Product Details

• Actors: Esther Williams, Lauritz Melchior, Jimmy Durante, Johnny Johnston, Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra
• Directors: Richard Thorpe
• Writers: Erwin S. Gelsey, Gladys Lehman, Hans Wilhelm, Lorraine Fielding
• Producers: Joe Pasternak
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305562849
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,960 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Time, Esther's at Mackinac Island, June 14, 2000

By	David J. Kucharski (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

By 1947, Esther Williams was becoming one of Hollywood's top stars, appearing in a string of lavish, colorful, musical films that usually (but not always!) showcased her championship-level swimming talents.

This Time for Keeps features Esther as the star of a swimming spectacular (what else?) who becomes romantically involved with a young WWII veteran trying to start a career as a popular crooner. (He's played by Johnny Johnston, a former band vocalist, in his only MGM leading role.) Eventually the two travel to Mackinac Island, the famous luxury resort town in the state of Michigan.

Esther has one lavish swim number, following the amusing song "10 Percent Off," during which she parades in true showgirl style. And the supporting cast features three talented scene-stealers: Jimmy Durante, Dame May Whitty, and former Metropolitan Opera star Lauritz Melchoir.

This film may seem a bit slow and sentimental (or even sticky!) to modern audiences. But it makes for a pleasing and enjoyable two hours of entertainment if you're in the mood. Give it a try!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A major (and minor) Esther Williams vehicle., December 5, 2002

By	Chris Aldridge (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This film is a kind of dual enigma because, while it is a properly light-hearted musical (they all were, but with varying degrees of success), it also boasts a great many oddities- starting with the strange title (exactly what in the film is "for keeps?"). Esther Williams plays a properly likable, properly beautiful, aquacade star whose relationship with Jimmy Durante (a legend whom I've always enjoyed) should've been that of a father and daughter, but instead is something a tad stranger. Thankfully, this isn't ignored in the film, as her actual love interest (Johnnie Johnston), whom Durante relentlessly 'protects' from Williams, challenges his interference in the film's 11th hour. (While Durante seems to have a bothered conscience about this, it is never confirmed or denied.) Another annoyance, as someone memtioned earlier, is the blowhard opera tenor (Lauritz Melchior) playing Johnston's meddlesome father. After getting past all this stickiness, the film's highlights, which are its musical portions (especially the Cugat numbers and the striptease and swim of "Ten Percent Off"), can finally be enjoyed.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prime Durante, September 7, 2001

By	Frank Terranella (Clifton, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're a fan of Jimmy Durante or of the Grand Hotel in Mackinack Island this is a film you'll love. Durante plays the manager/protector of Esther Williams and he's in prime form. Esther's OK too if you like that sort of thing.