) has a room next door to Cynthia and notices her crying on her balcony and gets acquainted with her and they begin to start seeing each other off and on. Cynthia finds out her husband will be gone for a whole week and in the meantime decides to teach Tom Milvaine some swimming lessons and they start dancing and taking long walks in the woods. Lauritz Melchior,(Nils Knudsen) sings many songs since he was a great opera star. You will even see Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra and Buddy Rich burning up his set of drums. Enjoyable musical with plenty of romance and entertainment from 1945.

It is difficult to discern the main theme of this film because the script is in itself confusing. Most likely it has to do with the extraordinary number of hasty marriages which took place in America during World War Two. The problems surrounding such marriages seemed insurmountable. For example, need marriages of convenience be honored as Cynthia Glenn (Esther Williams) attempts to do when her husband goes to Washington for a week-long meeting during their Honeymoon? Tens of thousands of real life soldiers did in fact leave their new wives shortly after the ceremony, many times leaving unresolved domestic problems as well. Cynthia, a swimming instructor, falls in love with a Major Milvaine (Van Johnson) the non-swimmer, and the complication begins. The value of this film is that a Homefront problem is addressed within the frame of fairly good acting by both Johnson and Williams. Can Cynthia keep swimming with the Major without sinking her marriage?

This movie had a huge impact on my life. In 1945 when I was nine years old, my grandfather offered to pay for boxing lessons for me. The problem was that I was not interested in having boxing lessons, however my parents and I had recently seen the Thrill of a Romance movie; and needless to say I developed a huge crush on Ester Williams. I asked my mother if she thought that my grandfather would pay for swimming lessons, and he did! As a result of seeing this movie, I learned to swim and then swam competitively from age ten through high school and then played four years water polo at UCLA. During the summers, while in college and continuing until age 62, I worked as a lifeguard and pool manager. Both daughters also swam competitively and had summer lifeguard jobs....... Thank You Ester Williams :-)

Esther is the brand-new bride of a wealthy businessman on her honeymoon. She apparently packed 4 swimsuits complete with matching colored plastic flowers for her hair. Her clothes, particularly one green gown with white flowers, are captivating. It's also fun to compare this time's concept of the "manly physique" with ours. Van is most appealing when in his tight officer's jacket that shows broad (padded?) shoulders tapering to a flat waistline. But when he's swimming... he has the muscle definition of an office worker. Gorgeous mountain scenery, and the tenor can really belt it out. Has a young black teen tenor, too, and although they do the "shaky knees and rolling eyes" bit - isn't that what all black people do when they're nervous? - they don't condescend to him and the white older tenor pays for his voice lessons. The plot line is so weak, it's funny - you can see a song set-up a mile away, but if you suspend disbelief, you'll enjoy it!

Great wartime escapism. The movie trailer states the boys overseas are going to get to see the film too. One look at Esther Williams in a bathing suit and I'll bet our GI's could wind up the war the next day. Nothing taxing here, just glossy glamor MGM style with a one-note plot thrown in. Williams and Johnson make an ideal movie couple, and of course we know they'll end up together even if it takes an hour and a half.

It's still early in our mermaid's career so there's little signature water ballet, but she does do some acrobatic diving that almost gave this old guy a backache. And, surprise, operatic tenor Melchior not only does some highbrow singing, but shows he can handle dialog too. It's the kind of jocular cupid role that "Cuddles" Szakall usually got in these romantic bon-bons. Actually, I was hoping for more featured swing numbers form Dorsey's band, but at least Buddy Rich gets a mind-bending drum solo. Anyhow, if you're looking for some slick eye and ear entertainment with absolutely no demands on the brain, then catch up with this picture postcard that MGM did best.

A serious issue about the issues of wealth, marriage and happiness are subterfuged in this Joe Pasternak confection. Joe Pasternak for his low ambitions with his movies liked Opera and serious classical composition; or maybe he just liked using it in his movies. Anyway, Melchior provides both comic relief and the opera singing and like Dean Martin in those movies, he slows the movie down and you have to wonder that the movie would be better without him. The movie raises serious issues and refuses to really address them; leaving poor Van and Esther without the opportunity to flex their acting chops. A big hit in the year of 1945, but you have to wonder why the filmakers did not try harder. Anyway, as entertainment, an A but as an enduring movie, a D.

Van Johnson and Esther Williams at their loveliest. Wonderful music throughout. A delightful picture for anyone who has ever been or hopes to be in love.

We have beautiful Esther Williams swimming and diving. We have Van Johnson sincere and radiant. We have Melchior in fine classical voice, Tommy Dorsey playing Grieg on the trombone (!) along with other classic Dorsey hits. And a couple of new songs. The movie mostly takes place in a resort with Olympic swimming pool and a sound-stage with a view over Yosemite Valley.

It's all very light, but let yourself be carried away, and it will steal your heart.

A lot of talent displayed in 'Thrill of a Romance', and while there are many pleasures the film overall is a mixed bag and one of Esther Williams' weaker films.

The problem does not lie with Williams, she has a lot of charm and robustness to her performance, looks luminous and proves herself as ever a superb swimming athlete. Nor with her aquatic sequences, part of you wishes there were more and there are more imaginative ones in her other films but they are still beautifully filmed, elegant, fun and performed with envious poise and energy by Williams.

Can't say anything bad about the production values, 'Thrill of a Romance' is beautifully filmed and the Technicolor is exquisite. The music, with the bonuses too of being performed by the likes of the orchestras of Tommy Dorsey and Xavier Cugat (with Buddy Rich providing a killer drum solo), are a great mix of classical music (Schubert's "Standchen" and "Vesti La Giubba" from 'Pagliacci' notable) and songs written for the film, the hits being "I Should Care" and "Please Don't Say No, Say Maybe".

Henry Travers and Spring Byington are marvellously dotty, and one wishes there were more of them, and Wagnerian tenor Lauritz Melchior is in resplendent voice and lightens up the screen with his smile and cheeky but well-intentioned charm especially.

Van Johnson, on the other hand, despite a relaxed rapport with Williams (though the romance feels underwritten), looks uncomfortable much of the time, and Richard Thorpe (though not an amateur job by all means) could have directed with more verve and imagination.

It is the insipid script, with too often leaden humour and vacuous emotional elements, a pedestrian pace outside of the musical numbers and the scenes with Travers and Byington and a story that is full of ridiculous contrivances and over-stretched padding that fare worst in 'Thrill of a Romance'.

Overall, bliss in some areas, a failure in others. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Thrill of a Romance is such a VERY nice film. I watched it last night and totally enjoyed this cute and entertaining film. Nice swimming scenes with both Esther and Van together. Wonderful diving from Esther in this film and the music was wonderful.

This film is a wonderful way to end any romantic evening. MonaK

This is the sort of light musical romantic comedy that Hollywood churned out on a regular basis, and in no way an exceptional or memorable example of that genre.

Save for the contributions from the great Danish tenor Lauritz Melchior. The fact that he was Danish, and indeed known as "The Great Dane," is not irrelevant to this picture. See below.

By 1945 when this movie came out, Melchior was near the end of a long and very distinguished career as a heroic tenor, primarily at the Metropolitan Opera, which had kept him focused almost uniquely on the works of Richard Wagner. From all reports, he wasn't much of an actor there, and audiences didn't care. He just stood on stage and sang, and the audience loved it.

In the late 1940s, however, he made a few movies, and turned out to be a natural screen comedian playing the avuncular older man who offers sage advice to struggling young lovers. Very much a man who could make fun of himself, and who did not take himself too seriously.

That is nowhere better demonstrated than in this movie. He offers advice to the two stars and then, every now and then, he sings an operatic aria or classical song. If you like that music, you will love his performance of it.

But he is also part of the best moment in the movie, at the end. For reasons I won't go into, the male lead, Van Johnson, decides to sing his love to the female lead, Esther Williams, outside her bedroom window. Since he doesn't sing, he gets Melchior to help him out in classic Cyrano de Bergerac fashion. The scene is a stitch because Melchior sings a silly pop tune, "Please don't say no, say maybe," and hams it up to the 9s. It's also very funny to watch the young Van Johnson pretending to sing with a great and powerful voice that clearly isn't his and dwarfs him.

At the end of the number, Van Johnson and Williams kiss - while Melchior still sings, leading to funny comments from Spring Byington and Henry Travers.

I don't know how often I'd want to sit through an hour and 45 minutes of this movie to watch that last scene, but it's very definitely worth seeing.

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When I watched this movie again tonight on TCM, other things struck me. This movie was made during World War II, mostly before the D-Day invasion that turned the tide and brought about the defeat of Nazi Germany. We are reminded of this at the end of the movie, when we see the announcement that it had been chosen to be shown to American troops fighting the war.

That gives a much deeper resonance to Melchior's part in this movie.

The Germans invaded Denmark in April, 1940, and remained there until the end of the war in 1945. In other words, when this picture was made Melchior was a very famous representative of a nation still until Nazi rule.

In this picture, Melchior champions the aspirations of a young Black boy with a beautiful voice who knocks everyone's socks off with his performance of the then still very popular song "Because," by Paolo Tosti. Melchior is clearly impressed with his singing, and clearly completely unbothered by his race.

To put that in perspective, remember that the great Black singer Lena Horne would be passed over by the same studio, MGM, six years later when it came to casting the mixed-race character Julie the 1951 version of Show Boat. Instead, MGM chose Ava Gardner, whose singing had to be dubbed.

All of which to say: in this movie, a famous Dane was chosen to sing, yes, but also to favor the aspirations a Black character. Much as the Danes had consistently refused to go along with Nazi racial policies during their 5 years of Nazi occupation.

And then remember: this film was shown to American troops still fighting the war, including Black GIs - who were still serving in Blacks-only units, since Truman had yet to integrate the Armed Forces.

Most of this movie is fluff. Van Johnson and Esther Williams gave better performances in other movies.

But Melchior is remarkable here, both for his singing, certainly, but also for the example of racial tolerance that he, a Dane, demonstrates during an era when American soldiers were still fighting nations that were monstrous, among other reasons, because of their racist policies.

And that would not have looked like fluff to a Black American GI fighting in Europe or the Pacific

While this was the first time both Esther Williams and Van Johnson were the leads in a motion picture, this wasn't the first time they were in a scene together onscreen: that was in A Guy Named Joe a few years before when Ms. Williams had a brief dancing sequence with him. He's not the only man in her life here, another one played by Carleton G. Young also figures but watch the movie if you want to know what I'm talking about. There's also amusing supporting turns by Spring Byington and Henry Travers as Esther's relatives. By the way, I always think of Mr. Travers first as Clarence Oddbody, Angel 2nd Class from my favorite movie It's a Wonderful Life. While I'm not an opera fan, I did enjoy the singing of Lauritz Melchior especially when he performed with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra. Incidentally, Tommy introes a teen named Helene Stanley-who does a fine piano and singing-as his daughter Susan but he wouldn't have such an offspring with that name until four years after this movie's release. There's also a nice singing performance by African-American teen Jerry Scott who plays a bellhop, which emphasizes the limitation of roles for his race in Hollywood at the time. Also, a fine drum solo from Dorsey's drummer Buddy Rich. In summary, I enjoyed this fluff Thrill of a Romance represented during this time of war all over the world that must have pleased many patrons looking for some distraction...

Abandon all hope ye who enter here. Hope of a meaningful or interesting story, that is. The film starts out as a typical vehicle for Esther Williams to swim and dive through. I am a fan of hers, and I would have been content with that. Immediately, though, the film has her getting married to an unromantic businessman who is no more a leading man than Robert Q. Lewis. Gee, I wonder where this is going? They go to a resort for their honeymoon and he immediately leaves for a business meeting on the east coast, leaving poor Esther all alone with nothing to do, except maybe meet the GI (Van Johnson) who has the room (and balcony) next to hers. There is no point in describing the rest of the plot. It is interrupted every minute or so by a "comedy" bit or a musical number.

My advice is to ignore the plot and just watch the film for the musical numbers (and the occasional shots of the glorious Ms. Williams that are in focus). Unfortunately the musical interludes are often abbreviated. But there are many of them.

Enjoy Tommy Dorsey and his band. They somehow pop up everywhere. Buddy Rich delivers a killer drum solo that--though it is brief--shows why he was the best.

15-year-old Helene Stanley portrays Dorsey's daughter Susan, who plays piano and sings with some serious chops. Too bad they did not let her play more jive. (Interesting fact: later, she would marry Johnny Stompanato.)

A young boy named Jerry Scott sings "Please Don't Say No (Say Maybe)" for just a few bars before they cut him off and have him sing the less enjoyable "Because". (Apparently this would be Jerry's only film appearance.)

Lauritz Melchoir displays his serious operatic talents in four or five musical numbers.

The plot is sappy, silly and requires no acting skills. Jettison any concern for it and you can enjoy the musical treats of Thrill of a Romance. In wartime USA, I am sure the GIs overseas loved this piece of fluff. And in their absence, American women somehow found Van Johnson appealing. But some of the gushing reviews for this film on IMDb are, I feel, unfathomable.

Esther Williams plays a swimming teacher who marries a rich guy after a whirlwind courtship. But he abandons her on their honeymoon to go tend to business matters, leaving her to fall in love with soldier Van Johnson. Lackluster vehicle for Esther and Van. Esther in Technicolor is radiant, as always. The scenes of her in a bathing suit are among the film's highlights. Van does fine with a role he could sleepwalk through. The nice supporting cast includes Spring Byington, Henry Travers, and Frances Gifford. Carleton G. Young plays the reptilian-looking husband. There was something off-putting about this guy from the first time I saw him. He really crept me out. The romance is tepid and I often found myself waiting for the next musical number, some of which are by Tommy Dorsey's orchestra (which I like) and others are opera (which I didn't like). See it for Esther or the music, if you must, but keep expectations low. It's pretty forgettable and corny.