The Many Career Comebacks of Red Skelton

In 1944, Red Skelton co-starred with Esther Williams in Bathing Beauty, one of MGM’s most popular aquatic musicals. His role provided comic contrast to Williams’s athletic swimming sequences and glamour.

The film was a major commercial success and expanded Skelton’s appeal to new audiences. It also firmly placed him within MGM’s polished musical system, pairing his clown comedy with the studio’s high-budget spectacle.